I gently knocked on the door in front of me, opening it and walking into the room when I heard a muted "Enter". I looked around and immediately averted my eyes. This was the room Yubelluna and I had decided was best for Arondight. It was on the second floor and had a small balcony attached to it, giving her a view of the outside. It also happened to be a room Serafall had stocked with several outfits I didn't even know the name of. All I was able to recognize were the dresses, blouses, and varying forms of skirts and pants. Arondight was apparently very pleased with the wealth of options in her accommodations if her current state of dress was anything to go by.

Turning around so I was facing the door and staring studiously forward, I said, "Arondight, the reason I knocked was to determine whether or not I should enter the room. If you are stark naked, it is a good indicator that I should not enter the room."

Arondight, who I assumed was still standing completely nude near a pile of outfits on her bed that she was likely in the process of trying on, said, "You are my king, Riser. Nothing I am or possess will remain hidden from you. May I ask what your intent was in coming here, my king?"

If she could handle it, I could be mature about the situation. Turning around and keeping my eyes firmly trained on Arondight's own silver eyes, I said, "I came to see how you were adjusting to everything. I imagine things have happened in rather quick succession for you. Is there anything I can do for you to make it easier?"

Rather than continue trying on the dozen outfits lying before her, Arondight turned to fully face me with a content smile. "It has been tumultuous, my king, but I am resilient. You have already done more for me than you will ever understand. I was trapped within a prison of no bars. You set me free, my king. You gave me a body."

"That may be the case, but as you said, I am your king. It's my responsibility to make sure you have everything you need."

A small, yet radiant smile graced Arondight's lips. "I am more happy now than I have been in over a hundred years, my king. Your concern is most welcome, yet unnecessary. For the first time, I am able to be self-sufficient. I wish to explore this new capability as well as all the others you have granted me. I have finally discovered what an orgasm is and why so many turn to fools in its pursuit. It is immensely pleasurable."

I stared directly ahead. My eyes were directed towards Arondight, but I wasn't seeing her. My vision was unfocused so I didn't see anything. "I'm glad you're enjoying your new body, Arondight. I'll let you get back to it. If you need anything, let me or Yubelluna know. We're both more than willing to help you."

Arondight bowed her head, her silver hair tumbling off of her shoulders to fall like a veil before her face. "You have my eternal thanks, my king."

"Enjoy your outfits." I said as I robotically turned to leave, doing everything in my power to fend off the vivid image crawling its way into my mind in the wake of Arondight's statement.

A glowing smile lit up Arondight's face as her attention returned to the mound of clothing on her bed. A chocolate chip cookie appeared from nowhere in her hand. She idly munched on the cookie as her eyes turned thoughtful, looking between the many outfits with the keen gaze of a hawk as she decided which one to try on next.

I watched her genuine joy with a fond smile as I closed the door behind me, leaving her to enjoy her newfound pastime.

X

I heard a loud popping sound like the explosion of a firecracker as I was walking through the halls of my manor, a small scroll of parchment rolled up in my hand. The parchment disappeared in a flash of flame as, full of both confusion and caution, I hurried towards the source of the noise. I relaxed as I came upon Clarissa's lab. As I remembered from my many lessons under Clarissa, magic could get loud on occasion. Still, I wanted to make sure that everything was okay.

Walking up to the door, I knocked, hearing a scolding tone I recognized well from my lessons under Clarissa.

The one-sided conversation ended as heavy footfalls approached the door. It swung inward to reveal Clarissa.

"My king." she said, stepping aside, unbarring my way into the lab. "Please come in. Is there anything you require of me?"

Walking into the room, I said, "No. I just heard a strange noise and wanted to make sure you were alright."

This lab was not nearly as impressive or stocked as the one Clarissa had possessed in Phenex Castle, but it was far from wanting. The room was on the fourth and highest story of the manor. A triangular skylight allowed rays of light to fall into the room like water flowing gently through a grate. There were two worktables positioned in opposing corners of the room. The one to the right of the door had several arcane designs sketched delicately into its surface with glowing, blue ink. The table in the back left corner held assorted beakers, vials, alembics and mortars with pestles. Like in her old lab, a cauldron the color of coal sat in the exact center of the room. The shelves lining the walls were sparse. What space was occupied held jars of simple ingredients – dried plants, preserved bugs, flecks of silver powder. One of my greatest regrets regarding my dramatic exit from the Phenex household was my inability to supply Clarissa's laboratory with everything she needed. Some of the components she required were simply too expensive for me. Our Rating Game winnings had mostly gone to food and improvements to the manor, leaving little left over for my bishop.

"I'll figure out a way to get you more of what you need." I said over my shoulder to Clarissa as I looked over the disappointingly empty jars. "We won half of the reward money for drawing with Seekvaira's peerage. I'll make it a point to get you what you need." That said, I turned to the other occupant of the room. "Valerie, since you're here, I would assume Clarissa's been teaching you?"

Valerie shuffled nervously and nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't ask, but–"

"You don't need to ask me for permission for everything. If you see something fun or want to train, feel free. You're free to do whatever you want when I don't need you, and I've been doing my best to give you all at least a few hours' warning before I do need you."

"You have, my king." Clarissa said, walking around the cauldron to stand by Valerie. "Is there anything specific you require?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean ingredients-wise? I think I should be asking you that. You know what you'd need more than I would."

Clarissa seemed conflicted, hesitant. "If…if it would not be too much to ask, I would appreciate a small vial of volcanic ash that has been used as the nesting ground of a fire salamander."

"That is…very specific. If I try to buy that I'll probably screw up and give you the equivalent of cigarette ash. I'll tell you what, just get whatever you need and pay for it with our most recent Rating Game winnings. Just try to keep the bill to roughly half of the total prize money we received. I haven't bought food yet."

Clarissa seemed shocked. "I…I will do so, my king."

Turning to Valerie, I said, "Learned anything interesting yet?"

Valerie's face lit up as she said, "I never knew how cool magic was! The Tepes never even showed me how to use my hemomancy. Clarissa and Archie have been helping me experiment and Clarissa is showing me even more magic. I figured that since I'm your bishop, I should put in the effort to actually be able to use magic."

"Archie?" I said, tilting my head in confusion. The last time I checked, there was no person named Archie living in my house.

"Oh!" Valerie said, her eyes shining in amusement. "Sorry. Archie's dead. He hangs around me sometimes when he's bored. He was a vampire hunter before he died, so he has a general idea of what vampires should be able to do."

Chuckling, I said, "Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I doubt I can surpass Clarissa's teaching skills, but I'm willing to help if I can."

Valerie instantly turned sheepish, turning her head away from me and wringing her hands as she stared at the floor.

"Valerie?" I said, stepping closer. "Are you alright?"

"She hasn't fed." Clarissa answered for her, turning a scolding eye towards Valerie. "The last time she drank blood was when we rescued her. It was why summoning Sir Lancelot had such an effect on her – she was already weak when she used Sephiroth Graal. Had I known of her ailment, I would have recommended not bringing her to the Rating Game."

Valerie shrank in on herself more and more as Clarissa spoke, her face disappearing beneath her hair as it pulled together in front of her like two halves of a curtain.

"I offered to give her some of my blood, but–" Clarissa was cut off as Valerie exploded out of her shell.

"No! I don't want to hurt any of you again!" Her eyes dashed between us, curling in on herself more and more as she took in our reactions.

"Valerie," I said, exasperated as I walked towards her. "We don't want to see you get hurt either. If you're deliberately fighting your hunger for fear of hurting us, don't. In fact…" I stepped close to her and rolled up my sleeve, holding my bare arm forward where she'd bitten me before. "Here."

Valerie shook her head, taking a small step back, though her eyes were fixed on my veins. "I hurt you last time. Your fire didn't heal you. If I drank from Clarissa I might not be able to stop."

"Valerie, look at me." When her gaze rose to meet my eyes, I said, "My Immortality didn't heal the small bite marks you left, but it healed everything else. My blood replenishes faster than you can drain it. I am literally the best choice when it comes to someone to feed on. I didn't know that you hadn't drank when we fought Seekvaira, and I never would have let you in the arena with us had I known."

Valerie's eyes widened in shock, but I kept talking before she could say anything.

"You're my bishop. That means your health and safety are my responsibility. I'm not going to force you to feed, but I can't in good conscience bring you to any future battles knowing you're suffering in silence."

Valerie's eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought as her eyes fell to my arm once more. She looked up at Clarissa, searching for her opinion, but the witch just narrowed her eyes at her, nodding pointedly towards my arm.

Valerie swallowed anxiously and took a small step forward. Then another. She reached out and gently laid her hands on my arm, licking her lips as her pupils dilated. "You'll stop me if I hurt you, right?" Valerie said as her eyes fearfully met mine.

I smiled encouragingly. "You won't hurt me, but I will stop you if you do."

Valerie nodded to herself. She opened her mouth and two, sharpened fangs extended past the rest of her teeth. Her fangs sank into my arm and I felt my blood flow with the force of a tsunami down my arm and into her mouth. Flame ignited in my veins as my Immortality replaced all the blood that was greedily slurped from my veins.

Almost a full minute passed before Valerie pulled back, gasping for air, a euphoric smile on her face. She breathed blissfully. Her eyes fell on the two small marks in my skin and looked up at me in a panic.

I just smiled comfortingly at her. "I'm fine. Like I told you, my blood replenishes itself too fast for you to cause any real damage. The only thing it doesn't fix immediately are your fang marks. I'm honestly kind of curious as to why that is." I said, holding my arm up to look at the marks in question.

"If I may, my king?" Clarissa said, stepping forward and grasping my hand. She turned my arm over and cast a spell over the marks. "It appears to have something to do with the way in which vampires turn humans into more of their own. I can assure you that you are not becoming a vampire, but I cannot say any more on the matter."

I shrugged. "That's more than I knew two minutes ago. Thanks, Clarissa." I turned back to Valerie, seeing that she had controlled her breathing and was looking at me anxiously. "See? Everything's fine. From now on, whenever you're hungry, come find me. I don't want you to starve yourself anymore, okay?"

Valerie nodded shyly. Sephiroth Graal appeared in her hand as she stepped towards me, gently laying her hand over the bite marks in my arm. When she retracted her glowing hand, my arm was back to normal. She looked up at me with a smile. "Okay. Thank you, Riser."

I smiled back. "You're welcome. Now I'll get out of your hair. I'm sure you were doing something before I interrupted. Let me know if either of you need anything." With a nod to each of them, I left the room and closed the door behind me, leaving them to their magic lesson.

X

"Riser?"

Hellfire tendrils and currents of razor-sharp Wind fell back into me as I turned to face the voice that had just entered my training room. It wasn't anything overly impressive. The room was about the dimensions of an average swimming pool. The floors were constructed with stone slabs that very clearly divided into patterned squares. The walls were made of more stone. I got the sense Serafall wanted this room to be durable when she'd made it.

"What do you need, Kalawarner?" I said, taking a few sips of water from the bottle I'd brought down with me.

Kalawarner looked around anxiously, as if she wasn't sure she really wanted to do whatever she was doing. "I want to get stronger." she said hurriedly, freezing as the last word left her mouth, standing still as a statue.

I raised an eyebrow at her as I faced her. "That isn't the response I was expecting after you beat Issei."

Kalawarner frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in irritation. "But I didn't beat him. Clarissa trapped him while Yubelluna beat the knight on her own. All I did was use one of the Devil race's weaknesses to cripple someone who would have thrashed me had he been free. I was useless. Bafeel and Pegasus were too fast for me to hit and I wouldn't have lasted a second in melee with her if she'd gone after me instead of Yubelluna. I need to find a way to fight that doesn't rely entirely on light spears. When we fight people that aren't Devils, I'll be more of a burden than anything else if I don't have a way to fight them."

"Well…I'm more than willing to help you out. Is there anything specific you wanted to learn? Clarissa would likely be a better magic teacher than I would if that was your intent."

Kalawarner took a deep breath and said, "I'd like to learn how to use a sword. I can make them with my light but I can't really use them. I never had to. It was always enough to throw a light spear at whoever I was fighting because they were always weak to light magic. It was easy, and I didn't have a reason to learn anything else."

"Again, I'm more than happy to help, but Arondight would likely be a much better teacher. I don't know how much she picked up from Lancelot, but it was enough to require both knights from my Evil Pieces."

Kalawarner looked at the ground, refusing to meet my eyes. "Well…yeah, but…I'm asking you."

I couldn't determine what was eating at her, and staring at her as I tried to figure it out would only make things more uncomfortable for her, so I said, "Alright. Do you have time now?"

Her eyes lit up as she enthusiastically nodded her head. "I do." She held her hand out to her side and a bright white light solidified into a Fallen's light sword.

"Alright, then." I said, conjuring a flame blade and stepping up to face her. "Let's see what you can do."

We spent over two hours training. Kalawarner was right – she didn't really know what she was doing. She wielded her sword like a lumberjack wielded an axe, choppy and unbalanced. I did my best to get her started on the path to developing proper technique but there was far more to teach her than I could do in two hours.

"I'm here every morning at this time." I said as we separated, having agreed to call it for today. "If you want to keep working on your blade work, I'll be here to help you. I'm sure Arondight would be willing to as well."

Kalawarner shook her head. "I'll be here every morning to train with you." A suspicious expression crossed her features as she said, "Did you sleep last night?"

I chuckled nervously. "I got an hour in." I'd forgotten I told her about my night-long training ritual when I'd reincarnated her.

Kalawarner's eyes narrowed as she glared at me. "From now on, you will sleep every night for at least seven hours. I will inform every member of this peerage that you haven't been sleeping so you don't try to keep this up."

I sighed as I started rubbing my forehead. "Kalawarner, there aren't enough hours in the day for me to train otherwise. I need to–"

"I'm not asking." she said, her eyes hard. "I am telling you what I am going to do because you are my king and I will not do this underhandedly."

"And if I ordered you to keep this quiet?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I would ignore you." Kalawarner said matter-of-factly. "Your well-being supersedes your orders." The light sword in her hand disappeared with a flash as she put her arms above her head to stretch, the sweat covering her shirt causing the cloth to stick to her skin. "Is there a sword in the manor that I could use?" Kalawarner asked, seemingly unaware that I could see through her shirt. "I know Arondight has Hrotti, and I wouldn't even suggest I take it from her, but is there something stronger than what I can conjure available?"

I grabbed my chin and looked at the ceiling partially to think; partially to avoid staring at Kalawarner's chest any longer. "Not that I can think of. There are a lot of weapons here that Serafall left for us, but the vast majority of them are mundane. The few that are enchanted are enchanted to glow different colors which is kind of useless in combat." Clarissa and I had spent a full three days trying to figure out what else those swords did, but they literally just glowed. I wasn't sure what Serafall used them for, and I wasn't sure I wanted to ask.

Kalawarner sighed in disappointment, dropping her arms back down to her sides. "Damn. Can you let me know if you think of something?"

I fixed her with a considering expression as I thought of something. "I think I might have just thought of something."

Kalawarner perked up. "What?"

"I've got an idea we could try, but be warned, it might end explosively. More of my ideas than I can comfortably admit end with explosions."

Kalawarner looked slightly less eager as she said, "You can fix me with your fire if it does blow up, right?"

"I can."

Kalawarner swallowed nervously. Her eyes hardened in determination as she nodded stiffly. "Then let's try it."

"Summon one of your light swords but don't solidify it yet. Just make the outline."

Seemingly perplexed by the odd request, Kalawarner lifted her hand with a raised eyebrow, the outline of a sword nearly identical to the one she had just been using appearing above her palm.

"Good, keep it there." A line of flame snaked out of a spell circle above my hand. Kalawarner's eyes tracked it with dawning comprehension as my Hellfire flew to occupy the same space as her outlined sword, the flames and light biting each other violently. "I'm going to count down from three then say 'now'. Solidify your light magic when I say 'now'. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Kalawarner said, her eyes shining with expectation.

"Three. Two. One. Now!" Simultaneously, Kalawarner and I hardened our magic, the flames of Hell solidifying around Heaven's light.

Kalawarner and I were both blown off our feet by a massive explosion, sent flying five feet in opposite directions to tumble uncontrollably across the ground.

I groaned as my Immortality seared closed a gash in my shoulder. Yet another of my great ideas had ended in explosive failure.

"Kalawarner?" I said, clambering to my feet. "Are you…" I trailed off as my jaw fell open, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Kalawarner was fine. She'd stood even faster than I had, but she had been the one to see it first.

Held tight in Kalawarner's grasp was a sword unlike anything I'd ever seen. The bright, glowing orange of my Hellfire spiraled up the full length of the hilt and blade in tandem with pure, vibrant, angelic white that shone like a trapped star.

"Beautiful." Kalawarner said breathlessly, moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes.

I walked forward in a daze, unable to believe it had actually worked. We'd mixed two polar opposite forces into one, united body. Gingerly, I ran my finger down the flat of the blade. I hissed in pain and retracted my hand as my finger passed over a white section. Kalawarner's holy magic was present in the blade. A pure-blooded Devil like me couldn't touch it without repercussions.

"Riser!" Kalawarner said, grasping towards my hand, coming free of the amazed fog she'd settled into when she picked up the sword.

I waved her concern away, a vibrant smile on my face. "I'm fine. I can't believe it worked!"

Kalawarner's smile returned as she spun the blade around experimentally, testing its feel in her hand. She brought the blade to a stop before her eyes and swallowed nervously, looking past the blade at me to say, "Riser…can I…?"

"Yes. Fuck yes." I said, unable to contain my excitement. "We made it for you. I still can't believe it worked! Have Clarissa prod that thing to see if she can figure out what it can do. But don't tell anyone outside our peerage how you got it. If it gets out that we can combine light magic with Hellfire…"

"I understand." Kalawarner said seriously, her expression breaking back into a smile as she looked at her sword. She stepped forward and, being careful to hold the sword away from me so I didn't get burned, hugged me. "Thank you, Riser."

"You're welcome, Kalawarner. Happy to help." I said as I hugged her back.

When she pulled away, she jogged from the training hall with the sword clasped close to her chest, a smile brighter than any I'd ever seen lighting up her face.

X

I idly spun a scroll of parchment on the table in front of me as I sat in my office. I called the room my office, but all I ever did in here was read through the books Serafall left behind or study the ones I traded from Seekvaira. Aside from the plain, wooden desk I sat at now, there was an oval carpet with all the colors of the rainbow flowing out from the centerpoint. A bookshelf stood to the left of my desk. The only books I kept on it were the more interesting books I'd found in my copies of the Agares family collection that Clarissa didn't need. A window sat just beyond the bookshelf, overlooking the back of my manor's grounds.

"My king?" a voice said as its owner knocked on the door to my office.

"Come in." I said, the scroll of parchment disappearing in a flash of orange fire.

Yubelluna opened the door and entered the room. Her eyes found me almost immediately. A small frown shaped her lips as she walked towards me. "Kalawarner tells me you haven't been sleeping."

I had to hold in a sigh. I gave Kalawarner a super cool sword and she still ratted me out. "I'm fine." I said, standing up to face Yubelluna.

Yubelluna's eyes narrowed and her frown deepened. "Come." She grabbed my hand and began leading me along behind her. I was a little too shocked to offer any meaningful resistance.

Wordlessly, Yubelluna led me through the halls of my manor to the outside of the door to my room.

"Yube, really, I'm–"

"If you say you are fine again, I will lose my composure, Riser." Yubelluna said bitingly, her hand beginning to shake even clamped down on my hand as it was. Her eyes fixed on the door in front of us, Yubelluna said, "You insist on ensuring we are all content and cared for, but you do not spare any effort for yourself." She reached forward and opened the door, pulling me into the room behind her.

"Yube, my regeneration handles it. I can–"

"It does not." Yubelluna said as she closed the distance between us, seething as she absentmindedly closed the door behind her. She took a deep breath and said, "I assume your late night training began shortly following our retrieval of the Sacred Gear Extractor in Kuoh Town?"

"Uh…yeah." I said in a shocked daze.

Yubelluna leaned forward and spoke in a hiss, saying, "Trouble focusing in the mornings. Tears in your clothing that were not there the night before. Slower reaction to any stimulus. Lack of appetite. I'd known exhaustion was the cause, but I was unaware it was self-inflicted."

"Yube, even now, we're not in the best position. I need to be at my best."

"Yes. Your best. That is why from this night forward, you will receive the rest you need to be at your best."

"Yube, I–"

"This is not a discussion, Riser. I am telling you what is going to happen, and you are going to accept it." Yubelluna said, her eyes hard as they bore into my own. "A long time ago, you trusted me with the responsibility of telling you what to do when you are being an idiot. You are being an idiot."

I narrowed my eyes at her, but she met my gaze unflinchingly. "Fine." I said. "I'll get some sleep tonight."

"Not tonight. Now." Yubelluna said, grabbing my shirt and pulling it over my head before I could protest. "If you have not properly rested since your duel with Seekvaira as I expect you haven't, then you will rest right now. I will make sure of it." She hung my shirt in the closet before walking past me to my bed. She lifted the comforter and said, "After you."

I did my best not to roll my eyes, but I couldn't help it. I felt like a child. I laid down and dragged the comforter down behind me. "There. I'm sleeping. You can go now." I said dismissively.

I heard her moving around, but the door didn't open. Her footsteps grew closer and I felt a weight fall into the bed behind me as Yubelluna's arm snaked under my arm to lock around my chest. "Yube, what–" I said as I rolled over, coming face-to-face with my crying queen. If there was one thing that could banish all of my irritation in the blink of an eye, it was the genuine concern on Yubelluna's face as she laid her hand against my cheek, tears falling down her face.

"You need to stop shouldering everything alone, Riser." she said, her voice barely more than a whisper as her thumb gingerly ran circles over my cheek. "We are here to help you. I am here to help you, but I can't help you if you won't let me."

All of my irritation with her was gone as I sighed, reaching up to gently run my hand through her hair. "I'm not trying to. We…There's so much in this world that could take any of you away from me. I refuse to allow that to happen." If I didn't push as hard as I could now, I wouldn't be ready when we faced down something near-insurmountable. I couldn't lose any of them. It would break me. I refused to let them be taken.

"We're a team, Riser." Yubelluna said. "It's our job to look after each other. I know you're not actively trying to hurt yourself, but you are hurting yourself by not resting – even if you can't see it. You don't like to see us in pain, and I hate seeing you like this. I didn't know what was happening to you and felt so useless. I couldn't help you. You want to help us, and we want to help you. So let us help you, Riser."

I sighed, closing my eyes to nod my head. "I will. I'm sorry. I'm just…scared." I felt Yubelluna's soft lips press themselves against mine and slid a hand around her neck to gently pull her closer.

Yubelluna pulled away, a faint smile on her face as she said, "I know. I don't know what you've seen in your visions, but everything that I have seen without them is enough to scare me. We're balanced on a knife's edge, Riser. Disregarding everything outside of the Underworld, you and I both know there are Lords of every station looking to take advantage of us. They saw Valerie and Arondight and now they see you as an obstacle to acquiring them. I know you're scared for us because I'm scared for you. I need you to take care of yourself so you'll always be ready. I won't be able to sleep otherwise, so tonight, I'm making sure you sleep."

An amused smile pulled the corner of my lip up. "It's not night time yet, Yube."

Yubelluna narrowed her eyes at me, but the seriousness from before was gone, replaced by a playful, stern stare. "I believe I have declared idiot status. That means I am in charge and that it is night."

I smiled, pressing my lips against Yubelluna's lips to steal another kiss. "Then I guess I should say good night."

Her features slowly relaxed into joyful contentment as she shuffled closer to me, closing her eyes and laying her head on my shoulder. "Good night, Riser."

I wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes, welcoming the first real rest I'd had in what felt like a lifetime.