The first thing Lelouch noticed about Ajuka Beelzebub was the green hair.

Any further observations were then barred by the crashing wave of nausea that suddenly struck him. He fell to all fours, unconfident of his ability to remain standing, and fought to keep the churning contents of his stomach from vacating his body. It was a lost battle, but he managed to keep most of his lunch from making contact with the carpeted floor by depositing it into the trash can that had materialised in front of him.

He heard the snap of practised fingers and it, along with the sick, was gone, replaced by a chilled bottle of water and a damp towel. As he made use of them, he returned his attention towards his benefactor, who had risen from his seated position by the desk to greet the sudden newcomer.

"Serafall, I take it? I do apologise for my associates actions. She's wilful at the best of times."

Finishing his mouthful of water, he gave the man an affirmative - and appreciative – nod. "You don't seem too surprised. Does she do this often?"

"This would make the third time this month. Although, you're the first human in a good, long while. Ajuka Beelzebub, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Lelouch Lamperouge. Likewise."

Looking around the well-furnished room revealed it as a dimly-lit, tidy office, whiteboard tucked neatly into a corner and wiped clean of any scribblings. Shelves laden with books lined every wall except the one bearing the simple door, giving the space a comfortable, enclosed feel. He would've likened it to a psychologist's place of work, but for the lack of reclining chair. In its place was a working desk, bounded by a pair of leather armchairs.

It was to one of these that Ajuka motioned he sit in, taking the seat that faced the door for himself. A single laptop sat on the desk between them, partially obscuring his view of the green-haired devil, who was giving him an open look of curiosity with crystalline blue eyes. They were set upon a face that could only be described as refined, though whether the features were natural or magically enhanced remained in question. Placing the used towel in front of him and taking another drink of water, he waited for the devil to speak first.

"Before we get to your business, I simply must ask; what is it you did that caught Serafall's eye?"

"I won a chess match against her younger sister."

"Oh? Now that is interesting. Young Miss Sitri is the best player of her generation…" Trailing off, Ajuka gave him a considering once-over. Another snap of dextrous digits, and the laptop on the desk was gone, replaced by a chessboard and pieces set up, already to play. Examining the white pieces in front of him, he could tell the set was masterfully crafted in its simplicity, as if the artist had rendered the pieces down to their base attributes. Before Ajuka could pick up where he left off, he spoke.

"I'll play black."

Another snap, and the board rotated to heed his request. Ajuka gave him smile of gratitude, and immediately moved to advance his king's pawn. "And I didn't even need to ask. I look forward to a new challenger; Sirzechs has never quite taken to the game, and it does get tiring, losing to Falbium all the time."

No inquiry as to why Ajuka hadn't mentioned Serafall followed. It wasn't necessary, either. Instead, he chose to ask after something that had interested him from the moment he heard it.

"That snapping; is it necessary to work your magic?"

His opponent looked up from where he was contemplating his next move, and flashed him an unrepentant grin. "Not at all, but it adds a certain devilish flair, don't you agree?"

He could only give a nod of affirmation. To do so otherwise would be hypocrisy. "I am unfamiliar with magic, devil or otherwise. In fact, that is why I requested a meeting with you; I have several questions I would ask pertaining to its nature."

The game had barely developed by this point, giving Ajuka ample time to speak. Even so, the response only came after a short pause and a defensive re-positioning of a knight. "Ask away. Magic systems themselves are no big secret."

He wasted no time in his reply, on board or otherwise, attacking the retreating knight with a bishop even as he spoke. "You mentioned other systems; there are alternate branches of magic?"

"It would be more accurate to describe them as different trees entirely. There are as many forms as there are species in this world, and then some. The only element they all share, and even this isn't concrete, is that they require an energy input from the user."

"You speak as if it were a program. If so, is there a developer?" He knew of the existence of the biblical God from Rias, but that simply sprouted more questions. His former world shared much of this world's history, and the idea of multiple pantheons of gods did not seem so far-fetched when taking into account his experiences over the past few days.

"I've picked up the terminology as a by-product of my latest work with programming; it was unintentional. If there is a creator, he remains unknown. You wouldn't happen to be a religious person, would you? There is certainly no lack of Gods to choose from."

"No," he decided, "I wouldn't be." Having the existence of omnipotent celestial beings confirmed was all well and good, but it would require significantly more than that to cause him to place his faith utterly in the hands of another.

"Did Miss Sitri nor her associates explain any of this to you?" asked Ajuka.

"It was more akin to a condensed account of the supernatural. I only discovered the existence of devils several days ago."

"Ah. A crash course then." The words were followed by a short period of silence, disturbed only by the intermittent brushings of fingers on pieces and pieces on tiles. Three moves later, Ajuka spoke.

"To provide a framework, I will explain Devil magic. It relies on three core tenets, simply explained as the creative ability to compose a spell, the energy required to fuel it, and the will necessary to impose it upon the subject matter. These laws, so to speak, can be attributed to many other systems, given enough flexibility; though one or all of them may not apply, depending. Given the unreliable nature of magic, there is an exception to every rule."

He paused his considerations of the game – he was ahead, anyway - taking the time to digest the devil's words. The first and second principles were common even in human technology, but…

"The third tenet; you say emotion can affect magic in some form?"

"Indeed, in a clash of two spells of equal composition and energy, the victor is decided by the caster's conviction. To give another example, I believe the Angels, and by extension the Fallen, rely on emotions of faith and sin respectively to augment their natural power."

A single beat, then Ajuka continued. "I seem to be losing."

"You would not be if you had played seriously from the beginning."

The devil shrugged, apparently nonchalant about his imminent defeat. "A habit, I suppose, from when I occasionally taught young Miss Sitri. Speaking of which, I suppose you'll be wanting to return to your fiancé after the match?"

The description of Sona caught him by surprise, and he almost dropped the queen he had lifted. "My what?"

"You didn't know? Ever since she voided her arranged marriage by winning a chess match against her would-be groom, she's been fending off other suitors in the same manner."

He placed his queen down, and his next words came out rather weakly. "I had assumed that the magical girl was being frivolous."

"Oh, she probably was, but that doesn't make it any less true. Congratulations, I'll attend the wedding. Check."

He fended off the final desperation attack on his king, lacing his next words with far more vehemence than rightfully required. "There will be no wedding."

"If you say so. I've not yet met anyone who can deter Serafall from a course of action." Ajuka looked down to the board, where his white monarch was slowly being surrounded, and gave a noncommittal hum at the sight. "We'll have to play again, sometime. Forgive me for assuming you were of similar calibre to the Sitri heir."

"Of course. I'll look forward to it." Loath as he was to again experience the feelings of nausea that accompanied the travel, it would not do to pass up such an opportunity. "Checkmate."

"It is indeed. Now, before I send you off, was there anything else?"

"One last thing, and my main reason for coming here. The Evil Pieces, and more specifically the reincarnation system. How does it work?"

"Ah, one of my crowning achievements. Truly a masterpiece, despite the fact that it does have its limits. I am unable to simulate true revival, and it does inevitably bind the recipient to the user, but nonetheless, a masterpiece. Fundamentally put, it is a matter of soul conversion; acting as a catalyst for the transition from human to devil. As for their modelling after chess pieces, well…" Ajuka smiled and snapped his fingers, and their game was replaced by the laptop that had occupied the desk previously. "Personal flair."

"It's that simple?" He was rather sceptical, even though the devil had been nothing but forthright with him. He knew from experience that scientists tended to gloss over the details when speaking to the layman.

"Not quite, no, but the discovery is the fun part, wouldn't you agree?"

The rhetorical question begat no answer, and instead he asked for a final confirmation of his suspicions before resigning himself to pursuing another path in search of a solution. "The Evil Pieces, can they be used at a distance?"

It was the most he was willing to reveal of his current situation. He could only hope that physical distance could correlate with dimensional distance somehow.

"No, the owner and recipient must be in the same location at the time of use. Are you thinking of requesting peerage, perhaps?"

No, he wasn't. There was little benefit, and it would only serve to alienate him from the Angels, the Fallen, and perhaps other supernatural denizens. He was handicapped enough in his quest to question them; there was no need to add racial hate to the list. "Not at the moment, no."

"Then I believe this is farewell. One word of advice; relax. It makes the trip easier. Your earlier reaction was likely due to your innate resistance of the unexpected imposition inherent in Serafall's spell."

"Thank you. I'll-"

Snap

"- keep that in mind."

His arrival had apparently interrupted an ongoing conversation, and he was met with the almost simultaneous turning of every head in the room as they looked in his direction. Their faces showed varying degrees of emotion; some pleading, others haggard, and the rest, simply resigned. From their expressions, he wouldn't have been surprised if they had been at it for hours, though a quick glance at the clock revealed that he had only been gone for half of one.

When he was met with no streaks of bright pink, he began to hope that-

"Lulu-chan, welcome back!"

His hopes were dashed, and he turned to receive the attention of Serafall Leviathan.

"Hello, Miss Leviathan." he said cordially, suppressing a slight twitch in response to her alteration of his name. He supposed he should be grateful that she had attached the honorific.

"Oh, there's no need for such formality. Just call me big sister!"

He ignored the slight choking sounds behind him, and pressed on undaunted. "I was actually meaning to speak to you about that. I was unaware of Miss Sitri's circumstances at the time of our match. I assure you, I have no inclination to marry anybody, much less your sister. We remain simple acquaintances."

Apparently, those were the wrong words to say, because Serafall brushed them off with ease.

"Don't be silly; love grows with time, you know. You just have to put in the work!"

Before he could formulate a reply, she continued.

"Anyway, I want to learn about you Lulu-chan! So-tan and Ria-chan wouldn't tell me anything important."

"That was because we didn't know anything, Sister." came Sona's curt reply from behind him. "I was actually hoping to ask him some questions myself. Where he learned to play chess, for one."

"I was self-taught, from a young age. Although I admit I had a very good opponent."

"That is rather impressive." noted Kiba. "Were you raised in Europe, then? The game is quite popular there."

"Britain, to be exact, but I've lived in Japan since I was ten. I doubt my life is interesting enough to-"

"Ooh, my turn!" interrupted Serafall. "What did you talk about with Ajuka-chan?"

Honestly, the incessant dismissals of his attempts to divert the conversation were beginning to irritate him, but he made himself come to terms with it. Whenever Milly had gotten in a mood like this, he'd always found it quicker to just play along until the end.

"I asked him about magic and the Evil Pieces, over a game of chess. It was very enlightening."

"About that," said Rias, hesitation in her voice, "I would like to apologise, Lamperouge-san. All of this; it's because you saw me raise Asia, isn't it? Your answers from Beelzebub, they must have been disappointing. It was not my intention to give you false hope."

For a brief moment, he was confused as to her wording, but it passed with the realisation of what she meant.

"You seem to have misunderstood my intentions. There is nothing to forgive, Miss Gremory, as I have long since come to accept my parents' passing. This was naught but a matter of my own curiosity."

The young heiress' face visibly brightened, and she gave him a warm smile in return to his words.

"I told you to call me Rias, didn't I?"

"Then from now onward, refer to me as Lelouch. I've never quite become familiar with Japanese naming conventions." At that, he looked pointedly at Serafall, who responded with her usual cheery grin. "And that goes for everybody."

"Sure thing Lulu-chan!" she replied, giving him a faux salute with her wand.

He repressed the urge to sigh. Not even Milly had been this difficult.

"May I call you Lulu too?" teased Himejima, causing the rest of the room to break out into smiles of amusement.

"It does have a nice ring to it," mused Rias, her previous cheer continuing in the face of new entertainment.

"Very suitable," contributed Kiba politely, though his eyes betrayed his mirth. Nods of agreement happened all round at the statement.

It seemed the members of both clubs had united in their mocking of him, no doubt because he had left them alone with Serafall for half an hour. In that case, it was time to fall back upon the age-old tactic used in any situation where one was outnumbered.

Retreat.

"Well, if that will be all for today, I'll be making my leave." He strode quickly to the door, but barely made it halfway before Sona called out to him.

"Not just yet, La-…Lelouch."

He vaguely wondered of the repercussions were he to just ignore her and keep going. With Serafall present, it probably wouldn't be pretty. Repressing a sigh yet again, he turned to acknowledge her.

"Was there something else you needed?"

"Just two things," she acknowledged. "One concerns your criminal activities. As the student president of Kuoh Academy, I cannot have one of the members of our school acting in such a manner. While the terms of our match state that you no longer have to turn yourself in, I still must request that you cease your wrongdoings."

"I don't suppose I could convince you otherwise with another chess match?" he remarked offhandedly, fully aware that it was unlikely he could pull that particular move off again.

"As much as I enjoyed our last one; no."

He pondered his options. It would do him no great harm to stop gambling while he attended Kuoh; it wasn't as if he lived luxuriously, after all, and he only had the better part of a year left at this school. His current savings would suffice for several years yet. If it served to placate her, it was a non-existent price to pay. The Evil Pieces may have been a dead end, but that in itself did not write off Devils as a possible solution. It would be beneficial to remain in the Sitri heiress' good graces.

"Alright, but you'll have to forgive me if I hold onto my firearm. Recent events have left me rather concerned for my self-defence, you see."

"That won't be necessary."

"On the contrary, I find it absolutely necessary."

He didn't think her inflexible enough to deny him this, which could only mean…

"Devil abilities will serve you far greater than any human firearm. Herein lies my second objective; Lelouch Lamperouge, I wish to offer you peerage."

Nobody in the room displayed any sort of surprise, so he surmised that they must have discussed the offer while he was absent. Most of them, especially those of Gremory's group, looked pleased, and he realised that they expected him to accept the offer. Serafall was beaming and looking just as expectant. The only exception was the sole male member of the student council, a blonde whose name he hadn't yet learnt. The boy had a dour expression, and the look he was giving was just short of a glare.

Coolly, he focused on Sona Sitri, and gave his response.

"I decline."

"Exce-…Pardon?"

She seemed truly at a loss, so she really must've not foreseen his refusal. He shrugged lightly, and repeated himself.

"I decline. You have nothing to offer me in such an arrangement."

Smiles turned to frowns, and in the case of Serafall, a pout. The contortion of her lips only served to make her seem childish; the image being accentuated by the pink outfit.

"If you'll allow me to make my case?" Sona had seemingly recovered from being caught off guard, and her prior confusion had been replaced by a steely gaze. "Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding somewhere. I would outline my reasons, and why they would be favourable to you."

"Only if you are committed to this lost cause." Remaining in good graces was one thing, being relegated to the status of a subservient chess piece was another. There was nothing she could say to change his view of this matter.

"I believe there are three distinct advantages I can provide. The first is safety. Since you remain resolved to participate in the affairs of devils, it would be prudent to ensure you have a measure of defensive ability. It would also make it easier for us – that is, my peerage – to assist you in case of trouble. Rias and I do not warn you against the dangers of the supernatural on a whim; there exist many examples of humans that met unfortunate ends upon contact with magic."

"You would make this offer out of pity?" he said, more for confirmation than anything else. He didn't truly believe she would.

"No. If I had not been convinced of your ability, I would not have made it."

"That ability being? You cannot mean to tell me that you think a chess match a measuring stick for demonic suitability."

"What I have seen from you, Lelouch Lamperouge," she returned, "is tenacity, a sharp mind, and a degree of strategic acumen. Combat ability is all well and good, but it can be trained; I value mental fortitude over the physical. But I digress. Onto my second point."

He supposed he should feel flattered.

"Whatever you search for. I haven't the faintest inkling as to your intentions, but there is no uncertainty in my mind that they would be solved quicker with the combined efforts of myself and my peerage. As heiress to the Sitri clan, there is little that can escape my investigative eye."

He nodded, conceding her point. It was something he'd already considered.

"My final point remains the least noteworthy for you, I think, but it is noteworthy all the same. Simply put; power. You hold no Sacred Gear, and I would be pleasantly surprised if you contained any latent ability, but even so, that only means you would require but a single pawn piece, something which I still own three of. The transition from human to devil provides many convenient changes, as you've no doubt heard of from Rias' peerage. You may not place much value in enhanced strength, but what of magic? A well placed minor spell often trounces pure physical ability, and I have no apprehensions that you would be able to utilise magic to its fullest potential."

She finished, and waited patiently for his response, though not as eagerly as she had beforehand. Even so, it remained the same.

"I still must decline. Nothing you have said, I deem an advantage."

"Your reasoning?"

It seemed she still hadn't given up, so he obliged her.

"Your first point. You maintain that I would be safer as a devil, but I would argue the opposite. As of now, I have no enemies. The church was an isolated incident, and concluded in a manner that would provoke no retribution. If I were to become a devil, it would earn me the enmity of the Church, the Fallen, and the Heavens, all at once. In the event of any future dealings I may have with the supernatural, I believe remaining human is the optimal course of action."

She looked as if she may have wanted to object, but allowed him to continue all the same.

"Your second point is moot. My personal affairs are just that; personal. I have no intention of sharing them with others."

This, she accepted with a begrudging nod. He pressed on.

"Your last point is the one of most contention. Magic is undoubtedly useful beyond belief, and I have no reservations as to my race itself. For all intents and purposes, I do not believe becoming a devil would serve to make me any less human."

That certainly produced more than a few smiles.

"I also hold no reservations as to your treatment of your peerage. From all that I have seen and heard, you act fair, just, and never overstep your bounds. It may only be a matter of time, but I allege that it isn't."

The faintest of blushes had coloured her cheeks at the praise, and Serafall was now giving him exaggerated winks from behind her.

"However."

He gauged his next words carefully. They needed the severity to communicate meaning, but framing them too harshly would only invite hostility.

"I am not your pawn. Nor will I ever be. On this matter, I remain resolute."

"It doesn't work that way!" exclaimed the blonde from the student council, who seemed torn between rejecting him and supporting the President. "The pieces are suited to the person; you can't just pick a better piece because you want to!"

"You misunderstand," he said calmly, "the piece itself is unimportant. I am deferential to none other."

"Pres- "

"Enough, Saji."

Sona had removed her glasses to rub at the bridge of her nose; a habit, it seemed. She waited until she had replaced them to speak.

"Honestly, such firmly held belief only makes the idea of recruiting you more appealing, but as I can see that you are immovable on this issue, there is nothing to be done."

She paused, and shot him a grin that was almost smug. "At least, for now. You will learn that I do not admit defeat easily, Lelouch."

"I would ex- "

"Ooh!"

Their exchange was interrupted by Serafall, who had begun clapping furiously, tucking her wand under one arm in an effort to free her hands for the action. "How romantic! So-tan and Lulu-chan make such a good match, don't you think, Ria-chan?"

Whatever answer the redhead might've had was drowned out by a loud "No!" that made several occupants of the clubroom jump slightly.

"You've got the order wrong!" cried out Issei. The boy had remained quiet until this point, so the outburst had caught everyone by surprise. One by one, they all turned to face him, the sudden scrutiny making the brunette deflate a little. Nevertheless, Issei continued.

"I, too, think the President has great breasts! I would like nothing more than to do many things with them! But!"

The singular word was emphasised with a finger jabbed into the air, as if accusing the very Heavens of wrongdoing.

"Saji already said it first!" Issei pointed out. "There is a code that must be honoured Lelouch, and that code says that until President gives her response to him, you can't do anything! Would you ignore this, and trample on the dreams of all men? Would you have society brought to its knees?!"

The rant finished, and left Issei with his fist held to eye level, firm resolve taking hold in the hazel orbs.

"Hyou-…No, Issei!" yelled the boy he now knew as Saji. "You would do this for me? When we met only today?"

They were both posing now, and he made a half-hearted attempt to scrounge for a memory more ridiculous than this. He came up short.

"Of course!" declared Issei, the heat of the moment clearly getting to the boy's head. "Genshirou Saji, we are brothers-in-arms! No, breasts! Forever chasing the harem route, we stand together, and die together!"

The boys had clasped hands now, and were doing their best imitation of a brotherly handshake. He tried to tell himself that the taste of bile in his mouth was because of the sight, and not because he had thrown up earlier, but one of the failings of a genius is that self-deception becomes a lot harder to achieve.

The entire room, even Serafall, seemed either happy to watch the ongoing scene, or lost for words entirely, so he provided a select few for them.

"I'm going home."

This time, when he went for the door, nobody stopped him.

The following day and subsequent weeks, his life managed to further deviate from the path of normalcy.

Issei had apparently taken his timely departure as surrender, and now spent copious amounts of effort trying to convert him to increasingly more perverse beliefs. The cheery fashion in which the boy endeared himself to others was reminiscent of Rivalz, in spite of the fact that the crass content of his speech distanced the two greatly in his mind.

Lunchtimes spent in Kiba's company were no longer limited to the two of them, as with Issei's increasingly frequent arrivals, so came a multitude of others, for better or worse. As more time was spent amongst the boy's companions, he began to settle into a routine that, while perhaps not exactly comfortable, was agreeable enough to be pleasant.

Asia Argento was kind to a fault, and her considerate words and gentle air called to mind memories of his beloved sister Nunnally. They bled into his treatment of her, and he oft found himself patiently explaining, along with the others, facets of modern life that were foreign to the girl, easing her out of her sheltered upbringing provided by the church. She was a constant companion to Issei, who she doted on like a fussy girlfriend, though her heavy blushes accompanied by the boy's embarrassed denials told him they hadn't quite progressed that far.

The two of them became somewhat of a permanent fixture in his and Kiba's mealtime bastion, which at this point, had become a daily occurrence. The regularity meant that inevitably, they would be discovered by the reason that had driven them here in the first place, and indeed, they had. When Rias had decided to join them one day, Himejima in tow, they had unknowingly brought along the attention of half the school, forcing the group to relocate in search of peace and quiet.

Apologetic of her unintentional blunder, the Gremory heiress had offered the use of her clubroom instead, and so, he found his feet making their way to the old schoolhouse each lunch break. It was tucked away in the corner of the Academy grounds, hidden by a copse of trees tall enough to conceal the three-story building and its Victorian-era architecture. Naturally, this led to the entirety of the Occult Research Club joining him for his meals, which they had been surprised to find that he made himself.

Toujou, who until now had always spent her own breaks in the clubroom, appeared faintly disgruntled at the influx of people, but accepted their presence all the same. It grew apparent to him that the girl rarely spoke, taking a disinterested tone whenever she deigned to do so, and the trait reminded him much of Anya Alstreim.

The suitability of the comparison to the Knight of Six spurred his thoughts in similar directions with the rest of the peerage, and as time passed and he came to know them better, other similarities to his old friends and foes made themselves known. Through small gestures and quirks of speech they shone through, and though they were never as accurate as to make him lose his composure, they were enough to occasionally confront him with flashes of unease.

They paled in contrast to the feelings of discomfort he felt at the hand of Akeno Himejima, however, and were quickly discarded as he instead scrambled for ways to ignore euphemisms and dodge suggestions. The Queen spun the provocative into an art form, and, apparently deciding that Issei was too easy a target, redirected her teasing towards him.

It began a deranged game of cat-and-mouse, where she would attempt to ensnare him into making a double-entendre of his own, only for him to weasel out with a carefully crafted phrase that feigned obliviousness. While he won their verbal jousts more often than not, escaping with his dignity intact, they never failed to elicit a blush from even the coolest members of the room, something Himejima seemed to take great pleasure in.

Theirs was not the only peerage he interacted with on a day-to-day basis; with Sona making good on her promise to redouble her efforts in recruiting him. He was called to the student council at every available opportunity – not many, as he was an exemplary student – and needled for personal details at every meeting.

They made sure to never truly breach his privacy, but they did everything but in an attempt to find a weakness of his they could exploit, a desire they could lure him with. All they managed to find was a lack of one.

They quickly became known to him by name, and while his interactions with them didn't hold the same familiarity as with Gremory's peerage, they certainly became better acquainted to him than the rest of the student body. Even Genshirou Saji had warmed to him, the blonde having been convinced of his non-intentions towards Sona by a combination of Issei's and his assurances.

His increased closeness with the Devils of Kuoh Academy gave him an inlet into their discussions of the supernatural, so, when they began hiding something from him, it was all too easy to tell.

It was evident that something unpleasant had occurred from the sudden dampened mood and sullen looks, which affected Gremory's peerage more so than the Student Council, indicating a differing level of involvement. He didn't pry, knowing it would be futile, and instead allowed them the space needed to overcome whatever troubles they had.

He used the time to pursue his own endeavours, and though so far his searches for an alternate method of contacting the Angels proved fruitless, he was still unwilling to take the direct path through the church. He was not for lack of other options, however, and while he kept true to his word in that he stopped gambling, he maintained contact with certain figures that had proved useful to him before.

The bartender who served as a dealer for his previously regular games hadn't so much as batted an eye when he displayed Freed Sellzen's bulky silver gun, forsaking surprise in lieu of professionalism with the promise of information within the month. The weapon was handed over, alongside a hefty amount of money. The sword remained in his possession, hidden in a false drawer in his residence.

Further insight into the Occult Research Club's situation was given when Kiba stated that they would be absent from school for ten days; to ready themselves for an upcoming Rating Game, according to the Knight. He received the news without protest, and wished them luck in their preparations, knowing an explanation would be provided soon enough.

Said explanation arrived on the eleventh day since their departure; an embroidered letter placed on his dining room table by an unknown yet undoubtedly arcane deliveryman. He opened it and read the message once over, taking careful note of the elaborate lettering on the front, and intricate magic circle on the back.

Placing the letter down on the table once more, he headed upstairs to examine his wardrobe, replaying the first line of words upon the paper in his mind.

Lelouch Lamperouge, you are hereby invited to the wedding of Riser Phenex and Rias Gremory, to be held…