[Henry Agares]

[Agares Estates]

Despite having been dressed up as a very cute 17th-century nobleboy during their first official meeting, Henry Agares was rather amazed at the sudden transformation that merely changing the young Riser's formal attire did for his presence.

The boy seemed to feel powerful and more self-assured; a far cry from the nervous child who kept fussing over the frilly lace around his wrists and neck.

"Lord Agares, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with me," Young Riser Phenex gave him a respectful bow, and Henry kept his expression neutral instead of grinning broadly as he wished to- Marcus always liked to break in his sons with faux-formal meetings such as these to get them inoculated to the rigors of maintaining a professional persona while conducting business.

Ruval was a natural at it, so much like his father, but Regen had been a bit of a wild card... though his more carefree nature had its own charm that Henry rather liked. Riser was definitely more like his eldest brother, but after sifting through his memories, the Lord of the Pillar family of Agares decided that the second youngest Phenex was decidedly less nervous than Ruval had been.

"Of course, young man," Henry spoke plainly as he allowed them to enter his study and shut the doors behind them, "However, as a Pillar Lord there are multiple things that require my attention and I am expected in Lilith before the hour is up to attend a conference with the Ratings Game Committee. So my time is valuable and in short supply."

That was a bald-faced lie but the boy didn't know it- the moment Riser and his father walked through the doors of his study the local time had changed drastically; a single hour outside was almost a whole day within these walls. Being a Master of Chronomancy and a Master Artificer had its perks, and getting all of his paperwork done the moment it was brought to his attention was just one of them; his servants waited right outside his doors, and by the time he shut the door, he was opening it back up again and depositing the completed paperwork into their hands.

It also made sneaking away with his wife for some lovey-dovey sex on busy days a breeze; while only a few minutes passed outside they had hours to enjoy each other inside.

"Of course, Lord Agares. I will endeavor to ensure that this particular discussion is not a waste of your time," The Phenex boy settled into the primary chair in front of Henry's desk while Marcus took the secondary seat; not unsurprising since Marcus had already talked to him about it before they arrived and in no uncertain terms was he going to assist his son in ensuring that this business was concluded.

Lord Agares slipped into his own chair and the moment he sat down he tapped his finger against the arm of his chair and a discreet magic circle appeared... and then his own personal time slowed down even further; he used the free seconds to more thoroughly study the young boy in front of him.

The suit was definitely Italian in origin- colored in a dark charcoal, with a single-breasted jacket and matching slacks that had a slight taper to them. Underneath the coat was a black silk vest- two buttons instead of the usual three for this style and cut- but he could see the usefulness of having a touch more flexibility around the middle; it was likely more comfortable as well. The shirt likewise was black, but the material was very fine cotton so it didn't have the luster of the silk, and that made it stand out just a touch so the overall palette wasn't too drab; an ocean blue tie, gold French cufflinks, and a simple brass pocket watch finished out the rest of the ensemble. The pocket square matched the tie, and a steel grey tie bar kept the double-Windsor nice and thick.

He resisted the urge to smile as the rapid change in his facial features would give away that he was using his family magic; the boy looked absolutely fantastic! Why if he didn't know about this boy before they first met there is no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't be flabbergasted by his eloquence.

Marcus let the magic drop and he saw Riser twitch slightly.

Oh? Had he felt that? Well, Marcus had said he'd been training a great deal in the Dungeon... quite sensitive to even small uses of mana, was he? Very good, that will serve him well in future negotiations; noticing that your opponent has used magic in your presence is the first step in recognizing perfidy.

Though he could use a little work in hiding his reactions.

"So what is this business that you wish to enquire about, Young Master Phenex?" Henry leaned to the side, his elbow resting on the cushion of his armchair; he was the superior party in these negotiations, and posture meant something. If he was as observant as Elise claimed then he would know that Henry felt secure here in his place of power, and slightly aloof; possibly intrigued, but he wasn't leaning far enough forward to give those signals yet.

"My request is rather straightforward, Lord Agares," Riser's blue eyes swept over him as he held out a hand, a small arch of his brow an unspoken request to use magic in his presence, and Henry returned his assent with the tiniest of nods; a thin thread of mana activated the standard circle- the one approved for business between Pillar Lords- and a thin leather binder fell into his waiting hand, "I wish to construct a training ground on Phenex lands, though rather than this simply being a reinforced training complex I will be looking to acquire your expertise in crafting a localized time-dilation effect; the goal being to squeeze more time out of my training while not skimping on my other duties toward House Phenex or my personal business ventures."

He held the binder toward Lord Agares, though it was cute when he realized that he would have to get up from his seat in order to reach over Henry's wide desk; had he been a devil fully grown he would have only needed to lean over, but alas... he had to smoothly stand up, hand over the binder, and then resume his seat.

Henry flared a touch of mana to conduct a trio of scanning spells simultaneously, each one geared toward a different element of subterfuge; poisons, illusions, curses, and the like. When the scan concluded he opened up the cover and began activating his personal time magic on and off while using his bangs to shield his eyes from the boy's sight.

From the boy's perspective, it looked as though Henry only took a single second to look at each page with disinterest before flipping over to the next one, and the next one after that until the entire binder had been devoured.

He was frankly quite surprised that this proposal came from a boy coming up on 10 years of age, even with the prior warning from Marcus this level of planning was nothing short of remarkable. Though remarkable for a boy his age; it was more on the level of a final project for an undergraduate student at a low-end Business School, but seeing as young Riser had only had his own businesses up and running for a small handful of years... it was a rather nice treat! If only the other Pillar Lords would take the time to bother with giving him such a proposal instead of giving only vague ideas for what they wanted for a project before flouncing off and handling the finer details over correspondence letters instead of meeting in person.

The area Riser had in mind was an underground cave complex that was deep within Phenexmount; one hundred kilometers away from the gouge that was the Old Satan faction's first- and last- attempt at breaking into the Dungeon to rescue their comrades. There was an underground river that connected the two large cavernous caves together, and the largest of the two was designated as the 'Load' cave and the smaller of the two was the 'Release' cave; not unsurprising given that while Marcus was testing his son he wouldn't allow him to create a proposal such as this completely blind. The various other pages contained in-depth geological surveys, maps, and plans for the proposed training ground, but the most important one was already complete- the Localized Ambient Mana survey; that particular survey measured the saturation, distribution of mana on both the surface and underground, and the local mana's refreshment rate once ambient mana was depleted.

When it came down to crafting enchantments, particularly power-hungry ones such as the time-dilation effect that Young Riser was looking for, just doing the survey itself up to his personal specifications was one of the most time-consuming parts; he would still conduct a secondary survey to validate these findings, but the mages that Marcus had in his employ were rather competent... if a touch flighty at times.

"I've seen your proposal, Young Riser, and while it looks well thought out, I do have some questions," Henry let his chin rest in his palm as he took on a soft slouch, signaling that he wanted to slow down this rather straightforward discussion of business; most children- and even some adult devils- who he'd done this exact same thing had often gawked and complained that he 'didn't even read it', but just as his father had said Riser was very focused.

The boy's eyes sharpened but he didn't seem to let the sudden change in pacing affect him overmuch, "Questions in terms of the proposal, Lord Agares? Or personal questions to sate your curiosity?"

"Why not both?" Henry easily suppressed the desire to smile and instead tapped the side of his temple with a finger, "My spellwork and enchantments are a rather hot commodity in the Underworld, and I keep the number of projects that I do down in the low single-digits; I need the time to spend with my wife as well as work on personal projects... in addition to attending to all of the duties required of me as a Pillar Lord of the Underworld. While I'm certain that you can- or at least your family- pay for the rates for my work... why would I add your particular project to my docket?"

The young boy took a moment to compose his thoughts but he did not tarry, "While if this were a less formal setting and I were not being evaluated I would simply ask this as a favor, a well-paying one to be sure, to House Phenex; the bonds of our household are already incredibly strong and placing this project on the docket would only deepen those ties. Granted I would acquiesce to the possibility that my request might be skipped over, as this would be a familial favor, for another project from a more powerful and influential devil, and that I would likely languish on that waiting list for a few years... but since this is not that scenario I would merely point out that there are a number of benefits to be had that even a Pillar Lord of your standing would find enticing."

With his hand held out again, the boy activated the same magic circle and another, smaller leather binder dropped into his hand before he stood up and handed it over to Henry. Once the binder was in hand the Lord of House Agares simply placed it down on his desk, though he did sit up in his chair and touched the pads of his fingers together, "Summarize, if you would please."

It wouldn't do to let the contents of the binder do all of the talking for him.

"While the full details of that binder are not fully fleshed out, the agreements within those pages lie the framework of an agreement between the Phenex, Sitri, and Gremory houses as to how the joint ownership of this underground training complex would be handled. House Phenex agrees to host the complex and provide a rotation of servants to handle the maintenance and general upkeep of the infrastructure. House Sitri agrees to finance the material resources needed to construct the complex and handle the logistics such as consumables and items that are not covered in the upkeep of the infrastructure. House Gremory agrees to provide the warding and security details necessary to ensure that uninvited guests aren't caught snooping about, and they will also finance the deployment rotation of a Phalanx of the Phenex Ranger Guard to patrol the lands surrounding the complex for as long as the complex remains in active service to the Alliance."

The young man shifted in his chair, easing a leg up so that he could cross them, his hands interlacing over his kneecap; he seemed fairly well at ease, but his speaking cadence was a touch faster than normal and there was an almost imperceptible quaver in his voice.

"There are numerous other taskings that House Agares could take up that haven't been hashed out, though nominally the responsibility for maintaining the upkeep on the enchantments and infrastructure supporting the time-dilation field would fall under your purview. However, there are allowances to take into consideration the costs of time and resources should such a burden be overly taxing on materials and funds, so an overflow of costs would be agreed upon by the other three families and the deficit split evenly among them; granted such things would be taken in good faith," The poor boy looked as though he could use a sip from a glass of water with all of the talking he was doing, but he merely swallowed his saliva and carried on, "I do not think that it needs to be said the number of benefits that a jointly organized training facility, one solely for the use of our families and associated peerages, can bring to the table. Depending on the strength of the time-dilation effect a great many things can be accomplished virtually instantaneously given the complexity of the tasks required; from bulk training of House Guardsman to making 'last minute' preparations for Ratings Games... anything but 'last minute'."

Henry let a small, crooked smile tug at his lips as he tilted his head to the side, "There is no need to list out to me of all people the benefits of such a thing; already my mind is simply awhirl of the different possibilities."

The Lord of Time, a rather pretentious title given that he was barely a third of the chronomancer that his great-grandfather was before the Great War took him, already had numerous areas of his estate enchanted with such fields; his service staff absolutely adored him for it- being able to cook in the kitchens and handle the laundry in a fraction of the time was something that everyone benefited from- him most of all.

Given the number of times he took his lady wife to their bed each day the sheets required constant changing, even if using magic to clean them was far faster he simply enjoyed the feeling of freshly laundered linens on his bed whenever he slipped underneath the covers. As far as devilish frivolities went his lust for soft, fragrant sheets was hardly worth notice.

"However, I do find the idea rather stimulating, so what made your little mind think it all up?"

That seemed to knock the boy off of his pace, as he had been on quite the roll, "The honest truth is that I desire to rapidly advance my training, to grow stronger. However, while my desire is selfish I am constantly reminded every single day by the people that I love most around me that I am not an island; I am not merely 'Riser', I am 'Riser Phenex'... and that means something. As a Phenex I am part of a long-standing compact between four Great Pillar families that are likely the most closely tied in all of the Underworld; Gremory, Agares, Sitri, and Phenex have always presented a unified front, not just as a political body but as a collection of families. My person isn't seen as merely a piece in a game, even if I inherently have value in one; I know that my Aunts and Uncles adore me just as much as my own mother and father, and that likewise the sons and daughters of their families are equally adored in kind."

His words started off slow but they slowly began to rise in passion and intensity, "This world of devils that we live in sees our strong familial bonds as something out of the ordinary, but I for one think that it is beautiful. It should be nurtured and protected, but in order to protect this beautiful relationship that we have we must have strength. In the Underworld strength is the ultimate symbol of power and authority, even though I feel that intellect and cunning should be equally important. However, as the centuries have worn on, this gentle peace that we have been fortunate enough to experience since the end of the Civil War has seemingly taken something away from us devils that used to be inherent in our very beings; the strength of the average newborn devil has decreased, but that on its own isn't what worries me. No, what worries me is the lack of drive, the lack of ambition, the lack of a reason to not only meet what is expected of them but excel."

Henry had to stop himself from biting his lip- he was getting rather excited by this little passionate tirade!

"While I do not have much time outside of my studies and training, I do make it a point to watch the televised Young Devils Gathering every year, and what do I see? I see the children of the Pillar Houses- Heirs and spares alike- standing stiff-backed and proud in front of our Maous and boasting about their desire to achieve... mediocrity," The Agares Lord was definitely amused at the sheer amount of venom dripping from the boy's lips, "'Lord Lucifer! I strive to become a respectable Pillar Lord!' 'Lord Beelzebub! I will tell the world here and now that I will continue to dedicate myself to my studies of magic!' 'Lady Leviathan! I will place within the Top 1,000 in the Ratings Games in my first year!'"

"That is the most vexing thing to me because as devils our potential is limitless, and yet... they settle for doing things that are already expected of them. They settle for nebulous goals or set the bar so low that even if they put forth the barest amount of effort they can succeed at them, and they'll have the gall to look at you and ask for you to validate them and pat them on the back," The boy's fist was clenched so hard Henry could hear his knuckles cracking, but after taking a deep breath his countenance came back under his control, "Unlike them, I wish to stride toward a much larger goal- I want to grab them by the throat and show them what we can achieve if we put our power and near-uncountable years to good use. This problem of laxity within my generation can only be solved if they are shown that reaching for things higher than their mother's skirts is possible, however, it cannot merely be done once, no, it has to be proven and repeatable."

"With this great family that I've been born into, I find myself with a golden opportunity encrusted in gems," He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath to steady himself, and then he opened them, "I have wealth and personal power. I have a family that is willing to put up with my... one-track mind and work with me so that I can accomplish my goals."

Riser turned his head toward his father, and the eldest of the Phenex family looked down upon his son with a proud smile.

It was a beautiful thing.

"I also have this strong, steadfast alliance of families that are willing to go through hell and back for each other," Riser continued, turning his attention back to Henry, though he could see the indecision worming its way across his face before he finally settled on spitting out the rest, "And I have four young children, three of which are Heiresses and one being my most precious little sister... who were all born together."

Henry felt his blood pressure spike at the mention of his little Seekvaria, especially when spoken in the context of her- and the other children- being part of little Riser's 'golden, gem-encrusted opportunity'.

However, he knew Riser, and he knew Marcus better than the man knew himself, and the thought of any ill-designs from either was locked up and tossed into a dark corner of his mind.

He had been curious before, but now he was morbidly curious.

"I wish... to sit astride the peaks of power that only Lord Lucifer now sits and eventually succeed him, but... I also do not wish to do it alone," His words were very quiet, solemn, "The girls are- they... I see the potential within them to be not just good, or great, or outstanding... I see within them the ability to be exceptional beyond our wildest expectations. They are only two years old but Seek-chan can already freeze a fly bothering her in place so she can squash it at her leisure, Sona-chan is already learning her letters and numbers, Rias-chan has already activated the Power of Destruction and has been giving the maids merry hell as she dissolves the curtains her mother spent so much time picking out for the Gremory manor. My little sister has already begun entertaining herself in her crib with her flames and even used them to give her bouncing a little, heh, 'jet boosted' assist-"

Henry almost burst out laughing as Marcus' face grew immediately concerned, but Riser gave him a shaky grin as he held up his hands, "-and I immediately caught her!"

The Phenex Lord relaxed imperceptibly and Riser chuckled lowly as he continued, the boy's smile one filled with fondness, "It is no secret that my strength is far above the norm for even a High-Class devil my age, but that is as much from my diligence and hard work as it is my lineage. Sona-chan, Rias-chan, Seek-chan, and Ravel-chan, however, all have the potential, I believe, to be much greater than I am."

Riser's eyes glowed a soft blue for just a split second, and the warm smile that slithered across his face was one filled with genuine pride, "I've seen it. They can become the future leadership our people need in order to get our generation out of its slump, though I would never press such a burden upon them if they didn't desire it. However, the world we live in is filled with stagnation, and I fear that there are ill-portents for the future... things that will not bode well for us all if we are not prepared for them."

"Ah, now we truly get to the crux of the matter," Henry Agares sat up fully in his chair, his fingers interlacing over his desk, "Your visions."

Riser blanched as he realized he might have allowed his mouth to carry him much further down the road than he anticipated, but Henry noted that Marcus didn't seem to be surprised by this little morsel at all.

The boy licked at his lips as he looked to his father, and when the man nodded Riser drew out a sketchpad from his magic pocket and handed it over to Henry.

He devoured them quickly, not even bothering to conceal his time-altering spell this time; from the grave look on his beloved Marcus' features they were far past the time for tests and parlor tricks.

'An angel with its many wings stained black hurling spears of Holy Light at what appeared to be more grown-up representations of Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri.'

'A large nine-tailed fox stood over a crowded Japanese city while doing battle against foes that were too small to be seen.'

'Multiple large, dragon-shaped figures seemed to rampage as multiple small figures fought them.'

'On a pedestrian Japanese street crowded with cats, a lone man- clearly a devil from the horns and tail he was sporting- was bent over to offer an Evil Piece to a black cat standing protectively over a small white kitten; he had a genial smile on his face, but from his back erupted a pair of black wings that held cages filled with corpses.'

'A girl who was what one would call 'beautiful' was nestled in a dark room surrounded by cold, unyielding stone. Her face was strained and her eyes vacant, a dirtied cloak wrapped around her showcased the neglect while her lone visible hand grasped on tightly to another, smaller hand that trailed off the page.'

'A silhouette was all that was seen of a beast; seven heads, seven necks, ten horns, seven tails, with four arms and two legs. Its posture was bent over like that of a gorilla, and even though it was confined to a page the viewer could feel a creeping sense of underlying terror. Underneath it was scrawled three terrible numbers: '666'.'

It was something that was both terrifying and fascinating to Henry, as in all of his years he had never seen a prophecy illustrated before; his great-grandfather told him stories a few times, during the waning years of Lucifer's reign before He struck the Lord of Lies down.

There was a significant difference in the quality between all of the sketches; some looked as though they had indeed by drawn by the hands of an inexperienced child, but others looked far more detailed and lifelike- the one of the Fallen Angel with many wings attacking Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri being done well enough that it was enough to evoke almost instant recognition within him.

"These are copies," Henry spoke as he flipped through a few more before gently closing the sketchbook.

Riser nodded, "Yes. I... have been doing my best to sketch out what I see whenever I have a vision in the best detail I can. Using self-hypnosis has aided me greatly in retaining them in my mind, but ultimately they soon fade leaving me with only brief recollections of them. I, uh... didn't think to start doing that until a year after I started having them, so some of those are the best I could do with what little I remembered."

Henry sighed as he leaned back in his chair and looked over at Marcus; the poor man looked as though a storm had blown in and begun to drown him out. The Lord of the Agares family could empathize with him- just how much did it hurt him to not only have his wife with the 'gift' but his beloved son as well?

"They aren't all bad," Riser slid a hand through his hair to swipe away the bead of sweat that formed on his brow, "For everything I've seen that keeps me awake at night... I've seen two things that give me hope- that give me the strength to keep focusing on my studies and training. Those I remember fondly."

"Well after seeing all of this I think that I could use a little pick-me-up," The Lord of Time made a grabby hand, "Come on. Let me see them."

"I won't."

Henry blinked at the simple statement.

"Those precious things that I have seen... they are my compensation for the ill. I will never relinquish them, not to anyone else. Ever."

The Lord did his best to not feel annoyed.

He'd already seen just what Sona and Rias would look like when they were grown up, was it too much to ask to see what his little Seekvaria looked like!?

"Fair enough." He conceded gracefully, "So now that the little nasty bit of this business is concluded... what do you offer to me and mine in terms of payment?"

Riser's back straightened up at the sudden shift in the conversation, but rather than being thrown off by the acknowledgment that he would approve of the project should the compensation be good enough, the boy activated his magical pocket once more and drew out a simple yet elegant hardwood case. However, instead of handing it over he placed the case at the edge of the table and opened it up.

Sat nestled on crushed velvet were three small vials containing brilliantly shimmering liquid gold.

Henry felt his breath catch in his throat as his eyes darted to Marcus.

Passion Tears were something that only a handful of devils outside of the Phenex family knew about, and that list was incredibly short- only including the Lords and Ladies of Gremory, Sitri, and Agares. Unlike the Phenex Tears that the family produced with their rituals these golden vials contained within them unmatched restorative powers; they could even bring the dead back to life if there was only a single shred of their body that could be recovered.

Henry Agares would know better than anyone else.

He came to, his bleary eyes slowly opening as his naked form was swaddled in a red cloak bearing the Phenex crest; strong arms were wrapped around his torso and he felt tears spill into his hair. He was rocked back and forth, relieved murmurs filling his ears as the din of battle rang off not too far in the distance-

For the first time since this little discussion started, he found himself at a loss for words, but Riser was more than happy to fill the silence.

"Three vials of Passion Tears... one for you, your wife, and your daughter."

Phenex Tears were a hot commodity in the markets, selling in the low millions on the open markets and in the high hundreds of thousands within the walls of the Sitri hospitals.

Passion Tears that could cheat death itself would be worth... an unimaginable sum.

For the chance to undo the most grave of mistakes? To revert the death of his wife? Himself? His most precious daughter and heir?

These alone would more than suffice as payment... the Agares vaults were as wide as they were deep.

"I was already going to accept simply on the principle alone but then you go and drop this on me?"

Riser Phenex's eyes grew wet and he swiped at his nose with the back of his hand, "Well from where I'm standing I'm doing my part to safeguard part of my family, and I'm going to be getting everyone else a vial as well. As soon as I make them, that is."

Henry's throat grew tight and he shook his head with a snort, "You astound me, boy."

"You don't have to live with him," Marcus grunted out, the man leaning forward with his head held in his hands, "If it weren't for my regeneration I would likely lose all of my hair before he turned twenty."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," The boy protested weakly, "I study, train, don't cause any problems..."

Marcus stood up from his chair and ruffled his son's hair before patting him on the bottom, "You keep telling yourself that, my boy, and maybe one day it might come true. Now, you may go; I'll be handling the particulars with Lord Agares for the remainder of this meeting. I'm certain that you have something at the house you can do to keep yourself occupied now that this little project of yours is finished. Like, say, deciding on what sort of event you want to have for your debut."

"I'm going to host a tournament," Riser declared firmly, "For Low-Class and Mid-Class devils. It will be a scouting and recruitment event so that I might begin laying down the foundations for my future peerage."

"A tournament? Most children hold a dinner party..." Henry pressed his cheek against his fist as he reached across the desk and clasped the case shut, immediately whisking it away to the safety of his magic pocket.

His secured one.

"Uncle Henry, I do believe that I've stated that I'm not going to settle for what my current generation considered 'par for the course'," He walked over to the door while adjusting his suit and sleeves, "If I'm going to be forced to interact with those insufferable layabouts then I'm going to enjoy myself to the best of my abilities."

Once at the door he turned and bowed, "By your leave, Lord Father, Lord Agares."

Once the two men nodded their assent Riser Phenex stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut Henry Agares vaulted his desk and pushed Marcus back into the chair before climbing onto his lap, his nose brushing against his fellow blonde's, "Is there anything else you want to tell me, Marcus?"

Marcus snorted and rolled his eyes, but that didn't stop the man from settling his hands on Henry's slim hips, "You dolt..."

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