I could feel pain coursing through my body, slowly but surely, I could feel every inch of my body screaming that it was sore. My head was throbbing viciously as if I had been slamming it against a concrete wall, I don't think I could remember the last time I felt this bad.
Everything felt heavy, and the continued feeling of sinking deeper and deeper consumed me. Maybe I could just rest here for eternity and rot away, that would feel better than moving anything. This sick feeling in my stomach decided to rear its ugly head, I wanted to throw up.
Even through all this pain, beneath me was nothing but one of the softest feelings I could imagine. It felt as if I was laying on a cloud, did I die and go to Heaven, if not then is this just a trick before I go to hell?
My eyelids were sealed shut, even if I wanted to, I don't think I could open them if I tried. Does it matter if I wake up again, shouldn't I be able to sleep forever? Devils live forever anyway, there shouldn't be a reason to get up anymore. Maybe Rias could give me a pass for club activities for today, if she did then Asia would want the same thing.
Asia never wanted to leave my side; she always clings to me when something frightens her. I don't mind it, who would when a cute girl looks to you for protection?
I'll always cherish the time I spent with them, not even death will make me forget that.
Come to think of it, I don't feel dead. Not like that time at the fountain, I still feel alive, just suffering. Am I dead? If not, did I save her?
I sat up with all my effort despite it feeling like I tore every muscle in my body apart in the process.
"Rias, I- I was going to save you." The memory of what happened started flooding my mind, Riser, my balance breaker, and running out of time.
I failed to save her, does that mean she married Riser? Will I ever get her back? What did I do?
I sat there in silence, a single tear starting to build up in my eye. I am a failure; I lost and even broke that promise I made. I was never going to break that promise. I can never show my face to her again, I'll never be the strongest pawn.
"Are you going to sit there and cry all day or are you going to get up?" spoke a familiar voice from my side. I paused, was I hearing things, that voice… why was I hearing her?
I looked over to my right, sitting at the desk beside me in the same pink dress as the rating game was Riser's little sister, Ravel Phenex.
It wasn't long until I noticed that I wasn't in my room, I was in some huge fancy room that you would see in those mansions you would see in anime or manga. The walls were dark red with gold inscribed all around leading to the blue floor with the Phenex Clan symbol in the center. The room itself was four to five times as big as my room. One wall had four windows looking out into a purple sky, this isn't Kuoh, where am I?
I wasn't going to get answers by asking myself. I turned back to face Ravel.
"Where am I?" I watched as she gave me an annoyed expression, she was still as stuck up as ever.
"You're in the Phenex Castle, that should be clear as day to you since this isn't the same room you have in the human realm." I clenched my fist, don't let it get to you Issei. The Phenex Castle, is this the next day? I was here to fight Riser, but why am I in bed? More importantly, why is she here?
"I thought Riser would have killed me, why am I here?"
"That ending was brutal. You ended up stabbing my brother through the heart with that cross, but you nearly died from the fire he engulfed you in. Lord Gremory and my father decided it would be more beneficial if you were traded to our family instead of Rias and my brother getting married. I'm not sure why they would since you're too weak to be of use but it's what the adults decided, and we all must follow their will." She seemed very annoyed, about as much as I was considering she said I was useless. I tried you know, I wanted to rely on myself I had something to prove.
Riser didn't kill me, and Rias didn't have to marry him. In some strange way, I did keep the promise I made. She said I was traded, does that mean I'm no longer in Rias's peerage?
"Traded, could you explain that to me?" I honestly wanted to get back home, shit, my parents don't know where I am.
"Did Gremory not teach you anything? Fine." Ravel pulled out a box from inside the desk she was sitting at. She opened the lid, and a full set of chess pieces was inside. One of the bishops was orange and all the pawns were orange as well.
"Whenever two kings want to trade, they must perform a ritual using evil pieces of adequate value. Since you are a pawn, you could only be traded for a pawn. My brother had no more room in his peerage, so you were traded into my mother's peerage. There was a complication, however." Ravel looked off to the side.
"My mother had a mutation piece among her pawns. You ended up absorbing it strangely from what I can remember so your body might have a hard time adjusting to it. It may be part of the reason you were unconscious for two weeks."
My eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Two weeks! How much school did I miss!" I blurted out, what did they tell my parents? Crap, Asia, I told her I was going to come back home, she's gonna hate me.
"Calm down, all of that was settled while you were asleep. They told the school you were going to be homeschooled from now on, your parents were told you were sent to study abroad for unknown reasons. Your human life should be solved, now that you are a part of the Phenex Clan you will focus on your devil life from now on."
What… my entire person is just gone, I'm not Issei Hyoudou anymore I'm just the servant of a devil. I can't go to school or see my parents! I didn't sign up for this, well I didn't sign up the first time either. I guess I'll say goodbye to my friends forever since I can't go home, I hope they remember the promise we made that if one of us goes missing the others would burn the missing person's secret stash.
A servant of Gremory no more, I serve the Phenex Clan now. If I have to stay here, what should I do?
"If I have to stay here, then what about my devil jobs?" I didn't bother turning to face her again, depression would kill me before anyone else could.
"You don't have to worry about that, my mother doesn't participate in any Rating Games so neither will you. You're free to do what you want, but my brother was allowed to train you. You'll end up spending a lot of time with him."
Oh, come on, not only did he beat me twice now I have to train with him. If I'm now a free pawn then I should be able to train or do whatever on my own, why do I need him?
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a faint green light on the back of my left hand.
[Don't beat yourself over it partner, take advantage of this freedom and train until you have gained enough power to fight the White One.]
"I almost forgot about you Ddraig, why didn't you wake me up earlier?" You would think the guy who can talk to me in my dreams would be able to wake me up.
[I tried numerous times to access your mind, however, the coma you were in prevented me from waking you up.] I guess even the most powerful person I know still has limits, that must be my fault since he's stuck inside the gear.
"At least you tried Ddraig, next time I'll try to not get beat up as badly, Hehehe." I couldn't help but give out a weak laugh, I am pathetic. As long as I have Ddraig I should be able to get as strong as possible, he's an ancient dragon and is full of experience.
[Your body was at its limit; any more exertion would have killed you. Even with nothing left you still gave it your all, if you have faith in yourself there will be no one to hold you back.]
Ddraig must feel bad for me, but he is trying to keep my hopes up. I need to listen better and follow through; I need to learn from my mistakes and not let them happen again. Riser beat me because my body couldn't handle any more power, next time I'll have a stronger body.
"Thanks, Ddraig, I'll make sure I become a worthy Red Dragon Emperor." I could feel more tears building up.
[It's my job to make sure my host is the strongest they can be, you're an odd specimen, I want to see this through.]
I couldn't stop myself from pulling my left arm to my chest and hugging it, well it isn't my arm anymore, I gave it to Ddraig, so I won't let it go to waste.
"Do you normally talk to the Red Dragon like that? I would have thought it would all be in your head." Ravel was still beside me; I would have thought she'd left by now.
"No, Ddraig first contacted me in a dream before I tried to fight Riser at the engagement party. As long as the gem manifests itself so far, I can talk to him." I'm sure that if I can get stronger and increase my compatibility with the sacred gear, I could talk to him more easily without the gem.
"For a guy who had his entire life flipped upside down you seem calmer than I expected." She leaned in slightly from the chair to get closer, she might be thinking I was wrong in the head or something.
"Well, I was never normal in the first place. I go from having a girlfriend to getting killed by a said girlfriend who was a fallen angel to being there after she killed my friend and died herself to being nearly killed again. This past month hasn't been the best for me, but I can do nothing to stop it. To be honest, I think I can put what happened behind me now and focus on moving on, I mean what can I do if I'm not strong enough to change it?" I started to laugh a little, my life had been terrible for the past month. I only had so much to cling onto and get through this hell, now it's just me and Ddraig. I'll have to fight Riser again to get my freedom back or it'll take so long that I end up becoming a High-Class devil myself and leave.
Even through that laugh, I could tell that Ravel was taken aback by what I said, I mean it's not like royalty has to deal with the same stuff as the lower class. I bet she's never really had fun outside. I wonder what devils have in terms of fun around here, if it's anything like Japan then I could make myself right at home.
"Eh, I need to go. I need to inform the others that you've awakened. Someone else will come to give you a tour later." I watched as she left in a panicked manner. Did I say something wrong? Is there something wrong with me?
"I guess I'll find out later then, for now, I need to plan out how I can get stronger." I laid back down and closed my eyes. I'm still pretty tired, sleeping a bit more wouldn't hurt.
Sometime later
After I fell asleep someone else came into my room, a tall blonde man who looked like Riser and Ravel. It was one of their older brothers, his name was Ruval. I think they have some odd names in the Phenex family since everyone has the same initials.
This guy was very different from the two of them, he looked at me with repulsion like they did. He even asked me how I felt about this transition, even though it wasn't up to me.
Currently, we are walking through the halls of the castle.
"I must say I thought it was impressive, yet careless and idiotic, for you to challenge my younger brother in front of everyone. I watched the fight multiple times, always breaking down different ways that you could have improved numerously." Ruval spoke with the voice of someone from those shows that you would want as an older brother, firm and unwavering. The guy even had the beard of a warrior from Sparta, it's kind of hard to believe that he's related to those two.
"I don't think I could have improved much during that fight, Ddraig said my body is too weak to handle any more than what he gave me. My arm should have given me to the count of ten, even then I came up short." I could still feel the pain from using all that power, I don't have anyone to comfort me like I did back home and make me forget.
Come to think of it, I did kill a lot of time while I fought Riser, I should have just gone for the kill when I had the chance.
"Nonsense, the devil's body is much sturdier than you think. It may be odd coming from a High-Class Devil and one who is rumored to be immortal, but the genetic makeup of our bodies allows even the weakest of devils to take light spears from fallen and survive. Your dragon gives you extra defense against a killing blow. If I'm correct you've been stabbed through the abdomen multiple times without dying, correct?"
I started to get nervous, this guy knew more than I thought he would. If I was any more clueless, I would say someone's been keeping an eye on me.
"Uh, yeah. The first one after I was reincarnated nearly killed me, but Rias was there to heal me. The second one… Asia was beside me, so it didn't do any serious damage. Still, I don't think I see the point in you asking me this?" I was confused, angry, and nervous. She kept flashing through my head, Raynare, why did you have to do that to me… to Asia?
Ruval put a hand on my shoulder and smiled, his expression gave me a slight sense of relief, but I was still cloudy.
"I'm trying to tell you that you need to believe in your own body more, in fact, there is a devil youth who found himself only able to believe in his body. With the training he put himself through he rose to the ranks of the strongest devil youth, no demonic power only his pure strength." Ruval tightened his grip on my shoulder before letting go, he's kind of comforting if I'm being honest.
"Could he beat Riser?"
"It wouldn't even be a competition; Riser relies purely on his regeneration. His skill with demonic power is lacking, which is why he will stay as a High-Class devil. The youth, Sairaorg Bael, would destroy all of Riser's attacks and have him beaten without much of an issue, I truly believe that."
Sairaorg Bael, even the guy's name sounds strong. If that guy could destroy Riser, then what chance do I have?
"I gave my left arm to Ddraig, in return, he gave me temporary power. If I gave him anything else, I could have beaten Riser. I'm already a devil, I don't want to lose any more of my humanity than I have already."
As I looked at Ruval I could tell he had a concerned look on his face.
"You became a devil, once you accepted that piece you gave away all the humanity you have Issei. Did the Gremory heiress not tell you this?" I looked off to the side.
"She didn't ask me to be a devil, I was killed and woke up a devil. I do remember thinking about her before everything went black though. I was forced into it if that's what you're asking." I don't know what was more awkward, the way he looked at me or the time I tried to get a devil contract and met Mil-tan.
"Oh, I didn't think that she would be the one to do that. Well, she has the habit of recruiting those on the verge or at death's door. I guess it isn't too far-fetched, interesting." Ruval put a hand on his chin and thought to himself.
I would have said yes anyway, who wouldn't want the chance of having a peerage of hot babes I could sex up at any time I wanted? Wait, I would need them all to consent first not to mention the chance they wouldn't want to be my servants.
"Tell me, what is it that you want if you become a High-Class devil?"
Thinking about it makes me feel even worse, but I can't lie to the guy right now.
"I wanted a peerage of women that would satisfy me when I commanded them to." Oh, Go-ack.
Oh, Lucifer I wish I had my priorities straight before I dove headfirst into this, why did I let my teenage hormones ruin my life?
"Fuck." I shouted by accident whilst pounding the side of my head.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ruval laughing to himself quietly.
"What's so funny?" I asked in a sad and pathetic voice; someone please help me!
"You and Riser had the same idea; Riser wanted a peerage to make the ultimate harem. Ravel however was only there because he had a free bishop and she needed something to do. Our family doesn't intertwine in such manners. It is hilarious that you hate my brother so despite you both having very similar interests." Ruval tried to stop laughing, but he failed each time and nearly fell to the ground.
"Where is he anyway?" my best guess would tell me that he's probably pissed off somewhere that I ruined his engagement, but that is a pain I am very willing to take.
"Riser is currently with his peerage in the training grounds, he has another Rating Game to prepare for in the upcoming weeks. Keeping him busy with other matters was the only solution that we were able to come up with so that he didn't try to mess with you during your temporary coma." Ruval waived it off like he didn't just say that Riser wanted revenge against me.
'I don't want to be like Riser, I can't stand that guy. Hopefully, I don't have to speak with him that much here.'
"Will I have to be around him a lot? I don't want there to be any problems between us whilst I'm here as a guest." Of course, I had to be a little cautious. I don't need to die here before I become strong enough to take my place back with Rias.
"Let's see… That shouldn't be an issue. Riser tends to stay busy either with his duty as a high-class devil or with his preparation and involvement with Rating Games, on the off-hand that he has time to spare he was already informed that any harm brought unjustly onto you would be met with retaliation that he cannot handle." Ruval had placed a hand on his chin as he thought hard about it, he was staring directly at the wall ahead of us.
"Retaliation? Is it that severe?" I asked a little afraid, to be honest, I don't want to screw the guy over that much.
"You're an investment that we cannot afford to lose on trading It was such a daring move we have no clear path to take from this point on. My opinion on this matter has no say, my mother and father are the only ones who could change the outcome from this point. Personally, for the sake of devils as a species, it would have been more beneficial for us to have my brother and Lady Rias marry to keep the pure-blood lineage continuing." I can tell that Ruval meant what he said from the power in his voice alone. He was firm and non-condescending.
I could feel the little strength and pride in my body begin to crumble, I could feel a little bit of anger begin to brew within me. I didn't ask for this, and yet each hand I'm dealt is a bust. I guess no one wants me here… so why did you take me in then?
"However, the power of the Red Dragon Emperor, the Dragon of Domination resides within you. If we were to aid you in the path of domination, then an ally to the Underworld and Phenex Clan would mean that we would have something on our side to balance out the power balance within the Underworld in case of another catastrophe." Ruval's eyes then darkened slightly when he said that last part, I could notice it faintly.
I'm a little worried about what he said though, another catastrophe?
"Forget I said that it." Ruval looked down the hall to our right, he then waved for me to follow him as he walked off.
I remained silent as we walked together towards a set of massive doors that had even more extravagant gold inscriptions along them. This family must be incredibly wealthy considering that they not only have a castle but can afford to waste this much gold. We soon found ourselves in front of the doors.
"I'm sorry for this but I must attend to it, one of the maids will finish your tour of the Phenex castle. Issei don't let anything I said make you feel less about yourself, our plan for you is still unfolding but we expect you to grow into a powerful devil. Knowing that you were able to access the balance breaker this early on means that you have potential, the mutation piece that you received as well means that there is more to expect from you. Take care." Ruval waved before entering the room through the doors.
I stood in my spot looking like an idiot as he disappeared behind the doors, I looked around the hallway just to wait for my other escort.
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