I finally managed to muster the energy to get this chapter out. My job has been pretty exhausting and it took me a few weeks to even get around to doing the author's notes. I am deeply sorry for making everyone wait so long between chapters.
For this chapter, I'm going to be introducing a few more characters that Luke befriends during his childhood. The next few chapters will be similar as I have a lot of OCs planned, but I don't want to introduce too many at once, only bringing up the important characters.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
Morning had come to the Underworld and Allegra softly woke up, surprised to see Luke cuddling with her in bed.
Oh my! When did Luke get into my room? Allegra wondered curiously before she looked down closely at Luke's softly sleeping face. He's too cute! She smiled warmly as she gently petted his head. "Wake up, sweetie..."
Luke let out a cute grunt before he cuddled even more into Allegra, making her giggle softly.
Luke must not be a morning person. Allegra deduced. "Looks like I'll have to carry you with me."
Allegra sat up and held Luke in her arms when there was a knock on the door.
"Lady Allegra, may I come in?" Grayfia spoke up from the hallway.
"Come in, Grayfia." Allegra called back.
Grayfia opened the door to Allegra's sleeping quarters before slowly entering, only to be somewhat surprised when she saw Luke in her lady's arms.
"Luke must have snuck into my room in the middle of the night." Allegra told her maid.
"I see, I suppose Luke didn't want to sleep by himself. But that only confuses me further because Seth was sleeping in the same room as him. Hmmmm... now I'm beginning to wonder if Luke did this with his late mother and your contracted Magician as well." Grayfia said curiously.
"I'll have to give Nimue a call later. But first, I want to introduce the boys to the twins." Allegra got out of her bed and walked over to Grayfia.
Grayfia bowed lightly. "Understood, Lady Allegra. Would you like me to care for Luke while you go and fetch them?"
"No, I'm pretty sure Luke would be worried and confused as to why he isn't with me when he wakes up." Allegra responded. "You can go and fetch the twins while I head down to the dining room with Luke."
Graydia raised her brow. "While in your negligee, my lady?"
"Unless Luke allows me to change, yes." Allegra joked.
Grayfia chuckled lightly before she approached Allegra and Luke and gently caressed his cheek. "Luke, it's time to wake up my dear."
The young boy let out a soft groan as he slowly began to open his eyes. Once he fully opened his eyes, he took notice of the smiling Grayfia and the pouting Allegra.
"Oh, good morning, Ms. Allegra, Grayfia." Luke greeted with a smile.
"Sweetieeeee! How come you woke up to Grayfia's voice yet you didn't wake up to mine?" Allegra whined softly at Luke.
"... I don't know." Luke replied honestly.
Luke's answer made Allegra pout even more while Grayfia rolled her eyes and began to leave.
"I shall go and fetch the twins now, Lady Allegra. I suppose you shall get yourself dressed first before heading back to Luke and Seth's room to dress him up?" Grayfia asked upon stopping by the door.
"Yes. Luke will need to get dressed, too." Allegra looked to the pajama-clad Luke.
"Very well." Grayfia headed off and closed the door behind her.
Once Grayfia left, Allegra gently placed Luke onto her bed.
"You wait right here, sweetie. I'm just going to get dressed." Allegra said.
"Okay Ms. Allegra." Luke turned to face the wall.
Such a gentleman at his age. Allegra thought as she removed her negligee and was now only in a pair of violet panties. "Luke, I cannot help but ask. What made you want to sleep by my side instead of in the same room as your brother?"
Allegra pulled down her panties before opening up her dresser and closet.
"I couldn't get back to sleep." Luke answered.
"Oh? You woke up sometime last night?" Allegra put on a fresh pair of red lace panties.
"Yeah, I woke up around midnight and I tried falling asleep for over an hour, but I couldn't no matter how hard a tried." Luke then smiled. "But then I remembered that Auntie Nimue would always tell me to come to her room and cuddle with her if I couldn't sleep and I always fell asleep in her embrace. But since Auntie Nimue isn't here, I thought I'd come and cuddle with you instead."
"Well, that saves me some time calling Nimue." Allegra remarked.
"Oh? Were you planning on calling Auntie Nimue for something?"
Allegra finally clasped on her lacy red bra. "No, I was actually going to ask her why you snuck into my room and cuddled with me. But now I don't need to since you just told me why. Oh, and you can look now. Perhaps you could help me pick out a dress for today."
Luke turned around and saw Allegra in her red lace panties and matching bra, unable to resist staring at her. His galaxies shined a bit before he gave Allegra a big smile. "Wow, Ms. Allegra! You're like, super-duper pretty!"
Allegra giggled as her cheeks reddened a little. "You're such a charmer, sweetie. I can see you being very popular with the ladies when you grow up."
When Allegra opened up her closet, Luke's eyes bulged at the amount of dresses in her closet.
Luke seemed to be in thought for a moment before nodding to himself. "Ms. Allegra, you should wear a black dress today. It goes well with the red underwear you're wearing."
Allegra pulled one of her black dresses out of the closet. Luke must have gone shopping with his mother quite a bit.
Once Allegra put on the black dress, Luke's galaxies shined a bit brighter as the smile on his face widened.
"You look even prettier than before, Ms. Allegra!" Luke cheered.
Allegra smiled happily at Luke. "Now it's your turn to get dressed."
Luke's galaxies dimmed down as he tilted his head in confusion. "But Ms. Allegra, I don't have my clothes in your bedroom."
Allegra chuckled and scooped the young boy into her arms. "Then we'll have to go to your bedroom."
"Oh, okay."
As Allegra left her bedroom with Luke in her arms, the Kaelian boy seemed to have realized something before he grinned evilly.
This is payback for the time you made me think Princess Zelda woke me up for my birthday. Luke looked up at Allegra with an innocent smile. "Say, Ms. Allegra, Seth is a very heavy sleeper, so we may have to wake him up with a loud noise."
"Are you up to something?" Allegra raised an eyebrow at Luke. "And don't lie to me. I'll know."
Luke rose a brow at Allegra's statement. "How could you possibly know I'm lying to you?"
"My family has a unique ability to detect and control vibrations." Allegra explained. "If you lie, your body will vibrate and I'll sense it."
Luke blinked a few times before he looked away from Allegra. "Okay, fine. I wanted to pull a prank on Seth. He tricked me into thinking I was waking up to a beautiful princess the other day."
"Luke, a gentleman shouldn't let himself be subject to such petty acts of vengeance."
"Huh? But I didn't say anything about revenge. Seth pranked me, now I prank him back. That makes us even."
"What your brother did was childish. Don't lower yourself to his level."
Luke thought about Allegra's words for a moment. "… Okay, I won't prank Seth. And besides, today I was awakened by a real and beautiful princess."
"Awww, you already made my day!"
Allegra gave Luke a wet peck on the cheek, causing his face to flush red before hiding his head within her bosom.
After retrieving Seth, Allegra eventually arrived in the dining room with the brothers in tow. The moment she placed Luke onto his feet, Grafyia walked into the room with two children behind her, a boy and a girl around Luke's age with silver hair and eyes and wearing a butler and maid uniform, respectively. The boy's hair was short, but the girl's hair was long.
Luke couldn't help but admire the young, silver-haired girl. There was something about her that just screamed 'exotic' to the young boy.
Wow! She's really pretty! Luke thought excitedly. Well, not super-duper pretty like Ms. Allegra and Grayfia, but pretty nonetheless!
So, those are the Wright Twins? They look like foreigners. Seth was intrigued.
The boy bowed his head and the girl lifted up her skirt slightly.
"My name is Alastair Wright." The boy spoke up.
"My name is Annabelle Wright." The girl introduced herself.
Seth was extremely confused until Luke bowed his head while forcefully making his older brother bow as well.
"We're pleased to make your acquaintance, Alastair and Annabelle Wright." Luke said politely. "I am Luke Ambrosius Sigmund, and this is my older brother, Seth Percival Sigmund."
Allegra went behind the brother and sister and affectionately petted their heads. "I found these poor children at a rundown orphanage during one of my trips to London."
Seth seemed very surprised by this information while Luke frowned sadly as his galaxies faded.
"The orphanage barely took care of the children there." Alastair stated sadly. "We were the last. The others either ran away or died of disease or starvation."
Luke's faded galaxies completely vanished as his brows furrowed, something Allegra recognized from when he defended her the day before. Seth noticed this and was about to intervene until Luke closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and let out a long exhale.
The young Kaelian opened his eyes, revealing that the galaxies had returned. "Did... please tell me the staff were arrested because of this."
Allegra nodded in confirmation and Luke looked back at the twins, who were amazed at the sight of his eyes. Luke blinked a few times at Alastair and Annabelle before disappearing and reappearing right in front of them. Alastair jumped back with surprise written all over his face while Annabelle let out a small squeak in fright and covered her mouth with her hands before both of them suddenly found themselves being embraced by Luke.
"I promise you... I'll never let you be alone ever again..." Luke vowed in a soft voice.
Annabelle felt a warmth in her heart and hugged Luke back with Alastair watching them, eventually hugging the Kaelian boy back as well.
"Thank you, Mr. Sigmund, for... caring about us." Alastair said softly.
Allegra smiled at the children. "As thanks, Alastair and Annabelle wanted to become servants of the Chernobog Household."
"But they're only in training as of now." Grayfia interjected. "There are only some things they are capable of doing safely."
Once Annabelle and Alastair ceased hugging Luke, the silver-haired girl turned to look at Grayfia.
"Madam Grayfia, is it possible for me to serve Little Luke here?" Annabelle politely asked.
Luke was blushing at the new nickname. L-Little Luke?!
"Why the sudden request, Annabelle?" Grayfia inquired.
Annabelle simply smiled brightly at Grayfia. "It's because Little Luke is super cute, Madam Grayfia. And... I don't know how to explain it, but he's almost like the cute little brother I never had. I mean, just look at how expressive his pretty eyes are!"
Luke felt extremely happy and blissful hearing another person comment positively on his eyes, something he knew would never get old for him.
Grayfia couldn't help but shake her head with a small smile. "Annabelle... if you truly wish to serve Luke, then I shall dub you as his personal maid from this day forward."
"Yay!" Annabelle cheered while hugging Luke close like a teddy bear.
Grayfia turned her attention to Alastair. "Do you want to serve Luke as well, Alastair?"
Alastair looked at Luke and Annabelle for a moment before turning to Seth and staring at him for a long period of time until his left eye twitched. "Madam Grayfia, for some reason I feel it would be better if I served the young Master Seth. Call it a gut feeling, but I have a feeling that he may be prone to trouble someday."
Luke snorted from trying to stifle his laughter.
"Ha ha." Seth mocked his little brother before looking back to Alastair. "I humbly accept you as my servant, Alastair."
"It will be a pleasure serving you, Young Master Seth." Alastair lightly bowed to Seth.
Annabelle hugged Luke even tighter. "Little Luke, what's your first order?"
Luke pondered Annabelle's words for a moment until he had an idea. "Annabelle... my first order is for you to become my second best friend." However, he realized that his wording could be taken the wrong way. "I-I don't mean that you're second best! I just meant you'd be the second time I've had a best friend!"
Annabelle blinked at Luke a few times in surprise before giving him the brightest and warmest smile she could muster. "Of course, Little Luke. I shall become your second best friend. And hopefully one day, I can meet your first best friend."
So cuuuute! And her British accent only adds to her charm! Luke blushed like a goofball.
Allegra and Seth chuckled at Luke and Annabelle's cute moment together while Grayfia and Alastair merely smirked in amusement.
Five months had passed since the Sigmund brothers moved into the Chernobog estate. Within that time, Luke had already become close friends with Melody and the many servants in the household. In fact, almost every single maid wanted to coddle and spoil Luke to his heart's content, but Grayfia made sure they didn't step out of line. Speaking of Grayfia, she, too, became very close friends with Luke, finding his positive attitude to be rather contagious. As for Allegra, she became so attached to Luke that she named him an honorary member of the Chernobog family. She wouldn't mind at all if Luke decided to slip into her room in the middle of the night and snuggled up to her. Furthermore, Luke and Seth have been getting along great with their personal servants, Annabelle and Alastair Wright. Luke would often play with Annabelle whenever Melody wasn't available due to her studies, but when Melody could play with him, he wanted Annabelle to join in, too. Unfortunately, the girls would compete for his attention whenever they all played together, much to the boy's concern. Seth and Alastair did their best to avoid Luke if he was ever playing together with Annabelle and Melody, but Grayfia would be nearby just in case the girls began to argue over the young Kaelian boy. Currently, Luke was in the middle of another argument between Melody and Annabelle with Grayfia watching over them.
"I believe I deserve to be the wife this time! You're always the wife whenever we play together, so you should try being the sister for once!" Annabelle exclaimed at Melody in annoyance.
"No! I'm going to be the wife! You're the big sister!" Melody yelled while glaring at Annabelle with a pout.
"Little Luke, who do you want to be the wife?" Annabelle asked as both she and Melody turned to Luke.
Grayfia immediately began to notice the panic in Luke's eyes as his galaxies were bouncing all over the place. Perhaps I should step in. Luke looks incredibly stressed. "May I suggest that you both take the role of wife?"
Melody and Annabelle stopped gazing into Luke's soul for a moment as they began to think over what Grayfia just said, allowing the Kaelian boy to calm down his nerves. Luke looked at Grayfia and she could immediately sense his gratitude for trying to get the girls to get along.
"Well... Devils are known for having harems from what Mom told me, so the thought of sharing Luke doesn't sound all that bad." Melody spoke aloud to herself. "Just so long as Lukie promises to love us both equally."
"Yes, you're right. You'll love us both equally, won't you, Little Luke?" Annabelle used her dreaded puppy eyes.
Luke stood resolutely. "Yes! I promise to love you both equally!"
Melody and Annabelle felt their faces flush for a moment before they looked away shyly from the determined Luke.
Words cannot describe the cuteness on display here. Grayfia thought as she tried to maintain her composure.
Melody was the first to snap out of her stunned state before turning toward Grayfia. "Wh-what about you, Grayfia. Do you want to be Luke's wife, too?"
"I'm afraid I am too old to be one of Luke's wives." Grayfia replied with a stoic expression.
"Nonsense, Grayfia." Luke placed his knuckles on his hips. "Mom always told me that you're never too old to find love. Plus, you are not old in the slightest. You are an extremely beautiful woman, Grayfia. I definitely wouldn't mind having you as a wife."
"Keep that up and you might end up with more wives than you can handle." Grayfia joked.
"If that's the case, then I'll take full responsibility and love them all equally." Luke said seriously.
"We shall see." Grayfia smirked until a communication magic circle appeared by her ear. "Yes, Lady Allegra?"
["Grayfia, please bring Luke, Seth, Melody, Annabelle, and Alastair to the main entrance at once. There's... there's someone I want them to meet."] Allegra spoke through the communication circle.
"Understood." Grayfia replied before dismissing the circle. "Children, Lady Allegra will be returning soon. There's someone she wants you to meet."
"Alright, I'll go fetch Seth and Alastair." Luke then vanished in a burst of speed.
A few minutes later, Grayfia was guiding Luke, Seth, Melody, Annabelle, and Alastair through the Chernobog estate until they reached the main entrance where they saw Allegra accompanied by a sorrowful young girl with long, flowing azure hair.
Luke looked closely at the azure-haired girl and noticed a dark blue aura surrounding her. Her aura is dark blue… She's depressed.
The azurette caught Luke staring at her with his mysterious looking eyes and backed away from him in fright. "Pl... please.. d... don't come near me... I'm... I'm dangerous..."
Luke tilted his head at the girl's words. "How could you be dangerous, Miss? If anything, I'm probably the most dangerous person in this very room."
Boy, be wary of that girl. She doesn't seem to have control over her Sacred Gear. A gruff voice inside Seth's head suddenly spoke up.
"Lady Allegra, where did you find this girl?" Grayfia asked.
"I found her inside of a house that was completely frozen over and it took me while to finally convince her to come back home with me." Allegra explained with a soft expression. I'll tell Grayfia about the fate of her parents later.
"And what is her name my lady?" Grayfia inquired about.
Allegra looked down at the girl with a gentle smile. "Her name is Shirayuki Misaki."
"She's Japanese?" Luke grew curious with a slight hint of excitement.
"Indeed, she is, Luke." Allegra confirmed. "But how did you know that?"
"It's because of how you introduced her. I know that the Japanese and Chinese always introduce themselves by their surname first. Plus, I know Japanese. Her given name means 'beautiful bloom' and her surname means 'white snow'."
"Yup, Luke has probably studied more about the Japanese than I have. Heck, he even knows about famous Japanese warriors like Oda Nobunaga and Miyamoto Musashi." Seth told Allegra before focusing his attention on Misaki. "Misaki... do you have a Sacred Gear by chance?"
"I... I d-d-d-don't kn-kn-kn-kn-ow-know..." Misaki started shivering like she was buck naked in the dead of winter.
Allegra and Grayfia were extremely surprised that Seth had suddenly brought up Sacred Gears.
"Seth... how do you know about Sacred Gears?" Allegra asked Seth in wonder.
"Ummm... th-the voice in my head told me she had one." Seth responded a little nervously.
"I've never heard of Sacred Gears." Luke spoke up. "What are those?"
"Sacred Gears are a form of miracle created by the God of the Bible that grant unique powers to humans." Grayfia elaborated. "Some Sacred Gears are incredibly common, but there are rare ones as well."
"Those rare Sacred Gears are called Longinuses, which are powerful enough to kill Gods and Satans." Allegra continued for her maid. "There were originally thirteen, but more have been discovered in recent years. For example, there's the fourteenth Longinus called 'World Ender',"
Yeah, World Ender happens to be your Sacred Gear kid. And I, Apokálypsis, am the very soul that resides within it. That's why I'm able to talk with you. The voice known as Apokálypsis said to Seth with a chuckle within the boy's mind.
"Well, I hope none of those Longinuses are in the hands of bad people." Luke said.
Seth looked around nervously for a moment until he decided to raise his hand. "Umm, I think I have a Longinus."
Almost everyone else in the room looked toward Seth in shock.
"Oh! Does this have something to do with the voice you've told me about?" Luke asked curiously.
"I was going to ask about that." Grayfia said. "The moment you mentioned a voice in your head, I had a feeling you had a Sacred Gear with an entity sealed within it."
"Seth... did this voice ever tell you their name?" Allegra questioned seriously.
"Y-yes, they told me just now actually. Apokálypsis." Seth replied.
Allegra and Grayfia stared at Seth with pale faces of shock, the former woman rushing over to him and placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Seth, did Apokálypsis tell you to do anything awful?" Allegra clearly grew concerned.
"Uhhhh, no, they didn't. Why do you ask?" Seth asked with a raised brow.
"Apokálypsis is known as the 'Envoy of the End'. His destructive powers are known all throughout the supernatural world." Allegra informed the boy.
"Apokálypsis was also referred to as 'The Doomsday Dragon' and 'The Void Ender Dragon'." Grayfia stated. "It was said that it was defeated by Zeus's Shield, the Aegis, hundreds of years ago, but I had no idea that the Envoy of the End of all Evil Dragons was sealed into World Ender."
"Seth, if Apokálypsis tells you to harm or kill someone, please tell me or Grayfia immediately." Allegra warned.
Huh, so that's how everyone views me nowadays. An Evil Dragon who cares not about the lives of others. If only they knew. Apokálypsis seemed annoyed at first until he sighed softly. ... Kid, I'm going to tell you about myself later tonight. And just know that I don't want you to kill anyone... no more innocents need to die.
"I promise, Allegra." Seth said. Although, I don't think she has anything to worry about.
Indeed... would you like to awaken World Ender? Apokálypsis asked.
Not right now, Apokálypsis. I think we should worry more about Misaki for now. Seth replied mentally.
Very well then. Apokálypsis conceded. But like I said, be wary of the Shirayuki girl. Not only does she have no control of her Sacred Gear, which I'm guessing could be Eternal Frost or Absolute Demise... but I don't think she's completely human.
"N... no... not again..." Misaki trembled as the air around her started to freeze. "GET AWAY!"
Suddenly, Luke realized what might be happening and gained some resolve before speeding up to Misaki and hugging her.
While I was only taught one of the Kaelian Elements, thankfully the one I've mastered is perfect for this situation. Luke thought as his body slowly began to freeze over.
Misaki's eyes widened in terror when she saw the ice running up Luke's body. "N-NO! PLEASE LET ME GO! YOU'LL DIE JUST LIKE MY PARENTS!"
"... Azure Flames..." Luke muttered before azure-colored flames immediately engulfed him and Misaki.
"Luke!" Melody exclaimed.
Seth caught Melody and held her back. "He'll be fine, Melody. Just watch."
Allegra, Grayfia, Annabelle, and Alastair watched in awe as the azure flames didn't seem to be harming Luke or Misaki, but rather melting away all of the ice.
"Incredible..." Grayfia spoke under her breath.
As the flames continued burning, Misaki gradually calmed down as an unusual sensation washed over her.
This... this warmth... Misaki embraced Luke closer to her as a smile made its way onto her face. It's so... soothing... "… Thank you…" She mumbled into his ear.
"I won't let you hurt anyone... even yourself..." Luke held Misaki tighter as he finished eliminating the cold around them.
However, much to everyone's surprise, Luke's flames suddenly began to burn away something on the back of Misaki's neck. When that something completely vanished, fluffy azure fox ears popped out of the top of Misaki's head and three azure fox tails appeared behind her. The moment Luke noticed the girl's new ears and tails, his galaxies comically turned into stars.
"Yo-you're a Kitsune, Misaki?!" Luke exclaimed excitedly.
"H-huh?! I am?!" Misaki reached for her head and touched her fox ears. She also realized that it felt like a part of her was touching the floor and turned her head around to see that she had three beautiful tails. Allegra, Grayfia, Melody, Annabelle, and Alastair were shocked upon learning that Misaki was a Kitsune, while Seth was grinning from ear to ear.
Luke, you lucky dog! Seth thought happily.
Soon the azure flames faded out around Luke and Misaki.
"Aww, those flames felt so nice." Misaki whined adorably.
"Misaki?" Allegra walked up to Luke and the young Kitsune, kneeling down to meet them at eye level. "If you want to control that power of yours, I first need you to imagine the most powerful thing you can think of, okay?"
Do as Lady Chernobog said. You'll unlock World Ender that way. Apokálypsis explained to Seth.
"Allegra knows what she's talking about, Misaki. You should do as she says." Seth told her.
Misaki turned toward Seth and slowly nodded before closing her eyes with a focused expression. After a few seconds, flurries of snow appeared around her hands, but they were moving slowly and gracefully.
"There. You now have control over your Sacred Gear." Allegra said.
Misaki smiled in awe and joy at the sight of the snow and hearing Allegra's confirmation.
Little did Allegra know that Seth had also closed his eyes with a focused expression.
The most powerful thing I can imagine... Seth thought. Perhaps someone like... King Koopa of the Dark Lands.
Appearing around Seth's right arm was a gauntlet made of platinum dragon scales with a black gem embedded into it. Suddenly, the black gem began to glow a dim light.
Ugh, finally! Other people can hear me now! Apokálypsis's voice rang out from the gem.
Everyone looked toward Seth's arm upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, which he noticed before pointing to the gem on his hand.
"That was Apokálypsis, not me." Seth said swiftly.
Luke zipped over to Seth and looked directly at the black gem. "So, you're the voice that's been talking to my big brother. Apokálypsis, right?"
That's right, Kaelian. My name is Apokálypsis. It's nice to finally speak with you.Apokálypsis seemed amused. Good work on getting that girl to calm down.
Luke smiled sheepishly at the gem. "Thanks for the praise, Apokálypsis, but all I did was what my Dad taught me to do whenever Luci hurt herself during training."
"Lady Allegra, I would suggest having Master Seth and Lady Misaki trained in controlling their Sacred Gears immediately." Grayfia spoke up.
Melody thought over Grayfia's words until she suddenly came up with an idea, evident by the big smile gracing the young Chernobog heiress's features. "Hey, Grayfia! If you'd like, I can send letters to Ria and So-So and ask for their older siblings to help train Seth and Misaki! And you could help train Misaki as well, Grayfia. Especially since you and So-So's big sister have a mastery over ice magic!"
"That's a wonderful idea, Melody." Allegra responded. "Plus, it'll be nice for Luke, Seth, and Misaki to meet Lord Lucifer and Lady Leviathan early."
"If you meet with Lucifer and Leviathan, you can meet my friends, Luke!" Melody grabbed the boy's hands.
"You mean Ria and So-So?" Luke asked Melody with an excited smile.
"Yeah! I'm sure Ria is going to really like you, although So-So might test you first to see if you're smart enough to be her friend." Melody nervously chuckled.
"Looks like I'll be making at least two new friends." Luke proudly declared.
"I don't know, Luke. So-So sounds a bit too smart to be your friend." Seth expressed his concern.
Luke pouted at his older brother. "Oh yeah? Well, just you wait! I'll show that I'm just as smart as So-So!"
"It would be best if you called her 'Sona' until you become friends." Grayfia pointed out. "It would be awkward for a stranger to call someone by a nickname."
Luke and Seth nodded in agreement before Misaki made her way over to the Sigmund brothers and grabbed the younger one's hand with a smile.
"Let's go!" Misaki said.
"H-huh?! Where are we going, Misaki?!" Luke asked in surprise as Misaki began pulling him along with her.
Allegra giggled. "Misaki seems to be feeling much better now."
Grayfia slightly smirked. "Indeed, she is. And it's all thanks to Master Luke."
Allegra raised a brow with a cheeky expression. "Oh, so it's 'Master Luke' now? What happened to calling him by his name normally? You two were so cute when you acted casually with one another."
Grayfia refused to dignify her mistress with a response, but her cheeks still reddened a tiny bit. "W-well, I merely thought that it would be more polite to refer to Luke as 'Master Luke' when in front of others. That is all."
"If you say so, Grayfia. If you say so." Allegra shrugged off.
One week later, Allegra had gathered Luke, Melody, Seth, and Misaki in a room where a large runic circle was imprinted onto the floor.
"Ms. Allegra, why is there a massive magic circle on the floor?" Luke asked curiously.
"This is a transportation circle. Devils use these to teleport to our destinations." Melody explained.
"Melody is correct." Allegra confirmed. "Now then, the reason I've brought you all here is because Lord Lucifer and Lady Leviathan will be arriving soon."
"They're coming here?" Seth asked.
"Yes." Allegra answered. "Their sisters are coming along because they really wanted to see Melody again."
Melody was barely able to contain her excitement, holding back a squeal of delight at the thought of seeing her friends again. The magic circle on the floor started glowing crimson just before a man with long crimson hair and a young girl with similar hair appeared in front of everyone.
"Ria!" Melody cheered.
"Mel!" The crimson-haired girl known as 'Ria' sang back and ran over to Melody.
'Ria' and Melody pulled each other into a hug and squealed happily, making the crimson-haired man chuckle as he walked over to Allegra.
"Lady Allegra, it's wonderful to see you again." The man politely greeted before respectfully grabbing Allegra's hand and kissing her knuckles.
Luke couldn't help but feel a pit in his stomach as his left eye began to twitch.
"Thank you for coming, Lord Sirzechs. There are a few people I would like you and Lady Serafall to meet." Allegra motioned to Luke, Seth, and Misaki.
While Seth and Misaki looked up at Sirzechs in awe, Luke stared at the crimson-haired man with a blank expression.
"Well, I see Lady Allegra has taken quite the hobby since divorcing her husband." Sirzechs commented. "I am Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the Four Great Satans. It is a pleasure to meet you, young ones."
Seth smiled at Sirzechs. I get the feeling I'm going to like this guy. "Well, it's nice to meet you, too, Lord Sirzechs. My name is Seth Percival Sigmund." Seth lightly bowed to the Great Satan.
"My name is Shirayuki Misaki, it's nice to meet you as well, Lord Sirzechs." Misaki curtsied.
"... I'm Luke Ambrosius Sigmund, Seth's little brother. Nice to meet you, Lord Lucifer." Luke spoke somewhat casually.
Oh dear, I wonder if Luke became protective of me after what happened with Sterling. Allegra thought worryingly.
Sirzechs placed his hand on the head of 'Ria'. "This is my younger sister, Rias Gremory."
Rias faced Seth, Misaki, and Luke before giving them a big smile and a small curtsy. "As my big brother said, my name is Rias Gremory, Heiress to the House of Gremory. It's a pleasure to meet you, Seth, Shirayuki-san, Luke."
Luke's galaxies gleaming with curiosity upon Rias utilizing a particular phrasing. "You know of Japanese honorifics?"
"Rias is fascinated by Japanese culture, due in part to the stories one of my servants tells her." Sirzechs stated.
"Huh? You have a Japanese servant?" Luke asked.
Suddenly, the transportation circle on the floor began glowing crimson again.
"Oh? Did Beatrice decide to tag along?" Allegra asked.
Sirzechs sighed with a resigned smile. "No, I'm afraid not. Beatrice was quite insistent that she finish up my paperwork while I was gone. But I do have a feeling who this might be."
Appearing from the magic circle was a woman with strawberry blonde hair tied into a wild, long ponytail and light cherry eyes wearing a black leather suit and boots that exposed her cleavage.
"My lord! How could you head off to another's territory without me?!" The woman shouted sternly. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?! What if you were attacked during my absence?!"
"But I am a Satan, Okita-san!" Sirzechs nervously rebutted. "I would've been fine!"
Luke, Seth, and Misaki blankly stared at the sight in confusion and Allegra and Melody giggled at the Great Satan's expense. On the other hand, Rias covered her blushing face with her hands due to the embarrassment.
Luke suddenly became excited when the woman's name finally registered into his brain. "Wait? 'Okita'? As in 'Okita Souji'?!"
Okita turned towards Luke the moment he spoke up and was rather surprised when she saw the excitement in the young boy's mysterious eyes. Once she snapped out of her stupor, she walked up to Luke and crouched down to meet him at eye level with a smile and ruffle his hair. "Oh? I wasn't aware I had fans in the 21st Century."
Luke chuckled until he noticed something... off about Okita. "Mom always told me that Okita Souji was a man... yet you have pillows."
Okita seemed to blush lightly at Luke's words. "W-well firstly, do not believe everything you read as some information isn't always true. And secondly, I had little to no choice but to disguise myself as a man during the shogunate period."
"Oh, that makes sense. It still hasn't been a century since women started getting some respect as soldiers and leaders."
"You are very wise for a child." Okita then looked away with a grumble. "And yet Tomoe-dono is the only one who got recognition as a woman, unlike the rest of us."
"But... Okita Souji died many years ago." Misaki seemed perplexed.
Okita chuckled as she turned to Misaki. "That is true, I did die. However, Lord Sirzechs took interest in me and I was reincarnated as a Devil into his peerage."
"Wait! You can be reincarnated into a Devil?!" Seth exclaimed in shock.
"How the heck does that work?!" Luke asked incredulously.
"That's thanks to the Evil Piece system created by my friend, Ajuka Beelzebub." Sirzechs answered.
"Evil Piece system?" Misaki asked curiously, which got Melody and Rias to hurry over to her.
"There aren't many Devils around, so the Evil Piece system was created to increase our numbers." Melody said.
"Me and Mel will be getting our Evil Pieces when we're ten, that way we can start making our own peerage." Rias stated. "I'm going to create a super strong peerage so I can become a Rating Game Queen, just like Roygun Belphegor."
"What's a Rating Game?" Luke inquired.
"Is it like sports for Devils?" Seth guessed.
"That's correct, Seth." Sirzechs confirmed. "Tell me, have you and your brother ever played chess?"
"You mean that game where you watch two people move pieces on a board for hours?" Seth asked.
Luke and Rias looked appalled at Seth.
"Seth! How dare you insult a game of pure skill!" Luke scolded his big brother. "I used to play chess with Mom and Iri all the time!"
"Well, our version of chess might be more up your alley." Sirzechs said.
"Oh, what makes you say that?" Seth asked the current Lucifer.
"Well, a Rating Game is like chess in real life where you fight against your enemies." Sirzechs explained.
"... That sounds interesting." Seth replied.
Luke looked at Seth with a concerned expression. "Seth, please don't turn into a battle junkie."
The transportation circle suddenly glowed a sapphire blue and appearing out of it were two women and a girl. One of the women looked young, had black hair tied into twin tails and wore a magical girl outfit. The other woman appeared stern with long red hair, black armor, and a red cape. The girl looked like a bespectacled, six year old version of the black-haired woman except she had a stricter expression and a bob-cut.
"Hello, Zechs-tan!" The twin-tailed beauty sang.
"Hello, Serafall. It's always nice to see you outside of work." Sirzechs greeted.
"Alleg-tan said she needed my help with something and I can't turn down a request from a friend!" Serafall smiled adorably.
Luke and Seth blinked a few times as they stared at Serafall until the Kaelian turned towards his older brother.
"Why is she wearing a magical girl outfit?" Luke quietly questioned.
"I have no idea." Seth whispered back, ignoring Apokálypsis's laughter in his head.
She... she's really cute, though... Luke blushed.
As if hearing Luke's thoughts, Serafall had looked around until she noticed the young boy and his mesmerizing, galaxy-filled eyes. Suddenly, she disappeared and reappeared over to where Luke was, hugging the poor boy into her bosom.
"Ohhhhhhhh! Howww cuuuuuuuuuuuute!" Serafall squealed in absolute delight and adoration.
Seth jumped back in surprise at how fast Serafall seemed to have moved. A dark aura surrounded Misaki and Melody as they glared at the current Leviathan. Sirzechs chuckled at his fellow Great Satan's actions. The black-haired girl facepalmed with a blush coloring her cheeks.
"Leviathan-dono, please control yourself!" The red-haired woman commanded.
Serafall pouted at the redhead. "Oh, come on, Nobu-tan! He's just so adorable, I couldn't help but hug him!"
I-is this really the current Leviathan? Seth thought in disbelief.
She is, believe it or not. Apokálypsis mentally told his host. And this is how Serafall usually acts nowadays... It's truly better if you never find out what she was like during the Devil's Civil War.
"Alleg-tan, where did you find this cutie?" Serafall queried excitedly.
Allegra giggled at Serafall before giving her a big smile. "Luke and his older brother Seth were actually living with my contracted Magician before I offered them refuge within the Chernobog estate. I'm certain you remember Nimue Evergarden, Lady Serafall?"
"Oh yeah, how's she doing with little Mona-tan?" Serafall asked.
"Mona-tan? Are you talking about Morgana?" Seth asked Serafall.
"That's right!" Serafall replied.
"Morgana is doing pretty good." Seth informed. "She's been helping out around the house whenever Aunt Nimue needs her. Plus, she's started becoming a good big sister to our friend Ruby."
Luke managed to poke his head out of Serafall's breasts. "And Big Sis Morgan isn't 'little' anymore. She's practically an adult now."
Serafall couldn't resist squealing softly when she heard Luke's cute voice. "Oh, you are just the cutest little boy, Lu-tan! I'm so glad Mona-tan has such a sweet little cousin like you!"
When Luke poked his head out from Serafall's breasts, this allowed 'Nobu-tan' and the little black-haired girl to see the Kaelian's eyes.
"Big Sis, what's happening to that boy's eyes?" Sona asked.
Serafall blinked for a moment before she looked deep into Luke's eyes. "Hmmmmm, I'm not sure, So-tan. Lu-tan, what's wrong with your eyes?"
"My eyes?" Luke rose a brow in confusion. "... Oh! I see. There's nothing wrong with my eyes, Ms. Serafall. My eyes have always been like this."
"I'll explain in a moment, Serafall. For now, do you mind helping Seth and Misaki control their Sacred Gears?" Allegra requested.
Serafall's face turned somewhat serious as she nodded before placing Luke down onto his feet. "What are their Sacred Gears?"
"Well, I have World Ender." Seth raised his hand.
Serafall, Sirzechs, Okita, and Nobunaga's skin turn pale from shock upon hearing the name of Seth's Sacred Gear.
"A Longinus... powerful enough to slay a God or a Satan... it would be wise if it's wielder can control it." Sirzechs said.
A black gem appeared over Seth's right hand before his forearm was surrounded by platinum scales.
You don't need to worry about that, Sirzechs Gremory. Or is it Sirzechs Lucifer now? Apokálypsis spoke aloud through the ominously glowing black gem.
"... Lucifer. You seem... calmer than I remember, Apokálypsis." Sirzechs said.
You can thank my first host for that... she opened my eyes and helped me realize that revenge wasn't the answer. Apokálypsis admitted to Sirzechs.
"Ah, you mean Kanroji Mitsuri." Sirzechs deduced.
That woman was a one of a kind.
"She sounds amazing, It's too bad she's probably long dead. I'd really like to meet her" Seth said.
I believe Mitsuri's soul still resides within World Ender, so you might be able to speak with her someday if you become a lot stronger.
"As long as you don't give in to the path of destruction, I'm sure you and Apokálypsis can help us build a peaceful world someday." Sirzechs gave Seth an assuring smile.
Luke frowned softly. "Does this have something to do with the Great War between the Three Biblical Factions?"
"Luke, where did you learn that?" Allegra questioned.
"I go to the library a lot." Luke answered.
Allegra petted Luke's head. "Such a smart boy."
Sirzechs chuckled as he watched Luke lean into Allegra's touch. "You're correct, Luke. However, I will tell you about that the next time I visit." He turned to Misaki. "Now then, do you know what your Sacred Gear is, Ms. Shirayuki?"
Misaki shook her head. "I'm not sure, Lord Sirzechs, but Seth said that Apokálypsis believes I have Eternal Frost or Absolute Demise."
"If you have Absolute Demise, then that makes two Longinuses. However, Eternal Frost isn't a slouch, either." Sirzechs said.
"I don't think it's Absolute Demise." Serafall interjected. "From what I've heard from my sources, Absolute Demise already has a wielder. So that means Misa-tan has Eternal Frost."
Misaki seemed disappointed. "So... I'm not as strong as Seth-kun?"
"Hmmm, how do I put this? Seth's Sacred Gear is a Longinus Class, but like I said before, Eternal Forst is also powerful. It's a High-Mid Class Sacred Gear, meaning it almost rivals Absolute Demise." Sirzechs explained carefully, not wanting to hurt Misaki's feelings. "If you're creative with it and train yourself, you might make Eternal Frost best Absolute Demise someday."
Misaki smiled brightly at that before running over to Luke and hugged him. "Did you hear that, Luke-kun? Sirzechs-sama said my Sacred Gear might beat Absolute Demise someday!"
Seth smiled at Misaki and Luke until a thought popped into his head. "Hey, Allegra, you said certain humans are born with Sacred Gears, right? Does that mean that Luke possibly has one as well?"
"It's definitely possible." Allegra replied.
"If that's the case, why don't we train Lu-tan, too?" Serafall asked.
"Leviathan-dono!" 'Nobu-tan' exclaimed. "That's a terrible idea! We don't even know if the boy has a Sacred Gear or not!"
Luke suddenly appeared behind 'Nobu-tan'. "I'm not worried about not having a Sacred Gear. I'm plenty strong without one."
'Nobu-tan' jumped with a squeak of fright before turning around to see the young boy standing behind her. "Are you a Knight, boy?"
"No, I'm not a reincarnated Devil. I'm human and something else, but Ms. Allegra doesn't want me going around telling everyone yet." Luke answered. "By the way, what's your name? I don't think 'Nobu-tan' is the name you were born with."
"No, that's just what Leviathan-sama calls me. My real name is Oda Nobunaga."
Luke's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Here we go." Seth snickered.
"Y-Y-YOU'RE ODA NOBUNAGA?! THE EMPEROR OF EDO PERIOD JAPAN?!" Luke's galaxies shined brightly, but not enough to hurt Nobunaga's eyes. "I have to tell you the stories I've heard and confirm their validity!"
The next thing everyone knew, Luke was dragging Nobunaga off with him to the living room.
"Hah! It looks like Luke and Nobunaga will be talking for a while!" Seth laughed out loud.
Misaki giggled right before shifting her focus to Sirzechs and Serafall. "We should probably head to the garden. Grayfia-san is already there waiting for us. And don't worry about Nobunaga-sama, I'm sure she'll come to enjoy Luke's company."
A/N: That's the end of the chapter, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed it!
Readers of my Awakening of the Sapphire Dragon are familiar with the fact that Luke and Seth knew the Wright twins since they were all children and now I have revealed what that first meeting was like, although things are slightly different here than they are in the main timeline. Now Luke has a cute maid in his service.
For those who have read the main timeline story, Misaki's true nature as a Kitsune shouldn't be a surprise, but me and Sacred decided to mix it up a bit and have her Kitsune side revealed much, much earlier. Plus, it gives her an immediate connection and attachment to Luke.
Plus, Luke finally got to meet Rias, Sirzechs, Sona, and Serafall thanks to Melody being good friends with the heiresses. As for Okita and Nobunaga, I have introduced slight crossover elements by using their Fate Grand Order iterations. Speaking of which, it was my co-writer's idea to have Mitsuri Kanroji from Demon Slayer as the previous wielder of World Ender.
I will be introducing a few more characters in the next chapter. Stay tuned for next time!