Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD.

Maybe I Can Light the Way

[Riser Phenex]

"I don't understand," he said, frowning heavily as his family gathered to teleport to the meeting that would take place in a few minutes. Rosar and Ravel on each side of him, Ruval next to the former and then their parents afterwards. They were even positioned, as if they were going to visit a Lord or a Lady instead of just some… "Why are we even humoring this human?" he snarled, getting smacked over the head by Rosar.

"Because that human has the power to ruin us. Which part of that didn't you get, little brother?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at him. His parents looked mostly disappointed and Ruval and Ravel looked like they didn't want anything to do with him. What was wrong with them?

"We can just kill him," he told them. Surely he wasn't the first one to come up with such a simple solution, right? "What's he going to do about that?"

"Lord Lucifer, Lady Leviathan and his backers already know what he's achieved," his mother said, a cold as ice tone in her voice that was very ironic in a Phenex of all people. "If something were to happen to him, everyone would point at us first, even with any other enemies he might have gotten. This is… a disgrace, but it's better than being the enemy of everyone because we tried to keep monopoly. We might be powerful, but we aren't that powerful, Riser."

"What are they going to do? We'd still have the monopoly, even if they don't like that we took the alternative out-"

"Even if those that rely on our supply of Phoenix Tears didn't do anything. What about those that have a chance at it now that hadn't before?" his father asked, standing tall and looking down at him as if he were a dumb kid. It pissed him off. "The Egyptians are making this move. They might be mostly gone now, but they have allies. Even if they didn't, people would look their way with something of this magnitude on the table. If you take that away from the world, the world would turn against us."

That… That sounded bad.

"So, yes, Riser, nobody is happy with this, but we'll play nice," his father continued, sighing and deflating. "We'll get what we can out of this deal and be happy that the… human-," he spat out, with as much distaste as Riser himself felt. "-is offering us a chance to get anything at all out of this mess."

"We understand that, father," Ruval said before his eye twitched and he turned to glare at Riser. "Most of us, at least."

"No need to glare at me like tha-"

"If you ruin this, Riser, so help me," Rosar hissed at him.

"Is he really Domino Mask?" Ravel asked then, making everyone turn at her. With all eyes on her, his little sister blushed a little. "What?"

"Yes, Ravel," their mother said, more fondly exasperated than angry or anything else. Had they all gone mad? Riser was starting to wonder, honestly. "He is Domino Mask."

"Nice," the girl said enthusiastically, drawing even more intense looks from them all. "What?"

"... I guess that's better than how Riser reacted," their father commented, drawing a scandalized look from him. "It's time. Be on your best behavior," the man said, and there was so much steel in those words that it made even Riser straighten up.

A second later, they were teleported to… a human house, he supposed. It was almost out of place, really, except for the fact that they were meeting with a human magician. Still, to warrant all the warnings their parents had issued for this and make a move that had basically left them with no options but to do as he said… Riser had expected more.

"Lord Phenex, Lady Phenex," a man told them, standing between Lord Lucifer and Lady Leviathan. 'At least he dressed the part,' Riser thought to himself, barely holding back a sneer. Good thing too, because the human's blue eyes seemed to lock on him the longest. "You must be Ruval, Rosar, Riser and Ravel… I'm sorry if I got any of those wrong."

"You didn't," their father replied, preening like he always did when he got to introduce his family. "My wife and I are very lucky to have them all," he added, like he always did. It was a point of pride to have so many children in their society, but Riser had gotten tired of that after the first twenty times and that had been a long time before then.

"Pleasure to meet you," the human said, smiling as if everything was right and this wasn't a travesty to everything Riser had been taught while growing up. They'd barely arrived and the man was already getting on his nerves. If things keep like they were… "It's nice to see that you are all interested in this new development for your family."

Riser had to hold back a roll of his eyes at that.

They weren't interested. Their parents had just decided that since the situation of the family was going to change drastically, they needed to be more involved in things now. They'd be going over the deal and they'd meet the human themselves. If nothing else, their father had said, it'd teach them that they might need to be more polite than they usually would have been with their lessers.

Riser hated it.

"Indeed," their mother said, a smile on her face that even Riser had to wonder if it was fake. She had always been just that good at it. "I don't think anyone has anything to say before we get started?" she said, phrasing it like a question even though it wasn't as she turned towards them, pointedly looking at Riser himself to keep his mouth shut.

He almost wanted to say something to-

"Um, Mr. Davis?" All eyes turned towards Ravel at once, with three more than the last time now.

"Yes, Ms. Phenex?" he asked, clearly as surprised as they were that the girl had spoken. 'Oh, mom's not going to be happy about this when we get home,' Riser thought, almost feeling bad for his sister. Ultimately, he was just glad that it wasn't him that'd be scolded. He'd almost expected it, really, but maybe little Ravel had saved him.

"Oh, um, just Ravel is fine, sir," she stammered a little, very unlike her, really. "Could I…? I was wondering if I could have an autograph, sir."

"An… autograph?"

"I'm a big fan of your character as-"

"Domino Mask," Lady Leviathan interrupted, visibly perking up. Beside her, Davis just looked at Ravel, somewhere between amused and exasperated. "You have good taste, lil' one. Well, what are you waiting for, Josh?"

Silently, with a shake of his head, Davis brought a hand up and summoned a piece of paper and a pen from a storage spell. 'He's actually going to do it?' Riser asked in his mind, eye twitching ever so slightly, especially when the man passed the autograph to Ravel, who looked as happy as he'd ever seen her.

"Always happy to meet a fan," the human said then, planting a hand over Riser's little sister's head and ruffling her blond locks. She didn't even let them do that! "So, with that done, the meeting?"

"... Right, of course," Riser's father replied, looking, for once, as annoyed as Riser felt inside. He couldn't even feel vindicated though. All he felt was angry and annoyed.

[}-o-{]

[Joshua Davis]

"That was… unexpected," he mumbled, once the meeting was done and the Phenex had teleported away. "I shouldn't even be surprised anymore."

"What's there to be surprised about?" Serafall asked, looking like a happy camper as she swayed and kicked her legs up and down. He couldn't help but smile back at her when he saw the wide grin on her face, honestly. "What?"

"I didn't expect a Phenex to ask for an autograph," he answered, his smile turning wry. "Why is it that this world loves throwing curve balls at me?"

"Because you think too boringly," she told him cheerfully. His only response was giving her a flat look that made her giggle. "She had some wild takes on the show though. That girl's got an imagination."

"... She got you with the Domino and Levi get together, huh?" he asked, staring at her.

"How did she figure it out?!" Serafall asked, looking genuinely outraged. She was even pouting. "I've been so subtle, so-"

"Please tell me that's not subtle for you," he commented with a flat look. "Even I figured it out," he added, raising an eyebrow at Serafall's betrayed look. "What? It was a little awkward before we got together, I'll admit."

"Oh, was it?" she asked, her expression shifting into something playful as she approached him. "And I'm guessing the kiss scenes would have been such a chore in the future, right?"

"Hm, I don't know," he replied, smiling as she stood in front of him before pecking him on the lips. "I really don't know," he added, leaning down himself to pull her into a deeper kiss. "I wouldn't say a chore," he continued, a grin on his face before they both leaned forward-

"Woah, woah! Keep it G rated, people, we have a child in the house!" Jeanne exclaimed. Looking over Serafall, he gave his sister a flat look while she grinned like a little shit, covering Asia's eyes as if they weren't both the same age. "Seriously, get a room!"

"I'll remember this the next time I see you with Kiba," he said, more a promise than a threat, grinning victoriously as the girl realized the error of her ways. It was too late for her, however, all too late. "My vengeance will be swift, and terrible."

"Slow," Serafall corrected, pout in place. "Slow and terrible."

"Yes, dear," he replied, making her giggle.

"N-Now, let's not be hasty," Jeanne tried, letting down her hands and looking very desperate all of a sudden.

"That's kind of the point of making it slow," Serafall commented, turning and leaning into his chest while looking at Jeanne. "Isn't it, Josh?" she asked before looking up at him questioningly. "I think it is."

"It is, Sera," he agreed, enjoying the increasingly afraid look on his sister's face. Unfortunately, Asia wasn't looking too happy and while teasing Jeanne was great, the nun was too pure to get her upset with something stupid like that.

"I think that's enough teasing, Mr. Joshua, Ms. Serafall," the nun commented, looking both firm and unsure at the same time somehow. "Please?"

"Oh, she's adorable, Josh! We'll keep her, right?" Serafall exclaimed, completely ignoring the nun's words and jumping forward to pinch at her cheeks. "She's precious."

"She is," he agreed with a chuckle before he helped out poor Asia, freeing her from his partner's clutches. "That doesn't mean we can just adopt her like that. She's got a whole faction and stuff, you know? Besides, she's old enough to make that decision for herself," he explained, mostly for Asia's benefit. She was naive enough to take Serafall's words seriously, after all. Or so he thought.

"I know, Mr. Joshua, but I wouldn't mind staying here for good, I think," the girl replied, smiling up at him and making him blink, caught off guard. "Someone has to take care of my garden, right?" she added, just then showing some uncertainty through her act.

"Too right, Asia," he replied with a grin of his own. "Speaking of your garden, you mind if I take Serafall for a walk there? We have to plan Jeanne's comeuppance."

"Not at all, Mr. Joshua. Have fun," she told them, beaming, clearly happy to have someone want to appreciate the beauty of her work, her garden. "Not too much fun though."

"No promises~" Serafall said playfully as she took his hand and started pulling him out of the house. "Let's go, let's go~!"

"Wait, but-..." Jeanne called from behind him, going completely ignored. "... They are joking, right?" Joshua heard when they were reaching the door.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad, Jeanne," Asia comforted her and then their conversation went silent when the door closed behind him. She was wrong though.

It was definitely going to be that bad.

[}-o-{]

"Now, this is interesting," he commented, reading through the paper that he'd been presented. The class was silent as he looked through some of the essays they'd presented from homework assigned previously. Only one person had decided it was a good idea to talk when he was doing that once, asking why they weren't continuing with the class instead of doing nothing while he read.

That person had had his specific assignment completely dissected, with all the flaws pointed out in excruciating detail.

Nobody had dared to do the same thing since.

"Who here can tell me why it's not a good idea to feed magic to a wardstone with a Draining Ward if it's not being used as a foci?" he asked, looking up and scanning the room. Reading through such works made holes in the knowledge of the students stand out, allowing him to better address them. Granted, he was kind enough not to point out who wrote what, instead of doing it like he had when he'd been interrupted. "Yes?" he asked Meredith, who had her hand up.

He found it a little amusing that his Stars had seemingly decided on a system where they took turns to raise their hands. He had no doubt that Levi would have answered any and all questions all the time otherwise. He did wonder what the others offered for him to give up that though.

"Without a spell to channel and better circulate the energy, the wardstone is much more likely to become unstable a lot faster," Meredith answered with an expression that showed that she knew she was right. "Just like an overpowered spellbound wardstone would, Professor Davis."

"Great answer." He nodded, making her beam at him. "It's also worth noting that even if you do it anyway, a lot of magic will be lost in the process without a spell to help contain it. Furthermore, any spell you cast on it afterwards will be a lot less stable than it should be, likely resulting in more wasted energy too," he explained, waving his hand to make a display over the blackboard while the students started taking notes. "On that note, which type of wardstone do you think is the most unstable and which is the most stable in this process? Yes?" he asked when several hands went up.

"A… high quality defensive wardstone?" one of his non-Star students answered hesitantly.

"Anyone have another answer?" Joshua asked then only a few hands remained up. Chancing it again, he picked another non-Star student.

"A low quality offensive wardstone," a man answered, a lot more confidently even as most of the class looked at him weirdly.

"Yes," he confirmed, getting confused expressions from all around. "Contrary to what one would expect, the impurities of the low quality wardstones ironically help dissipate most of the problematic nature of unstable magic energy," he explained, making a second display appear next to the previous one. "On top of that, the more active, direct focus of the offensive ones helps concentrate the energy quicker than the other types. Fun, how that works, right?" he finished idly while he waited for the scratching sound of the students' writing to end.

He almost missed the days when students would act up, if he were honest. It added some interesting aspects to the classes, that was for sure. Was it weird that he liked when he would have to put students in their place? It made the classes feel less like… Well, classes. Added that extra piece of excitement to it that…

'Yeah, it's definitely weird,' he decided to himself with a smile.

"Now, what do we talk about next," he said out loud, starting to pace and continuing to read essays while the students continued taking notes. He'd put extra information on the displays for those like Levi that loved to have more to go over. Nothing wrong with having more to work with, he knew he was like that too.

Then he paused.

With a grin on his face, he moved towards the desk and slapped the papers on top of it. A few of his students jumped on their seats, but all of them looked up. There were even some complaints about him taking down the displays. However, a second later, as new displays appeared in front of the boards, confused silence fell on the classroom.

"You have ten minutes to have something to give me. Work in groups, work alone, work however you want," he told them and he saw as, one by one, their minds started clicking into place. "Best one gets to have a personalized class about whatever they want next time."

Oh, was that last part the right thing to say.

In less than a second, the entire classroom had descended into chaos as the students rushed to get to work.

'This is fun though,' he thought, grinning as he continued leaning against the desk, taking in the sight of the classroom. Maybe he could make more activities like that through his time teaching that class. Maybe once he started the new Spell Modification class further down the line too. 'Better to keep it a surprise though, that'll make it better,' he mused.

It was for the benefit of the students, after all.

It had nothing to do with his own entertainment.

Not at all.

[}-o-{]

[Gabriel]

She was intrigued, she'd admit.

After all the time she'd known and worked with Joshua Davis, she didn't remember her faction ever actually being called by him. It was always them that ended up approaching him one way or another. The closest thing to what had happened now was when he'd sent them the information regarding one of Khaos Brigade's bases in Church territory, she supposed.

Now, however, he'd asked for them. Not precisely a call for help, however, nor assistance or services of any kind. That was the part that intrigued her, honestly. What could the man want to talk about with them so urgently that it required a call instead of waiting until the next base he needed to help with the defense of? His precise words were that he had something to talk about with them and that he needed to be discreet. Not what Gabriel would call a very informative message.

There were things to speculate about in that regard, however.

If he was asking for her, Griselda and her two protege swordswomen to go to him, then it was likely something that needed to be kept away from any ears on the walls in their territory. Something that might cause trouble for him, for them or for both if it was spread to the wrong people. And oh how it saddened Gabriel to think that of her own faction.

She prayed, she prayed every day for the conflicts with their own people to be over. Alas, she received no answer and was once more that much more sympathetic to her own people, who went without answers for most of their lives. One truly doesn't know what they have until it's gone.

"Thanks for coming so quickly," Davis welcomed them, smile in place and Gabriel was, again, a little taken aback by how casual he acted and dressed. She knew many would stumble over themselves to treat her kind differently, even non-believers and completely disconnected people. Angels had, after all, a deep mark in mankind, regardless of one's beliefs.

And then there was Joshua Davis, with casual words, and a wrinkled flannel shirt over a plain white one.

"You've been helping us a lot, Joshua," Gabriel told him, finding it odd to address such an ally so casually, but she liked it nevertheless. It was novel and it was… refreshing, she'd say. It was also what he preferred, and who was she to deny him such a simple request. "There is nothing to be grateful of. If you need us, it's the least we can do to answer a call."

"I'd say it's not that serious, but it kind of is," he told them, a hint of a smile on his face before it was buried under severity. Running his fingers through his hair, he seemed to consider his words carefully for a moment. "I need your word that you'll be careful with the information I'm about to give you. Very careful."

Well, if that wasn't worrying, then Gabriel didn't know what would be. Coming from a fairly laid back person like Joshua, hearing such statement was very much something to concern themselves over. Ultimately, there was no reason not to agree with such a demand.

"We agree to that, Joshua. You have my word," she said easily.

Maybe some would consider herself too trusting, for just accepting what he said at face value. Some would even say that because of how quickly and readily they had answered the call. Gabriel personally disagreed.

Joshua had proved himself to be a person worth trusting, time and time again. Offering them help while wanting nothing in return. He'd even gone as far as giving them more as if it were a favor to him for them to accept. Just like some would call her too trusting, some would call him a madman for some of the things he'd done.

And then there was that one thing…

"I find that it's better to give than to receive," Joshua had said and it was so very easy for Gabriel to remember. How could she not?

"It is more blessed to give than to receive," someone else much closer to her had said a long time ago, even though it felt like the day before. It made Gabriel wonder. With that and his name… But it couldn't be. She would have known something. Michael would have known something.

But even if it was not that, it still gave her pause.

"That's great to hear, especially from you," Joshua replied with a smile on his face. "No offense to you or the girls, Griselda," he added, glancing towards her companions. After that, Gabriel saw him doubt still, which made her even more curious and worried at the same time.

Then his hand moved up to grab at the locket that he always wore around his neck.

"... Follow me," he told them after a long moment of silence. Sharing looks behind him, Gabriel and the other three moved to do just that. The trek through the man's house was short, eventually stopping behind an unassuming door. "This is what I wanted to show you," Joshua told them, opening the door and leading them inside.

Not a step afterwards, all four of them froze.

"Is that…?" Griselda breathed out beside her.

"Incinerate Anthem," Gabriel finished and confirmed at the same time, looking at the bright purple holy flames of her Father's artifact. One more of the many symbols of her brother's demise, his sacrifice. A bittersweet sight, if there ever was one.

"I… came across it, you could say," Joshua said as he continued walking, reaching the stand over which seemed to float the Sacred Gear. As if responding to the proximity, the purple fire shifted, trying to get closer to him. In kind, Joshua extended his hand, allowing it to lick at his fingers as if it were a dog receiving its owner back.

It was… certainly a sight.

"You could also say I've been… tasked with finding it a new wielder," Joshua added, turning around to look at them. Behind him, the four of them saw Incinerate Anthem flare up until the flames towered over the man, as if making a statement.

As if Gabriel didn't have enough things in her mind to give her ideas…

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How's it going?

There's some stuff to unpack here, I guess. Most important of all that Ravel is a Domino Mask fa- What? Why are you looking at me like that?

Anyway, some more insight on the Phenex and Riser being an idiot but… Well, did anyone expect differently? I try to make characters a lil' better than in canon, but I can only do so much, guys. It also tends to depend on the fic but that's neither here nor there.

Some more classes shown, which is always nice, at least for me.

And then there's the Gabriel part. Oh boy, the Gabriel part. Here's hoping I didn't mess up with that one and the stuff I'm talking about there. It's kind of very important, depending on how you look at it.

I also hope you enjoyed the chapter, of course.

As always, if you can't wait until next week for next chapter, there's up to three new chapters in my Pa tre on:

P a treon . com (slash) AdrianKing

Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: Have you figured out what's going on in the Gabriel part? Do you think I'm doing a good job there?

See you.