The sound of crackling and popping entered her ears. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and was greeted by the sight of a wooden roof above her head. She blinked. Did she come back home? Was it all just a bad dream? However, the more she looked up at the ceiling, the more she began to recognize the differences. For one, the ceiling lacked the stars Uriel had put up there when she was younger and second, her bed was too soft. It was too rich for her.
Lucia sat up suddenly, taking a look around. This wasn't her room. It lacked the organized chaos that her room had. She looked around, taking in the sight of memorabilia and posters from places that she had never been before.
The Cherry Blossom Festival at Kyoto.
Tokyo Tower.
Mount Fuji.
Her eyes squinted as she read each label on the various posters scattered across the wall of the room. Lucia took the covers off and got off the bed. She began to walk around the room, marveling at how soft the rug was.
"Where am I?" she asked herself as she walked over to a desk with a mirror in front of it. By the mirror, she saw a photo of a young girl with red hair, riding on the shoulders of an older man who resembled her greatly. "What the…?"
She looks familiar. Like the… girl from my dreams, Lucia thought.
[Demonic Power detected…]
A notification from her Warning System went off and Lucia's guard went up. She immediately ducked behind the bed as the door opened.
"Mathers, I told you that kids want lots of chocolate in their hot cocoa!" a girl's voice entered the room.
"Young Miss, if I might be so bold as to say that if I get caught giving in to your demands for more chocolate, Lady Venelana will cut my pay," the man named Mathers said.
"Well, Mother isn't here. I'm going to tell Onee-chan and Onii-tama that you're hiding the chocolate again!" Lucia could hear the girl seethe and stomp her foot on the soft rug. "Come on. Let's wake her… up?"
"It appears that our guest has vanished, Young Miss," Mathers said and Lucia heard the tray being set down gently on one of the tables.
Lucia's body coiled up like a spring as she heard footsteps approach. As they got closer, Lucia sprung into action, letting her training take over. A small knife made of her Power of God sliced through the air and almost sliced the man's throat open had it not been for his superior reaction speed.
His hand shot out and grabbed Lucia by the back of the collar, dangling her in mid air as she kicked and swung her arms wildly.
"Ah."
"Let me go!" Lucia yelled as she formed another ball of black and red holy power. She was about to lob Leliel into the older man's face when…
"STOP!"
Lucia stopped her thrashing and turned to see a girl around her age glaring at her with all the ferocity she could muster. The redhead ran over and stood between her and Mathers. Her short size did not help in protecting the taller man but the sheer shock of seeing another kid made Lucia stop.
"I…I… huh?" Lucia stuttered as her heart rate began to calm down.
Sensing her hostility dissipate, Mathers gently let go of Lucia, allowing the girl to land on the floor gently.
"I'm sorry—"
"Rias Attack!"
Lucia's eyes widened in pain as she felt teeth sink into her arm.
"OW!" she shrieked in pain and the two girls tumbled to the ground, scratching and kicking each other.
"Oh dear," Mathers pinched the bridge of his nose as he snapped his fingers. A magic circle formed between them and split them apart.
After a few minutes, the two calmed down enough to sit next to each other, yet the space between them was wide. Lucia glanced out of the corner of her eye, nursing the bite mark on her hand as she sat at the foot of the bed.
The redhead caught her stare and glared fiercely. She huffed before turning away, causing a vein of anger to throb in Lucia's forehead.
"Now."
Mathers clapped his gloved hands together as he stared at the two feuding 10-year-olds. "Are you two calm enough so we can talk?"
"She started it," the redhead pouted.
"Miss Rias."
Rias glared back at him before puffing her cheeks. With a forced smile that looked more like a grimace, Rias turned to Lucia. "I-I'm sorry… for biting you."
"I-I'm sorry for attacking your friend," Lucia ground out.
The two girls glared at each other, sparks of lightning flying between their eyes. Lucia's eyes changed color as she scanned Rias.
[Rias Gremory]
[Estimated Combat Level… Strength: 200, Speed: 215, Durability: 205, Magic: 600, Skill: 345 Overall Combat Capabilities: 1,565]
[Estimating Class… Rias Gremory - Mid-Class]
[Age: 10, Race: Devil, Gender: Female, Marital Status: Destined]
[Special Traits: Myriad Dawns, Power of Destruction]
[Current Equipment: N/A]
Destined? Also… Myriad Dawns?
[Searching… No information available.]
Weird. It's only done that when I tried to look up… Twilight Reincarnation, Lucia thought.
"Ahem. Miss, if you may introduce yourself," Mathers coughed into his gloved hand.
"Ah. Yes. My name is Lucia R-Reid. I'm the daughter of…," Lucia paused, remembering her mother—no, the woman's words. "Actually, I… don't have parents."
Mathers and Rias both raised an eyebrow. While Mathers chose not to question it, Rias leaned in. "You don't have parents? Dummy, everyone has parents! Even Akeno and Koneko have parents… even if they're not here anymore."
Lucia's face flushed in embarrassment and anger. "I-I have a Mom! She's just not here at the moment. It's… It's…"
"Complicated?" Mathers asked, sending Rias a glance that caused her to quiet down.
"Y-Yeah. That word," Lucia looked down at her lap as she fidgeted with her thumbs. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't even want to talk about it. Her black eyes flicked up to the Devil servant. She squirmed in her seat, not knowing what to say.
"Then you can stay here until you feel better!" Rias said, leaning in closer.
Lucia physically recoiled. This amount of brightness was too much for her. Not even Irina had this level of extroversion on her. She gulped audibly, glancing at the older gentleman in the room, who had an amused smile on his face.
"I… I have to get back—"
To who exactly? The thought crossed through her mind. Her mother, who wasn't actually her mother this entire time? To an aunt she never met her entire life that her "mother" claimed was her real family? Lucia gripped the sheets tightly as she looked down at the ground, her young mind struggling to comprehend the complexity of the situation that defined her entire life so far.
"Luci?"
That nickname. Lucia glanced over at Rias, who was looking at her with a concerned expression.
"Yeah, I guess I'll stay for a bit," Lucia said.
"Great! I've never met an angel before, especially one that has colorful wings. You know… I have a Fallen Angel friend at home. She's from Japan. But I managed to reincarnate her into a Devil and made her my first Queen. Come to think of it, is there an Angel version for Evil Pieces? Onii-tama told me that there probably was but Heaven never said anything—"
Mathers gave Lucia a pitying glance as the black haired girl was dragged off against her will by his master's younger sister. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he gathered the hot chocolate that the girls left behind. As he was about to leave, he heard the sound of arguing coming from the upstairs library.
"No way! Akeno is not lame! She can shoot lightning from her hands! She can fly! And she's also from Japan! How is that lame!? What can your friend do!?"
"Because it's not cool! Everyone can shoot lightning! Irina can do that cool sword thing where she just slides her sword out and it slices an apple into pieces! That's a lot cooler than shooting lightning!"
He shook his head at the sound of the two kids bickering over their respective friends.
It took all of her restraint not to release the full might of her Holy Power inside the Vatican as she paced around her office. The heat in the room was climbing by the second. Small plants she had kept inside to brighten up her office were now igniting from the sheer force of her Holy Power as it permeated the very air around her. She glanced outside the window, seeing the festival go on. Her hand clenched into a fist and her jaw tightened at the thought of Lucia. She closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. A scream of pure anguish threatened to erupt from her throat as the worst came to mind.
"Lucia…"
"I'm assuming things didn't go well if you're here barely restraining a tantrum."
Uriel's head whipped up and turned to see Metatron walking inside, barely unfazed by the heat her body was radiating. Her eyes narrowed and she scoffed. "Gee, whatever gave you that idea."
The older Angel raised an eyebrow as he waved his hand, releasing a wave of cold that did little to abate the flames and heat that were now flickering at the hem of Uriel's coat. His younger sister continued staring out the window, biting her thumb as she awaited news from the Exorcists and Angels she had deployed across the entire city.
"So… which part did you mess up at? The part where you were supposed to ease her into it or the part where you didn't explain the entire thing to her?" Metatron asked as he picked up a document from her desk.
"I swear to Father if you say another word, I'm going to grill you alive," Uriel said without so much as sparing him a glance.
"I'm just saying, Uriel. I'm not going to hold back and say you did nothing wrong like Gabriel or Michael does. Hell, even Sandalphon would tell you messed up in doing this," Metatron said.
A wave of crimson flames rocketed in his direction. He raised a hand and a series of holy script swirled around him before condensing into a barrier made of hexagons. The flame collided with the barrier, causing it to crack and crumble. But as soon as it shattered, the barrier was replaced by another one and another one until the flame and barrier dispersed into harmless sparks of red and gold.
Uriel glared fiercely at her older brother, her hand outstretched. "I told you not to test me, Metatron."
Metatron raised his hands in surrender as he stepped forward. "You know I'm right."
Uriel's jaw tightened as her arm shook slightly before it fell limply to her side. "Then tell me, how should I have done it?"
Metatron shrugged. "I don't know. I don't have kids."
Uriel's eyebrow twitched. "Tch… you just came here to beat on me while I'm trying to find my unstable child. If you have nothing else better to do, then leave—"
"But if I was Lucia, I would've run away too."
Uriel's eyes widened.
"Imagine hearing my own mother say that she's not my Mom. As a kid, what would I even think? The woman who's been with me all my life that I called Mom is suddenly saying she's not my Mom? Without warning even."
Uriel opened her mouth to speak when Metatron raised a hand.
"Lucia's justified in reacting the way she did. I'm sure if you took the time to explain things to her properly… that no matter what, you're her family even if you didn't give birth to her, then this wouldn't have happened. You can't just introduce Lucia to a person she's never met before and then call that person her real family," Metatron said.
"But… she is…," Uriel's tone was uncharacteristically meek. A stark contrast from the confident woman she usually was. She clenched her fists tightly.
"In Lucia's mind, the fact that you said you weren't her mom and called a complete stranger her real family must have made her think the worst," he continued.
"I…"
"I may not have children but even I can understand that much," Metatron said.
"You…" Uriel's shoulders slumped as she visibly deflated in front of her older brother. "You're right… Oh God, what have I done? What if… What if she never wants to…?"
Metatron smiled gently and walked forward, placing a hand on Uriel's shoulder. "You need to find her and explain your feelings properly because whether you like it or not, you are that girl's mother. And that girl is just as much your child as she is Laylah's. Laylah may have given birth to her but you're the one that was her mother in every way that mattered."
Uriel nodded. She raised her arm and wiped a couple of tears that threatened to stream down her face.
"How… How can I even explain to her? She's gone, Metatron. She teleported off to Father knows where," Uriel said as she stepped back. "God, what if she's lying in a ditch somewhere?"
Metatron sighed. "We can ask Elder Sister when she's done with her meeting. In the meantime, we can—"
"Pardon my intrusion, Lord Metatron, Lady Uriel."
The two Archangels turned to see a woman standing at the door. She was of average height and had voluminous flaming orange hair. Her eyes were hazel-green. She was sharply dressed, donning a black coat with a dark vest, white button-up shirt, and red tie underneath. The outfit was complemented by black pants and boots.
"Camael," Uriel wiped a few more tears from her eyes as she stepped past her older brother. "What is it?"
"We have a situation. I've expanded the search parameters to cover a wider search area since we found no trace of Lady Lucia inside the city, both here and in Rome. However, a more pressing matter has come to light as a result of our search for the Young Miss," Camael said.
Uriel raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes flashing in annoyance at her adjutant's words. "What? What could possibly be more important than finding my daughter?"
"I wouldn't have said anything and made note of this as something for later, however, with Lady Lucia possibly missing in the Italian backcountry, it's a pressing matter," Camael said in a cool and sharp tone.
Uriel pinched the bridge of her nose and let out an audible, heavy sigh. "Fine. What is it?"
"The incident regarding the missing children," Camael said.
"What…?"
"A large facility has been discovered deep within the Apennine Mountains," Camael said. "One of the Destroying Angels spotted several researchers along with one Valper Galilei entering and exiting the facility just now, as well as sensing several weak signatures of Holy Power. The resonance factor is similar to that of… holy sword wielders."
Uriel's eyes widened. Her hands balled into fists as she tried to decide on what to do. Should she leave this matter for later and focus on Lucia or…?
"I…"
"Focus on finding Lucia," Metatron said.
Uriel looked up at her older brother, who had a stern expression on his face.
"Lucia's safety is first and foremost. If what you say is true, then finding Lucia takes greater precedence. However, I want you to split off a section of the Exorcists and Destroying Angels in locating and shutting down this facility," Metatron said. "Of course, that is if our General approves." He glanced over at her, taking in the shocked expression on his sister's face.
Uriel just nodded. "Y-Yeah. Yeah," Uriel said, finding her voice once more. "Camael, take a portion of your flight and inform Evelyn that she'll be leading it. I want you and the others to prioritize finding my child."
Camael nodded. "Of course, it shall be done, General." She vanished in a swirl of orange flames, leaving behind a few smoldering feathers.
"Thank you… Metatron," Uriel said after a few moments of silence.
"No problem. Now, go. I'll hold down the fort here. Go find your child," he said.
Uriel nodded and vanished in a swirl of red flames.
Lucia took in a sharp breath of fresh mountain air as she followed the redhead in front of her. As Rias happily explored the woods outside her cabin, Lucia became lost in her own thoughts as the snow fell around them. Night had fallen but to the two, night was just as safe as the daytime. Especially if Lucia was involved. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw several deer running off in the opposite direction.
She sighed as she picked up a stick and gave it a few experimental swings.
"Lucia… I'm not your real mother…"
Lucia shook her head and clenched her fists. How could she say that? And that woman Uriel brought over. How could she even call that woman Lucia's real family? Did her mother really not want her anymore? Was she really just something for her mother to raise and then pawn off to a stranger she had never even met? Someone who was Lucia's "real family"?
"Mama… was I really that much of a burden to you?" Lucia mumbled.
She remembered all the times her mother held her when she was younger. All of the times Uriel had comforted her after a terrible nightmare or the times Uriel petted her head after achieving something.
"I don't even know that woman. Mama has always been Mama so why…?" Lucia said as her boots crunched against the snow. She looked down at her hands, which were almost covered by her sleeves. Why did Rias have to be so tall? And why wasn't she tall?
She let out a breathy sigh as she looked ahead.
Rias was ahead of her, squatting in front of a rabbit as she petted its fur. "Aww, you're so cute. Maybe I should bring you back and give you to Koneko. Then she won't be so sad anymore, right Mister Bunny?"
Lucia walked up to them silently. As soon as the rabbit caught a glimpse of Lucia, its entire body froze before it broke into a mad sprint for its safety.
"W-Wait! B-Bunny!" Rias cried out, raising her hand helplessly as she watched the rabbit run off. "I didn't even do anything…"
"It's me," Lucia said as she squatted next to Rias. "Small animals are scared of me. It's been that way forever."
"Great… I was gonna give that to my Rook as a gift," Rias sighed as she brushed some snow off her pink coat. She looked around and saw the full Moon slowly rising into the sky.
"You have a peerage?" Lucia asked, remembering something she had learned from her lessons with Old Man Ferdinand.
Noble-born Devils were able to reincarnate beings of other species into Devils through a device known as an Evil Piece. Young Devils received their pieces when they came of age but Lucia didn't know what age it was. The fact that this girl had her own Pieces meant that she must have gotten them at a fairly young age.
Rias puffed her chest and smiled. "Of course. I am the sister of Satan Lucifer. I get my Evil Pieces earlier than everyone else."
"Ehh?" Lucia let out a semi-surprised noise, though her expression didn't express it.
"Come on! At least be a bit more surprised! That's a really big deal, y'know!" Rias said, shaking her fists slightly.
"Is it? Doesn't the Leviathan have a sister too?" Lucia tilted her head in confusion.
Rias puffed her cheeks like an angry chick. "Mou! Everyone always talks about Sona because she's so smart! I'm smart too! I have 2 members in my peerage already! I have Akeno and Koneko!"
Lucia's blank face only served to infuriate Rias even more.
"Hmph! Why am I even talking to you about this? It's not like Angels have peerages," Rias said as she stalked off.
"Hey! Wait up!" Lucia called out as she jogged after her. "And for your information, we do… kind of. They're called Apostles! And Uncle Raphael is working on something that lets us actually turn people into Angels! Who knows? I might be able to complete my peerage before you do!" A smug smile broke out across her face.
She didn't know why but it felt so natural to be her friend. She didn't have an easy time talking to others, not even when she first met Irina. But Rias was different. Lucia had no problem talking to her, and it confused her somewhat.
"Hah? No way! I already have a head start and by the time I'm grown up, I'll have the strongest peerage in the Underworld! I'll become a Satan like my big brother!" Rias said. "My Mom even said I can! She said that I'm stronger and cooler than all the other Devils my age, even Sona and Sairaorg!"
Lucia's eyes widened slightly.
One day, I'll become an Archangel like you, Mama!
Her smile fell slightly as she remembered that moment she declared to her mother that she would become an Archangel. Her gaze fell to the snow in front of her as she grew silent. What was her mother doing right now? Was she even worried that she was out here? Or was she finally happy that she didn't have to look at her anymore?
"Hey."
Lucia blinked and saw Rias's big blue eyes in her face. She stumbled back in surprise.
"You okay? You just stopped talking," Rias said, blinking a few times.
Lucia looked away from Rias, opting to walk past her.
"Hey! Wait up! Don't just walk off! We might get lost!" Rias said as she followed after her. "Come on! Was it something I said? Are you just jealous that I'm going to get my entire peerage before you get your angel peerage?" she said as she caught up to Lucia.
Lucia's eyebrow twitched. "No, it's not. It's compli— complika… complicated!" Lucia said. "The word Mathers used to describe my feelings!"
"Hmm? Why?" Rias asked as the two stopped in front of a creek. Despite the frigid temperature, water was still running down the mountainside. Lucia walked up to a fallen log and sat on top of it.
Rias raised an eyebrow and sat next to her.
"Did… your mom ever tell you she's not your real mom?" Lucia asked.
"What? Mom? Mom never said that. And she is. She even looks like me," Rias said.
"Er… no, what I meant to ask was, what if your parents told you that they weren't your real parents? That the family you thought was your family wasn't actually your real family? And then they brought someone who they say is your real family," Lucia said.
Rias put a finger to her chin as she pondered Lucia's question. Her mind was far too young to comprehend the complexity of such a situation, but even a 10 year old like her had enough emotional maturity to at least figure out what she wanted. She shrugged and picked up a rock before tossing it into the creek.
"But they are my real parents," Rias said.
"What? But they just said they weren't—"
"But they raised me right?"
Lucia's eyes widened at her words.
"Even if my mom didn't give birth to me, I'm still their kid, right? After all, my mom raised me. Whoever had me is still my mom but that's about it. I think. I don't know. This is hard!" Rias said as she shook her head. "But… I think that even if I found out that Mom and Dad weren't my real parents, I'd still call them my parents because to me, Mom and Dad have always been… Mom and Dad. No one else has ever been my Mom and Dad."
Lucia looked down at the water's edge, seeing the snow fall gently into the rushing stream. "Yeah… Mama has always been Mama. Even if… another person had me. Mama raised me by herself…"
"Hmm? Did you say something?" Rias asked, hearing her new friend mumbling something under her breath.
"My Mama is my Mama," Lucia said, a bit louder this time.
"Isn't she?"
"I mean…"
"You're weird. Of course, your Mom is your Mom. What else would she be?" Rias asked.
"I-I know my Mom is my Mom!" Lucia argued back.
"So why are you saying it over and over again?" The redhead asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"I don't need to explain it to someone stupid like you," she retorted.
"Huh? I'm not stupid! I'm the smartest person in my class at the Devil Academy I go to! I'm even smarter than—"
While Rias argued her case, Lucia's entire body stiffened. The sound of faint rustling and twigs snapping rang inside her ears. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to the opposite side of the shore. There was nothing over there save for the faint sounds she could hear.
"Hey! Hey! Are you even listening to me!" Rias waved her hand in front of Lucia's face.
Lucia blinked and glanced at the Devil in front of her. The girl had her cheeks puffed slightly, feeling fairly annoyed that she was being actively ignored.
"There's something over there," Lucia said, pointing across the creek.
Rias followed her finger and squinted. She couldn't see anything or hear anything. "Are you sure?"
Lucia's eyes changed color as she activated the [Warning System].
[Scanning…]
[...]
[...]
[Search successful. 5 targets found]
[4 Apennine Wolves detected]
[1 Human detected]
"There's someone over there," Lucia said as she hopped off the log.
"Did your Sacred Gear tell you that?" Rias asked as she slid off the log and dusted her jacket off. She narrowed her eyes and focused on the other side. Her senses trickled through the forest as she honed in on a faint strand of energy. "Yeah, there is someone over there."
"We should get Mathers," Lucia said.
"No! Let's go! Mathers won't get here in time! Whoever's over there might be in trouble!" Rias grabbed Lucia's hand and she spread her wings.
"Huh? Wait! I can fly on my own—!" Lucia let out an uncharacteristic yelp as Rias flew across the stream. Lucia landed on the ground with a role and fixed Rias a glare.
Rias took her glare in stride and walked past her. "This way, right?"
Lucia rolled her eyes and dusted her coat off. She looked toward the stretch of darkness and trees ahead of them. Her eyes changed color once more as she looked to confirm. Her eyes narrowed. The number of wolves had decreased and the human, whoever it was, was still there. "Yeah."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and see," Rias said as she took a step forward.
This life was a second chance. So why? Why was this happening? Was the world really so cruel as to set him free only for death to nip and bite at his heels. He glanced over his shoulder, panting from the exhaustion. He would not let their sacrifice be in vain.
However, as he ran, using only the faint light of the moon that peeked through the canopy as his guide, the boy felt salvation grow further and further away. The sound of howling and growls grew closer, along with the heavy distinct canine breathing of wolves. Fighting against his body's agonized protests, he continued to run until something caught his foot and he fell forward onto the snow.
Pain shot through his leg as he looked down at it. His ankle was bent awkwardly, toes caught on a tree root. The poison in his system was beginning to do its job, coursing through his veins and slowly devouring what little he had left.
"No… No… God, please," the boy prayed.
The wolves caught up to him, circling his downed form. Saliva dripped from their bared fangs onto the snow as they sized up their next meal.
The boy clenched his fist, grabbing a handful of snow to fight back. He knew it was futile. There was no escape from this. One of the wolves stepped forward and snarled before leaping for his throat.
He closed his eyes as the jaws of death opened to tear into his throat. However, he felt nothing. Instead, he heard a sharp pained yelp. The boy opened his eyes to see a flash of black and red energy collide with the wolf.
The wolf slammed into the tree nearby, writhing in agony and crying its final death throes before falling limp. There was a gaping hole in its torso and blood flowed and seeped into the snow.
"We made it!" A red-haired girl burst through the treeline. Her blue eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the other wolves.
"Rias!"
Another girl emerged from the tree line.
The wolves all began to back away as soon as the black-haired girl appeared. "I got this. Take the boy," the black-haired girl said as she stepped forward.
Rias nodded and ran over to him, gently lifting him and pulling him away from the one-sided slaughter.
The boy's grey eyes widened as a halo appeared above the ravenette's head.
"Oh Lord, Oh Heaven, grant me the power to deliver justice upon these beasts," the girl chanted as she raised her hand into the air. She threw her hand down and a powerful pillar of light slammed into the ground, striking two of the wolves and scattering the rest.
Sensing that they could not possibly hope to win, the wolves slinked back into the forest, leaving their dying and dead behind.
"Rias, is he okay?" The girl turned, her halo fading into wisps of golden light.
"I… Hey! Hey! Don't fall asleep on us!" Rias said, her voice fading into the surroundings.
And as darkness closed in on the boy's vision, a single prayer left his lips. Perhaps it was to an indifferent God or to his saviors, but to him, it was his sole prayer. A single and earnest wish. "Please… save my friends…"
Lucia furrowed her brow as the boy passed out. His clothes were peculiar. They were clearly not meant for the snow. The sterile scrub-like attire looked like it belonged to a hospital more than it did the Italian Mountain Wilderness. She took the opportunity to scan the boy before she made her way over.
[Scanning target…]
[Isaiah]
[Estimating Combat Level… Strength: 15, Speed: 20, Durability: 15, Magic: 75, Skill: 20 Overall Combat Capabilities: 145]
[Estimating Class… Isaiah - Low Class]
[Age: 9, Race: Human, Gender: Male, Marital Status: N/A]
[Special Traits: Swordmaster]
[Equipment: Sword Birth]
She knelt next to Rias and held her hand out, a soft light emanated from her palm. "He's… not healing?" Lucia's eyes widened. His wounds were closing but Lucia could see Isaiah's breathing slowing down despite her efforts. His skin began to take on a deathly shade of white.
"I can't heal him."
Rias gently set Isaiah down on the snow and crossed her arms. "He's probably going to die."
Lucia's jaw tightened as she channeled more Holy Power.
"That's not going to work," Rias said.
"So we should just let him die?" Lucia asked. "You're the one that wanted to come over here."
Rias's eyebrows scrunched up as she went deep into thought. After a few seconds of thinking, a lightbulb went off inside her head. "I got it! Let me do it!" Rias said as she gently pushed Lucia aside. She raised her hand into the air, summoning an arcane circle to her hand. Symbols rotated lazily on the outer border as the magic circle glowed briefly. A small wooden box fell into her hands and Rias opened the box with a click.
Lucia's eyes widened at the sight.
[Scanning object…]
[Evil Pieces]
[Owner: Rias Gremory]
She leaned in closer, sensing the faint demonic energy coming from the blood-red chess pieces nestled safely inside the box. She noticed that two of them were missing, specifically the Queen and one of the Rooks.
"Are those your…?" Lucia trailed off.
"Yeah," Rias said. "This might be the only way to save him. I'm not really good at healing magic right now so this is our only way."
Lucia nodded.
Rias's eyes looked through the available pieces she had, her fingers running through them with utmost care. And then, finally, her eyes lit up as she decided on one piece. Her hand gingerly lifted a red Knight Piece and placed it over the boy's chest.
"It's not doing anything," Lucia said.
Rias's eyebrow twitched. "I haven't done anything. Just stand back and watch," Rias said as she stood. She raised her hand over the boy's body.
Lucia stood and took a single step back.
"By my name as [Rias Gremory], I order you to be reborn as my servant upon this world. Be glad and rejoice in your renewed existence," Rias said.
Lucia watched as the Knight Piece lit up in a flash of brilliant red light. The glowing chess piece levitated slightly off Isaiah's chest before sinking into his skin as if it were submerging itself in water. As soon as the Knight Piece fully disappeared into his body, the red light died down and the boy's breathing stabilized. His once twisted ankle snapped back into place.
Rias let out a sigh of relief as she closed her box of Evil Pieces and placed it back into the magic circle.
Lucia walked over and with a great amount of effort, lifted the boy up. "Let's take him back to the cabin."
Rias nodded and made her way over to help Lucia support the boy's weight. "Why is he so heavy?" Rias said as the two began to walk.
"I don't know but we're going to have to fly across the creek again."
Rias groaned at the thought of having to carry something so heavy in midair as the two girls made their way back to the cabin.
Housekeeping:
Ryuujin96: Excellent story. Though this almost feels like a prequel, that you could end with your OC MC joining Irina and Xenovia when they go to Kuoh. Considering Issei has yet to be a major character, despite him being tagged as an important character.
Yeah, Issei isn't going to appear for a couple of more chapters. The childhood arc is almost at an end and Issei will appear at the very end of the arc with the timeskip. Though, I do agree with you. At times, I did feel like I was writing a prequel because of the fact that it takes place pre-DxD.
RoyalRain20xx: So, before addressing the massive holy elephant in the room, can I just say that these interactions between certain characters is definitely going to lead to some big shenanigans down the line. I mean, Azazel having a kid that isn't Vali, let alone a half-breed the same as Lucia is just overall nuts. Plus, that meeting calling for a truce between the three factions might be legit after all, that is until some unexpected BS swoops in (which it always does) and now we're dealing with a child who's lost all control of both her powers and emotions. Also, can I just say Togame is a trooper for not panicking/and or crying from whatever the hell just happened, she was just exposed to the true side of the the supernatural, and now, she's gonna have to potentially learn to live with it. Plus, Rias found her, luckily for Lucia as she'd probably think of reincarnating her into a devil or something, only for it to not work, I guess we'll se just effectively this is. Overall, all I can say is… Bring the Drama! I want to see how this literally grows into the woman she's meant to bay.
UrielInsert Ice Kings's famous last words* You Blew it Man. That's all, cant wait to see if there's even more drama following down the line, let's see if Lucia can overcome her emotional distress
Yeah, introducing Azazel's kid, along with Rias and Lucia, are ways for me to unify the three factions by taking advantage of whatever friendship those three will form down the line. Just to be clear, Rias is going to get along with her counterparts a lot better than she does with the other members of the Rookies Four in the Underworld. I'm sort of surprised though. Azazel not having a kid in canon considering how many women he's slept with was always a bit surprising to me so I decided to give him some here.
Also, Togame is trying her best not to break down. She's technically in the same boat as Lucia is right now, having her niece dumped on her. One can only imagine how it must be like to have someone raise you your whole life and suddenly introduce you to some random person and say "Hey kid, I know I raised you but that's your real family". It's gonna mess with her pretty good. Though, considering the pace at which I cover these snippets of her childhood, she'll probably get over it a bit faster than normal, especially since it is Lucia.
As I said before, we are nearing the end of the childhood arc. Going forward, we are not starting at Volume 1-2 where Riser and Raynare take place. We are skipping straight to the end of the Holy Sword Arc. I don't see a point in having Lucia be there for the beginning of the series and I'll have her meet Issei once Issei is a proper devil under Rias's peerage. Speaking of...
Isaiah/Yuuto: Still ends up in his canon peerage. Lucia can't really revive people... yet. She has no Brave Saints Deck, which by the way is a planned thing for the future. That's why the entire first arc is spent gathering her initial Brave Saints. Of course, some of the positions are obvious and only one of them won't be reincarnated as an Angel because I think it'd be better for them to stay the way they are.
Rias Gremory: For those who haven't noticed it, Rias is one of the main characters of the story. The secondary protagonist if you will. She and Lucia will have a sort of Sun and Moon type of friendship if you haven't noticed by the naming of their unidentified special abilities: Myriad Dawns and Twilight Reincarnation. I want to make their friendship a sort of highlight of the story so expect more interactions like this between them going forward.
There wasn't that much to discuss. I won't discuss Lucia's wings until later but it's a spoiler.
Anyway, drop a review.