Draconic Codex: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Issei woke late in the afternoon, blinking against the faint orange glow that leaked into the master bedroom around the curtains. His body felt heavy in the best way—sore, drained, but buzzing faintly with the memory of the previous night. 

He and Rias had stayed up until sunrise, but unlike usual, where such an effort usually meant something of the erotic persuasion, this time, things were different.

Not just different, but equally exciting. Magical.

They’d spent all night experimenting with his newly unlocked and enhanced Aetheric ability.

Just thinking about it had Issei giggling like a kid. Reaching a hand out, he aimed his palm towards his phone on the far bedside table then, with a frown of concentration, he focused on controlling his Aether, moulding it into the much more pliable Cosmic Essence, then imposing his reinforced and Soul-Sigil powered will.

The process had become much more streamlined than his explanation would have you believe, though, even with his Codex provided upgrades, he still found the extra steps pointless and annoying. Still, in the time it took for him to conceptualise what he wanted, he had his Cosmic Essence ready to do his bidding and, with an application of will, he focused on his phone and demanded for gravity to change its behaviour around it.

And just like that, his phone fell sideways, right into his outstretched hand. He let out another giggle as he casually toyed with the forces of the universe, still unable to believe what he was now capable of.

How is this my life now…?

Cosmomancy wasn’t as simple as wishing for something and watching the world bend. At least not yet. Even with all the help from the Codex, it was a bitch to get his Aether and the subsequent Essence to flow the way he wanted, to achieve what he desired. A lot of the pain had been, essentially, controlling the Aether spigot—to not use too much or too little. 

With Rias guiding him however, he’d spent hours not only practising control, but exploring concepts then attempting to shape them clumsily, with rapidly growing competence.

Mainly, the concept of weight and how it pertained to gravity. They practised non-stop, with Issei shaping his will and intent with said concepts firmly in the forefront of his mind.

Or more specifically, he shaped them around Rias’ tits.

For all her teasing at his one-tracked mind, she had been grateful. Large as her chest was, the weightlessness he conjured made the constant pull on her shoulders completely disappear. She’d laughed when he played with them like a curious child, the removal of their weight—or gravity’s effect on them—allowing him to defy physics and pose them in hilarious, otherwise impossible positions. They hadn’t stopped until the first rays of sunlight bled across Kuoh University below the manor.

Now the bed felt too large, too empty. Rias was already gone, no doubt with a lot on her plate. A plate that had been piling up with obligations due to how much time they’d been spending together lately. Understandably.

Issei dragged himself upright with a sigh. He had stuff to do too. He hadn’t seen his friends in weeks. They’d already been giving him shit for vanishing into Rias’ world—this recent absence brought on by his death would only reignite those ribbings.

Dressing quickly, he wandered the manor’s stone halls with a still-fresh wonder, though in the back of his mind he was curious if he’d have to hike down the mountain without Rias here to open him a portal.

He nearly walked into Lucien.

The butler loomed in silence—tall, mechanical, four arms folded in perfect symmetry. Its glowing white eyes gleamed brightly in the shadows he hid in, its voice-box whirring as it shifted.

Issei clutched his chest. ‘Dude. If you keep popping up like that, I’m gonna start thinking you actually want to kill me.’

Lucien’s reply was dry enough to desiccate the air. ‘Well, we couldn’t have you thinking that.’

Issei rolled his eyes. ‘Uh-huh. Creepy robot murder-banter. How terribly cliche…’

Said creepy robot apparently didn’t appreciate Issei’s trying to mimic his mannerisms.

Everyone’s a critic…

He started past, but Lucien spoke again, its tone grudging, almost pained. ‘The Mistress has prepared a… gift for you.’

Issei paused mid-step. He’d never been comfortable with Rias’ habit of showering him with luxuries. But she was his fiancée now, and he’d already given her a gift that was supposedly priceless. Surely a little reciprocity wasn’t unreasonable.

He followed Lucien down to the lower floors, his curiosity and excitement building, into a wide stone chamber carved from the mountain itself. A garage. He'd missed this room in the initial tour…

The space was large enough to fill a fleet of limousines, and pristine, as if it had just been built—he wouldn't put it past Rias at this point. It was also mostly empty…

Except for the motorbike.

Issei froze, jaw slack. Matte black, glossy golden trim catching the dim light. He knew it instantly. He’d seen it once in a dealership window while on a date with Rias, staring for only a heartbeat too long before she tugged him along. He hadn’t thought she noticed.

But she obviously had.

‘No way,’ he whispered.

The Honda Fireblade SP. Cream of the crop in the field of Japanese super bikes…Sexy didn’t even begin to cover it.

‘This is… mine?’

Lucien’s sigh rasped through whatever speakers passed for a voice box. ‘Mistress instructed me to remind you that flying is unsafe until you can conceal yourself from humans—or defend yourself from the filthy, flying rats. She also wanted me to remind you that, though your body is stronger now, throwing yourself off the mountain will still be… incredibly painful.’ Its eyes glowed brighter in a manner Issei had been to associate with happiness. Or whatever the automaton felt that passed for it. ‘Though if you are feeling particularly daring, please, don't let reason stop you.’

Issei ignored him, running his hands reverently over the gorgeous machine. Lucien, annoyed, tossed something across the space hard enough to do real damage had his danger sense not pinged him beforehand. Issei caught it blindly, his thumb brushing the ignition switch.

The bike roared to life beneath him, a thunderous growl that vibrated through his chest. He shivered in delight at the sound, grinning like a lunatic.

Another button on the keychain opened the garage door. It slid upward on silent tracks, revealing a narrow mountain road that snaked down into the brush, vanishing into the dark.

Issei twisted the throttle. The engine screamed. His grin stretched wider.

And then he was gone, speeding into the night like a rocket.

The Fireblade howled as Issei leaned into the bend, the machine glued to the asphalt. Wind tore through his hair, sharp and cold, his jacket snapping at the seams. Every vibration of the engine rattled through his bones, each throttle shift a surge of raw power that made his ass clench.

God, it felt good.

The fact that invoking His name only elicited a dull throb in his temple only made him laugh louder.

He tipped through the corner, knees nearly kissing the road, and came out clean. The bike flowed with him, not against him—like it was part of him. While he wouldn’t lie and say the idea of magical flight or teleporting didn’t excite him, there was something about having the sheer power of the bike between his legs, the speed it allowed him to move at, the control, the rush.

It was freedom. Pure and simple.

The road straightened, a long stretch cut into the mountainside. He rolled off the throttle and coasted, grin fading as his mind shifted gears.

Weight-to-power ratio. That’s what made bikes so quick, what made them accelerate so rapidly. 

What if he… cheated it?

Rias’ warning delivered through Lucien played again through his mind… and Issei promptly ignored it.

He’d be careful…ish.

He shaped Aether, moulded it into Essence, wrapped it around the Fireblade, and lessened gravity’s power. Only on the bike. A quarter of its weight should be a safe enough start.

While his fiancée had some ginormous knockers, they were still tiny in comparison to his new bike. The effort to maintain such an effect on the bike strained him, but Issei felt his Soul Sigil come into play here, allowing him to lock-in and focus until he had the unruly spell fully under control.

Shaking with excitement, he kicked the bike into gear and engaged the throttle.

The rear tire shrieked instantly, fishtailing hard. The handlebars wrenched in his grip, the whole frame bucking like it wanted him dead. He killed the spell and coasted to a shaky stop, chest heaving. Rias’ cautionary words played in his mind again and he shuddered to think about the talk they’d have had to have if he’d been forced to go to his fiancée, head bowed, and explain he’d already totalled his new gift, not ten minutes after receiving it…

There was silence on the deserted and, he suspected, recently magicked mountain road. Silence except for the engine ticking under him while the smell of scorched rubber tickled his nostrils.

He sat there frowning, letting the memory replay, letting his mind work over the problem—the slip, the screech, the wheel sliding uselessly, as if the road was covered in a thin sheen of ice. Slowly, disparate nuggets of information coalesced from abstract memories, and it clicked. 

Less weight means less grip… right. I mean, theoretically, I could strap a rocket to this thing, but it doesn’t matter if the tires can’t transfer the force. Rubber needs weight to bite. Without it… no traction. No traction means no force on the road. And without force—no speed.

He drew a breath and came up with a new plan. 

Okay… so less weight kills grip. Then what if I go the other way? Add weight—not to the whole frame, that’d just slow me down—but to the back tire? Can I even do that? Keep the bike light, but isolate the wheel and press down harder onto the road. More traction. More push. More speed? Worth a try…

Ironically, even though he thought the spell should be more complicated given he was focusing only on a portion of an object while ignoring the rest, it turned out easier than expected to isolate the wheel and increase its weight alone.

Here’s hoping I don’t kill myself…

His hands shaking with excitement, he twisted the throttle.

The Fireblade kicked like a dragster, front wheel snapping off the asphalt. His heart almost packed it in right there. The bike rocketed forward, the acceleration brutal. He fought it back down, teeth gritted, then eased off with a wild laugh.

He coasted, slowed, and finally stopped again. Breathing hard. Staring at the road.

That worked. It worked a little too well. Fortunately, there were ways he could manage the extra power that didn’t need more magic—leaning forward, easing up on the throttle, heck, even controlling the bike on one wheel.

He wondered what would happen if he could simultaneously increase the weight of the wheel while also reducing the weight of the bike’s frame. While he knew it was possible, he allowed himself a rare moment of good judgement and decided to practise on something less…explosive when he first tried to cast two opposing spells at once…

Rias would be so proud. I’m maturing!

With a soft chuckle, he swung his leg off and crouched beside the bike, staring at the wheels.

Speed was solved. For now. But what about braking?

When braking on a bike, all weight shifts to the front. But if I continue with making the rear wheel weigh more, that’ll help keep the rear planted and let me brake with both wheels, which means better braking…right?

He fired her up again, twisted the throttle and shot off like a rocket. After getting the bike under control, he engaged both brakes and tried to stop as quickly as possible.

The Fireblade lurched beneath him, frame shuddering like it was about to tear itself apart, the rear tire shrieking and skidding across the asphalt. His whole body locked tight, vision tunneling as every nerve screamed danger. For a heartbeat he was sure he was about to get a face-full of bitumen and his new Aether-forged constitution would get a true test—then the bike staggered to a ragged halt under his clenched grip, leaving him gasping in the sudden silence.

Worse. It somehow felt worse. Still shaking with adrenaline, he looked over his shoulder and eyed the skid-marks.

It looked like it took him twice as long to come to a complete stop…

Groaning in frustration, he swung off the bike and ran a hand through his shaggy, sweat-soaked hair.

After calming down, he crouched again, frowning at the machine. He examined the front and rear wheels, looking deeper at the brake assemblies. He was no motor-head, but something immediately made itself apparent. 

In the rear, the caliper was small, the pads thin, and there was only a single disc. 

In the front? The caliper was huge, the pads way thicker and there were two discs..

He sat back on his heels in contemplative silence, glaring at the Fireblade like it had just insulted him, as if it were at fault. His gaze flicked between the front and rear brakes until the obvious finally clicked. He groaned and smacked a hand over his face in embarrassment.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Of course. It wasn’t physics. It was engineering. Bikes weren’t built for equal braking. Why the fuck would they be? All the power was up front for a reason, because braking shifted all the weight forward. Onto the front tire. 

The rear was just an afterthought.

A slow grin spread across his face. So—if he wanted speed, explosive acceleration, load the back tire with extra weight. If he wanted to stop as quickly as possible, load the front.

And make sure I don’t flip over the handlebars. I’ll definitely need to practise that so I’m not eating asphalt…

I thought I’d have to crack open a physics book or two with this Cosmomancy shit…guess I’m learning a thing or two about engineering now, too.

He swung back onto the bike, laughter bubbling in his chest. He wasn’t discouraged by his lack of knowledge, rather, every mistake just felt like another piece of the puzzle. And each puzzle helped him get a better handle on his new powers.

The mountain road stretched ahead, and this time he didn’t hold back.

The Fireblade roared, screaming down the blacktop. He felt the difference instantly. On the straight, he pressed weight into the rear, the bike leaping forward with insane traction and explosive acceleration. At the next bend he applied a gentle increase in weight for the entire bike, carving into the corner like the tires were glued down. Coming out, he applied the weight to the back again and he screamed away.

As he grew more comfortable with his powers and using them in a high stress situation, he adapted, adjusting the levers, fine-tuning for the best results. Issei felt himself getting better.

He couldn’t wait to show Rias.

The night swallowed him, his laughter trailing in the wake of the Fireblade’s thunderous howl.

-

Issei’s heart was still hammering as he powered the bike down. The Fireblade purred into silence, leaving only the ringing in his ears and the faint smell of hot metal in the cool evening air. 

He was grinning so hard his cheeks hurt. 

That ride down the mountain had been insane—wind tearing through his hair, corners hugging him like a passionate lover, and the rush of tweaking gravity on the fly to make the bike faster, sharper, more awesome.

He swung off the seat, legs still trembling. 

God, he loved Rias. He ignored the brief stab of pain and shook his head incredulously. She swore those ancient tablets were priceless, but looking at the matte black monster sitting in Matsuda’s driveway…he still felt like he’d somehow gotten the better end of the deal.

His phone buzzed. Speak of the devil…

Giggling at his own joke, he read the simple text. 

Rias: Come back to the manor. There’s news.

Frowning, he leaned against the bike and immediately called her. She answered after a single ring. ‘Hey. Do you need me?’

Her voice was warm and amused. ‘Always. I sense a But coming. Are you going to disobey me again, Issei…?’

Issei shuddered in delight at the sinfully wicked tone her voice had taken. Shaking his head, he got his emotions under control and scratched the back of his neck, glancing at the front door. ‘I’m outside Matsuda’s place. Haven’t seen the boys in ages. And… I was actually gonna pick one of them to be my best man.’

Silence. Long enough he pulled the phone away to check the call hadn’t dropped. ‘Hello? You still there?’

She laughed softly. ‘Sorry. Just a little overwhelmed with how real this all feels. We’re getting married… With everything that’s been going on, I guess I haven’t really just stopped and…thought about it, you know? It’s…exciting.’

Heat crept up his neck and his smile was even goofier than after the ride. ‘Yeah…I know how you feel.’

‘Go spend time with your friends,’ she urged gently. ‘You’ve been working hard. You deserve it. Kiba’s bringing the woman from the Church to the manor so we can ask her some questions—she’s apparently well acquainted with the Fallen. She supposedly wants them as much as we do.’

Issei’s grip on the phone tightened until it creaked. ‘I doubt that.’

Rias chuckled darkly. ‘Quite. Still…if we can use each other, maybe we can clean this town of the infestation faster.’

He let out an amused grunt. ‘Alright. Call me if you need anything. We’ll probably just be watching anime. No stress.’

‘Okay. I Love you.’

‘Love you too.’

He hung up and tucked the phone into his breast pocket. The front door creaked open before he could approach and knock. Matsuda and Motohama stood there side by side, staring past him, jaws slack.

Issei smirked. ‘Oh, you nerds like my new ride?’

Their eyes never left the bike.

‘Who’d you steal that from?’ Matsuda muttered, after several moments of stunned silence.

Motohama snorted. ‘Nah. He doesn’t have the balls. That your dad’s?’

Issei rolled his eyes. ‘Funny. I thought you’d be happy to see me.’ He fished a coin from his pocket and flicked it into the air. ‘Call it.’

Motohama blinked. ‘…What?’

Matsuda, the jock quicker on the uptake and no stranger to coin-tosses, shouted, ‘Heads!’

Issei caught it, slapped it to the back of his hand. Heads. He grinned wide and clapped his taller buddy on the shoulder. ‘Congrats, loser. You’re my best man.’

They both gawked at him.

He leaned in, grin sharpening. ‘Good luck finding strippers even close to as hot as Rias.’

They both looked like they were gonna be sick.

‘Oh, and the bike?’ He patted the Fireblade’s tank. ‘My sexy, rich, soon-to-be wife bought it for me. Pretty cool, right?’

‘TRAITOR!’

They launched themselves at him, hands extended, eyes bulging with rage, and Issei burst out laughing as they wrestled on the grass, tumbling like overgrown kids. He laughed harder as he easily slipped out of Matsuda’s grip, his jacked friend cursing, clearly not used to being overpowered so easily.

It wasn’t until that very moment, with Issei rolling around in the front garden of Matsuda’s house with his two best friends, that he realised how much he truly needed the release. How much he missed the camaraderie.

This all felt worlds away from Fallen, murder, Devils and his new life.

He sent a mental thank-you to his fiancée for understanding.

I need to think of another awesome present to get her now…cuckold consumerism at its finest.

-

Rias slipped her phone into her pocket, a fond smile lingering on her lips. A part of her wished Issei could waste away more days like this—laughing and goofing off with friends—while he still could. Reality was, unfortunately, too cruel in that regard.

His responsibilities and obligations would grow with his strength, making days like these a luxury he could rarely afford.

When she turned, Akeno was staring at her with a curious expression.

‘What?’

Akeno tilted her head. ‘I’m just confused.’

‘How so?’

‘I can’t quite rationalise the fun we had last night with how sweet and lovey-dovey you’re being now.’

Rias flushed, heat rushing to her cheeks at the reminder. She’d tried to push the memories their wild night aside—especially after Kiba’s report and the implications it wrought—but of course Akeno would drag it back into the open. 

She should have known better. Akeno was a brilliant woman and her best friend apart from Issei, but her Queen had a one-tracked mind. Expecting restraint or maturity from her had been folly.

Truth be told, the events of the previous night weighed on her too. She’d soothed her guilt over Issei’s punishment with tenderness and affection afterward, but the other part—the…daliance with Akeno—lingered even sharper in her mind. 

They had always been close, but never like that. Now, every glance from her Queen carried with it a shared, illicit memory, intimacy, heat. It was strange. Not unpleasant—just weird.

She supposed this was always going to happen after both she and Issei had agreed to take advantage of the Codex’s unique opportunities, but that didn’t make the reality any less…bizarre.

Akeno’s giggle broke her thoughts. ‘If I’d known sleeping with you would make you blush and squirm like this, I’d have pushed harder years ago.’

Rias managed a smile. ‘I’m not the only one who enjoyed herself.’

‘I never said I didn’t. You’re one of the best I’ve ever had.’

‘I’m glad you think so.’

Akeno smirked, her violet eyes flashing with a wicked glee. ‘And I was yours.’

Her smugness crumpled when Rias laughed.

‘I don’t see what’s so funny. I had you seeing stars, and the only other person you’ve been with is Issei. He’s clever, sure, but…’ her violet eyes glinted mischievously, voice wicked, ‘you made it hilariously and abundantly clear what he’s, ahem, working with.’

Rias felt mortified at Akeno’s candor, yet she couldn’t deny the thrill of speaking about her sex life so openly. This was what normal girlfriends were supposed to do, wasn’t it—share secrets, gossip, tease? There had always been a wall between them, one that Akeno had intrinsically understood was not to be crossed. 

The events of the previous night had shattered that barrier. And Rias found she didn’t mind.

She met Akeno’s eyes, voice flat. ‘You didn’t make me cum harder than Issei does.’

The look Akeno gave her was pure disbelief.

‘I don’t care if you believe me.’ Rias shrugged off Akeno’s incredulity with a wave of her hand. ‘I’d never lie to protect Issei’s ego. He’s not that fragile, or that childish.’ Rias’ tone softened, her lips curving in fondness. ‘Not anymore.’

Akeno grimaced. ‘Ugh. Spare me.’

Rias only smirked.

Akeno leaned in. ‘Give me as much time as you gave him, and I’ll show you the true meaning of pleasure.’

‘Maybe,’ Rias ceded, deliberately ramping up the doubtfulness and insincerity in her tone. Akeno’s annoyance was delicious. ‘But if you want to try, you’ll need Issei’s blessing. And then you’ll owe him favours.’

Akeno scoffed. ‘I didn’t need his permission last night.’

Rias gave her a cool, sidelong look. ‘If you think last night happened without his full consent, then you don’t know me as well as you think you do.’

Akeno’s reply was cut short. The door opened on silent hinges after a soft knock, Kiba stepping into the room, professional and coolly poised. Giving the room a quick scan with experienced eyes, he nodded to Akeno and bowed his head to Rias before moving aside. A slight blonde girl followed timidly in his shadow, her plain brown robes painfully mundane against the splendour and gloom of the gothic chamber.

Rias’ eyes took her in at once. She had a soft, innocent face, beautiful in an effortless way even without any help. Her wide, green eyes, cautious but not dim, scanned the room warily before landing on Rias. Her hands crept to the cross dangling from a rosary around her neck, the dark wood stained by age…or, judging from Kiba’s reporting, something else. 

Even from the other side of the room, the holy symbol made Rias’ skin prickle faintly.

Still, she smiled. ‘Welcome. You don’t need to be afraid. You’re safe here.’

The girl swallowed, lips barely moving. She sent an unsure look to Kiba and it was all Rias could do not to squeal at how adorable she was. Did she have a crush on her dashing knight? Oh, how scandalous.

All this wedding talk has got me feeling sappy and sentimental.

‘…Thank you.’

Rias shot a quick, knowing look at her Knight and his normally professional facade cracked, if only slightly. She almost cackled as his cheeks tinged pink and he turned his face away to hide his embarrassment.

Oh they’d be so adorable together.

‘My name is Rias Gremory,’ she continued smoothly. Kiba had informed her that the adorable little nun only spoke Italian, thankfully, the nature of Devil Contracts meant there had long-since been magic invented to tackle this issue. ‘This is my Queen, Himejima Akeno, and you’ve already met my Knight, Yuuto Kiba.’

Akeno inclined her head, expression carved in stone, while Kiba stood silently at the girl’s side, watchful and steady. Like her silent protector.

How…chivalrous.

She must not have been as clever at hiding her emotions as she’d thought because the young man rolled his eyes in annoyance.

‘And you are?’ Rias asked.

‘Asia…Argento,’ she whispered, delicate but steady.

‘Asia,’ Rias repeated, letting the name settle in the chamber. She gestured toward the long stone table. ‘Please. Sit. I’ve heard you’ve been quite busy since coming to Kuoh, you must be tired. Make yourself comfortable.’

Asia obeyed warily, folding carefully into the chair as if afraid the imposing, high-backed chair would burn her on contact. Rias took the seat beside her, close enough to appear friendly without crowding her.

She studied the girl for a moment, noting the stiffness in her posture. Then she motioned toward the fully stocked bar at the far wall. ‘You seem wound a little tight. Understandable. Would you like something to drink? I’m sure it’ll help to calm the nerves.’

Asia hesitated, then surprised her by murmuring, ‘…Brandy, please, if you have it.’

Rias’ lips curved in quiet amusement. Brandy—the same spirit woven into the rituals of the Church. How ironic, for a supposed nun to ask for it here in a Devil’s hall.

Then again, she didn’t know many nuns practised in the art of Sanguimancy. Maybe that went part way to explaining why Rias felt so at ease around someone who should technically be her mortal enemy. There was a sincerity about Asia that made her…disarming. 

‘Of course.’ She inclined her head toward the bar.

Akeno moved without a word, stalking towards the bar before pouring amber liquid into two crystal glasses and setting them before Rias and Asia. Without breaking stride, she busied herself with the espresso machine in the corner, tamping grounds and letting the hiss and hum fill the silence. The ordinary ritual of brewing coffee softened the chamber’s edge, exactly as Rias intended.

Rias lifted her glass, brandy glowing warmly in the candlelight. She turned to Asia with a gentle smile. ‘To new allies, then.’

Asia blinked, startled by the courtesy, then raised her glass hesitantly. The clink was soft, tentative.

Rias sipped, never looking away. ‘You’ve shown courage already, Asia. Enough to draw my Knight’s approval, and that is no small feat.’ She took another sip, letting the compliment percolate before continuing. ‘But what matters most to me is this—the Fallen you hunt are the same who tried to kill the man I love. My fiancé.’

Rias didn’t let her surprise show as Asia’s fingers curled tight around the crystal glass, her knuckles turning white. While Rias wouldn’t put it past the young nun to just be that caring, she suspected it had more to do with the wanton devastation these Fallen had caused in the past.

Her smile dimmed, steel glinting beneath the warmth. ‘He will not be safe until they are gone. And neither will this town. That is why I want to hear what you know. However little, however insignificant you may think it, it may prove invaluable. And perhaps, if we combine our efforts, we can put a stop to them for good—before hostilities spill out of the shadows and onto innocents who cannot defend themselves.’

Asia’s fingers tightened again around her glass and she took another tentative sip before speaking. She lowered her gaze, then drew a slow breath. ‘I… I don’t know a lot, but I’ll…I’ll tell you what I can. How they work, how dangerous they are.’ Her voice trembled, but determination underpinned it. ‘If it means stopping them, then I’ll do what I must.’ She shot each of them a determined look, before ducking her head, anguish clear on her face. ‘Even if it means making an enemy of the Church…’

Just then Akeno returned, placing a small porcelain cup at Kiba’s side, dark crema curling on its surface.

‘Grazie,’ Kiba murmured softly, fingers curling around the espresso before resuming his silent vigil.

Rias leaned in slightly, voice soft but firm. ‘I’ll not pry into your relationship with the Church, you have my word. I only care about the Fallen and ending them.’

Rias set her glass down, letting the silence settle. She didn’t press. Instead she gave a quiet hum, eyes half-lidded as though considering the candlelight. The girl fidgeted beside her, as if the lack of pressure only made the awkwardness more unbearable.

When Rias spoke, her voice was calm, almost indulgent. ‘Tell me, Asia. Why did they attack you? What is your history with these Fallen?’

There must be one, if she’d fly halfway across the world to hunt them…

Asia’s fingers tightened so much Rias was worried the expensive crystal would shatter. ‘Because of my Sacred Gear. They wanted to study it… then take it.’ Her voice faltered. ‘Remove it. From me.’

Rias tilted her head, crimson hair sliding over one shoulder. It was all she could do to mask her shock at the simple, horrifying words. As far as she knew, only humans could be born with a Sacred Gear, and it was tied to their soul. 

Until very recently, she hadn’t even thought it possible to interact with, let alone steal a piece of someone’s soul. Her recent revelations and gifted knowledge had proven to her that she still knew so very little, that the universe was filled with mysteries ready to be unearthed.

She’d all but removed the word impossible from her vocabulary.

‘And what would they do with it, once they had it?’

As much as Rias wanted to know how the Fallen could achieve such a thing, she doubted this lowly nun could provide her with the answers she desired. Nor did it matter, in the long run.

Not yet.

Asia shook her head faintly, this topic was very obviously painful to her. ‘I…I don’t know. Power? Greed? I wasn’t the only one…the only prisoner. But when I found out what they had planned for me… I ran. I… I was scared, but I left them. I left them all…’

Her knuckles whitened and her gaze fell. Rias could feel the rage roiling of Kiba in waves as Asia shared a deeply personal part of her past that so closely mirrored his own.

Rias reached out, not to touch her but to let her voice smooth the guilt. ‘You lived. That is what matters. You can’t save anyone if you’re dead. And now you have the power and the opportunity to do right by them.’ She smiled warmly and laid her hand gently on top of Asia’s.

She was tempted to bring up Fate and really start hamming it up, but Rias intuited that a more genuine approach would be more effective with the adorable nun.

A flicker of gratitude softened Asia’s expression. She took another tentative sip of her brandy, as though drawing strength from it.

Rias let another silence stretch, sipping her own drink before continuing. ‘You said you don’t know much. That’s fine. Tell me what you do know. Even the smallest, insignificant detail could prove incredibly helpful.’

Asia drew a slow breath as she organised her thoughts. ‘I only know what the Church taught me before… before I was exiled. The Grigori are…very secretive. They’re a militaristic faction of the Fallen and their leadership is shrouded in mystery. Each cell is led by a Cadre-class Fallen. The rest… they don’t know more than they’re told. Each group is cut off, kept secret. If one falls, the others don’t follow. They…they’re like terrorists.’

Rias hummed softly, digesting the words. ‘That explains why we’ve found it so hard to find them, or why our methods of tracking have failed.

Asia nodded quickly. ‘They hate Devils, but they’re enemies of the Church too. While they’re willing to work with anyone if it furthers their goals, they’ve had to develop powerful anti-scrying techniques to combat the Church’s diviners and remain hidden. It… it doesn’t surprise me that your methods don’t work. They’ve been hiding for millennia…’

Across the table, Akeno’s expression didn’t shift, but Rias caught the faint narrowing of her eyes.

If anyone knew how slippery the Fallen could be when they wanted to be, it was Akeno.

Rias swirled the amber in her glass, watching the girl over the rim. ‘Do you know what they want?’

When Asia answered, it was without her usual timidness or hesitation. ‘War.’

Rias blinked. That escalated quickly… ‘With who?’

Asia grit her teeth, her hands shaking so badly she opted to put down her glass. ‘Everyone. They’re fanatics who despise the truce after the Great War. When…when I was with them, all they would talk about were the glory days, where they could kill Devils with impunity and get revenge on the Angels who spurned them.’

Rias didn’t know what to say. What could she say to that? They were apparently dealing with psychopaths with a death wish.

Even if these Cadres got their wish, they wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Either the Satans will squash them like bugs or the Angels will descend and smite them…

Shaking her head, Rias frowned as she swirled the liquid in her glass in thought. ‘None of this tells me why they tried to kill Issei…’

When Asia next spoke, it was with a quiet, hesitant tone, as if she were worried she’d overstepped.

‘Is Issei your… fiance ?’

Rias nodded distractedly, her mind still working furiously to comprehend everything she’d been told so far.

Fidgeting in her seat, Asia hesitantly continued. ‘Am I right in assuming Issei-san has a powerful Sacred Gear too?’

Rias smirked and answered without elaborating. ‘The most powerful. They attacked and killed him soon after its awakening. Luckily, I got to him in time to avoid a disaster…’’

The nun took another sip of her brandy and licked her lips before pressing on. ‘In my experience, the Grigori were a lot more interested in studying Sacred Gears, not removing them. That, well, that was when the Governor-General was in charge—’

Asia standing up, throwing the brandy from her glass in Rias’ face and slapping her across the cheek would have been less shocking than the bombshell she’d just dropped.

Akeno gasped, Kiba stiffened and Rias shot to her feet, knocking her crystal glass to the hard stone floor and shattering it. ‘What?!’

Asia started like a frightened kitten, eyes wide, but she regained her composure when she realised the outburst wasn’t directed at her.

Akeno, unable to keep her silence, took over. ‘Azazel isn’t in charge of the Grigori anymore?’

Asia slowly shook her head. ‘As I said, the Grigori…they’re not like they used to be. They’re… they’re less interested in arcane knowledge and more interested in bloodshed. If they attacked your fiancé, I could only assume it was because they saw him as a threat to their plans…’

Rias, Akeno and Kiba each shared significant looks. This wasn’t in the information packets she’d obtained on the Grigori. Maybe the higher-ups in Devil society knew this, but she and Sona had no idea.

Does this change anything?

No. It didn’t. While surprising—shocking, actually—it ultimately meant little to Rias. She would still dispose of the ones responsible for harming Issei, and deal with the infestation swiftly. If anything, her task had become a lot easier with the likelihood of her crossing paths with the most powerful Fallen having reduced substantially.

Though Rias couldn’t help the knot of worry in her belly. Something Asia had said, about them despising the truce between the three factions, didn’t sit well with her. That knowledge, combined with their presence in Kuoh, had her mind working on overdrive…

Unnerved by the tense silence, Asia continued from where she left off. ‘There was a schism in the leadership… and the old guard just…disappeared.’

‘And his seconds? What about them?!’

Rias put a hand on Akeno’s arm to calm her friend, but nodded at Asia, beckoning the nun to answer the question.

‘I-I don’t know. Nobody spoke of Shemhazai, and Baraqiel was more akin to a boogeyman that the Fallen were too afraid to even invoke the name of.’

The tense silence in the room was dispelled when there was a knock at the door. Rias smiled and turned to Asia with a pleasant smile. ‘Why don’t we take a little break? I’ve had some food prepared for us, are you hungry?’

Before the adorable little nun could answer for herself, her tummy grumbled something fierce. Asia looked up at them with wide eyes, her face crimson and mortified beyond belief. Rias only laughed and, with a wave of her hand, the doors to the war room swung open.

Lucien glided into the war room, silent save for the faint hiss of servos, all four of his arms laden with trays of steaming dishes. Grilled skewers glistened with tare, bowls of ramen sent up rich curls of broth-scented steam, and lacquered plates of sushi shone like jewels under the torchlight. As hungry as the nun undoubtedly was, she looked more fascinated and intrigued by the dapper, if menacing automaton.

Without a word, her loyal, lippy butler set the feast down across the stone table, each movement impossibly precise, elegant, and mechanical all at once. The scent of soy, dashi, and grilled meat drifted through the chamber, cutting strangely against the cold gothic stone.

Lucien bowed with mechanical grace, the lower pair of arms folding neatly as the upper set adjusted a final tray into place. Then he straightened, expressionless lenses flicking once over the gathered Devils and their guest.

‘Is there anything else you want from me, Mistress?’

‘No thank you, this all looks incredible Lucien.’ Rias turned and almost giggled at the look on Asia’s face. Her mouth hung open and a small trickle of drool was leaking out of the corner of her mouth. Apparently, the smell had driven back her fascination and hunger took over. ‘You must be hungry, Asia, dig in. We can continue later.’

‘If that will be all…’

Rias waved Lucien away and the sleek, deadly automaton slipped from the war room to return to his duties. She only just managed to stifle a snort of amusement—Lucien was still sulking about the whole bike incident.

Such a drama queen…

All four of them ate in silence and feasted like royalty. Rias couldn’t help but frown in displeasure as the food hit her tongue. She’d worked tirelessly to improve Lucien’s culinary abilities, but no matter what she did, her faithful creation couldn’t come close to anything Issei cooked for her.

Sighing, Rias leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap. She didn’t have much of an appetite, anyway.

Her mind whirred with everything they’d learned so far and, while she’d continue to question Asia further, she suspected she wouldn’t get much more of use from their newest ally.

I’ve got a bad feeling… I need to hurry up and complete the Genius Loci ritual. As soon as it’s complete, there’s nowhere in Kuoh the Fallen will be able to hide from me…