Humanity's Illusion (Highschool DxD)

[charclone]

Aya reacted first, with a speed humans could only match with supernatural assistance. Her arm snapped out across Philip's chest, lifting him as she moved. Had it been under less dangerous circumstances, he might have jokingly called it a flash step.

It felt like only a heartbeat later that the white-haired devil appeared, shoving aside Diodora's servant and merely noting the corpse with disinterest.

He knew that the assassin(s) were still present.

Why he cared, Philip couldn't begin to guess, as he saw the man's face, just before Aya carried him around the corner and out onto the balcony.

Several powerful magic probes crushed Philip's illusions with ease but slid over Aya's ki techniques. A moment later, the power shifted, instead shattering the ki techniques. Philip barely had the presence of mind to call up the formulas for his spells again, keeping them hidden.

As the white-haired devil stepped onto the balcony, Philip realised both he and Aya were shaking. Their breathing was erratic, and Aya's grip on his chest was painfully tight.

A second series of probes came, but they were focused on the fields surrounding the palace/training camp as Rizevim Lucifer stood on the balcony, close enough Philip could have reached out and touched him.

Not that Philip would ever do such a thing, given that he could feel the raw power in his wards and active defences causing the air around them to buzz with energy.

A faint whisper in his ear from Tamamo snapped him out of the rising panic.

He raised his staff and pointed at the distant treeline.

The illusion of a shrouded figure with a fake invisibility spell collapsing around them barely had enough time to appear before Rizevim struck.

The blow was overkill, by several orders of magnitude.

The technique was a simple packing of demonic energy into a small space with the intent to do lethal damage, often called a demonic bullet.

Unlike Kuroka's usage of them, the largest being at most a centimetre wide, Rizevim's was measured in meters. It hit the ground behind the illusion, erupting into caustic energies that leapt in a cone towards the treeline and continued past for dozens of meters, leaving shattered trees and a deep, scorched furrow in the earth.

It happened so fast, Philip almost failed to cancel the illusion spell.

The white-haired devil frowned, staring at the scar in the ground, before turning back to the servant, sobbing over Diodora's corpse.

Aya buried her face into Philip's shoulder to muffle her sigh of relief, as he turned away from the corner they were hiding in.

They both heard Revizim's voice curse and the sound of the reincarnated devil being shoved aside.

Philip, slowly pushed himself away from Aya's grasp, peering around the corner to see the white-haired man stand from Diodora's corpse and stomp off deeper into the palace. For a brief moment, Philip felt confused, then he felt a pit of dread, glancing at his left hand, clenched in a tight fist around the snake of Ophis he had taken from Diodora.

Slowly, he leaned over to Aya, even as he heard shouts of panic from the guards.

"We need to get to the teleportation circle, and teleport to one of the fallback points we prepared," He whispered as Aya shivered. "Aya, do you understand."

She nodded, as her breathing slowly stabilised. It still came in ragged gasps, but she was no longer hyperventilating.

The teleportation circle, fortunately, was easy to find. Revizim went straight to it. After a moment, his immense power vanished with a flare from the leyline to signify a massive draw in power.

Aya stood, frowning.

"I hear patrols moving. Angry voices," She whispered back once Revizim's oppressive aura vanished. "W-what's…" She shuddered and stuttered before clenching her fists. "What's the plan to get past them?"

Philip, with far more confidence than he felt, smiled as he whispered back a reply.

"Ever watched Scooby-Doo?"

---

Illusions flickered in and out of existence as they jogged towards the teleportation circle. Characters from history and fiction leapt through walls or charged patrols. Doors opened and closed without anyone present.

The patrols made up of both of Diodora's servants and his peerage, collapsed. Some were in grief, but most quickly grew frustrated with the mockery.

Holy powers and more than a few sacred gears flared to no avail, as it would seem, to Philip's perverse pleasure, that Diodora's victims had been targeted before they had serious training, as well as Diodora's laxity at teaching them about their newfound devil powers.

Illusions simply ignored an axe summoner as she threw the manifestations of her sacred gear at them, while her compatriots chased after another bunch that would leap through one doorway, only to come out another a moment later. Made worse by the illusions of them that appeared, going through other doors, spreading greater confusion.

Philip was even treated to the sight of what he presumed was a knight running headfirst into – and through – a wall when confronted with the image of an illusion running down it and around a corner. Had the girl not been the victim of manipulation, he might have found it funny.

Aya remained silent, sticking close to him as they moved.

The spells were not difficult to power, but by the time they got to the room with the teleportation circle, Philip felt drained.

He almost stumbled when he ended the illusions to ready the teleportation spell.

There was no dramatic final boss before they left. No interruption that would force them to use their other escape plans.

In a flare of light, they vanished. The interior of the palace was replaced by the sandy dunes of the middle of the Sahara Desert.

Philip took a moment to breathe, then he cast another teleport.

Again, the scenery changed, as he muddied their path.

He cast the teleportation spell a third time, each time hard than the last. Then a fourth.

After the fifth time, he realised he wasn't going to be able to cast any more.

Around them, the deep jungle of the Amazon loomed.

Philip's head swam, and he nearly collapsed.

With a grunt, Aya caught him.

Gently, she lowed him down so that his back was against a tree.

"Well," Philip giggled as he waited for his head to stop swimming. "At least we know why the defences were so shit."

Aya blinked, staring at Philip.

"We almost got killed, and you're laughing?" She muttered. After casting a spell to keep wildlife and insects away, she sat next to him. "Who was that?"

"Revizim Lucifer, if I am correct. The son of the Devil… literally," Philip answered slowly. "We… we came very close to getting killed. I… I'm sorry for getting you involved."

Aya elbowed him, and Philip winced.

"If I wasn't there, you'd be dead, or worse," She glared at him. "… I don't have many friends, and having seen what we're up against… I'm… I'm afraid."

She leaned against him and shuddered.

"But he didn't see us. He could only batter down each of our defences one at a time, with no real skill. He's a brute," She said. "So, we almost died. But we survived, and I copied a lot of the letters. Some that I saw were of purchases of Phoenix tears."

Philip nodded, sighing.

"Still, I… I realise I didn't put nearly enough planning into this," He said. "No idea of the layout, no idea what the place looked like until we got there. Escape routes worked, but… I should have considered that he might be meeting with a member of the organisation he was part of, given he was so far away from civilisation, with crappy wards. He didn't want anyone to know he was meeting with Revizim Lucifer."

They sat there, in silence, for several minutes, as Philip readied himself for one more teleportation.

As he stood, staff in hand, Philip glanced at his fist, the snake still clenched within it. By chance, he looked up as he sighed, considering what to do about it.

"Well, at least we are done for the… oh," She slumped. "We still need to meet with Sirzechs."

Philip snorted.

"What?"

He pointed.

"We were sitting under a PapAya tree."

Aya punched him.

---

After a quick stop at the Brotherhood's headquarters to clean themselves, grab identification, and place the copies Aya made into a physical medium, rather than risk the spell she had used collapsing, they once more entered the underworld.

And came face to face with an upset-looking Serafall.

Both of their hearts leapt into their throats.

"Ser-Levi-tan," Philip smiled. "What seems to be the problem?"

They were standing in a large plaza, used for teleportation and official visits to the capital of the underworld. Surrounded by large buildings, it wouldn't have looked out of place in a modern city on Earth, barring the use of magic to light the streets, the magic circles on the ground to anchor or boost teleportation, and the purple sky of the underworld above.

"You met my sister months ago!" She shouted. "And you didn't tell me! Worse, you weren't taken in by her beauty!"

Philip blinked.

This was not what he was expecting.

Aya's grip on his arm tightened.

"Uh… I didn't want to impose, and we were there for Kuroka to meet her sister," Philip answered, panic in his tone. "Also… she's not my type?"

Serafall's glare increased by an order of magnitude.

"Oh? And what is your type?"

Philip, realising he needed to very quickly get his proverbial foot out of his mouth, decided to use Aya as a shield.

"Hey!" She hissed.

Serafall blinked, then pouted once more.

"Oh," She slumped. "You're like Sirzechs."

Aya blinked in confusion. Then after a moment, she blushed, understanding the implication.

Sirzechs had a bit of a reputation, given that devil society was rather accepting of polyamory, yet he chose to take only Grayfia as his lover and wife, and her alone.

Philip shrugged in response.

"Speaking of, I have a meeting with him on behalf of my organisation…" Philip trailed off.

"Oh, I'll walk with you then. I have paperwork to drop off on his desk," Serafall smiled, leading the way.

"So," Philip asked as they walked towards the immensely sized government building – devils did not do small – that housed many offices, including that of the reigning Satans. "How did you know we were arriving?"

"I didn't," The Leviathan answered, skipping along in her magical girl outfit without a thought to her political station. "I had just arrived before you, after visiting… ah, sorry. Shouldn't talk about that part."

"Ah, clandestine dealings," Philip snorted.

The trio continued to walk, as the sheer distance slowly set in for Philip. Mentally he cursed the supernatural for having such superior endurance to humans. Tamamo merely laughed at the thought, recognising the jest in it.

'You could have helped more,' he lamented to the kitsune.

"I would if I could, but unfortunately, this Sacred Gear seems to lack any ability, and what techniques I remember I am not sure would be safe for you to use, given the condition of your ki," She replied. "Perhaps I might be able to teach your friends some of them?"

Philip wasn't sure if he wanted her to talk to others. She did have a rather spotty reputation.

"So, Philip," Serafall asked. "You made an improved version of the Elemental Spear and Lance spell, right?"

"Yes?" Philip drew out the vowel, as he felt a trail of ice go down his back. Aya swallowed. "The Brotherhood purchased printing rights for it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, my sister recently bought one of the books, and she asked me if I knew you, not realising she had already met you," Serafall said. "Well, that's how I realised you had met my sister, and not fallen for her beauty. Anyway, she had several questions about the spell, and wants to meet with you to discuss it."

"I see… well, I…" He glanced at Aya. "I have no objection to discussing it with her. I occasionally make deliveries to Kuroka's sister when she is too busy, having been forced to get a part-time job, so I can see about meeting with her then?"

"Perfect!" Serafall cheered.

"Um…" Aya coughed. "Levi-tan, since I have the opportunity to ask… but did you deliberately include a real spell in season nine?"

"Kinda, see…"

Philip tuned out the discussion of the show.

"Well done," Tamamo said to him, giggling. "We'll make a liar of you yet."

'You can't see it, but I am giving you the middle finger.'

Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to the building.

Philip, still nervous that they might be caught – and Aya too, based on the firmness of her grip on him – noted that the guards paid them little attention, dressed in gleaming armour, with weapons that acted as foci in their hands, both decorated heavily.

He was slightly surprised at the lack of effort to confirm their identities.

Swiftly, they made their way to Sirzechs' office. He barely had time to blink at the opened door before Serafall conjured a person tall stack of papers to literally drop on his desk.

They landed with a thump.

"Okay!" Serafall grinned. "My job is done for the day, I'm off to go see my imouto! Later Philip!"

Sirzechs, (officially) undisputed ruler of hell, sighed, muttering something about Ria-tan, before looking at Philip and Aya, smiling lightly.

"Let me guess, you ran into her, and she dragged you along, given your meeting with me in…" He checked a clock on the wall. "Hmm. Now. Well timed."

Philip coughed.

"Erm, yeah. Sorry, not… not really used to this," He rubbed his head. "So, yeah, resched- wait, why did I have to talk to you directly about this instead of an assistant in charge of your schedule?"

Aya elbowed him for the second time that day.

Sirzechs laughed.

"That would be Grayfia, and believe me, I think you would prefer talking to me."

A cough sounded from behind Philip.

Sirzechs paled.

"So, does the same time next week work for him?" He said with a strained tone.

"Yup," Philip nodded rapidly.

"If that will be all," Grayfia, dressed in a blue and white maid dress, stepped into the room. "My King, an incident has arisen. So, I believe your guests should leave. If desired, I can arrange for a hotel for them to stay in."

"That won't be necessary," Aya spoke for Philip. "I believe this concludes our business here today."

"Actually, there is one more thing," Sirzechs' said. "But it can wait, as I suspect this is important. I will have my sister discuss the details with you, as I believe you visit her on the behalf of one of her peerage's family?"

"That is correct. Her rook, Koneko's sister."

Sirzechs nodded.

"Very well. Hopefully, next time we can discuss something more pleasant than boring meetings," He said, still smiling. "I hear you like music?"

"I'm actually rather picky," Philip replied. When Grayfia cleared her throat, he recognised her meaning. "But that is for another time. Good day."

Sirzechs waved, as another servant led them out.

 

[charclone]

The archmage thumbed through the letters, sitting in Philip's office.

Normally, he respected the privacy of other members, but the boy, barely into adulthood, was new, strangely active compared to most magicians, and had obtained these letters from a member of the Khaos Brigade.

Broadly speaking, there were two possibilities. Either Philip was the most incompetent plant he had seen in his very, very, very long life, or the boy had some reason to despise the mysterious organisation.

He seemed to despise it, not because it was fighting the organisation, or because it was made up of non-humans (his lover and assistant put to rest any thoughts he was a human supremacist) but for an unknown reason.

The archmage did not become one of the most powerful and respected human magicians by being blindly trusting, even if he was far less known that younger contemporaries such as Faust or Merlin.

Besides, for all his admitted flaws, he did value the organisation and its members, desiring to protect them, for more than just the reason he had joined them.

A line, almost casually thrown in on one letter caught his eye.

The door creaked open and Philip, with his kitsune friend, froze. A glance at the papers in his hand answered why he was still here, instead of heading home for the night, given the late hour at his home. The boy was diligent in his paperwork, something most magicians lapsed in, a fact the archmage appreciated.

"My apologies, but given our recent struggles, I couldn't wait to analyse the information you acquired," The lie rolled off his tongue with long-practised ease. "Since you are here, the meeting has been rescheduled?"

"In one week," Philip confirmed.

The archmage held up the letter that had caught his interest.

"Here, twelfth line, read it."

Philip frowned as he read it. Aya cocked her head to the side.

"Is that code?" She asked. "It seems… who says, 'I look forwards to your disappearing arrival'?"

"A poor translation of old devil," The archmage chastised. "But you are correct that it does not fit with the rest of the letter. There are numbers used, rather than being spelled out. It is a simple cypher, non-existent really, but the date mentioned matches exactly with what we encountered, two weeks ago, a cache of alchemical ingredients from the underworld, being delivered to a group of magicians that had launched attacks against us."

He frowned. The pair seemed tired, not surprised, yet they also seemed shaken. Their attention was barely on the revelation… or perhaps they had been expecting it.

"Are you well?" He asked. "I take it there were no major complications in your excursion?"

There were flickers in their eyes. They glanced at each other, indecision and mistrust in their eyes.

Philip sighed.

"We barely avoided Rizevim Lucifer," He admitted after a moment.

The archmage felt suddenly very cold.

"You are certain?"

"Walking leyline's worth of power, white hair, tall, old, and a devil, looked like the few images of him I'd seen."

Aya shuddered.

"His aura, the ki he was giving off, felt foul. I…" The girl paused. "I didn't know anything could feel that foul."

The archmage frowned.

"What of my aura?" He asked. "Not to change the subject, but given my own history is far from bloodless, I am curious, given from what I know of ki, and how a murderer can seem based on their ki."

Aya stilled, her tails flitted behind her.

"Your aura is… not foul," The archmage raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more. "But it is unpleasant."

"Really?" The archmage noted. "Hmm. You know, you are the first kitsune I have encountered that was willing to tell me that, though to be fair, I have spent little time outside of Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. Now, I suspect you are correct about it being the son of the Devil, which speaks ill of recent events."

Things came together rather well in the archmage's mind, given Philip's connections and logical conclusions based on the knowledge that the old kings faction was working with the Khaos Brigade. There were still questions, and it didn't fit perfectly, but the archmage was fine with that. It was progress, and Philip was unlikely to be any sort of infiltrator.

"That is why you fear the Khaos Brigade," He said to Philip, locking his gaze on the boy. "Another devil civil war is in the wings, and with outside help, the war will likely spread to Earth."

Philip and Aya both paled, further adding proof to the archmage's deduction.

"It is earlier than I expected, I admit, but," The archmage was about to say more when Philip interrupted him.

"How familiar are you with Ophis?"

The archmage went still.

"Him? Do you have proof?"

Philip stepped over to his desk instead of answering, withdrawing a jar, meant for preserving alchemical reagents.

The archmage's hands snapped out, snatching the jar, just as the seal was broken, resealing it with a swiftness that shocked all in the room.

He felt his heart thundering, in fear.

"Philip. Where did you find that?" The Archmage fought the panic down, enunciating his words without a hint of emotion. He had been cursed with eternal life, and any blow against him would instead be inflicted on his attacker. He was not unkillable. His search for a cure from the curse, millennia ago, had set him on the path of magic and had revealed more than a few ways. His motives had changed since then, using the curse to his benefit, but Ophis was from outside their world. Perhaps outside creation.

And that entity, shaped like a dragon, scared the archmage. It was not his death he feared, but the destruction of everything, something that was within Ophis' capabilities.

"Inside Diodora's pocket," Philip's answer only fed the archmage's confusion and panic.

The archmage didn't ask any further questions.

Philip blinked in confusion as a change came over the elderly magician.

"Go home. Rest," The archmage ordered. "I will sort through these and compile a report for the council. You… any connections you have, any you might gain, pursue them. Promise nothing, ask for nothing, until the council has debated on the report. But if you see the opportunity to get us allies… do so. If it requires resources, speak to me, and I will see what I can do, even if it is just offer advice."

He glanced at the young man, seeing the confusion in his eyes.

"Ophis… he has stayed aloof of worldly matters, merely observing. That they are acting now, with the Khaos Brigade, the Old Kings faction, and who knows what else…" The archmage shuddered. "I doubt this is a matter they did willingly, and I fear what power was found that control one such as him."

"They could also control Trihexa," Philip postulated. He frowned, struggling to remember why Ophis had chosen to form the Khaos Brigade. Her - currently his? - ultimate goal was the death or removal of Great Red from the Dimensional Gap, but why he couldn't remember either.

The archmage cursed.

"Damn, yes, yes they might," He hissed. "Damn, I wanted my revenge to be creation, humanity out creating their creators, not… destruction."

"Go," The Archmage commanded. "Rest and connect. I will worry about Trihexa, Ophis, and the large politics, and keep this information secret."

---

With a groan, Philip collapsed onto the couch of the Kato residence, Aya flopping down next to him.

"Mom's busy with a case," She said. "Kuroka… I still can't believe she got a job."

"Your mom didn't like her freeloading," Philip explained. "Now that she isn't wanted, and so used her sister as a way to motivate her."

Kuroka had devoted the entirety of her paycheck, working at a fast food place for minimum wage, to drown her sister in gifts, junk food, and generally spoil her.

"Anyway," Aya carried on, sitting up and leaning against her boyfriend. "We have the place to ourselves, so…."

Philip rolled his eyes, knowing where this was going.

"Let's watch the new season of Serafall's show!"

There it was.

"I'll even help you make something!" Aya offered.

Any sort of witty response from Philip was interrupted when the phone rang.

Aya pouted as she answered it.

"Hello… oh, Kuroka… oh… okay… yeah… okay," She hung up.

Philip groaned as he stood, stumbling as the room swam. He caught himself with his staff.

"So, Stray Devil attacking?" He guessed.

"Fenrir," Aya replied.

"Fenrir?"

---

"Fenrir," Philip grumbled, walking into the fast-food place.

"Finally!" Kuroka groaned from the till. "It's after hours, but I can't leave until he does, and he keeps ordering food."

Philip glanced at the divine wolf.

The wolf in question, hidden behind an illusion of a chubby, overweight man, simply smiled from where he was eating at a table.

"Are you here alone?" Philip asked Kuroka.

"No, there are two others," She answered. "Why, nya?"

Philip glanced at Aya, who was struggling to keep her giggles under control. She simply held up four fingers, reading Philip's expression.

"We'll take a number three and a number four, both with fries and rootbeer," He said, ignoring Kuroka's moans of distress and betrayal. They turned to sighs of relief when he added; "To go."

As the orders were thrown together, Aya chatted with Kuroka, while Philip sat across from Fenrir.

"This is my fault, isn't it?" He asked. "I got you addicted to fast food."

"Yes," The wolf nodded. "Easier than hunting and fills me up faster. I prefer hunting still because that is the proper way to obtain food, but cooked meals are superior in taste. Also, humans panic too easily, making it hard for me to hunt worthy prey."

"By worthy prey…."

"Elk, deer, oxen, dragons, etc."

"Just checking," Philip sighed. "Wait, did you say dragons?"

"Orders ready!" Aya called.

"Right, anyway," Philip began as he stood.

"I will leave the cat alone. Even if she shouldn't be so lazy," Fenrir swallowed the last bite of his hamburger. "Perhaps I will hunt later tonight, further north."

The wolf paused.

"Are you any good at cooking venison?"

"Never tried. I'm more experienced with a stove and oven," Philip replied, thinking. "Besides, it would need to be properly butchered. I could probably learn how to do it over a campfire though."

"Perhaps in the future then," Fenrir said, the illusion he wore nodding. "In any case, good night."

Philip glanced at his phone's clock as the wolf carried the tray of trash in his teeth.

"Eek, it is late at night," He yawned. "Fast food was a good idea. I forgot about the time lag… wait, why would Minori still be at work at twenty-to-twelve?"

 

[charclone]

A.N. Do remember, by this point, both Aya and Philip are 18. Also, for some reason, Grammarly doesn't always keep italicisation.

---

A monster pursued him as the man ran.

It was a shadow, one that swallowed the light, leaping from roof to roof.

People ignored him, even as he pushed past them in his blind panic. A taxi nearby smashed into him, missing him by a hand's breadth.

He fled, legs burning in agony as he ran, his breathing ragged and his heart pounding in his ears.

The thing crashed into him, throwing him into an alley.

He screamed as it towered over him, snarling.

People walked past the alley entrance, without flinching or even noticing the monster or his screams.

It pressed down on him, its mouth getting closer and closer to his face.

Then, it spoke.

"I know what you did," The raspy voice that emanated from its horrific mouth was one nothing mortal could create, or anything with a physical throat. The sound clawed at the man's ears. "You will admit to bribing that jury when the proof is brought before you, or my next visit will not be so pleasant."

The message delivered, it faded away.

The man, his trousers soiled, lay there, sobbing, before eventually, after nearly half an hour, getting up, and stumbling away.

Deeper in the alley, Minori watched with a scowl on her face.

She despised being forced to go to such lengths, but the man's lawyer was too canny by half and the man himself had abused, and killed, quite a few people. She despised taking the law into her own hands, but she had caught him watching the prosecutor at their home, and they were a friend.

She had already mailed evidence of his wrongdoing anonymously.

She knew it was risky, as there was always the risk of running into something not mortal being involved in criminal acts, but she refused to let a friend be harmed.

Shaking herself off, she transformed and ran home in the shape of a fox.

Slipping inside at just after four in the morning, she noted the faint smell of fast food, and the form of Kuroka curled asleep on the couch, still wearing her uniform.

Amused, Minori stretched before heading to her bedroom. She noted the guest room, still used by Philip now that there was a bunk bed in Aya's room, was ajar. Curiosity and concern burned inside her, goading her to peek inside.

She bit back a laugh, before instead heading to the bathroom.

---

Philip awoke to something biting his shoulder. Groaning, he awoke, blinking.

Looking at the shoulder, he noticed three things.

One: It was Aya biting him. Two: Aya was asleep. Three: Aya was in his bed.

He felt the heat from his blush as he gently rocked her, both to stop her from gnawing on his shoulder and because… he had no idea what else to do when trying to process the fact that she was in his bed, aside from ignoring Tamamo's snickering.

What had happened was easy to deduce. Between their weariness, adrenaline crash, and the late hour, neither of them were thinking correctly. Add in that they had been sticking together for the time under pressure, and Aya likely kept following him when he went to bed just after they had eaten.

Aya responded to his attempt to wake her by rolling away from him. Of course, given the bed was designed for only one occupant, this resulted in her rolling into the air and landing on the floor with a thump.

Philip winced as she woke with a squawk. She leapt up off the floor in surprise, and Philip noticed a fourth and fifth thing.

His brain crashed.

Aya sat down, rubbing her head, then frowned as she saw the nuclear blush on her boyfriend. She blinked the last of her sleep from her head, confused before it sank in.

"… we were really tired last night," She said, blushing herself. At Philip's continued silence she gave him a confused look.

Philip's brain, struggling to reboot, failed to provide any words. His mouth thus decided to run off on its own.

"I understand why you complain about weight now," He froze as the words left his mouth, his brain processing what was said.

Aya's blush increased as she looked down. At bare skin.

With an "Eep!" she used the blankets to cover herself. She glanced around.

"… I forgot to put pyjamas on," She moaned. "And… where are my clothes?"

"You left them in your room!" Kuroka called out from the living room, apparently able to hear them through the walls. She found the fact that Aya had left her pyjamas behind hilarious.

Aya's face began to glow red, eclipsing her earlier blush.

Philip, his brain finally rebooted enough to realise that he was staring, forced his gaze to the clock on the nightstand.

"Crap, we're going to be late meeting with Rias and Sona," He cursed, before pausing and relaxing. "No, wait, we still have time, forgot to factor in the time zones."

His gaze fell on a plastic wrapper on the nightstand, that had not been there yesterday.

Aya followed his gaze, seeing it.

Minori, drinking a cup of coffee in her office, grinned as she heard her daughter shriek.

"Mooooom!"

---

"Shut it housecat!" Aya grumbled as she chewed on a piece of bacon, half an hour later.

Philip was thankful that he had apparently forgotten to change his clothes at all last night, having gone to bed dressed in the same clothes he had killed Diodora in.

He paused as he considered that fact. He had killed someone, roughly his own age. Snuffed out their life in an instant. It hadn't been easy, getting to that point, but a life was gone in an instant.

"As your acting big sister," Kuroka ignored Aya. "I have to ask; 'Don't you two think you are progressing your relationship too fast?'"

Aya blushed again. She moved her plate to the side and rested her head against the countertop.

Kuroka gave a Cheshire grin.

Philip wasn't sure what bothered him more; that a life had been so quickly snuffed out, or that he didn't feel bothered by the fact that it had been his will that snuffed the life out.

"Philip?" Kuroka shot him a frown. "You alright?"

"Just ignoring your teasing," He replied. As Minori walked in to refill her coffee pot, he shot her a look while he shifted the bacon in the pan. "That was evil."

"No," She rebutted with a grin that divulged her nature. "It was prudent. If you two need more, the box is in the back of the medicine cabinet."

Aya groaned again.

Philip found himself struggling with how to respond and process his growing romantic relationship with Aya, more than he did with processing that he had killed someone.

'Wait, no, I helped kill that devil, far earlier, didn't I?' He thought.

Minori held a plate up, and he placed the rest of the bacon on it. She vanished back into her office, hands full of coffee and bacon, a moment later.

"Philip, can I… can I talk to you for a moment?" Aya asked, still blushing, as he began to scrape the grease off the pan into a can.

"Sure?" He blinked when she cast a spell, sealing the kitchen.

Kuroka shot her a curious glance but resumed playing her game on the couch.

Philip tensed in surprise when he felt her chin rest against his shoulder. Her arms wrapped around him.

"About your comment earlier…."

Philip winced.

"Sorry," He apologised. "It was rude, I know you are conscious about… um."

Aya sighed and Philip felt the heat of her blush.

"No, it wasn't rude," She said. "But… well. You are right, they are heavy. Mom told me that part of the issue was I kept sealing them when they started getting bigger, so the muscles that normally compensate for them aren't as strong as they are supposed to be."

"Ah," Philip replied lamely.

"What I wanted to ask… I… do…" Aya stammered, her blush rising as she stumbled over her words.

Philip found his own throat closed to words, his face flushed as blood raced to his cheeks.

Tamamo groaned.

"Honestly, young people," She complained silently to him. "You like her, no matter what she looks like, do you not?"

'Yes.' Philip replied.

"Then tell her that!" The ancient fox spirit in the Sacred Gear grumbled. "This should not be that difficult. And hug her while you are at it!"

Philip followed the second part of her advice first, turning around to face Aya, and wrapping her in a hug.

"I like you, no matter your appearance," He forced through his rebellious throat.

Kuroka gave a cheer.

'Oh, the sealing spell is gone….' Philip noted. "Uh, Aya, maybe in the future, use a privacy spell, instead of a sealing one. Sealing magic is kind of Kuroka's thing and didn't slow her down at all."

Aya was silent for several moments.

"Kuroka, you're off work today, right?" She finally asked.

"Uh…."

"I'm going to need to go shopping, so you can help me," Kuroka pouted in response. "Besides, you said the other day you wanted to go shopping for your sister."

The mention of her sister was what broke Kuroka's resistance.

"Fine," She surrendered. "But you and Philip have to help me bake something for her."

 

[charclone]

Aya caught Philip as he stumbled, the teleportation spell fading away.

Despite the very early hour in Japan, Rias Gremory and her peerage had apparently been waiting for them in the clubhouse.

Philip waved at her as she stood in surprise and concern.

"I'm fine," He groaned. "I just overdid it yesterday with magic and exhausted myself."

Aya bit back a retort. That was closer to admitting they had been up to something yesterday, and she did not feel comfortable even remotely admitting anything resembling an association with the assassination.

The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Koneko took the look on Aya's face as one of concern for Philip. She hesitated for a moment, before standing from the couch and guiding the two of them to it.

"So," Philip said with a sigh as he sat down, letting his staff lean against the side of the couch. "Since I am here first and I will need a moment to clear my head before I can think about spells, what was it your brother wanted from me?"

He paused as Koneko stared at him expectantly.

"Sorry," Philip said to the little catgirl. "Nothing today. I will be assisting your sister in baking tomorrow, and then I'll bring her gifts for you."

The white-haired girl pouted, nodded, and sat on the other couch next to Kiba.

Aya frowned as she caught a brief glare and jealous look from the nekoshou devil, confused.

"There is no need for us to immediately discuss business. It is rather early, and it would be unfair to you," Rias protested. "Would you like some tea?"

Philip politely refused.

"I would love some," Aya said. "Please."

"Of course," Rias nodded. "Akeno?"

As they waited, Aya watched Philip lean back and doze. She released her tails, draping them over herself and her boyfriend.

She blinked as she caught a silent glare, once more from Koneko.

"Here you are," The smile that was directed at her from Akeno as she handed over the steaming cup of tea was polite, but there was a look in her eyes that made Aya feel uneasy. Mostly by the way her eyes flickered at Philip.

"Does he often exhaust himself like this?" Rias interjected, causing Akeno to withdraw with a subtle flicker. "I believe he may have drifted to sleep."

"I'm awake," Philip grunted.

"Not usually," Aya replied. "Mom, my mother, that is, chews him out when it happens."

"I see," Rias said, an amused grin on her face. "Now, about the matter from my brother."

Philip sat up straight, looking at Rias.

"I… recently gained a new member of my peerage," She went on to explain. "His power is… low, and with my graduation approaching, I believe we should attempt to make what progress we can-"

She paused, catching himself.

"My apologies, I am getting ahead of myself," The redheaded devil paused. "I would like you to train him in magic. Given his grades, I believe he has the intellect for it."

Aya frowned, cocking her head to the side. She glanced at Philip.

Philip stared back at Rias, a frown on his lips.

"I do not mean to be rude, but is there anything I should know about his… rebirth?" Philip asked.

Aya blinked as she felt something crawl down her spine. She realised who, exactly, Philip was being asked to train. This was… a rather large divergence.

Rias flinched.

"He was nearly killed by a Fallen," She admitted. "Lured just outside of my territory, then hit with a spear of light."

"Trauma, lovely," Philip groaned. "Anything else?"

Rias sighed.

"He is a rather unrepentant pervert, generally considered the scourge of the girls here at Kuoh, though most… some of it is the result of being the 'fall guy' for his co-conspirators in their attempts to harass the girls of the academy," Rias sighed, hanging her head and slumping in her chair. "His power is… also less than that of a newborn devil. A newborn natural devil. Hence why I am asking you for your assistance. I reincarnated him as a pawn, but that his power is so weak even after gaining eight pawns…."

Aya swallowed her tea as she heard the confirmation of just who Philip was being asked to teach.

It would seem she would not be accompanying him to… no, she was still going where Philip goes. But she was going to brush up on her illusions.

"Why me?" Philip asked. "I'm not particularly well known or skilled."

"True," Rias leaned back to look at Philip, steepling fingers together on her desk. "But Serafall recommended you, not to mention you are already a published magician, rare at your age."

"Beat, several times over, by Le Fay Pendragon," Philip countered. "At twelve, she already had a dozen spells published. I only published my first two months ago. Also, I prefer mage or wizard. Magician has connotations in the modern age."

"Nevertheless, it is rare to be published before a magician's third decade," Rias pointed out. "You also managed to do something no one else did, develop a spell that permits devils to wield light, albeit in a limited fashion."

With a flick of her wrist, to prove her point, she conjured a spear of light at her shoulder, pointed upwards.

"Still, I must refuse," Aya would be lying if she said she didn't feel some minor relief when Philip said that. "I already have a student, sort of, and my current duties would prevent me from being able to give proper attention to a second."

Rias sighed, slumping again.

"Very well," She was silent for a moment. "What are you doing for your organisation at the moment?"

"Making contacts with other supernatural groups, pantheons, organisations, etc.," Philip answered. "Now…."

Philip glanced at Aya.

"I also have a meeting with Sona Sitri, or Sitri Sona to use the Japanese order," He stood, steadying himself with his staff as Aya stood up next to him. "So, if that is all?"

"I have already contacted Sona," Rias said. "You can use the clubroom, comfier and safer than the school building. People might notice an older foreigner walking through the halls. It's not so early that the school is abandoned."

"You want to know what your friend and rival want to discuss with me?" Philip's words were accusing, though his tone was teasing.

"Perhaps," Rias smiled coyly. "But there is another topic I wish to discuss with you. How familiar are you with online communication?"

Aya blinked in confusion as Philip gave an amused snort.

---

"Rias," Sona greeted. "Thank you for inviting me. Philip. Aya."

The second request was one that Philip accepted. Which was simply talking online with Rias' bishop, a shut-in. Aya vaguely recalled something about him being a vampire from when Philip had explained his knowledge, but there were parts she was forgetting, and the Khaos Brigade was the largest concern.

Aya frowned at the way Sona greeted people as she entered. It was in a specific order. It took her a moment to realise it was in social rank.

Her greeting of Rias' peerage was nonverbal, just a nod in their direction.

"I hope my sister didn't trouble you too much with my request to discuss your spell?" Sona began with a glance at Rias who was watching with poorly veiled interest.

"No trouble at all," Philip replied. "We ran into her while I was delivering a message for my boss."

He frowned.

"Actually, I'm not quite sure if he is my boss, given he just holds the tiebreaker vote on the council."

"Regardless, I am glad to hear my sister knows at least some restraint," Sona sighed. "Now, I have several questions about the way you formatted the spell, as well as why you modified the original spell in such a way. I brought with me several spellbooks, copied from the Sitri library, as payment."

"Alright," Philip pulled one of his notebooks from his bag of holding. "Shoot."

"First of all, I am curious why you chose to remove Helio's function and instead replaced it with Shino's model, given Helio's offers greater efficiency."

"Well, first of all, Helio's function doesn't permit variables within it, and Shino's model does, but also can be factored into and out of some elemental equations as needed…."

Aya tuned them out. She had been present when the spell had been written, to paraphrase a certain lion. She had even been credited as a co-creator of the foxfire variant of the Elemental Lance family in Philip's book.

Instead, she looked at Koneko.

"Can I speak to you in the hallway?" Aya asked, leaning over the coffee table between the two couches.

She noted the way Kiba tensed, protective of his fellow peerage member.

"… okay," The catgirl said, quietly, with an assuring look to Kiba.

Aya felt Rias' curious gaze follow her around the corner.

In the hallway, the two youkai stared at each other.

The silence stretched on, the distant sound of Sona and Philip still discussing magical theory, occasionally interspersed with comments and questions from Rias and Akeno, echoed down the hallway.

Aya sighed, leaning against the wall, facing Koneko.

"You seem upset with me," She noted.

Koneko's gaze dropped.

The silence continued between the two of them.

Aya sighed, sliding down the wall to the floor.

"When I grew up, it was hard. Hiding what I was. My only friend was Philip," Aya began. "Then, Kuroka came, looking for a safe haven. She… I had no reason to hide what I was or lie to her. I hate having to lie."

The memory of Philip plunging his spear of light into the back of Diodora's head left a bitter taste in her mouth. She could never tell anyone else what they did, for all it was necessary.

"She became… a big sister to me," Aya continued. "I was fortunate. Lucky. You… weren't. You were separated from your sister and…."

Aya paused, collecting her thoughts.

"… why should you get my sister?" Came Koneko's quiet question.

Aya blinked, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Koneko slumped down across from her; her head still low.

"She rarely comes to see me," She said, her voice hoarse. "And she is still staying with you. Why can't she come here and stay with me?"

"I… don't know. Why she is so rarely visiting you, I mean," Aya said. She stood and sat next to the catgirl. "When was the last time she was here?"

"A month ago," Came the soft reply.

Koneko sniffled.

Aya felt something twist in her gut. Kuroka had been disappearing when she wasn't working or lazing about the house. Aya had assumed it was to see her sister.

"I… okay," Aya stood in front of Koneko, her hands on her hips. "One: I'd like a younger sister."

Koneko, startled, looked up at her, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Two: I will make sure Kuroka spends time with you, even if I need to borrow stuff from Akeno to keep her from moving."

Koneko's face scrunched up at Aya's second declaration, her nose wrinkling, though the corners of her lips tugged upwards.

"Three: Do you want to come back with us? I… don't trust Philip to safely teleport in his condition," Aya slumped. "He shouldn't have been teleporting today, I think."

Koneko blinked back at Aya's gaze.

---

Philip raised an eyebrow when they returned.

Aya flopped down next to him. Then froze and blinked.

"When did you start playing chess?" She asked.

"I insisted, partly to get my sister to stop pestering me, and to head off any potential teasing she may attempt," Sona replied dryly. "He is losing, and I believe I have already said that he is not my type."

"You are playing chess while discussing magical theory?" Aya questioned.

"Yes," Sona bluntly replied.

"She didn't need the handicap. I lost seven turns ago," Philip said. "I told you I haven't played in years."

"Yet, you were still able to recognise that you have already lost," Sona countered. "With practice, you might be an interesting challenge given some time."

"Too simplified," Philip said. "I prefer wargames, not that I have the time. More variability and ability to apply strategy, though that still fails to account for the master of all armies: Logistics."

"A fair point. Though I must admit chess has a place in my heart," Sona said. "Kriegsspiel?"

"Zauberkriegsspiel," Philip replied. "Only played it three times, and a modified version of the D&D mass combat rules a couple more times, but there is a group I found that plays it."

"I'm afraid I'm a little lost," Rias interjected. "Zauberkriegsspiel? I understand that it translates to magic wargame, but I've never heard of it."

"Developed in the nineteen sixties by some magicians with an interest in military strategy. At its core, it's a version of Kriegspiel, an old Prussian wargame used both as play and as a training tool for officers, modified for modern combat environs, with magic added, permitting one to wargame hypothetical conflicts using up-to-date information, equipment, and modern spells," Sona explained. "I have heard that it is rather complex, however, and requires either heavy computer simulation, or several magicians as umpires to run."

"Yeah, more or less," Philip confirmed, tipping his king over. "The three battles took around a week, about forty hours total, each. The game is slow, but then, at the large scale that Zauberkriegsspiel, and its origin Kriegsspiel, operate at, so is war. Armies are ponderous things when moving and fighting."

"Perhaps-" Sona was cut off by the teleportation circle flaring to life.

Rias' peerage seemed startled, but not alarmed, suggesting they recognised the sigil that appeared at its centre.

Sona, without looking at it, recognised the power. She went ramrod straight, her face growing pale.

"Tatada! Here's Magical Girl Levi-tan!" Serafall announced herself as the spell faded. "So-tan! You're here waiting for me!"

"I merely had some business here," Sona replied, her voice strained but even. "With it complete, I now need to return to my duties as student council president."

"Nooo, So-tan, don't goooo!" Serafall moaned, reaching out for her – younger – sister, acting like a small child. "Staaaay!"

The Leviathan paused, staring at the chess set on the table. She grinned.

"Oh? You two-"

"We played a single game of chess while discussing magical theory, I lost," Philip stated. "Mostly so you couldn't tease her about it further."

Serafall pouted.

"She could have just asked me," She said. "But fine. I can tease her about other things."

"Must you?" The younger Sitri sister asked, a hand pinching the bridge of her nose, the other holding her glasses. "Would it cause you pain to act in a manner befitting your station?"

"I have an obligation as an older sibling to tease my younger sibling," Serafall grinned. "It's in the contract, and you know how we devils are with contracts!"

Then, with all the grace befitting her position as a ruler of Hell, she stuck her tongue out.

Sona buried her face in her hands.

"Sister, unless I am mistaken, Philip is suffering from mana exhaustion," Sona said, after a moment to compose herself. "If he is finished with his business here, perhaps you could teleport Aya and him home?"

"Actually, Koneko was going to do that," Aya said. "Part of a devil contract. In exchange, I am going to assist her with a personal issue."

A look of betrayal and despair flickered across Sona's face. She then snapped her head around to glare at Rias and Akeno, when a snicker escaped one of the pair's lips.

The duo made every attempt to not look like they were watching the scene play out with amusement.

"Well, alright then!" Serafall grinned. "More So-tan time for me!"

Sona, displaying wisdom appropriate for her age, made an undignified dash for the exit.

"Wait! So-tan! Come baaaack!" Serafall cried as she hurried off in pursuit.

"Well," Philip said. "Uh, if that is everything, and Aya was being serious, Koneko, do you mind if we left now, before say… Sirzechs showed up?"

"…yes," Koneko nodded. "Let's go."

Rias' eyes went wide.

"He wouldn't, would he?" She muttered to herself. She considered the possibility with a worried glance at the teleportation circle. "He would make the time, wouldn't he? I'll have to be careful during class observation day."

Akeno simply tittered at her friend's worry.

 

[charclone]

"Okay," Aya said as the glow of Koneko's teleportation circle faded away. "Kuroka!"

From the living room, there were the two distinct sounds of the nekoshou's surprised squawk and the tune of the Dark Souls' 'You Died' screen.

"Yes?" Came Kuroka's questioning reply. "Oh, is that Shirone with you?"

The bedroom was not the best place for a teleportation circle, Philip mentally noted as the two sisters greeted each other. The younger catgirl tackled the elder's midsection. But, he couldn't think of a better place. The house was not small, but it was starting to feel cramped.

"Oh, Aya, your mother just left," Kuroka said, between focusing her attention on her sister. "Something about a client."

"That's fine. We can call a cab," Aya replied with a smile as she watched the two sisters. "But your sister is joining us while shopping."

Kuroka pouted.

"I wanted my present for her to be a surprise!" She protested, before sighing. "Fine. I suppose I can let her choose some gifts as well."

"… just want you." Koneko quietly said.

"Well, you've got me for the day, at least," Kuroka told her sister. "I'll have to ask Minori if you can sleep over… and your King as well, I suppose."

"… I asked already," Koneko said. "She said it was fine, as long as I don't miss classes tomorrow."

"Well, in that case, where should be hit first?" Aya asked. "I was thinking we could swing by the mall, plenty of shops there, then…"

Philip tuned out their discussion. Instead, he checked what was in the freezer, mentally noting what was available.

"Hey, Koneko?" He called out.

"Hmm?" She replied, giving him a questioning glance as her sister and Aya planned their shopping trip.

"Do you like salmon?" He asked. "We have a couple in the freezer I could make for dinner."

She thought about it for a moment, before giving a slight nod. A ghost of a smile on her lips as her form relaxed slightly.

"Hey, Aya?" Philip said. "On your way back, can you get some lemons for dinner? I'll cook them with the fish."

"Sure."

---

Within minutes, Philip found himself alone in the house. The meal was planned, the handful of ingredients he needed that he didn't have would be picked up on their way back.

But Philip found Aya's absence unsettling.

She had been a constant at his side for… almost as long as he had known her. Her absence was… unsettling.

Logically, he knew why it was affecting him so. Beyond his feelings for her, she supported him. Beyond what he felt was due to a friend.

From his past life, a poem came to his mind, half-remembered, called the thousandth man. A friend who would 'stick more closely than a brother'. He struggled to recall who had written the poem, or even where he had heard it, as he had never been one for poetry, but something about it had stuck its way in his mind. Kipling, his gut wanted to say.

Aya, he felt, certainly embodied the concept.

There was, of course, one more element to his distress.

Aya made him feel, and represented, safety, unlike what he had felt with his parents.

Her absence made him realise just how much he owed her. More than words could convey.

He struggled to think of any way to repay her or show his gratitude.

"Oh, you know a way," The voice in his head, despite lacking eyebrows, suggestively wiggled them.

'We will progress our relationship at a pace we are both comfortable with,' Philip responded. '… it isn't exactly a good sign that her interests seem to boil down to Me, Levi-tan's show, magic, and her combat skills, is it?'

"I am probably the last person that should be giving advice on mental health," Tamamo riposted. "But given her lifespan, I don't see the problem. Nor why you should be concerned with her not having interests beyond those related to you."

'Okay,' Philip gave a mental sigh. 'Trusting the crazy fox in my head to give mental health advice was a bad idea, especially when she points it out. … why does that sentence make sense, even out of context?'

Philip gave a physical sigh as she cackled, sitting down on the couch.

"I do have a suggestion," She said a moment later. "A skill you could work on and teach her. One that you will need to… calculate, but you have some of the fundamentals. One that I created myself, to give the illusion of far greater durability than I had."

"Alright, shoot," Philip pulled a notebook from his bag of holding, speaking aloud.

"First, let me ask you this: Where do leylines exist?"

"Leylines exist just outside of three-dimensional space, but not in another dimension of plane. Essentially, they exist in 'microlayers' of reality. Difficult to detect, but they are the reason leylines haven't been discovered by non-magical governments."

"Correct, the energy in leylines radiates outwards from the 'core' microlayer, creating additional ones in the process. While nowhere near as durable or stable as the fayrealms, or other, similar realms, they are very effective at transferring mystical energy," Tamamo explained.

"Right, that's how magic spells work, the energy is transferred to a physical point, however distant the caster can handle, before the spell itself forms in the physical world," Philip frowned. "Are you suggesting I use barriers to… dumb or bleed attacks into those microlayers? It would be blindingly obvious, due to the radiating energies."

"Not quite," Tamamo chuckled. "I am suggesting you move yourself to a microlayer, not far from the physical world. Close enough to interact with it, but far enough away that spells have a reduced effect on you. With time, effort, and a bit of tutoring from the species most adept at manipulating microlayers like this, you might even reach the point where you could impose your own physical laws on those microlayers."

"And what species is that?"

"Kitsune," Came the reply to Philip's question. "How do you think some of their illusions work? Those impossible geometries, or ending up in a different place than you were going? Now, what I am suggesting is a variant of it, closer to teleporting along leylines, but instead relying on your spellwork. Since you lack the ki, you will need to figure out how to achieve the effect using magic. Fortunately, I believe leyline teleportation is most of the way there. Aya will, I suspect, have little difficulty wrapping her head around the concepts, once you have a framework to base the spell on. And wouldn't that be a wonderful gift? Something that will keep her safe, as well as keep something precious to her, you, safe?"

---

Koneko regretted everything.

"Oh! How about this one Shirone!" Kuroka cooed to her sister, holding up the most repulsively pink dress that had ever existed. "It would go well with your hair."

Koneko gave Aya a death glare as she snickered, some distance away. She sighed and chose to ignore the infuriating kitsune, instead focusing on her sister. Who was trying to get her to take the stupid dress.

"No," Koneko bluntly refused. Instead, she walked away from the dresses, towards the sweaters.

Kuroka stared at her sister's choice.

"Really?" She gaped. "You like rap music?"

Koneko simply nodded.

"Well," Kuroka sighed. "At least it's not as bad as Aya with Levi-tan stuff."

"Hey!"

---

Eventually, Koneko found herself needing to try on the clothes she had chosen, and those that her sister had forced her to try on. Finding a fitting room in the fashion store was easy, even if one of the employees had been surprisingly pushy about offering help.

Koneko paused, as she was trying on the sweater. Her cat ears appeared, twitching as she heard the voices of Aya and Kuroka.

"… disappearing…?" The voices were muffled by a sealing technique, but it was badly flawed. Even Koneko's rudimentary training could find those flaws. "You're her sister…"

Koneko frowned as she struggled to hear her sister's response through the seal, despite the proximity.

"… want too… Jeanne's … a few places…."

"… caught? You…."

"… why it… so much time… Fenrir."

Koneko frowned as they quieted down. Swiftly, she finished checking that everything – that she was willing to wear, refusing to touch the pink dress – fit, before stepping out of the fitting room.

"Aw," Her sister complained. "I wanted to see you in them. You're not going to let us see what you look like in them first?"

"No," Came Koneko's blunt reply. She then blushed when her stomach grumbled.

"Well, I guess it's time to head back, so, let's buy these clothes and go," Aya said. "Oh, right, Philip wanted lemons for the fish."

Koneko tugged on her sister's sleeve, pointing to a music shop.

"Why don't you go buy the lemons, and we'll go buy whatever it is Koneko is looking for, nya."

---

Aya stared at the mess of papers on the table. Arcane squiggles and formulas covered them.

"What is this?" She asked, stepping aside to let Kuroka and Koneko enter. "Philip, what have you been up to?"

"Just some calculations," He waved off her concerns without looking up from his work. "Haven't done anything, just trying to get the calculations right. The good news is you should be able to pull off the technique in question, due to it being ki-based, but the mathematical magic version is proving more difficult. I'll need to borrow runtime on the modelling software from the Brotherhood."

Aya sighed.

"Anyway, I got the lemons," She said, putting the bag on the counter. "Mom home?"

"She got here just before you did and vanished into her office," Philip said. He stared intently at the papers, before gathering them up in a half-organised fashion. He handed a small bundle to her. "Okay, these are for you, Tamamo used this technique and it appears to be safe. It's defensive in nature, letting you more effectively protect yourself by being in a microlayer, like leylines, but still close enough to reality to effect it."

Aya stared at the papers.

"Crap," She wilted. "Practice."

"Audible gasp, nya!" Kuroka… gasped, covering Koneko's ears with her hands. "What awful language before my young impressionable sister!"

Koneko, leveraging her much greater strength, pulled away from her sister, giving her sister a dead stare in the process, before putting her newly obtained vinyl records on the now clear table and playing a song from her phone.

Everyone stared as a long series of profanities came from it.

"Impressionable my ass," Philip snorted. "First; she's strong enough to leave an impression on any of us. Second; she likes rap. She's probably heard worse… assuming it's English rap she has been listening to."

"… the song is okay," Koneko shrugged. "Not all rap has swearing."

Kuroka shook a finger at Philip.

"Don't make my sister sound like a brute," She said.

"So," Philip ignored the mock anger from the black-haired catgirl, pulling the pans he would need for dinner out. "Everything went fine while shopping?"

"Some teen was staring at us when we stopped for lunch," Kuroka said with a snicker. "I think he was trying to work up the courage to hit on us."

Philip merely gave a shrug of acknowledgement.

"Oh? Not feeling at all jealous that someone might try to steal Aya from you, nya?" Kuroka needled. "Not even a little?"

"I trust Aya," Philip answered, turning the oven on. "Shame on you for trying to claim I don't."

"Shame," Koneko said in agreement. Aya nodded, smiling.

"You're no fun," Kuroka pouted. Then blinked. "Oh, a split-screen game with my sister."

"No," Koneko denied, the console controller in hand. Heavy metal began to play from the television. "Doom."

Kuroka pouted.

"I'm going to study this in the backyard," Aya waved, taking the papers with the ki technique with her. "Call me when dinner is ready."

"If you need something to do," Philip said to Kuroka. "You can help peel these potatoes."

"No, nya!" Kuroka moaned. "Not physical labour. Shirone, save me!"

Alas, Kuroka would find no help from her sister.

---

A.N. Hopefully, Koneko seems in character. Borrowing more from the anime dub for her characterisation, because her snark was hilarious.

 

[charclone]

Rob cursed as a blast of demonic power hurtled over his head.

The Brotherhood was not a militant organisation, but the current diplomatic situation was and had always been, one of low-level anarchy, necessitating a level of willingness to do violence. Rare was a true pacifist among the supernatural communities.

Thus, he and several other senior members had found themselves called upon to defend one of the group's facilities from a stray, likely after the reagents inside, either in an attempt to cure their out-of-control powers or simply to make a quick buck.

At least, that had been the initial assumption.

A dozen magicians, each equal to an upper low-rank devil at the least, should have been more than enough to deal with a single stray, whose power was out of control.

Should.

A stray devil that was once human, however, with a Sacred Gear, however? That complicated things.

"Bastard has a twice critical!" Someone shouted.

The Arizona desert surface was already pitted with craters from earlier blasts, providing cover for the magicians against the stray's erratic attacks.

Rob glanced over the lip of the shallow crater at the former human.

Standing on two legs, its torso was obscured with the many grasping and twitching arms. No head was visible, but here and there an eye appeared between the shifting arms.

"They have to be out of power by now!" Another magician shouted, earning a barrage in their direction.

In the distance, the facility, little more than a minor storage centre for local reagents bought from local beings, smouldered from several hits that had breached the wards. Who or what they were, Rob didn't know, but he didn't need to.

"Moreal, got any suggestions?" He asked.

His girlfriend, lying next to him in the crater, pulled several vials and jars from her dimensional pocket.

"He's too fast with triggering his twice critical, boosting defences and resistances right before the attack lands," She said, inspecting one vial. "Whoever reincarnated him trained him just well enough for him to do that, but then why let him loose?"

"Theorise later, kill it now," Archmage Lucinda, one of the council members and leader of the current militia unit, grunted through the communication spell tying them all together. "What do you have?"

"Well, since he is relying on an unknown sense to react, I can't say," Moreal flinched as someone cried out, a demonic blast striking them.

"Damn," Someone shouted. "He got Jeff, I'm teleporting him out."

"Go," Lucinda barked. "Fine, what sense are they probably using?"

"Eyesight is too poor, based on their inaccuracy and inconsistent eyes," Moreal thought aloud. "Can't be directly related to magic. Hearing? Touch?"

Lucinda stood up from her crater, a spell conjuring a zone of silence leaping from her hand. A moment later, she cursed and threw herself down.

"Touch," Lucinda hissed. "Bastard is headed towards me, now or never!"

Moreal stood and chucked a jar of liquid into the air. A spell struck it, carrying it the distance to its target.

She leapt into the air as a blast of magic passed through her former spot, her black wings glistening in the sun.

The jar fell short, shattering and releasing the liquid, which in turn emitted smoke.

"Numbing agent!" Moreal barked. "Hit it!"

Ten magicians stood, pouring their power into their spells.

The stray wasn't stupid, just crazy. It knew what was coming, and triggered its sacred gear, boosting its natural defences, while dumping power into its shield spells.

It reeled when the spells struck but remained standing.

And then Moreal hit it from above, her spear of light bypassing the devil's boosted defences.

It gurgled. One eye stared back at her as she panted. She was not used to fighting directly and hadn't needed to for over a century.

The eye slowly looked down at the spear piercing its flesh, in what could have been disbelief or incomprehension.

"They… told me… I could… kill whatever I… wanted," It gurgled as it died, speaking with something between disbelief and absentmindedness. "Said… I was important, just had to… destroy this place."

"The devils tend to say a lot of things like that," Moreal spat as she pushed the spear deeper. "They're just as prone to lying as anyone else."

The stray collapsed.

"Well done, Moreal," Lucinda nodded. "I'll let the council know you were a great asset here, and well done to the rest of you. Let's get that fire out, dispose of the body, then we can all go home."

---

Three hours later, Rob groaned as he walked down the corridors of the main headquarters, nearly running into Philip.

"Hey, Philip," He greeted. "What's with all the papers?"

"Researching a sort of defensive spell," Philip said around the stack in his arms. "What happened to you?"

"Stray in Arizona," Rob grunted. "Moreal killed it after it damaged the warehouse there."

"Any luck finding out where they are coming from?" Philip asked, shifting the stack of papers in his hands.

"Kinda," Rob shrugged. "I heard they ID'ed the human they used to be. Death row inmate that should have been dead a year ago, which is alarming."

"Yeah, that would give them a steady supply of disposable recruits, wouldn't it?" Philip sighed. "I heard from Serafall about a dozen other attacks in the Underworld by strays trying to get loose. She was complaining that it was making it hard to identify the ones with actual grievances who were just trying to get out of bad peerages. How much of that is true… well, I suspect she thinks it's true."

Rob frowned.

"Not sure how far I'd trust a devil," He said. "But then, she did help keep… You know what from getting loose, so I guess I can give her the benefit of the doubt. The people that might be lying to her, though? No. So, where's your other half?"

"Aya's in a practice room, running a ki version of the spell, the original we're trying to replicate," Philip said. "Anyway, I got to go over these, I only have so much time I can use the supercomputers."

"Wait," Rob blinked. "You got permission to use them? I haven't been permitted to use them."

"When was the last time you tried to make a new spell that needed to be calculated by a machine?" Philip asked.

"I wanted to test an algorithm for checking spells from errors, but I keep getting denied," Rob grumbled. Jealousy towards his younger co-worker bubbled up.

"Who do you ask?"

"Uh, Will? The guy in charge of them?"

"Oh, I was told to send it to the Council," Philip blinked. "Will's an ass. And uses one for gaming half the time. It's a supercomputer, using alchemical solutions to cool it, rare metals to handle the heat better, and a spell to quickly replace the heated coolant through teleportation. And he uses it to play games."

"… I mean, I would too," Rob admitted.

"Dude, it's safer, easier, and cheaper, to get a regular PC, and then modify it. Besides, the games are throttled by not being made for those rigs," Philip rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I seriously got to go."

"Yeah, yeah, later," Rob waved as he headed to his quarters. "Tell Aya I said hi!"

Philip snorted and continued towards his office.

He blinked when he found Kuroka sitting behind his desk.

"What happened?" He asked, setting the papers down.

"Who said anything happened, nya?" She meowed, leaning forward onto the desk. "I can't come to visit?"

Philip just raised an eyebrow at her antics.

The catgirl pouted.

"You're no fun," She sighed. "Fine. So, I'm sure Aya told you what I've been up to?"

"Spying on the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade, using the ki tag you hid in Jeanne's underwear," Philip sighed. "I thought Aya convinced you to stop, given you hadn't found anything?"

"No, I agreed to not spend so much time spying on them," Kuroka corrected. "But I did find something, yesterday. I spent some time hiding my trail."

Philip looked at the object she placed on his desk. He looked back up at her, unamused.

"Jeanne's underwear is not of any value or interest to me," Philip glowered at her.

"Fine, I'll skip the teasing," Kuroka pouted as she made the clothing vanish. "I had a whole bit thought up, but you have no sense of humour."

"Not on serious matters, no."

Kuroka made a dramatic sigh, making a show of crossing her arms beneath her breasts as she leaned back in the chair.

"How about this, then?" With a flick of her tail, a seal appeared on the desk, disgorging a copy of a map, alongside several photos.

"What am I looking at?" Philip frowned. He recognised Cao Cao and George, though several other figures they were meeting with in the photos were unfamiliar with him.

"The map is of Kyoto, I'm sure you know why they are interested, and why it has the leylines marked," Kuroka smirked. "As for the photos, I overheard most of them talking about Sacred Gears, and a few of them displayed them. All 'pure' humans."

Philip sighed, rubbing his face as he felt the stress build.

"Do we have anything that connects them to the Khaos Brigade?" Philip blinked as she handed him a photo. Philip stared at it for a moment.

"You were spotted."

"You try avoiding Ophis!" Kuroka grumbled.

Philip acquiesced the point, glancing back at the photo of Ophis, next to Cao Cao and a human he was talking with, looking straight at the person taking the photo.

Even in a photo, Philip felt something unsettling about her.

"I'll take this to the Archmage," He sighed. "But he is probably going to want you to give a report."

"Noo…" Kuroka whined. "I don't want paperwork…."

"Verbal, not written," Philip corrected. He exhaled in annoyance as his cell phone rang. "When it rains it pours. Hello?"

Kuroka snickered at the emotions that flickered across Philip's face as he listened.

"Wait, hasn't it been a week, and your just now telling him about the supernatural? Why leave him in the dark, no pun intended, about what happened for so long?" Philip asked. "Fine. Fine, but I'm not agreeing to teach him more than the basics. Right, then I will see you then to discuss the details."

Kuroka gave him a questioning look as the call ended.

"That… is a stupid amount of money she is willing to pay," Philip snorted. "Okay, so, Rias is paying me faaaar too much to teach her new pawn the basics of magic. I don't know why, but I intend to find out. She also didn't give a very good explanation on why she didn't tell him about the supernatural until he ran into a Fallen at the edge of her territory. Claimed it was to 'let him settle in' before dumping everything on him. Bloody hell. Aya's coming, I'm willing to bet. And I am dragging you along because Rias asked me to on behalf of her sister."

"I'll come, no need to force me…" Kuroka said, before continuing with a suggestive tone. "But if you want to have to tie me up…."

"Not dignifying that with a response," Philip gave her a flat look, ignoring the heat on his cheeks. "Meeting is tomorrow. In the meantime, let's go talk to the Archmage."

"Who is he anyway?" Kuroka asked. "I get he's old, and not Merlin, but you never told me his name."

"Oh," Philip gave a half snort, gathering up the map and photos. "Uh, Cain. The first murderer. Turns out, he was made immortal by God, and has been spending his time learning magic."

Philip paused.

"Also, you better hope Ophis doesn't care about you, because this place is not a fortress, and most people here are researchers, not soldiers."

 

[charclone]

Philip glanced at Aya as he built up the teleportation spell, sensing the illusion spell she cast.

"Can't use the binding technique," Aya explained. "So, this is the only other option."

"Fair enough," He snorted.

In a flash, they traversed the breadth of the Pacific Ocean, appearing once more in the Occult Research Club's clubhouse.

The only one there to greet them was Koneko, sitting on a couch, munching on a snack.

"Are you always eating?" Philip asked.

She gave him a look before returning to her snack.

"So," Philip said as Aya sat next to the white-haired catgirl, and him next to Aya, furthest from Koneko. "Where are the others? I assumed they would already be here waiting."

"… Buchou is stuck in class," Koneko said, quietly trying to look around Philip for her sister. "Kiba is getting Issei. Where is Kuroka?"

"Work," Aya sighed. "I made her promise she'd come here afterwards though."

Koneko nodded, then resumed her snacking.

After several moments of silence, Philip glanced at Koneko.

"Did you stuff your dimensional pocket full of snacks?" He asked, noting she had finished her previous snack and begun on a second. "Is Rias not feeding you enough?"

Koneko paused mid-bite, narrowing her eyes. Her position became more defensive, protective of the food in her reach.

"I'm not asking for any," Philip clarified, ignoring the way Aya was snickering at the two of them. "Rather, I'm asking if I should be cooking more for you, or nagging your sister to learn how to cook."

Koneko's expression brightened.

"… Buchou doesn't feed me," She said.

"That isn't true!" The redheaded devil in question protested, stepping into the room, Akeno following behind her. "I give her a stipend; she spends it how she wishes… which is mostly on snacks. She also gets food from some other students."

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear," Aya snorted.

Philip took less amusement from the situation. He looked at both Rias and Koneko, swivelling his head.

"Koneko," Philip narrowed his eyes at the nekoshou. "While I can understand the temptation of easy meals… when was the last time you had a properly cooked meal, that you didn't snitch from someone else?"

Koneko sank back into her seat.

Rias blinked, then frowned.

"Koneko, have you only purchased snacks?" She asked, concern written on the redheaded devil's face. Rias sighed, then shook her head. "Never mind, we can discuss it later. My Peerage is my responsibility, though I appreciate you pointing out the issue, thank you, Philip, and Aya. For now, however, since my new pawn and my knight have been delayed by other students, is there anything you might need to teach Issei?"

Philip frowned in thought.

"As I am only teaching him the basics, a room, paper or a notebook for him to practice formulas and calculations on, and any magical texts you think he should study, relating to what you are expecting him to do," Philip said with a shrug. "Speaking of; what are you expecting of him?"

"As his evil piece is a pawn, he has the ability to take on some of the powers of the other pieces," Rias explained, taking her seat behind the desk.

"So, a jack-of-all-trades, master of none?" Aya asked. "I suppose that would make him well suited to patching holes in your formation in combat."

Rias shook her head.

"The Queen is more of a… jack-of-all-trades, as you put it," She said. "The Pawn is more… they can choose which piece they temporarily become. But yes, I expect them to be able to adapt to situations as necessary."

"Well, that's a bit more than the basics, anyway," Philip shrugged. "Combat training is outside what you are paying me to teach and my area of expertise."

"That's fine. As I stated when I called, I just need your assistance helping him compensate for his lower magic."

Philip shook his head.

"He won't have the raw power of a devil, from what you have told me," Philip pointed out. "Now, why were you so desperate to hire me? You are paying… quite a lot. Also, why wait so long to tell him?"

Rias gave an annoyed sigh.

"The other night, he was attacked by a Fallen. One that I suspect was probing my territory. They didn't seem to know that I was managing this area, nor that this even was devil territory. This leads me to believe that they, despite their attempts at implying it, were not associated with the Grigori," Rias explained. "That unfortunately presents a problem. If there is a group of Fallen willing to try and expand, then it implies they have enough strength or support, that they are willing to take the risk of antagonising local powers. That means, if I am to prove myself, I need to at least be able to put up enough of a fight, not to dishonour the House of Gremory, before I request support, and that means I need my peerage ready to fight, or at least defend themselves if this group of Fallen do make a push."

Philip frowned, struggling to recall if there had been anything about this. He remembered, in his faded memories of his last life, Ise had been attacked, that much was true, but he could have sworn the Fallen had been Grigori.

But then, his own experiences challenged that. There were a great many Fallen groups, the Grigori were simply the longest-living and most stable, which also made them the largest. There was that gang of Fallen near his hometown, a group of them in Chicago he had heard about from Merlin in the messages he exchanged with the gun-obsessed American PI magician, and that wasn't counting the mercenaries that had nearly released a fragment of Trihexa.

"That seems reasonable… except for the fact that you mentioned Issei had been killed when he was human, by a Fallen, before you reincarnated him," Aya interjected. "Wouldn't that have also been an indicator of a Fallen group near your territory?"

Rias winced.

"Yes. But given his experience, and the fact that she appeared to simply be eliminating him because of his Sacred Gear, made me believe she was unrelated, and was a Grigori agent after a dangerous gear," The redhead explained. "Given his experiences, I didn't want to trouble him. I took the rest of my peerage on a training hike that weekend, but I was not far from the town, still within my territory."

Akeno cast a sly glance at Rias.

"There was also the new anime that came out right afterwards, wasn't there?" The dark-haired girl's voice was sweet, almost friendly, and her face had a smile plastered on it.

Rias flinched and glared at her queen.

"You forgot," Philip facepalmed.

"I didn't forget, I just…" Rias stumbled for a moment. "I simply was resting after the training, and figured he could do with some more time to recover from his ordeal before I exposed him to the truth."

Aya facepalmed.

"She is a teenager," Tamamo silently pointed out to Philip.

Philip was about to say something, his opinion of Rias dropping slightly, when sounds of shouting and cries emanated from an open window.

"Would that be them?" He instead asked.

Rias gave a tired sigh.

"Yes," She hung her head. "The other students are… excitable… and given Kiba and Issei's reputations are polar opposites, I should have seen this coming."

"So… what are they saying?" Aya asked.

Rias blinked.

"Do… do you not speak Japanese?" She asked, surprise colouring her tone. "I had assumed…"

"Born and raised in Canada," Aya said. "My mother never taught me, and I never asked."

"I see," Rias had a look of confusion on her face, struggling to understand. "Well, I am certainly willing to offer to teach you. I took the effort to learn Japanese, rather than simply rely on Language."

"So, Akeno. Japanophile or weeb?" Philip asked Akeno, watching from Rias' side, with a dull expression.

Rias glared at him, before turning to give a similar look to her Queen.

Just as she turned her head back to Philip and Aya, Akeno spoke.

"A bit of both, really," The raven-haired girl answered with a titter, smiling as Rias gave her another glare.

"Moving on," Rias said with an air of finality and a cough, her cheeks flushed. "Ah, Kiba, Issei."

Philip and Aya followed her gaze, seeing the two other members of her Peerage enter the room.

"Issei, this is the magician I told you about," Rias smiled softly at her Pawn. "May I introduce Philip and Aya, his… girlfriend? My apologies, I don't believe that was ever clarified."

Philip bit back a snort at the jealous look at flickered across the boy's face.

"Girlfriend, accomplice, bodyguard," Aya off a list. "Where he goes, I go."

"Oh?" Akeno gave a teasing and suggestive smirk, drawing her words out. "Bodyguard, hmm?"

Aya froze as the implication was processed by her brain and Philip felt his cheeks heat up.

He coughed.

"Anyway," He turned back to Issei, who he noted was looking rather distracted by both Akeno's words, the image it provoked, and the 'assets' the women in the room possessed. Including, to Philip's ire, Aya. "I'm Philip."

"Ah," Issei started. "I'm Hyodo Issei. Pleased to meet you. Please call me Ise."

"… still lecherous," Paying attention to his gaze, Koneko glared at Ise.

He at least had the sense of decorum to appear embarrassed, as he rubbed the back of his head.

"So, uh," Ise looked at Philip. "Are you a devil too?"

"No," Philip said with a sigh and a glance at Rias. "I'm human, Aya here is a kitsune."

"So, Rias," Philip turned to the redhead. "How much have you told him about the supernatural, and how much do I need to teach him?"

"The basics of the three factions, devils and Fallen," Came the reply. "You needn't waste your time on that."

"I hope you don't mind if I at least fill in relevant background details," Philip asked.

"Of course not," Rias looked to Akeno. "I believe the second spare room, on the first floor, will be appropriate for their use. Could you please show them the way, Akeno?"

---

"So," Philip leaned against one wall, facing Ise, with his staff in his hand. "How are your math skills?"

Ise wasn't physically imposing. Shorter than Philip. His eyes kept flickering over to where Aya sat on a chair, watching them.

Philip found the boy irksome, whether that was due to possessiveness towards the way he was looking at Aya or just something about Ise rubbing him the wrong way he wasn't sure.

There was also the subtle way he flinched at sudden movements or bright lights. A fact that left Philip concerned. He surmised that it was likely the result of both his conversion into a devil making him sensitive to light and the fact that he had been killed by the Fallen that had manipulated him. Certainly, he was not well.

Using chalk and a blackboard, he tested Ise's mathematical skills, using simple magical equations, or pieces of them.

"Alright," Philip groaned. "Your skills are inconsistent."

"Sorry," Ise flinched.

Philip sighed.

"Okay, so, since it seems you are distracted, I'll just give you worksheets to do on your own time," He knew full well why. The boy had a one-track mind, focusing on Aya. More specifically, her breasts. Despite the illusion to make them seem smaller. "For now… Aya, make yourself invisible."

Ise blinked as she vanished.

"Do you have any actual interest in magic?" Philip asked.

"I mean, Rias-senpai went to the trouble to hire you," Ise rubbed the back of his head, his eyes flickering over the room. "I don't want to disappoint her."

"Given I was hired to teach you the basics, to compensate for your… minimal magic," Philip rolled his eyes as Ise deflated. "I am asking if I should be considering teaching you actual spells, or just how to use mathematics to keep your magic consumption efficient."

Ise went silent for several moments, before straightening.

"Oh! Could I make a spell to see through women's clothes!?"

Philip bit back a groan.

"No, for several reasons," He sighed. "At most, you could see their skeletons. Potentially useful for first aid."

Philip began to pace across the floor.

"Look, are you going to just focus on how you can abuse what powers you have or do you want to put them to good use, beyond harassing girls?!"

Philip paused. His heart rate was up. His voice had been raised without meaning too. He felt agitated and angry, and he couldn't tell why.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bite your head off," He apologised, steadying himself with his staff as he felt a wave of vertigo. "Not… not sure what that was."

"Uh," Ise blinked in confusion. "I… my dream is to be a harem king. But… I want to be useful to Rias-senpai…."

He trailed off at the sight of Philip's face.

"Just don't use mind control, blackmail, or other types of coercion," Philip grunted. "Trust me, a relationship without mutual trust is doomed from the start. That being said, I suggest you keep a civil tongue in your head."

He stopped himself there. He could feel frustration and anger bubbling to the surface, but it wasn't from himself.

'Tamamo?'

"I'm… not sure if that is because of me, the damage to your ki network, or a reaction to the Boosted Gear," The ancient fox said. "Regardless, I believe you should get this new problem looked at."

"Yeah, okay," Philip muttered. He leaned into Aya's touch as she appeared at his side and put her arm under his opposite shoulder. He pulled a set of books from his bag of holding, handing them to Ise, before stumbling towards the door with Aya's help. "Uh, I think I have a problem. Study those, I'll send some worksheets later…"

Philip briefly considered what he remembered of the series.

"I vaguely recall Rias mentioning you having a Sacred Gear?" Philip cranked his head over his shoulder. "Try to meditate and reach out to the being inside of it. You never know if they are going to be useful, even if you don't get any power from the Gear, like mine."

In the hallway, about halfway to the clubroom, Aya paused, stopping the both of them.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "I'm getting the feeling that was more than just the way he kept looking at me."

"I think so," Philip said. "I feel a little dizzy and tired, but none of the… strange anger coming from nowhere. Tamamo isn't sure where it came from either."

Aya pursed her lips.

"I think it was going on since we got here," She said. "You were… kind of mean to Rias."

Philip blinked. He frowned, thinking back.

His face went flush in embarrassment.

"Damn," He cursed. "Yeah, I didn't even notice or consider… right. Okay, first I'm going to apologise, then… home and get your mother to look at my ki? Then call Levi-tan to arrange a meeting with Azazel?"

"Yeah," Aya nodded. "I… think it's just your ki, since your aura, I just noticed, is off. Strange and… malformed."

She chewed her lip and resumed helping Philip towards the stairs.

"At least you didn't say anything too rude to her," She snorted. "Neither of us want Sirzechs rushing to the defence of his baby sister."

---

A.N. Hopefully, I was successful in portraying Rias as simply a teenager, rather than outright neglectful. That, and writing Ise actually proved to be the most difficult parts that left me stuck for a week.

Comment, if you please.

 

[charclone]

Aya's mother wasn't able to help.

She was able to identify the cause of his erratic emotional state, a ki imbalance, but this just raised more questions.

A ki imbalance like this, according to Minori, would have required a much more complex ki network than the stunted one Philip had.

It left Aya feeling scared and confused, not knowing what was happening to her closest and oldest friend.

Despite the weight of Kuroka leaning against her and Koneko sprawled across both of their laps, she felt alone.

Growing up, she had had to hide her nature from those around her. The world, she knew, was not kind. Factitious Fallen, rogue exorcists, stray devils, and worse, would all take advantage of those they perceive as easy targets, her mother warned her. They mostly ignored humans, because there were simply so many of them and so few were ever a threat.

But the lies had, even at a young age, hurt to tell.

She honestly didn't remember how she met Philip. They had been in the same grade, perhaps that was how, but Aya doubted she would have maintained the friendship if he hadn't been aware of the supernatural, revealed when they were attacked on the ferry by stray devils.

After that, when she learned he was involved with things on the other side of the masquerade, even if it was just spellwork, she refused to lose one of the few people she didn't have to lie to.

He was someone who had always been there for her, he made her laugh, he was smart, and had a sense of humour, even if it was well hidden.

The idea that something might change him, against his will, scared her to her core.

The thought of losing one of the handful of people she trusted, one of three that weren't related to her, terrified her.

But it also made her realise, just how few people she trusted in her life. Philip, Kuroka, Serafall. It was a depressingly short list. Perhaps, in time, Koneko might be added to it. But the young girl was still apprehensive around her.

Aya kept turning the same facts over in her mind, forcing herself not to twitch and irritate the nekoshou halfway on her lap, instead constantly flicking her tails.

Her mother, across from the couch that had been brought in for them, paced. Concern on her face.

Deeper in the warehouse, Levi-tan watched as Azazel and several assistants, all Fallen, scanned Philip.

Sekhmet leaned against the door to the warehouse, apparently there at Serafall's request. The lioness-headed deity looked bored when she wasn't giving glancing glares at Azazel.

Between her mother analysing Philip, waiting for Serafall, and Azazel getting everything set up, it was already late in the afternoon when they began to look into the problem.

Now, it was nearing midnight. Worry kept her from feeling the hunger for the missed meals.

She flinched, waking Koneko, when the door opened.

"Cain," Sekhmet greeted neutrally.

"Sekhmet," Came the reply from the bald archmage. He looked around. "My apologies for not replying to Philip's text, there was an issue I had to deal with. He is otherwise well at present?"

"No," Minori nearly hissed the word out. "Azazel has told us nothing, he's been at this for hours, and has found nothing!"

"Not nothing!" Azazel called out. "I found I need to rework my theories, though admittedly that's a Tuesday for me."

"Azazel, still treating things with your usually lackadaisical attitude?" Cain noted. "I trust you will share your findings with me, given he is part of… my organisation."

"Yeah, yeah," Azazal waved him off, returning to the machinery around Philip. "Okay, let's try harmonics."

Aya stared as one of the assistants pulled out a flute and another revealed a tuning fork.

Philip just looked at her from beneath his mask and shrugged.

Cain gave her a sympathetic look.

"Azazel can at least be trusted not to harm Philip," He said. "Now, may I ask what we know?"

Aya paused before answering him.

"Why are you here, first?" She asked instead.

"Because I am finding myself short on well-connected people I can trust," Cain explained. "I have my connections of course, but I cannot be in two places at once. I tried that once, it ended poorly. In addition, despite my… historical reputation, I am not some callous monster lacking in empathy."

Aya frowned, something bothering her about his words. They weren't untruthful, as far as she could tell, but there was still something nagging her.

"Um," She swallowed. "We know there is some sort of ki imbalance, and he was feeling foreign emotions, irritation and anger, as well as acting… contrary to his normal behaviour, for a brief period."

Fortunately, Rias had accepted his apology in good faith, even asking if she could provide any help.

"I see, so, in short, not a great deal," Cain observed. "What of his Sacred Gear? He informed me that it was artificial, and held Tamamo-no-mae, a Japanese fox spirit?"

"Korean, actually," Aya corrected. "And yes. It was made by a Fallen Angel, but we don't know how or why. Just that it was badly flawed before Azazel patched it."

Cain hummed.

The group lapsed into silence once more.

Finally, after what felt like a second eternity, Azazel threw his hands in the air and sent Philip over to them.

"Okay," The governor-general of the Grigori groaned. "So, I have theories, but nothing certain. Keeping you here to study isn't going to help either. It's not related to your magic, the Sacred Gear is still stable, and the ki in your system is foreign, but I was able to remove it. How it got there is a mystery. So, here is what I am thinking."

Azazel looked at each of those present.

"Keep a record of what you are doing when you find those… aberrations," He said. "Ask those close to you to keep note of when it happens. We'll see if we can find a pattern."

Cain frowned.

"You are certain that it is not a flaw within the Sacred Gear itself?" He asked Azazel. "You know, better than I, that attempts to create artificial Sacred Gears have historically ended poorly."

"Yeah, I know," Azazel waved him off. "The thing is barely a Sacred Gear. Doesn't integrate Tamamo, so there isn't a risk of bleedover or him taking on some of her traits like with a Dragon-type Sacred Gear, and the curse she was under shouldn't be affecting him, since it was targeted at her and should sealed within as well. I couldn't even sense the curse, so it is probably dormant thanks to her being sealed. Or that myth is true and it was broken a couple centuries back when she was sealed."

"I'll… I will ask my parents if they can find anything on that myth," Minori said, hesitantly. "They have contacts in those circles in Japan, who would know more."

Philip snorted, sitting next to Aya, as he took in the gathered people.

"I only just now realised how many people I know," He said, not noticing the way Aya flinched. "So… uh… should I be worried about this?"

"Nah," Azazel shrugged. "When Gears go wrong on their own… well, it tends to be way more dramatic than mood swings. Just focus on seeing what sets it off."

"Right," Philip nodded. "Uh… Why is Sekhmet here?"

"I was planning on dragging Serafall to my sister's concert," The goddess explained. "Don't worry, she'll understand."

"Speaking of, when is the next one?" Aya asked, placing an arm around Philip's shoulder. "We did tell her we would go to one."

"Two days from now," She replied. "I'll send you the details."

"Okay, now… why are you here, archmage?" Philip glanced at Cain.

"I am hardly some callous or distant ruler," He replied. "Technically, I'm not even your boss, merely a senior member of the organisation we both work for. As for why, I had a few details I wished to discuss with you, as well as inquire about your general health. But given the… situation, there was another matter, related to diplomacy, that can wait. If you need assistance from the… organisation – I refuse to use that ridiculous name – in regards to your health and general wellbeing, I will do what I can to assist you. It is rather critical that we look out for our own."

"You just don't want the risk of me or the Devil's poaching a promising subordinate," Azazel joked. "Come off it, old man!"

Cain simply rolled his eyes.

"Right, well, if it can wait," Minori interrupted. "I think it would be best if I got them home. Lady Leviathan, thank you for your assistance, you as well, Lord Governor-General, Lady Sekhmet. Good evening to you, archmage."

"Yes, indeed," Cain nodded. "Are you able to teleport them back yourself?"

"Kuroka will handle that," Minori flicked her tails. "Good evening, all of you."

Cain noted, with some sympathy, the swiftness with which the adult kitsune bundled off her charges. He didn't blame her, there was a rather large number of heavyweights from opposing factions in one room.

Philip paused, just as Minori began to lead them to the door.

"Hey, Azazel, before I go, I meant to ask," He called out. "Did you have any people near Kuoh town in Japan? A member of a peerage I know was attacked twice because of his Sacred Gear."

Azazel blinked.

"No," He replied. He crossed his arms. "And I haven't given out any general kill orders in a couple years. There is a short list of Sacred Gears that are kill on sight, such as the Spear of Destiny, but none of my people would risk starting an incident over any of them. If you encounter any, they aren't mine."

 

[charclone]

"You wanted to speak to me?" Philip asked as he stuck his head into the archmage's office.

"Ah, Philip, yes," Cain glanced up from the laptop, sitting anachronistically amongst ancient tomes and magic totems. "Doing better, I hope?"

"Kinda," Philip shrugged, sitting across in the seat across the desk. "Had a spike yesterday, plus… another incident that I won't be going into detail about."

Cain raised an eyebrow at the way Philip's voice shifted in embarrassment and his cheeks flushed but made no comment.

"I had a few questions, one relating to my own sanity," He instead said, getting to the matter at hand. "First, my sanity. Does the… Brotherhood of Nod in fiction have moon bases?"

"Not that I am aware of?" Philip blinked, giving Cain a questioning look. "I think there was a thing with some alien artefacts…"

"I don't need to know," The archmage sighed. "The other matters, then, though related. Based on what you know of related spells, could an intra-solar base be established?"

Philip blinked.

"Uh, I suppose… oh, that's why you wanted to know about the moon bases…"

"In part. It was mentioned the inspiration for the proposal put before the council came from a fictional series," Cain gave a long-suffering sigh. "I am concerned with how much influence 'Kane' has on this organisation, despite being fictional, because of my presence. But moving on to more important matters. The proposal, in truth, is much older, though the exact details have shifted over time. We initially lacked the ability to build a base on another world, even within the solar system, but some recent discoveries have made that more feasible."

Cain pulled open a tome, showing Philip a spell for applying increased gravity to an area.

"Horrifically costly still, but we are confident that we can identify extraplanetary leylines from which to draw," He explained. "It has limited effect, requiring an existing gravity field, so we are limited to the largest celestial bodies. Fortunately, your friend Rob recently made a discovery, using a new calculation to find leylines at a distance, and it seems Jupiter has a series of leylines, powerful ones, that we can draw from."

"Meaning, we could establish colonies or outposts on other celestial bodies, using teleportation spells, provided we could create some form of habitation and deal with the nitrogen issue," Philip realised. "Wow, that's… massive."

"Indeed," Cain smiled. "Combined with several other factors, such as my research into artificial spirits to control golems, we may have what we need, provided we could gather the necessary materials and mortal talent to design the structures."

"So, how do I fit into this?" Philip asked.

"Ah, yes," Cain coughed. "My apologies, I got off topic. Given the danger presented by the Khaos Brigade and its goals, I intend to establish fallback points. To that end, I am hoping you might know other magicians or entities that would be willing to assist us."

"Well, Bastet and Serafall would probably be able to lend assistance… and I know of a few magicians… a guy in Chicago named Merlin… hmm," Philip frowned. "No, that sums up the mortals I know. Anyone you think I should reach out to?"

"This Merlin and… the Egyptian pantheon. In recent years… meaning the last millennia, they have been strongly pro-humanity," Cain said. "I am mistrustful of the Greek and Norse pantheons, given their recent… proclivities and situations. Zeus has been spending a great deal of time with Fallen and Odin has… changed. Not for the better, though not for the worse either. I will reach out to them if I feel it necessary."

Cain paused, considering something.

"As for the devils… for now, say nothing," He commanded. "The council, with good reason, distrusts them. Serafall, I am inclined to agree with you, is largely helpful and benevolent, but if they are headed towards another civil war, I would prefer to stay out of it if we can. Certainly not without the council's approval."

"Now, as I understand it, you are working on a new spell, one based around a phased layer technique?"

"Ah, yes," Philip rubbed his neck. "We know it's possible and have a ki technique version, but it is taking some work to get it safe and efficient at the same time. We've hit the point where it is reliable, but stand too close to a leyline with it…."

"Have you considered shifting the layers away from leylines?"

"That is where the efficiency problem comes in, I have the calculations here with me…"

---

"Okay," Philip, the next day, groaned. "You have the skill, but not the drive."

He set the papers down.

Ise flinched.

"Motohama and… ah, my friends invited me to watch a… video," Ise chuckled nervously, as he rubbed the back of his head. "And Buchou has me handing out fliers at night…"

"Doesn't she have familiars do that?" Philip vaguely recalled something about that in the anime. "Anyway, have you tried the exercises I sent Rias?"

"Oh, uh," The boy blinked. "Yeah. They're supposed to help stretch my magic, right?"

"Kinda," Philip sighed. "Try to do them every other day, in addition to whatever physical training Rias is having you do. Between the two, it will help. Now, try to focus your power into a single point, like in the exercises."

"Just make a sphere, right?"

For all his portrayal of perverseness, there was an honesty and earnestness to Ise. Philip noted there was a simple joy on the boy's face as he manipulated the laws of physics to manifest a small orb of mana.

Sure, it was pathetically small, even for a magician, but Ise had not been upstaged yet, and it was a clear indicator of his growing abilities to himself. Nothing had beaten him down in that area. Perhaps the confidence boost would do him some good.

"Try to keep it focused while I ask you some questions," Philip said. "So, how has been your day?"

Ise blinked, frowning and visibly splitting his attention between the sphere and Philip.

"Uh, fine?"

"Aside from porn, do you have any hobbies?"

Philip kept asking mundane questions, one after the other, not caring about the answer, searching to see if Ise's concentration and control wavered.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to be that your friends use you as a fall guy?"

"They're great friends!" Ise glared. "Yeah, sometimes they use me as bait, but they aren't bad!"

The orb crackled and popped, vanishing in a flicker of power.

"Huh," Philip raised an eyebrow. "Try again, this time, make it as large as you can."

Ise continued to glare.

"My apologies if I insulted your friends, but I wanted to see what level of control you had," Philip explained. "Devil powers are based on emotion and desire. That crackle was due to your anger."

"So," Ise blinked, anger forgotten. "It reacts to my emotions?"

"No, it reacts to your desire," Philip said. "Devils are, ultimately, creatures of desire. That is where their power comes from, like how some fae are creatures of mystery and the unknown. The more familiar people are with them, the less power they have over them. That doesn't apply to the ones in the British Isles, they are semi-divine, being related to the Tuatha de Danann. Seelie and Unseelie courts are creatures of order. Do not make deals with them."

Ise gulped.

"Anyway, back on topic. Desire. It powers your magic, shapes it," Philip explained. "Whatever you can imagine, you can do, but the more you understand how the more efficient it will be. Hence how Merlin developed the modern human magic system by replacing desire with natural laws."

"So, by understanding the natural laws through math…" Ise blinked, then gave a lecherous grin. "So… I could make a spell to cause girls' clothes to explode off their bodies?"

Philip's face landed in his palms.

"Not going to dignify that with a response," He groaned.

"Wait," Ise continued, making Philip realise the previous comment had been in jest. How much was a matter of debate. "If Merlin made the modern system… how come the one you use is called the Roman school?"

"So, Merlin adapted the Devils' system," Philip sat back up as he explained. "But, he was not the first to make a connection between magic and the natural world. Druids use pre-existing elements of magic, as well as creatures, to do their thing, but that is often reliant on the druid in question having the natural-born talent, which is rare. The Roman school built upon Greek mathematics, applying them to the natural sciences as perceived by magicians at the time, eventually borrowing from Arabic sources, the Merlinian school of thought, and modern computational and mathematical developments. It also borrows and adapts things from… anywhere it can."

Ise blinked.

"Sorry for the expedition dump," Philip snorted. "Anyway, does that answer your question?"

"Uh, yeah. So, I can use math to make my spells more efficient and work around my small amount of magic?"

"Yup," Philip yawned. "Sorry, any other questions?"

"So… how big are Aya's oppai?"

Philip levelled a dead-eyed stare at Ise, who just chuckled.

Something soft pressed itself against the back of Philip's head a moment later. He took a moment to consider things. It wasn't Aya. He could tell that much. Ise hadn't reacted, so they were probably invisible. It wouldn't be any of Rias' peerage so that just left…

"Kuroka, what are you doing?" He started to lean back and look upwards at her, before realising just what he was pressing against his head.

"Aw," The catgirl audibly pouted. Philip felt blood rush to his face as she leaned forward, her arms resting on his shoulders.

"Are you going to stop trying to crush my skull now?" Philip deliberately ignored the way Ise had begun to breathe heavily. Apparently, Kuroka had made herself visible again.

"Really, nya?" Kuroka made an exaggerated gasp. "You're complaining!? Should I be worried for Aya?"

Philip felt no small amount of irritation at the sight of Ise starting to laugh. But he also noted once more an emotion rise that was note, completely, his own.

Rather than respond to Kuroka, he pulled out a small notebook and jotted down notes on the episode.

Kuroka went silent for a moment.

"Are you sure that wasn't your own emotions?" She asked after a moment. "Reacting appropriately?"

Philip ignored her, simply turning to the door as Koneko walked in.

"Koneko, your sister is bothering me," He said, matter-of-factly.

The white-haired girl sighed before picking her older sister up.

Ise's eyes widened.

"She's strong…" He whispered in awe.

"Nooo!" Kuroka wailed as she was carried out over her sister's head. "Shirone! You can't be like this! Nooo! My sister has become a gorilla!"

Philip waited for the wailing, and his blush, to die down before he continued.

"Okay, where were we… Ise, let's get you doing that exercise again, and see how long you can hold it at your maximum output."

"I think Kuroka likes you," Tamamo silently noted to Philip. "Strange, didn't she… along with every girl, in the light novel fall for Ise here?"

Philip grit his teeth in response.

Fear and disgust bubbled to the surface of his mind, though, this time, he recognised the source as himself.

'I suppose I should talk to her, and Aya, rather than simply ignore it?' Philip thought back to her. 'Right, first thing I'm doing when we get back.'

"Um," Ise cleared his throat, directing Philip's attention back outwards. "Can I ask another question?"

Philip sighed, feeling exhaustion creeping in. Not all of it was physical.

"Fine, go ahead," He grumbled, leaning his head against his fist.

"About Fallen Angels… are they all evil?" Philip blinked at Ise's question. "It's just… there was that one guy Fallen that chased and stabbed me… I nearly died, and then there was Yuuma-chan…."

Philip winced in sympathy at the look on Ise's face. He still distinctly remembered nearly being killed by the Mahaha-turned-devil on the ferry, all those years ago. The terror he had felt.

He was glad he didn't suffer from nightmares, taking it as a small mercy.

"It… depends," Philip began. "You have first-generation Fallen, who were once Angels, and most of those fought in the war. Some might have old trauma and scars that influence their behaviour, while others can be remarkably civil, if eccentric or old fashioned."

Philip leaned back in his seat, noting the way Ise's expression shifted to something he couldn't read.

"Generally, it depends on both their generation, with older ones tending to be crazy and younger ones being… arrogant or… remarkably human, in my experience, and it depends on their faction," He explained. "Some are little more than gang members with magic, others are professional mercenaries, some are professional criminals, and lots are uh…."

Philip winced and paused.

"… 'red-light workers', shall we say?" Philip rolled his eyes at the lust and interest on Ise's face. "A friend of mine is dating one of the younger generation ones, and she's alright. An alchemist, actually, though her sister is, from what I have been told, a rather sore point for her. Why, she never said."

"Oh… do you know what faction Yuuma was part of?" Ise asked, his face a mix of fear, dread, and hope.

"Uh," Philip chewed his tongue. He wasn't going to reveal his knowledge, never mind the butterflies that were already flapping; it would be awkward to try and explain how he knew what he did. But what to say, besides what Azazel had said? "I asked the leader of the largest faction of Fallen, a scientist by trade, leading the Grigori, meaning Watchers. He stated, before several witnesses, that he had no members under his orders in this area, so if they were Grigori, then they were rogue. It's possible they were part of a small group trying to throw its weight around."

"She… said something about blaming God for my death," Ise said, his gaze dropping to his left arm. He flinched, visibly, when his Sacred Gear appeared.

Philip took in the sight of the crimson-scaled, metallic-looking, Boosted Gear.

"She said this is why she killed me," He continued. "She said to blame God for putting the Sacred Gear in me."

Philip took a deep breath, noting Ise's hand had begun to shake.

"So… I'm not an expert on Sacred Gears," He said. "I can dig up some information for you, though. However, according to the expert I spoke to, there is a very small list of actually dangerous Sacred Gears, such as the Spear of Destiny. I think I read something about one with a Djinn trapped in it that was also dangerous, but that might have been incorrect information, given the age and degree of separation involved in the source."

"Ah," Ise gave a weak chuckle, to distract from his shaking hands. "This isn't going to cause problems, like what you have, right?"

Philip blinked. Then laughed.

"No, no," He waved his hands. "Mine is an artificial one, made by a moron… it might have also been meant to cause issues like that before it was fixed by Azazel. Yours is a natural one and should be working fine. The biggest issue will be learning to use it."

Ise gave a sigh of relief.

"So, I need to get stronger?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head with the gauntleted hand. "Like Naruto, to use the sealed monster?"

Philip shrugged.

"That reference is lost on me. I don't watch much anime. More a mecha fan," Philip shrugged. "But yes, you'll need more strength, power, stamina, etc. regardless of your Sacred Gear's ability or type. Even if it's just a simple Twice Critical, it can still be useful. For example, one of my group's bases was attacked by a Stray devil with a Twice Critical. They held out against around a dozen magicians, all trained, by using the Sacred Gear's ability to double the strength of their defences…."

---

A.N. So, whoow. This one fought me. It was tough getting it where I was comfortable and happy with it. Not perfect, but perfection is the enemy of progress.

 

[charclone]

The three of them filtered into the Kato residence living room that evening.

Philip sank into a chair, while Aya and Kuroka took the couch.

His right foot kept bouncing on the floor, and he fought the urge to twiddle his thumbs. With time having permitted him to take the moments he needed to collect himself, he felt ashamed at the disgust he had felt towards Kuroka. He really shouldn't have been surprised, given she had been acting off around him recently. Not that he noticed then.

He was slightly surprised she expressed interest in him, but he disregarded any potential reasons. It wasn't important, he considered.

He… liked her, certainly, but pursuing that would be a betrayal of Aya, and he liked her a lot more than the lazy catgirl.

But putting all that into words… scared him.

Not to mention he wasn't sure if there were cultural or psychological aspects he was unaware of. If Kuroka's behaviour in fiction was the accepted and standard behaviour of… wait, hadn't she grown up in a devil's peerage? Was that standard behaviour for non-Gremory devils? Diodora and Riser seemed to indicate so, from what Philip recalled of his ageing memories.

Not that he had met Riser, so there was room for variation and mistake.

"Philip?" Aya's voice broke through his thoughts. "Are you okay? You said you wanted to talk to us?"

Philip flinched.

"Did Kuroka mention why?" He asked.

"I only pressed my breasts against his head," Kuroka muttered.

Aya glared at her.

"Tamamo is pretty sure Kuroka was doing that and other actions because she was interested in me," Philip stated. "Is that theory correct?"

Kuroka leaned onto the arm of the couch, adopting a provocative pose that emphasised her voluptuous figure. She gave a coy smile.

The image was broken a moment later when she yelped, leaping up out of her seat.

"Cold!" She whined. "Why did you do that, Aya?"

Aya gave her a silent glare.

"A clear answer please, Kuroka," Philip sighed, suddenly feeling quite tired.

"Alright," The nekoshou rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am 'interested' in you. You helped Shirone and I, you have power, meaning any children would be more powerful. On top of that, I'm jealous of you and Aya."

"I'm not certain that's how power is passed on," Philip commented. "But what about Ise? No that is not a recommendation."

"Shirone doesn't like him, so even if I was interested, that isn't happening," Kuroka stated matter-of-factly.

"You have a very skewed view of relationships and romance," Aya grumbled. "It's about more than just power and who other people like."

"There are few nekoshou in the word," Kuroka protested. "I need to look out for future generations."

"Don't nekoshou come about from nekomata, like how kitsune with multiple tails is variable each generation, mostly independent of their parent's power?" Philip asked.

"Mostly correct," Tamamo interjected. "Power of the parents can be passed on to the child, causing them to be born with additional tails as they use them to instinctively balance their energies. But that isn't always a good thing, case in point, nor is it guaranteed."

'Case in…?' Philip pondered for a moment. 'Oh, you. Heh.'

"Tamamo says that's mostly correct," Philip informed the two girls.

Aya snickered, and flicked her three tails, one less than her mother and two less than her grandmother.

"She also made me remember that upbringing is important. Acting like my parents would certainly do any children no good," Philip added.

Kuroka winced, then deflated, collapsing back into her seat on the couch.

"My parents… didn't provide the best examples either, I suppose," She admitted. "Shirone was too young to remember, but… our father was a human researcher for the House of Naberious. Our mother was his assistant and lover."

Kuroka paused, frowning.

"I… don't think he loved her. We never really saw him and I don't have any good memories of him either," Kuroka sighed. "I suppose that's part of why I'm jealous of you two. They both died in some accident caused by an experiment, and we were left in the hands of House Naverious, leading to my joining a peerage."

Aya tensed, before reaching out and pulling Kuroka into a hug.

"Ah, anyway," Kuroka said after a moment, pulling away from Aya. "So, Aya… I don't suppose you'd be willing to share Philip?"

"No," The refusal, as blunt as a star was warm, was accompanied by a glare.

"Yeah, I'm with Aya on this," Philip sighed. "Honestly, the idea of… multiple relationships like that at the same time feels uncomfortably close to what my mother does."

Aya frowned.

"So… the rumours I heard are true?" She asked. Her vulpine ears twitched, explaining how she heard said rumours, despite not being one to engage in gossip.

"Well, I know she gets payment from multiple men, quite frequently, many of them much younger than she is," Philip said. "Plus, she spent a hefty sum on plastic surgery last month."

He blinked at the looks he received.

"What?" He asked, confused. "I already told you I had access to her banking information. It also made sense to monitor her information given the apparent manipulations, when someone tried to use her in a poorly thought-out plan to steal my tomes."

"Is monogamy that common?" Kuroka asked. "I know it's fairly uncommon in the underworld, but not unheard of, and I know there are many Yokai communities where it is rare."

"Polygamy is illegal in most Western nations, if I remember correctly," Philip replied. "So, yes, it's quite common."

"Anyway," Aya said. "Kuroka, don't you work the night shift?"

"Huh?" Kuroka briefly looked at Aya, confused, before pulling her phone out.

Both Aya and Philip facepalmed when they saw where she pulled it from, even if they both felt the pocket dimension spell.

"Oh, crap, I'm going to be late!" The dark-haired catgirl shoved her phone back between her breasts and dashed towards her and Aya's room to change.

With a look, Aya stopped Philip from getting out of his seat. She waited until Kuroka vanished out the door before she spoke, an illusion collapsing around her.

"I… get she didn't mean any harm," Aya said, previously hidden emotions coloured her voice. "But…"

"But it bothered you too?"

"… yeah. I'm not angry at her… but I am a little upset."

Philip nodded. He stood, swallowed, walked over to Aya and, with some hesitation, sat next to her, wrapping her in a hug.

"So… what next?" Aya asked, enjoying the touch, her tails wrapping around Philip. "Uh… plans, I mean… against the Khaos Brigade. Not… um…."

Philip, his face blushed as Aya's, coughed before responding.

"Ehrm, right, uh," He stuttered. "Hold the course. I mean… I can't plan or control if Ise asks us to deal with… anything he gets involved in. He might call me, but I'm not going to assume. So… for now, since we don't have an idea of the timeline of events, nor a way to track down the Fallen that killed him either, we keep working on current projects. Honestly, the idea of bases on other worlds sounds cool. How is the defensive technique coming?"

"I can phase through solid objects at will," Aya replied with a smug grin. "Magic still hurts, but I think I can handle the technique in combat, or at least sparring."

"While the spell version is still a work in progress," Philip grunted. "Okay, so, are you asking for us to spar in the forest?"

Aya considered for a moment, before leaning against Philip.

"No," She sighed, a small smile on her face. "I just want to stay like this for a little while."

 

[charclone]

In the end, what they ended up doing was attending one of Bastet's concerts, as they had agreed to. Part of Philip felt guilty about what Bastet did when he told her.

But he wouldn't say anything since it made Aya happy.

"So, you and Bastet are collaborating on your show?" She grinned. Next to her Serafall nodded, her own grin just as wide.

"Yup! Her next album is in the planning phase, but it will launch alongside the soundtrack of an upcoming special," Levi-tan explained. "She's doing the music and helping with the plot, which…."

Serafall glanced around.

"Obviously, it's Egyptian-themed," The Leviathan said in a faux whisper. Not that there was any risk of someone overhearing them in the private box Bastet had given them, refunding Philip's tickets. He still wasn't sure if he should have accepted, though Aya had been ecstatic at being able to share the private booth with Serafall. "But I can't tell you much more than that."

"Looking to further develop ties between the Underworld and the Egyptian Pantheon, or just because it was a cool idea?" Philip asked.

"My sister would not abuse her position like that!" Sona, whom Serafall had dragged along, protested. She coughed and sat back in her seat. "My apologies for my outburst. But my point stands."

"Hmm," Serafall hummed. "A bit of both. Ancient Egypt is a popular topic on Earth, but the Underworld never had a particularly antagonistic relationship with the Egyptian Pantheon, under Sirzechs. Keeping it that way and educating the children of the Underworld on Egypt's Pantheon seemed like a great idea."

Sona sighed.

"My apologies, it seems I did not pay enough attention to the conversation," She apologised.

"Oh, it's alright!" Serafall gave her sister a tight hug. "Ooh! It seems the second half is starting!"

Sona squirmed in her sister's grasp as Bastet's band stepped back onto the stage after a short breather.

The music swelled, before roaring out. The high-pitched vocals were not to Philip's taste, but the subject matter was.

Bastet's songs were in a mix of English and Ancient Egyptian, telling mythological stories. Despite her usage of 'kawaii metal', she expertly mixed in more traditional instruments to the performance, either to emphasise parts of the story or by carefully controlling what instruments are being played, so as not to drown them out.

Somehow, her band made it work.

Philip frowned as he watched the other band members. One was clearly Bastet's son, Maahes, but the others he didn't recognise. None were particularly powerful either and their movements were dissuaded from being focused on. The magic was simple and weak, concealing the movements from being too fluid, and too precise.

Philip blinked, then snorted.

They were puppets. Bastet or her son were, through magic, using golems to play the entire band themselves.

"Something wrong?" Aya asked over the music.

"No, I'll tell you later, when we talk to Bastet," He replied.

---

Hours later, Bastet flopped into a seat in their booth.

"So, how was it?" The Egyptian god-catgirl bounced in her seat. "Come on! Levi-tan? Sona? Philip? Aya?"

"Loud," Philip said sarcastically.

Levi-tan snickered.

"I thought it was great," She said, beaming.

"The mix of both English and Ancient Egyptian was expertly done," Sona added.

"Thoth helped with that since the modern readying of Ancient Egyptian is… poor. Not that I blame them, they are learning it from limited sources," Bastet shrugged. "So, we had to make sure it wasn't too accurate."

"Were those golems controlled by you or your son?" Philip asked.

Sona blinked, frowning.

"Ah, heh," Bastet gave a bashful chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. "You noticed that did you? Yeah, the golems are controlled by both me and my son."

"Really?" Sona asked. "Did you share control, or did you only control a few each?"

"And how did you get them to move so smoothly and with the dexterity necessary?" Philip added. "I've seen more than a few golems, with the current focus on using them for construction and automation, but they've never been able to handle that sort of dexterity."

"Oh, that's easy," Bastet shrugged. "I create a shard of my mind, still attached, but it lets me split my consciousness and focus."

Aya, Philip, and Sona stared at her. Levi-tan just snorted.

"What?" Bastet grinned. "You're telling me you've never tried that?"

"I know of something similar… but the spell is very taxing, and requires preparation," Sona said, glancing at her sister. "It was usually used to ensure someone would not be surprised during an experiment before more effective and efficient wards were developed."

"Well, part of the inefficiency was the lack of any sort of anchor for the fragment," Bastet explained. "And another was the necessity to attune the area to the fragment."

Philip glanced at his staff, pulling it from his bag of holding.

"So, say… I could use my staff, given it is already attuned to me, to split my concentration and control a spell, while still focusing on other things?" Philip asked, the orb on its end reflecting his face.

"Yep!" Levi-tan nodded. "But! Do not try it without someone more experienced! Any of you."

"I understand," Sona sighed. "I can certainly see several potential dangers with it."

"So, anyway!" Bastet clapped her hands. "Sona, Levi-tan was telling me you had a new pawn?"

"Yes, a fellow student, Genshirou Saji," Sona confirmed. "He approached me, and in exchange for assistance caring for his siblings, with all of his close relatives deceased, he joined my peerage."

Philip frowned. The idea of throwing his humanity away for financial security was one that did not sit well with him. He also couldn't recall if he had ever heard of how Saji joined Sona's peerage.

"And, he even has a Sacred Gear," Levi-tan grinned. "The Vritra gear Absorption Line."

Bastet nodded.

"So, catching up with Rias then?" She grinned at Sona. "I heard you had a rivalry with your friend."

"A friendly rivalry, yes," Sona nodded. "I don't believe Rias has identified the Sacred Gear Hyoudou Issei has, which gives me an advantage. I'm also not sure what she sees in him. Philip, you have been teaching him, anything you would like to share?"

Philip felt Aya's tail curl around him as Sona glanced at him, a glint reflected from her glasses.

"Nothing that Rias wouldn't share with you," Philip said, careful with his words. "And the reason for recruitment is… a topic that I suspect is still an open wound for Ise."

"Oh! I have a question!" Levi-tan raised an arm. "Why did Rias hire you instead of my lovely and dearest Sona?"

Sona's face took on a mixture of nausea and embarrassment. A combination Aya found hilarious, based on her suppressed snorts.

"Ise is… lustful. To the extreme, though he does have some moral fibre from what I have seen," Philip stated truthfully.

Serafall blinked. Then she turned to her sister, wrapping her in a protective hug, despite Sona's protests.

"Don't worry! I won't let any such beast touch my So-tan!" She declared. "Philip, thank you for your sacrifice!"

Philip rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I've got work in the morning," He said, standing. "Sorry, we can't stick around longer."

"Oh, don't worry, besides, I think the staff want spectators gone soon anyway," Bastet shrugged. "So, Sona, Levi-tan, want to come backstage with me?"

"Sure!" Serafall grinned, pulling Sona up.

"Ah, I have paperwork I should deal with," Sona began to say before her sister interrupted her.

"So, you need an excuse to avoid it!?" The Leviathan's grin grew. "Understood! You can depend on your sister!"

"No! Wait!" Sona cried. She glanced at Philip and Aya. "Help?"

Philip, choosing the better part of valour, stood, wrapped an arm around Aya, and teleported the both of them home, ignoring Sona's wail of despair.

---

"Are you sure it was a good idea to abandon Sona to her sister like that?" Aya asked the next morning, as they walked down the corridors of the headquarters of the Brotherhood. "It might bite us later."

"Eh," Philip shrugged. "I'm sure it will be fine. Besides, nothing I could have done to help."

"Well, anyway," Aya stretched. "Why does the council want to talk to you?"

"I don't know," Philip admitted with a yawn. "Cain gave them that report already, I doubt they have questions for me about that, maybe something related to my attempts to establish ties to other supernatural groups?"

"Those Inuit magicians did seem pretty surprised when we visited them," Aya noted. "I still find it funny at how they reacted to seeing the prices for the spellbooks the Brotherhood sells."

"Yeah, the idea of another group willing to trade fairly with them was something quite tempting, especially since unlike the church, we don't have any associated baggage," Philip stopped before the council chamber doors, giving the guard a look. "We good to head in?"

"Yeah, the meeting doesn't start for another couple minutes," The guard, clad in thick enchanted plate armour, nodded. "Philip, right?"

"Yup," Philip nodded. "I don't think I've met you before."

"Nah, I'm Archmage Lucinda's grandson. Not much of a magician, but I was born with a Blade Blacksmith Sacred Gear, and the talent to handle the flaming swords I can make," He shrugged. "So, I tend to just hang around as muscle, or work on my alchemical forging techniques to improve the swords I can make."

"Anyway," Lucinda's grandson glanced around. "I think everyone is already inside, so…"

"Ah, yeah, right," Philip nodded. "Thanks."

Aya giggled.

"No problem," The armoured swordsman waved them off.

Inside, Philip noted that the council chambers were not elaborately decorated. Two sets of bleachers were against opposite walls, and between them was the round table used for public meetings of the council.

Philip noted the entire council was present, though the bleachers were mostly empty. He saw a few other senior members present, and one junior member, but that was all.

As he had been called to this meeting, he sat on one of the lower benches of the bleachers and settled in to wait, Aya leaning against his side.

"Alright," Cain said, after several more moments. "I think we should begin."

Lucinda stood.

"The first item on the agenda is the destruction of another storehouse," She said. "Several items were stolen…"

Philip slowly felt his head dip, as the meeting dragged on.

At one point, Aya poked him awake. He noted that at that point, the meeting had dragged on for three hours.

"I plead the council," One senior member had been in the middle of speaking. "My experiments could yield a massive gain in the pharmaceutical industry for our mortal brethren, you can't stand in the way of saving lives!"

"You are suggesting vivisection," Lucinda spat. "Of living creatures intelligent enough to hold a grudge. We will of course support your moral research, but that is too far, you know this. Now, please, we have other matters. Stop wasting our time."

"Indeed," Cain nodded. "Ah, I believe next up on the agenda is the election for the new council head."

"All in favour of Cain," One of the archmages asked. All but two hands went up. "All opposed?"

Lucinda raised her hand, while Cain remained still for both votes.

"And again, Cain remains the head of the council," Lucinda snorted, lowering her hand. "Next… ah, Junior Member Philip."

Philip shot to his feet.

"Present," He said. "How may I assist the council?"

He squashed the sudden wave of foreign terror that struck him. It was becoming easier to resist the foreign emotions at least, and a pattern was emerging.

Lucinda and several other members of the council hid their mirth at Philip's sudden enthusiasm.

"The council appreciates the influx of intelligence you acquired," Lucinda said. She gave Cain a look. "Even if your source is something you cannot publicly disclose."

"However, the council wishes to know if you have the ability to gain additional intelligence," Cain finished. "We are largely blind; thus, your efforts would be of great benefit."

Philip felt a sliver of fear once more, this time his own.

He swallowed, feeling the heat from the lights above.

"At present… I have a single, limited source," He said. "However, I cannot disclose it, nor utilise it, as it may have been… silenced. I am unsure how to move forward with it at this time."

Cain nodded in understanding.

Lucinda scowled.

The other councillors seemed to be between those two expressions, more simply indifferent.

"Well, in that case, do forward whatever you learn regarding the Khaos Brigade to us," Lucinda sighed. "Now, for the next matter, I recommend we establish a militia, a semi-permanent force to counter these attacks."

As the councillors debated the issue, Cain gave Philip and Aya a glance. He gestured to the door, signalling they could leave.

Moments later, Philip was pacing in his office, while Aya lazily spun in his chair.

"They're right," He grunted. "We're blind."

"Kuroka knows where Jeanne has stayed several times," Aya pointed out. "Which you alluded to."

"And odds are butterflies have flapped enough that what future knowledge I had was useless, yeah," Philip agreed. "But outside of that, we are blind, even with that, we are blind because we don't know where the Khaos Brigade will strike next, or what the factions that compose it are. Who is part of it, why, etc."

Aya hummed.

Just at that moment, Philip's phone rang.

"Philip," He answered. "Yes… slow down… Asia? As in Asia Argento? … what did you say the Fallen's name was that kidnapped her?"

Aya winced.

"Time to save a nun?" She asked.

"Not quite yet," Philip stuffed his phone back in his pocket. "Do you remember what Moreal said the name of her sister was?"

Aya blinked, frowning.

"Uh… something starting with an R, wasn't it?" She asked. "Wait, don't tell me?"

"She was the first real fight Ise faced in the series… so, of course, I forgot her name, since she was unimportant," He laughed. "Come on, let's find Moreal and Rob."

 

[charclone]

Moreal blinked as she walked out of the alchemy lab. She glanced between Philip and Aya, who had been waiting for her, their faces set with an uncharacteristic determination.

"Yes?" She prompted. "You told an assistant you needed to talk to me?"

"My apologies if I am touching on a personal topic, but something just came up, and we are short on time," Philip said bluntly. "So, your sister's name is Raynare, correct?"

Moreal slowly nodded, her heart clenching.

"From what you have mentioned in passing, your relationship with her is not positive."

"That's understating it," Moreal sighed, her shoulders slumping. "So, we were born within a few years of each other. We were never close, and our parents were terrible, but we stuck close early in our lives out of necessity. We were… in our forties, I think, over six hundred years ago, now, when I found a lover. I don't know if it was jealousy, just because she could, or if there was another reason, but she killed him. I went as far as I could away from her after that."

Moreal wrung her hands as she continued.

"It was… around two hundred years later, that I saw her again. I had betrothed a young man, who I loved. He knew what I was and accepted me for it," Moreal shuddered. "Then Raynare appeared. Her lover, whom she never named, had rebuffed her. She was… mostly incoherent with rage and jealousy. I… well, I'm not the most powerful. Neither of us are, but my sister devoted far more time to gaining power than I."

"She killed two of your lovers," Aya said, sympathy in her eyes.

"Yes, but the second… she wanted me to be in pain. Misery loves company, as they say," Moreal's voice became infused with emotion. "Sorry, I… she made me watch as she… disembowelled him. Whenever she got upset she would take it out on humans around her. I'm honestly surprised she's still alive."

Moreal rubbed her eyes.

"Sorry," She mumbled. "I… she's a sore spot for me, like you said."

She froze as a sudden realisation sent dread creeping up her spine.

"Who did she kill?" She asked.

Philip sighed.

"I think I mentioned the devil I was teaching?" He said. "Issei Hyoudou? Him, leading to his reincarnation as a devil. And just recently, she kidnapped a friend of his, a former nun named Asia Argento."

Moreal stared at him as she churned things over in her mind. She wasn't a fighter like her sister, she was a fraction as powerful; her skill lying in alchemy instead, but she was willing to make the attempt to put her sister down for good.

"How many people are going after her?" She asked. "I would not be sorry to see her dead. Do we have a chance to put her down?"

"Five, six if Kuroka can join us, possibly more. She has at least one other Fallen in the area, maybe humans supporting her," Philip answered. "Intel is, unfortunately light. Good news, Azazel has stated before several factions that are friendly with me that he has no people in that area, so she isn't being backed by the Grigori."

Moreal frowned.

"Or at least not by him," She muttered. "She doesn't care about humans, and I doubt she has the brains to manipulate the likes of the Gremorys… A Sacred Gear Extractor. What Sacred Gear does the nun have?"

"Twilight Healing, I think?" Aya said, hoping the lie of her uncertainty didn't bleed through.

"Yes… that would make sense…" Moreal rubbed her chin. "Okay, well, I don't know much about her fighting style or goals beyond power… but would you object if I went with you? I happen to have saved alchemical acids for something like this, and if she has the balance breaker unlocked, the acid will at least keep her in enough pain to keep from fighting."

Aya blanched at the mental image that conjured.

"Plus, I want to… take some measure of justice for mine that she killed," Moreal added a moment later. "Not to mention ensure she can't get close to Rob. It's been… a long time since I felt safe loving someone, not to mention my figure isn't exactly what you'd call 'popular'."

"Your figure is perfect," Rob interrupted, coming down the hall. "Philip, Aya, what's up?"

"Your girlfriend's sister is a psycho," Aya said. "And we are gathering help to put her down, and rescue the girl she kidnapped."

"I'm in."

"No!" Moreal shouted at Rob, startling herself in the process. "No. I… don't want to risk losing you."

"Hey, I can take care of myself. Besides, how powerful is your sister anyway?" Rob shrugged. "I'm not going to go charging in, but I can sling a decent spell. Got more power and variety than Philip does."

"Moreal, I'm sorry, but we are kind of short on time," Philip said. "Rob, if you are willing, can you help Moreal get the potions she was talking about earlier? I'll talk to Kuroka and see if I can get any more info out of Ise. Meet me in the teleportation circle in five minutes."

As the couple went off, arguing as they went, Aya turned to Philip.

"I wouldn't have any luck convincing you to keep from heading into danger, would I?"

"Nope," Philip retorted with a snort. "Now, call Kuroka, see if she can ditch work, I'll call Ise back and see what he can tell me."

---

Philip knew his memories of his past life were spotty, grown worse with time, and that made him uncertain and cautious. A fact he had, quietly, conveyed to Aya while they had waited for Moreal and Rob.

Soon enough, the older couple joined the younger, teleporting to Kuoh, after a short stop to pick up Kuroka.

"You are certain that Azazel said that he had none of his people here?" Rias asked, even before the glow of the teleportation spell faded.

"Yes, he stated such before several members of different factions," Philip confirmed stepping out of the circle. He assumed from the way the air in the room hung tense with impatient energy, that there was a time crunch.

Ise's eyes flickered to Moreal. He involuntarily flinched, his hand drifting towards his gut.

"So, what's the plan?" Rob asked, sitting down on the vacant couch, across from where Koneko sat with Kiba.

Rias raised an eyebrow at him, before looking at Philip.

"Rias, Rob. Rob, Rias Gremory," Philip introduced. "He's part of the same organisation and Moreal's lover. Now, is there a plan yet?"

All present, from Aya, Kuroka, Koneko, Rob, and Philip, to Akeno, Kiba, and Tamamo within Philip's Sacred Gear, focused their attention on the Gremory King.

Ise for his part did his best to keep his fear, worry, and impatience under control, standing next to Koneko's couch. He stood, rigid, with only a slight tremor tension shifting his frame. His muscles tense, as he visibly longed to rush out to save his friend.

Rias sighed.

"There are four Fallen. The highest is low high-class, but the rest are at best low mid-class. Not an issue, but we can't rush in. They are supported by two dozen stray exorcists and have unknown support. My familiar, while scouting the abandoned church they are using as a base, did not see any sort of heavy enchantments or equipment around the perimeter," Rias began to explain. "So, here is my plan: They are planning to ambush me, intending to force me to defend my territory. I and Akeno can easily crush their attack, while the rest of you rescue Asia."

"What makes you so certain you can take them on?" Rob asked. He blinked as Philip and Aya snorted, while others gave him an odd look. "What?"

"Rias is Sirzech's younger sister," Moreal informed her lover. "In addition, both she and her queen are easily high-class devils, meaning that unless my sister comes herself, they could mop the floor with several times the enemy force. As it is, they could crush them all in short order."

"Your sister?" Rias frowned; a suspicious look cast at the Fallen.

"Yes," Moreal sighed. "As for our relationship, I am here mostly to see justice done for those I loved who were killed at her hands. And to piss on her ashes, metaphorically."

"Did you actually bring the acid you were talking about?" Philip glanced at her.

She responded with a grin that made even Akeno shudder.

"Buchou's plan is fine, right?" Ise interjected impatiently. "I get I'm not the smartest, but the longer we wait… Asia is my friend! She's important to me, I can't let anything happen to her…"

Rias sighed as Ise trailed off.

"Does anyone have any objections to my plan?"

'What do you think?' Philip thought to Tamamo.

"I'm rather surprised she is looking to divide her foes, but then, she appears to trust her peerage a great deal. I wonder if it is to earn their devotion, or because she does trust them that much?" The ancient kitsune replied. "There is also the matter of reduced risk of collateral damage with their forces divided as such… yes, I see that it should work, well enough."

At the lack of reply, Rias nodded.

"In that case, I recommend you head out now," She said. Her face softened as she looked at them. "Koneko, Kiba, Ise, take care of yourselves. Philip, do not let my peerage come to harm."

 

[charclone]

The first warning Freed Sellzen received that something was wrong was when a breeze was blown through the very much closed door, or rather the illusion of it being closed.

He had only a moment to tense as the white-haired rogue exorcist realised the danger, before a pew came hurtling out of the illusion, already too fast and close to be dodged.

Philip winced as the pew sent the teen through the altar, bouncing off the rear wall.

"Good throw Shirone!" Kuroka said, cheering her sister on. "I can hear chanting from below the altar and I can smell a Fallen. Just one. It seems there is a hidden passage."

"Koneko, the alter if you would please?" At Philip's request, the small girl gave the wrecked stone structure a kick. It slid smoothly away, revealing the hidden staircase. Philip reached out to stop Ise from rushing down but was beaten to it by Kiba. "Okay, quick battleplan: Koneko and Kiba, handle the Exorcists. Moreal, lend support where you think best, I have no idea what you can do. Ise, focus on getting your friend to safety. Kuroka, Rob, and Aya: You two focus on the Fallen, pin her in place and weaken her, kill her if you can. I'll lend fire support and illusions where I can. Any problems?"

Ise frowned but nodded, staring at the yawning void of the stairwell. Rob and Moreal nodded. Koneko simply flicked a feline ear in acknowledgement.

Aya spread her tails out behind her, foxfire dancing on her fingertips, ready to explode into claws.

Rob nodded from where he stood, checking and securing Freed's unconscious body.

"Oh, Moreal," Philip continued. "Meant to ask on the way; what can we expect in terms of abilities from the exorcists and your sister?"

"Alchemical enhancements on the exorcists, faster and tougher than normal humans, but barely on par with a pure-blooded low-class devil. You won't have an issue putting them down, though Ise here might," The alchemist replied, checking a series of vials she had hung from a belt across her chest. At her comment, Ise flinched. "Raynare is a brute. Expect few spells, and lots of power put into her Spears of Light. Other than that, she's a bit of a glass cannon, last I saw her."

"Gah!" Ise suddenly yelled. "The longer we wait the more they are hurting Asia! I can hear her!"

"Alright," Philip said. "Melee fighters first, casters at the rear. Aya, with me at the rear."

---

The tunnel was longer than Philip had expected. He vaguely recalled a cavern in the anime, one he expected to be an enlarged basement, but as they kept going deeper, illuminated by electronic lamps hanging from the wall, he realised that magic had been used to carve a very deep cavern, possibly to access a buried leyline.

It made sense, he silently reasoned, since an underground leyline would be harder to monitor and thus would let the Fallen power any large spells without attracting attention. He briefly wondered how many hidden bases or laboratories were in the world, buried for centuries, pulling from underground leylines.

They passed small, empty chambers, likely quarters and storerooms as they neared the bottom. Then the tunnel levelled out and the passage opened.

He saw first Kiba, then Koneko followed by Ise, dash forwards. There was the brief sound of a wooden door being splintered by small fists.

Aya reached forward and gave his arm a squeeze.

"Welcome, Devils!" An unfamiliar but feminine voice called out.

Philip heard Ise call Asia's name.

"Go," He told the rest.

"It's a touching reunion, but it's too… Moreal?" The feminine voice, presumably Raynare, paused, then laughed. "Oh, isn't that sweet, my sister comes too late, yet again, to save a lover?"

"Kuroka, poison," Philip grunted under his breath, trusting in the catgirl's superior hearing. "Bitch is monologuing."

Aya snickered as they stepped into the cavern through the shattered doorframe. At the far end, a device vaguely shaped like a cross was set against the wall, a young girl in nun robes chained to it.

Next to her was Raynare.

Philip saw the family resemblance, but where Moreal had a light of intellect in her eyes, Raynare's gaze, framed by the dark locks she shared with her sister, revealed an unsettling madness. Obsession, Tamamo quietly corrected Philip.

Between them and the Fallen, stood a two-dozen rogue exorcists. Their robes, Philip noted, were mockeries of priestly robes. They were also armed with both swords and guns.

Asia suddenly screamed as the artefact glowed.

"Finally!" Raynare turned. "The power I've craved for, all this time!"

Philip called a spell to mind.

"Devils? No, magicians!" A priest called out. "Ready wards!"

"More behind them!" Another cried. "And… damn! Church loyalists!? Working with devils!?"

"We're trapped and outnumbered!" A third yelled, raising his pistol.

Kuroka didn't remain still. Her power rippled, silently stretching out, even as she pulled some of it close for a ranged attack.

Kiba simply leapt into the fray, his sword causing the blades of light to vanish as the blades touched. He darted around the startled exorcists, far faster than any human could move.

Koneko relied on her fists.

Philip winced as one unfortunate exorcist caught an uppercut, likely breaking his neck, and punting him headfirst into the ceiling.

'Pure-blood low-class devils are this weak?' He pondered while keeping the illusion of reinforcements up. The exorcists that favoured their guns were wasting shots into it and the wall behind it.

"I believe so," Tamamo answered. "It would explain why the Evil Piece system was so quickly adopted."

Rob sent forks of lighting into the massed exorcists.

Splitting his attention, Philip anchored the illusion with his staff and called to mind another formula. As magic poured through it, the room shifted.

The exorcist scrambled as the room seemed to rotate, their sense of gravity not aligning with what they were seeing.

A few had the mental fortitude to keep their wits, perhaps having faced illusions before.

Here and there, Philip hid bodies or made an attack seem to come out of nowhere, intent on keeping them off balance.

With a flash, Aya darted forward, her form splitting into three to intercept a group of exorcists that had slipped past Kiba and Koneko. Her fingers trailed sparkling gold and blue flames.

Philip felt his heart twinge as her claws solidified against one blade of light, while the other sailed through the illusion of his girlfriend. The one she had intercepted screamed as her other hand carved open his belly, before she darted under another swing, disembowelling the second with the same motion.

A lance of ice gored a third.

Philip forced himself to look away and focus on the battle as a whole.

He blinked, as he saw Ise run past Raynare, the teen somehow having made his way across the chaotic battle.

As the Pawn reached for Asia, Philip pulled on the underground leyline and spat a disruption spell at the Sacred Gear Extractor. Its lights flickered and died.

Raynare's face swiftly alternated between confusion, surprise, delight, and anger.

"No!" She screeched. "What!? What did you do? It… it's not supposed to fail like that! I was so close! The power! It was nearly mine!"

"Kuroka, Moreal!" Philip shouted, abandoning his illusions, and pulled an Elemental Spear into existence. The rod of fire hurtled through the air, intercepted by a barrier.

"You! Magician! You dare interfere!"

A spear of light smashed into Raynare's barrier again, thrown by Moreal. The barrier did not stop Kuroka's poison, silently and invisibly shooting forward on a ki-powered breeze.

Raynare spread her wings, ignoring Ise as he pulled Asia down into his arms, and made to lunge into the air.

Kiba gave a wordless cry as he lunged at her, forcing her to abandon her attempt at flight as she manifested a spear of light into the space between her body and Kiba's dark blade.

The Gremory Knight gave her no time, nor space, to recover, battering her with his blade in a two-handed grip. With each blow after the first, the light in Raynare's hand faded.

Suddenly, Kiba stepped back, and Raynare gave a squawk as Koneko grabbed her wings and pulled.

Philip noted the last of the rogue exorcists were either dead or laid out on the ground in a manner that suggested they would not be moving unaided.

The fallen was not quite finished, however. Her wings forced themselves from the small catgirl's grip, leaving behind several pitch-black feathers in Koneko's grip.

With her wings beating frantically, Raynare glanced around the room.

Moreal poured a potion onto the floor, forming a small pool of void black liquid. Rob let lighting crackle around his hands, spells contained within. Aya abandoned her foxfire claws, forming a pair of Elemental Spears at her shoulders. Philip readied his own volley of spells while covering Kiba and Koneko with an illusion as they relocated. Kuroka narrowed her eyes and formed a condensed shot of dark power in her hand.

Raynare scowled, then darted towards the exit behind them, her wings spread wide. Just as the spells were loosed in her direction, she folded one wing, revealing a dozen small Spears of light, and rolled down to one side, abandoning her dive.

Philip flinched as the spears hurtled towards them. He barely had time to note their aim, before pouring power into a rushed barrier spell.

Both he and Rob grunted as they took the brunt of the attack. Their barriers held, barely.

Moreal batted the single spear aimed at her away with her wing, a strange reflective fluid glistening from it before she grabbed Rob and shoved him into the pool of darkness at her feet. With a ripple, he vanished.

"Ah, so it was the thin one you're in love with," Raynare snorted, crouched before them. "Chose one that didn't look as fat as yourself?"

Moreal ignored the barb.

Raynare scowled and started to say something else when Kiba interrupted her. His sword flashed, despite its dark material, and cut into the insane Fallen.

Raynare twisted at the last second, gasping as the blade sliced through her left wing. She stumbled backwards, before lunging, her wings vanishing before reappearing, whole and undamaged. She batted Kiba's second strike aside as she ducked beneath his reach, dashing past. Her wings beat once and propelled her over Koneko's hands.

But not the white-haired nekoshou's reach, as the catgirl leapt.

Philip summoned another illusion, effecting just one target, and kept Raynare from seeing which leg Koneko held on to.

The pair twirled into the air, Kuroka wincing, the rest waiting.

With a frustrated yell, Raynare kicked with both legs in a turn, and Koneko lost her grip. She landed safely, her catlike reflexes and devil wings making the fall seem almost a deliberate choice.

The moment Koneko was free, there was nothing to stop them from pelting Raynare with ranged spells.

She landed with a crash at the centre of the room.

"Glass cannon my ass," Philip groused as Raynare unsteadily stood up. "Where did you send Rob?"

"Back a ways," Moreal groaned. "And she apparently has picked up something that made her tougher."

Despite the punishment sent her way, the Fallen Angel woman stood. She was unsteady, her arm visibly broken, but she bore no sign of the fire nor lighting that had been thrown at her.

"You… pathetic… lower beings…" She slurred. "I… was so close…"

"Boost!" A deep voice rumbled a roar.

Philip winced and stepped aside, as Ise punched Raynare from behind, sending her hurtling forwards, sliding along the floor.

"Honestly, I think the poison did the most damage," Philip said, staring at Raynare's unconscious form before looking at Ise. "But congrats on activating your Sacred Gear, good punch too."

Ise blinked, then shook his head.

"N-never mind that!" He sobbed. His face was streaked with tears, rolling down his face. "Asia, she… can you heal her? Do you have a potion, or, or something?"

Moreal leapt across the room, kneeling next to the pale nun. She placed her hand on the girl's neck and winced.

"Partial extraction, good on you for interrupting it, Philip…" The alchemist sighed. "I… have no idea what to do. The soul is far outside of my expertise."

"Ise, take her to Rias," Philip sighed.

"What?" The boy gave him a confused look.

"Evil Pieces," Philip sighed. He hadn't thought this far ahead, and that was the only thing he knew that could help. "They can bring back the recently deceased and those wounded."

Ise's hand drifted to his stomach.

"…Right!" With renewed energy, Ise scooped Asia up and ran up the stairs. Kiba and Koneko followed a moment later, after a nod from Kiba, and a look at Kuroka from Koneko.

Philip sighed, looking around.

"Okay, Moreal, can you keep your sister from doing anything? I'll go find Rob. Aya, can you see if that Sacred Gear Extractor can be moved?" Philip groaned, suddenly feeling tired, his head pounding from the magical strain. "Kuroka, help Moreal."

"How do I do that?" Aya asked.

"If it's bolted down, cut the bolts. Otherwise, we'll just teleport it," Philip answered. He glanced at the puddle of darkness on the floor and briefly considered using it to head to Rob, but thought better of it.

In the end, it turned out to be the correct decision, as he met a rather flustered and irate Rob on the stairs moments later.

---

Cain stared at the pile of weapons.

"I understand the Sacred Gear Extractor," He nodded at the device sitting in the corner of the storage room. "But the guns and swords?"

"Research fodder and Rias didn't care about them," Philip answered. "I want to get that pistol working."

Cain nodded slowly.

"Well… get some rest," The archmage paused. "Did Moreal get anything useful from her sister?"

"No," Philip shook his head. "Just that she lied to her superiors in the Grigori. I doubt Azazel had any idea she was there. Unfortunately, the other exorcists expired before we could get anyone to them."

"And the stragglers escaped, including the one Ise identified as Freed, despite being knocked out with a pew," Cain nodded. "I'll look into seeing if the militia could use a versatile weapon. If we could convert the… how many are there?"

"Two dozen, plus there was a crate of another thirty," Philip answered. "Paired swords and pistols. So fifty-four pistols and swords, each, total."

"I see…" Cain paused. "There is actually a project being worked on that could benefit from the Elemental Lance spells being worked into a firearm form. I'll get some things set up, and I believe Moreal would be quite willing to assist with it. However, do inform me next time something like this happens?"

"I'm not exactly planning on fighting half the world," Philip retorted. "But, yeah, sorry. It slipped my mind."

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again," Cain sighed. "I understand, now, why Aya rarely leaves your side. Go home, Philip, and take the rest of the week off. I will call you if there is an emergency. Afterwards, I believe it would be best if I gave you a list of people to contact, rather than letting you run off on your own."

"I'm still to act as the point of contact for the Gremory group?"

"And Serafall Leviathan," Cain slumped. "Unless you told her about Command and Conquer? She somehow found my private email and has been sending me images and videos of Kane."

"I can honestly say I did not tell her," Philip winced. "I can tell her you are sick of it if it might help."

"You can try," Cain sighed. "Worse, I think, is that the prototype AI decided to take one of the names she suggested, and I can't bring myself to terminate it over a such petty point. Yes, the irony is not lost on me."

Philip snorted awkwardly, not wanting to risk antagonising Cain further.

"Right, then, I'm off. I think I heard Aya calling."

"Goodnight, Philip," Cain waved the young magician off, before shaking his head. "So, Issei Hyoudou is the next Red Dragon Emperor? … why did we ever let Azazel determine those names anyway?"

---

A.N. Yeah, I'm keeping Freed in my back pocket. More because of the fact I need to practice writing crazy people than because I like him as a villain.

Anyway, how are my fight scenes? I'm curious as to whether people like them or not, since I'm still new at writing this sort of combat.

Edit: Messed up Freed's name, somehow. No idea where that 'a' came from.

 

[charclone]

"Hey, love, can I talk to you for a minute?" Rob asked, stepping into the lab. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

Moreal winced. Likely about her pushing him into the potion-portal the other day.

"Can it wait two minutes while I finish this?" She asked, carefully measuring out drops of a solution, her voice muffled by the mask over her face. "At a delicate stage."

"Yeah, sure," Rob said, sounding not quite dejected, but not pleased either. "What are you working on?"

"Components for exorcist pistols," Moreal answered, adjusting the temperature of a boiling pot before tossing in salts. "The ones we brought back were all of low quality. Suspiciously low, for having the Church's seals on them. Infighting must have slashed the budget, or they are focusing on quantity over quality. These are going to be a series of crystals to hold the spells."

"I see," Rob didn't. The guns were outside of his expertise.

"They use the crystals to store a spell they cast and the power. I'm crafting some prototypes for an idea another magician had, who is working on this project. She wants a dozen to test combinations of elemental affinity, to see if that will get the pistol to function," Moreal continued. "Getting quality and quantity at the same time is an exercise in frustration at the moment."

She placed a stopper on a vial and covered several pots with lids before turning to Rob.

"Okay, done," She sighed. "For now, anyway. What did you want to talk about, dearest?"

"… its not for Philip?" Rob blinked, then shook his head. "Sorry, it's just…"

"The cave, in Kuoh?" Moreal guessed. "I'm sorry, I panicked, and sent you too far away, taking you out of the fight. I should have talked with you about it beforehand."

"No! No, you made the right call," Rob denied. "She was headed right for me, and I wasn't sure I could get another barrier up in time to stop her. You did good."

Moreal didn't look at all to be in agreement, slumping, her gaze falling to the floor.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up," Rob comforted her. "We got through it without anyone hurt, you got to achieve some justice for those your sister killed and now she's gone. She can't hurt anyone anymore."

Moreal sighed.

"I know, I know, sorry for moping," She muttered. "It's just… I am not good at combat. I'm too… bookish. I prefer to mix ingredients than trade blows."

She took a deep breath.

"And no, the crystals aren't going to be for Philip," His lover said. "The archmage just wants his spell available for use in pistols and other implements of war."

"Ah," Rob shifted his jaw. "Well… speaking of Philip, is it strange how he seems to… plan for things so well? How he took charge? And how people seem to like him so much, so easily?"

"Not really?" Moreal lowered her mask to dangle around her neck, before folding her arms beneath her breasts. "Some people are good at taking charge quickly, and he had been in contact with the devils already, so he probably had some idea of what to plan for in the first place."

Rob grunted in response to her logic.

"Hey, if I can't mope, neither can you… are you feeling jealous of him?" She asked after a moment. "Rob… I don't know what to tell you. You are a far more accomplished spellcaster, you are older, and you were made a senior member when you joined the Brotherhood, while Philip is just a junior member."

"He's killed a high-class devil, and now helped defeat a high-class fallen," Rob pointed out. "Sure, I've helped kill six mid-class strays and thirteen low-class, but that was part of a group."

"And Philip wasn't? From what I recall, he got the last blow against the devil, but he had the help of another high-class devil, Kuroka, plus Aya and that shapeshifter," Moreal threw her arms up in the air. "And you were there against my sister, Rob!"

"I…" Rob stopped himself. "Sorry, I… I just… Cain seems to focus on him a lot more. He's working on a third spell and some project of Cain's, while I'm struggling to get just one new spell working. It makes me feel…"

"You are not worthless," Moreal wrapped her arms and wings around her lover, blanketing him in her dark feathered embrace. "I get feeling like you can't compare but… don't let it eat at you. Doubts like that are insidious. Compared to the rest of the supernatural, humans are pretty squishy, but with time, you now stand equal to most of the pantheons and groups. Power doesn't matter, how it's applied does."

Rob sighed.

"Oh, right," Moreal continued. "I got permission to make a… recreation potion. What do you say we test it out tonight?"

Rob blinked before a lecherous grin spread across his face.

---

"Cain," Lucinda gave her fellow archmage a nod as he entered the room. "We need to talk."

"About the militia?" Cain asked, taking the seat opposite her. "Or about Philip?"

"Neither. I applaud our young member's exploits and contacts, and I agree that a militia is needed," Lucinda sighed. "But you seem intent on making it an army, rather than a defensive force. Bringing in additional people to bolster its numbers? An intricate logistics system? We're researchers, not soldiers."

"Yes, but that is why I am afraid," Cain sighed.

"You? Afraid?" Lucinda snorted. "What? The old Lucifer back from the dead? The Solomonari rebuilt? Heaven falling?"

"A second devil civil war, with other factions, possibly whole pantheons, directly involved, to further their own goals," Cain stated with such blunt force that Lucinda froze. "Worse, I have no idea how deep it goes. Loki is a possibility, I suspect that several other magician groups are directly involved, Sacred Gear users are operating with the Old Kings Faction... and Ophis was also seen with them."

Lucinda's jaw snapped shut.

"You're certain?"

"I have one of her – yes, she changed her form again, a young girl this time – worms in a sealed jar. It is without a doubt Ophis Ouroboros," Cain seemed to take on all his millennia in an instant before Lucinda. "I fear for the world if she is directly involving herself. But I believe this Khaos Brigade is merely a means to an end for her."

Lucinda clasped her hands together, rubbing her wrinkled digits together in thought and worry.

"Yes… I remember now," She muttered, her own age weighing on her, despite being a fraction of the age of the being before her. "You gave a report not too long ago about them…."

"We were not ready the last time a war appeared on our doorstep," Cain said. "We have recovered the damage from last time, though our members are younger and fewer than I would like, but we have a forewarning this time."

Lucinda closed her eyes.

Images flashed from her memory, of the days when a rival organisation launched a surprise attack. Only Cain survived from the old council, for obvious reasons. Most people can't walk off a potion of liquid form of the power of destruction being aerosolised into the room. She had been an apprentice at the time to a senior magician, an old man who wouldn't even harm a fly.

He had died when the other magicians dropped the roof on him.

Once, they had boasted membership of over three thousand magicians, across the world. Sixty years after they barely survived the attack, they could barely pass that number once more after dedicated efforts.

But the Solomonari had been wiped out. Their dragon was slain by Cain; their members were hunted down by the Brotherhood's allies, and their resources were split apart or destroyed.

It had been a bloody affair.

Lucinda opened her eyes, looking at Cain.

"Can we risk being the ones to start another fight like that?" She asked, her voice hoarse. "Far too many are young magicians. Few of the eldest are combatants."

"That is why I am seeking to add more to our capabilities," Cain explained. "And why we need more allies. The Egyptian Pantheon alongside the Greek Pantheon and the Knights Templar have stood by us for a long time, but we need to build a proper alliance."

"That will not be easy," Lucinda sighed. "Bad enough the Templar stand with us, just above rogue exorcists in the Church's eyes, but there is much bad blood between most major factions. Siding with one could risk alienating others."

"Yes," Cain nodded. "But I believe Azazel and the devils are slowly headed towards something approaching a formal ceasefire. Azazel was nearly bending over backwards to make sure his subordinates didn't antagonise the devils and youkai during the incident with Canis Lykaon."

Lucinda hummed.

"But if the Grigori splinter…"

"I know," Cain sighed. "But that is why I am pushing for our extraplanetary efforts to be completed sooner enough we could settle worlds."

"Fallback points if the worst happens," Lucinda nodded. "I thought so, but I didn't realise the situation was so dire. What of the other archmages?"

Cain winced.

"… you know what their thoughts are," He sighed. "They always agree with me, either hoping to gain from it or because they care more for their research. Or because they found ways to tease me."

"Is it really that bad?" She asked. "What did the fictional Brotherhood of Nod do?"

"Nuclear terrorists, religious fanatics following their prophet Kane," He sighed. "And given your project, in case of dire circumstances…"

"… I see," Lucinda replied. "Well… at least the nuclear weapons would at least be in keeping with the theme?"

Cain groaned.

"Why did I ever agree to your proposal to mix nuclear physics and magic?" He moaned.

"Because, it is a powerful tool of humanity, one that could prove to be decisive if open war started," Lucinda answered. "But it is a worse-case scenario, anyway. Now, who are you thinking of reaching out to?"

 

[charclone]

A.N. Man, this one fought me. It can be hard, to get certain character's just right, especially ones like Asia. Kuroka, despite having written her already for a bit, actually gave me the most problems.

---

Philip woke with a start, cold claws of terror gripping his chest. He lay in bed as minutes ticked past, chest heaving, too scared to move.

Slowly, he curled his fingers, testing his body, then, he moved his arm, pulling the covers off.

He sat on the edge of his bed, his heart pounding.

In contrast to the pounding in his ears, the house was silent. Thanks to Minori's wards, the house's shifting was quieted. Most of the time, it was relaxing.

After the terror that woke Philip, it was disconcerting. Terrifying, even.

With a shuddering breath, Philip focused his mind, pulling the formula for a spell to the forefront of his mind, pushing back the terror. He fed magic into it, then let it fire.

The spell leapt through the closed door, across the hallway, and through another door. It finally settled into Aya's ears, conveying a single word, after the last dregs of power that propelled it woke her.

"Aya?"

Her grogginess from being woken by the spell evaporated the instant her mind processed what she heard. Philip's voice; tainted by tones of terror that she couldn't recall him ever using.

Awake enough to recognise he had sent it to only her, with Kuroka still snoring on the bunk above, Aya quietly slipped out of her room.

When she pushed Philip's door open, she could see him there, sitting on the side of the bed. The movement of the door made him tense and she felt him pull at his magic, the staff sitting in the corner shifting towards its master before he caught sight of her and seemed to collapse into himself.

"Philip?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is everything okay?"

"Sorry for waking you," Philip said, his voice strained and with a strange wavering tone.

Aya stepped over to him, sitting next to him on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, placing her hand on where she was pretty sure his was in the dark. When she touched it, she blinked in surprise and took it in her own, before leaning against him as he shook like a leaf. "What happened?"

"It… just the Sacred Gear acting up," He replied, swallowing as he stared into the darkness of the night. "I… sorry. It was nothing. I shouldn't have woken you."

At his second apology, Aya frowned. She wrapped her arms and tails around him as he continued to shake.

"Philip, it wasn't nothing," Aya protested, leaning her head against his shoulder. "You're shivering. Something bothered you. What happened?"

Philip was silent for several moments.

It hurt Aya to see him like this. Scared her too. Philip had always acted brave, even in the face of danger, so this difference was jarring.

Unsteadily, Philip began to speak.

"I… it… was a sudden fear, not my own… from the Sacred Gear," Philip shook his head as his voice slowly grew more steady. "I… don't want to talk about it. Doesn't matter what it was, it was just… it threw off the pattern I had been observing."

"Pattern?" Aya asked.

"Yeah, I noticed that the emotions that I was experiencing were ones that I could, in theory, experience, but brought up to extremes," Philip explained. "But this… throws that out the window."

"Should we contact Azazel and Levi-tan?" Aya asked.

"No," Philip sighed. "…In the morning. The episodes haven't been frequent, but if that changes, then yes, we'll contact them."

"Are you sure?" Aya pressed out of concern. "You're still shaking."

"I… it's… the…" Philip struggled to answer. "The… episode, it was… not just an emotion. It was… part dream, part… emotion?"

He gave a weary sigh.

"It sounds stupid but… it was… being alone. You, your mother… even Kuroka, gone or never existed in the first place," Philip shuddered against Aya as he spoke. "It… sent my mind to dark places… and the artificial fear…"

Philip paused.

"Illusion magic is about manipulating the target's senses," He said. "Emotions… fall under that, technically. At least as far as magic is concerned. It… was like in Egypt, in the tomb. It seemed so real… if whatever flaw can do that… how can I know the difference between reality and illusions when the lines end up blurred?"

Aya struggled to find an answer. Nothing she could call to mind seemed like the right response, didn't seem like something that answered his concern.

Instead, she hugged him harder.

"I'm not going anywhere," She said. "I'm staying by your side, forever."

"Me too, nya! Well, and my sister's side too," Kuroka's voice emanated from the open door. The catgirl padded in, sitting next to Aya on the bed.

"Is everything okay?" Minori called out from the hallway.

"We're fine, Mom," Aya answered. "Philip… we'll be calling Serafall in the morning."

"Are you sure you two are alright?" Concern was chiselled into her mother's face as she looked around the corner of the door. "I know I haven't been able to help much recently, but even though you two are grown adults, mostly, I'm still here for you."

"What about me?" Kuroka protested. "Aren't I a grown adult?"

"Your sister is more mature than you, despite being close to half your age, so no," Minori retorted with a snort. "Now, let's all head back to bed. Some sleep can help."

Aya felt Philip twitch and wrap his arm around her, pulling her close.

With a sigh Kuroka stood, following Minori out of the room. She paused and gave Aya a wink and a suggestive look, her cat eyes glowing in the darkness, before she closed to door behind her.

Aya frowned at the nonverbal implication Kuroka suggested.

"… aren't you going to bed?" Philip asked quietly.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere," Aya replied. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks even as she said it, but she wasn't going to retract her statement. The pair cuddled in silence for several more moments before Aya decided, with her sleep-deprived wisdom, to ask Philip something: "In your past life… was there anyone else?"

"Hmm?" Philip groaned in question. "What do you mean?"

"Like me?"

Philip sleepily rubbed his head against hers, before replying.

"… no, I never put the effort in to look for someone," He admitted. "Life was too much a confused mess. Stressed parents from bills, trying to pay my way through college."

He snorted.

"I don't need to go to college here, heh."

Aya smiled. Then she pulled away from Philip, sliding under the covers of the bed, and pulled him with her.

The next morning, Kuroka would give her a smug look, only to be disappointed when Aya quietly informed her of the truth; they had only cuddled.

---

"You two are sickeningly sweet!" Kuroka later complained as they prepared to leave. With Azazel needing time to prepare and with both him and Serafall having schedules set in advance that needed to be shifted, it had been agreed that they would continue at least part of their plans for the day. "At least let me live vicariously through you two if you won't share!"

"Still no luck finding a boyfriend?" Aya asked, her tone coy. "What about the boys you work with?"

Kuroka shuddered in disgust.

"Immature at best, repulsive at worst," She whined. "I know I look sinfully good, but their looks are… nyasty."

"Why must you make those cat sounds?" Philip sighed as he readied the teleportation spell. "I know it's not a verbal tick, but an active choice, so why?"

"Nya?" Kuroka attempted to look as innocent as possible, which is to say, about as innocent as a dragon with a full belly in the middle of a burned village. Aya frowned as she caught a flicker of a more downcast emotion, behind the false face of innocence. Her eye's flickered to here Aya held Philip's hand. "Anyway, enough about that. Let's go see Shirone! … oh, and her friends in Gremory Peerage as well, I suppose."

"Why not pursue Ise?" Aya asked as innocently as possible. Again, see dragon in village. Her tone failed to carry any amount of sincerity.

Kuroka's look was two-dimensional.

"Teleporting now," Philip announced, unamused by the conversation topic.

As the glow ended, they found themselves facing the expectant faces of the Gremory Peerage. Unexpected was Sona's face, as well as an unfamiliar face next to her, a blond boy, athletic in build, who wore a deep scowl.

"Philip," Rias greeted. "Thank you for agreeing to teach Asia. However, Sona here has a request."

"Philip," Sona adjusted her glasses and gestured to a vacant couch. She sat opposite it. "This is my Pawn Saji Genshirou, using Western order. I would like you to utilise the services you are providing Rias, in teaching her newest members the basic principles of magic."

"In short, you want me to teach Saji here?" Philip raised an eyebrow.

"Correct."

"This American?" Saji frowned, then winced when Sona gave him a look. "But President, aren't you more skilled than he is?"

"In some aspects of magic, yes, however, magicians are far more efficient at the basics," Sona answered. "I expect you to learn from him and show him the proper respect due to a teacher, should he agree."

Rias gave Sona a sharp look that Aya failed to decipher, as Saji deflated, gaining a look of defeat and disappointment.

"FYI: I'm Canadian, as is Aya," Philip said. "I assume, Sona, that you are willing to pay the same rates as Rias?"

"I am," Sona nodded.

Aya noted the way Rias smirked slightly and suspected Rias had not told her friend just how much she was paying Philip.

"Very well," Philip sighed. "In that case, because of my issue, I will spend a short amount of time today seeing what talent they both have and checking on Ise's progress."

"Did something happen?" Rias asked, ignoring Sona's subtle, smug look sent her way.

"Serafall didn't tell you?" Philip cocked his head to the side. "Another, new, incident with my Artificial Sacred Gear. It is being seen too. Now, I am on a bit of a time limit, so, why don't I get started now?"

---

Shortly later, once Kuroka had dragged her sister off to spoil her and the rest of the peerages headed off, Philip and Aya sat with the three newest Peerage members in the same classroom that Philip had used to teach Ise.

"So, you three have classes right after this, so that's even more reason to keep things short," Philip began, looking at the three of them. "Ise: Anything you've noticed when experimenting with your Sacred Gear?"

"Ah, yeah!" The brown-haired pervert, to Philip's surprise, hadn't been staring at Aya's chest the entire time, instead focusing his attention on Philip. "When I hit… ah, Raynare, the Sacred Gear said 'Boost!', and copied that story you told me, about the stray using their Twice Critical!"

Philip noted the poorly hidden pain in Ise's voice when he spoke of the Fallen that had killed him.

"Meaning, you doubled the damage you dealt to her when you struck her," Philip nodded. "Good, but anything else?"

Embarrassed, Ise shook his head.

"Okay, Asia, then," Philip looked to the nun. "Am I correct in assuming you have spent time using your Sacred Gear already? What about schooling in magic or mathematics?"

"Ah, uh," The young girl stammered nervously. "No-I mean, yes, I have healed lots of people with it. I'm not good at using it to hurt, though."

"That's fine," Philip sighed. "From what I have read, they respond to desires. So, given your desire to help others, and inclination against violence, I'm not at all surprised. Compensate for your weaknesses, but that doesn't mean you need to change who you are."

The nun nodded fiercely.

"Now, about magic?"

"Ah," She winced. "I was… not told much about it. I… spent most of my time healing others and… didn't get to spend much time learning. I know they use circles and rely on devils…"

"The latter isn't entirely true," Philip sighed. "There are several schools of magic, lines of thought, models for the mathematics behind it, etc. We can discuss that later. For now, I just need to know your baseline. I take it you volunteered to heal others, even at the expense of your own schooling?"

Asia blinked, then nodded.

"Alright," Philip sighed. "We can test if that affected your reserves of power later. Given you have a dislike of violence, I assume, we can focus on shielding and warding spells, as well as other ways to help your allies."

"Now," Philip began to turn his attention to Sona's pawn.

"Um," Asia began, before wilting and falling silent.

"Yes," Philip looked back at her.

"I, um… just wanted to… um, thank you, for saving me," She looked down. "So… thank you, very much."

Philip blinked as she gave a nervous bow. As she rose, she glanced at Ise, receiving an affirming grin.

"You don't need to thank me," Philip replied, shaking his head. "Or bow. I was just doing what was right. I had the ability to act, and choosing not to offer help when Ise asked would have been immoral. But you are welcome. Besides, Ise was the one who saved you."

In the back, Aya snickered as both Asia and Ise blushed. Saji just gave them a jealous glance and grumbled.

"But… um," Asia stuttered again. "Ah… never mind, sorry."

"Don't apologize for trying to be polite, you'll sound like a Canadian," Philip joked with a smile. "In all seriousness, I appreciate the sentiment and will pass it on to Moreal and Rob, the other two who helped."

"Ah, yes, thank you," Asia nodded.

"Now, Saji," Philip focused on the other Pawn in the group. "How much has Sona taught you?"

"Uh, the basics of being a devil, how to focus my power, the basics of flying and how to activate my Sacred Gear," The boy rattled off, thinking. Then, to prove his last point, he manifested the dark snake-like gauntlet around his forearm. "I, uh, haven't figured out how to use it yet."

"Keep working on it," Philip said. "I'll give you copies of what I sent Ise. For now, let's get you working on mathematics. Ise, keep practising the exercises."

A sudden cry of 'How much!?' rang out through the building.

"Ah," Philip snorted. "Rias must have only just now told her friend how much I'm charging her for this."

Aya let loose a cackle.

 

[charclone]

Exams are done, so I had time to write and edit some chapters. Merry Christmas, happy holidays.

Enjoy the chapter!

---

Philip woke to a weight pressing down on his chest.

He remembered Azazel, under Serafall's watchful eye, running additional tests. Tests that seemed to drag on and on. One after another.

Apparently, stretching into the evening, Philip realised.

Blinking, he opened his eyes.

Above, the glare of an overhead lamp blazed into his eyes.

Philip found himself lying in the Kato's living room on a couch. Familiar decorations covered the walls.

Aya's ear flickered and tickled his jaw.

Philip looked down at her, where she lay with her head against his chest, the top of her head just about to his chin. The light gave her brown hair a red glow, one that paired well with the heat Philip felt from her presence. Her tails, spread and curled around both of their legs, flitted gently as she fidgeted in her sleep.

Her soft, quiet breathing filled the room, her head gently rising with each of Philip's breaths.

After a moment, he rubbed his eyes and lowered his head back against the cushion. He remained still, utterly at a loss about how to proceed. Multiple ideas entered his head, but most were too risky for him, he felt. The idea of following through with those made him freeze in terror and embarrassment.

Other ideas, such as rolling over and dumping Aya onto the floor to wake her, seemed too cruel.

The fact that he wasn't entirely sure if this was real, or an illusion conjured by the flawed Artificial Sacred Gear, added to his trepidation.

Instead, Aya stirred to wakefulness. She blinked, pushing herself up, before staring him in the eyes. Her face turned crimson.

"Sorry," She apologised. "It was… kind of late and Azazel lent us the room after you started to nod off."

She coughed lightly in embarrassment.

"Serafall left after we got back, then Kuroka showed up a few minutes later," She gestured to the dark-haired woman, snoring gently in a chair. Koneko sat in her lap, curled slightly.

"So, did Azazel figure out anything?" Philip asked to distract from their mutual embarrassment.

"Ah…" Aya mumbled and shrugged with a yawn. "I don't remember."

As she got up, Philip slid his legs off the couch before heading into the kitchen.

"No," Aya blocked his path with a tail. "I'm going to cook this time."

Philip stopped and blinked. Doubt against everything he perceived bubbled up in his chest. Aya had never tried to cook, herself. It was… unfamiliar.

At his frown, Aya huffed.

"I've helped you cook before," She pouted. "Besides, I'll just make French toast. I'm not going to ignore the recipe and experiment, either."

"Fine," Philip sighed, fishing his phone out. "I'll call Azazel, then, and see if he has any updates."

The Governor-General of the Grigori answered almost immediately.

"What?" The tone that came over the phone was clipped and stressed.

"This a bad time?" Philip winced as he asked.

"Oh, Philip! Nah, just watching an experiment," The Fallen answered. "Ah, right, things got pretty late last night. I'll text the results to you. But the basics of it is I have no idea what is going on. I'd need to look at their research notes because I don't think they copied a real Sacred Gear. Looks similar on the surface, but beneath… keep recording your observations. If you know where their lab is, I can send some people to help you secure it."

"I see," Philip's heart fell. It hadn't been what he was hoping for. "I… might have a lead. I'll look into it."

"Great," Azazel replied. "In the meantime, I recommend meditation. Something to centre yourself. Anyway, I need to go. Good luck!"

With a click, the line cut, and Philip groaned in exasperation. He had been hoping for a solution or method of alleviating the issues. This was starting to feel like a quest line in a game.

"Nothing good?" Aya asked from the kitchen as she laid out the ingredients from the recipe.

Philip walked over and slumped against the counter, watching her as she worked.

"In summation; he needs-slash-wants the original notes from the lunatic that made this because he has no idea what is going on with it," Philip said. "He probably also wants the notes for his own research."

Aya gave a sad hum as she began to mix the eggs and milk together.

Philip watched her work. He didn't doubt her skill, she'd helped him often enough when he cooked, and had cooked on her own before, that he knew she wouldn't make any major mistakes.

It was only as she began to finish the mixture that the bread was to be covered in that an idea crept into his head. He wasn't sure if it was his own still waking mind, a result of Kuroka's teasing, or the Sacred Gear, but he didn't find the idea displeasing.

Just as Aya set down the bread bag, he moved.

Aya blinked when she felt him wrap his arms around her. They both blushed when he kissed her cheek.

"Do it again, but on the lips!" Kuroka, apparently awake and having seen the act, called from the living room. She yelped as Koneko bopped her on the head. "That hurt, nya! I'm just trying to encourage the two!"

"No, you're being mean," Her younger sister admonished her with a glare.

Philip, in surprise, tried to step away from Aya. She grabbed his wrist as he pulled away.

"Don't go," She said softly, pulling him back close. "… I don't mind."

The pair stood in silence for several moments. While Aya took simple pleasure in his presence, Philip found doubts trickling in.

Doubts that persisted about where the sudden impulse had come from. Doubts about what he was seeing and feeling. Uncertainty about Aya's affection; the both of them had been skittish about physical affection. Doubts, unfounded yet emotionally anchored, about how much of what he was seeing and remembered was real.

"Are you okay?" Aya asked, concern in her voice. It cracked as she tried to joke; "I'm not going to burn anything."

"Oh, right, breakfast," Philip blinked and squashed the doubts as best he could, shoving the rest into a corner. "Uh… kind of. Just… with everything…"

Aya hummed in sympathy and gave him a hug in support.

"Anyway, I should get to making breakfast like I said I would since the housecats are awake," Aya said. "But… I'll always stick by your side."

"Thanks," Philip took a deep breath, before giving a forced grin. "And Koneko's not much of a housecat. Kuroka is, certainly, lazing about the house whenever she can."

The pair shared a laugh as said catgirl gave a squawk of indignation.

"Shirone, they're bullying me…!" She moaned, then suddenly gave another shout of surprise as her sister pinched her belly.

"Housecat," Koneko nodded sagely.

"I am not fat!" Kuroka pouted at her sister. "I exercise every day by going on runs!"

"To your work, where you get free fast food," Aya pointed out. "Face it, you are not in top shape."

"I am so! Not my fault I get great curves!" Kuroka pouted. "Stop teaming up on me!"

"So, Aya," Philip said, another idea, this one more related to current issues. "I… have a couple ideas. I need to talk to Moreal, about her former allies. Plus, I want to talk to Merlin, the one in Chicago."

"Okay?" Aya looked at him sceptically.

"So, later today, why don't we do that today, then," Philip coughed as he felt heat on his cheeks. Perhaps not the entirety of the idea was related to current issues. "Say, have dinner, just the two of us, at a fancy place in Chicago?"

Aya giggled and practically began to bounce on the spot.

"Yes!" She froze. "Ah, maybe not in Chicago, mom might get upset, plus things might not be safe there."

Philip blinked.

"Ah, yeah. Well, I can make arrangements for a place here," He shrugged.

Aya flashed him a smile.

"Well, if I can't amuse myself by teasing you two," Kuroka called from the living room. "Can I at least remind you two about breakfast?"

"And the housecat is yowling about food," Aya snorted. "Well, I think mom left early for work, so, I'll just make enough for the four of us."

---

The office was on the ground floor, with a small window looking out into the Chicago city streets covered by a curtain. Despite the faded wallpaper, it was well-kept. The wooden floor was polished, and files were neatly stored away in cabinets. No stains marred any bit of the carefully placed and maintained furniture. The decor was outdated by several decades, but it was functional and solid.

Behind the large desk, going over papers, Merlin did his best to relax despite his present issues. Absentmindedly twirling the pen in his hand, flicking it around his index finger. A nervous habit he did his best to squash, yet the present situation left him too tense to focus on such minor details.

Stray devil attacks were up in some areas. The local gangs that were affiliated or directly connected to magic were being targeted by an unknown group. A new group of Fallen had muscled their way in and were stirring up trouble, fighting the older group of local Fallen. The local exorcists, who maintained a strained relationship with him at the best of times, were acting strangely. On top of that, vampires had started to creep back into Chicago, after Merlin's grandfather had burned them out thirty years ago.

His few allies were being pressed, either to provide more support or to join up with other organisations. A holy sword user who stayed in the area was constantly being called away by the Church. The college kids that had been trained in druidism had been targeted more than once by the Fallen. The few other magicians in the area were being conscripted or pressganged into larger organisations.

And that wasn't mentioning the Devils that would come through every few years and recruit people.

All in all, things could have been better. They could have been far worse, of course, but Merlin was, at this point, expected them to decay any day now.

A call from his secretary, just outside the door in her own, notably more impressive, office jolted him from his thoughts.

"Sir, you have two guests," Lacresha's voice crackled out of the old speakers of the intercom. "Philip and Aya, we met them a few years ago up in Canada's North?"

"I remember," Merlin snorted and stuffed the papers into a drawer. "Go ahead and send them in."

As the pair were shown in, Merlin scrutinized the pair. Aya kept herself just ahead of Philip, but still close, with her body language suggesting protective intentions. The girl was certainly alert.

But Philip seemed almost on edge. He was visibly tense, eyes alert but with a glint of doubt in them, almost seemed to flinch when Aya jostled him and his face became set with a frown.

"So," Merlin said. "Here on business, or is this a social call?"

"A bit of both," Philip answered, scratching his neck. "So, have you had issues with increased hostilities or strangely well-supplied or informed groups? Increased stray devil attacks?"

Merlin forced his face into a mask. That sort of business then?

"Something like that, yes," He answered, narrowing his eyes. "You know something about them?"

"We know there is a… group called the Khaos Brigade, trying to operate in secret, that has been gathering allies and resources, and we suspect that they are behind many of the attacks," Philip replied. "'We' being the Brotherhood of Nod."

Merlin felt a snort of amusement slip past his mask.

"Yeah, Cain isn't too happy about the name either," Philip shrugged. "But that was the name voted on before I joined."

"Cain?" Merlin blinked in surprise. "As in, 'wiped-out-the-Solomonari' Cain? Mister 'cursed by god to never die, and any who harm him take the harm upon themselves'?"

"Yeah?" Philip confirmed, confused at the other magician's surprised tone. "The Brotherhood has been focused mostly on bringing up humanity. We've got some supercomputers we help tech firms with, and develop similar tech, using magic to take shortcuts, but keep it things they can help manufacture through mundane means."

Merlin struggled to reconcile the image of Cain, a biblical figure who had wiped out another group of magicians on a whim, with what Philip was saying. After a moment, he forced himself to analyse how much of what he had heard with what he knew.

Hearsay, he realised, made up most of it. Rumours that were third hand at best. The only information that he realised he had about the man was that he killed his brother, when humanity was still new to Earth. He wasn't even sure about the why Cain had committed fratricide, though perhaps he might need to reread the bible. Given the amount of time that had passed, he supposed it was possible that Philip was telling the truth, or at least had reason to believe it was the truth.

"That's… different from what I heard about the man," He said. "Alright, well, I can't argue against helping humanity, given I help the police 'stumble' across evidence or help track down suspects, using magic. But where do I come in?"

"Well, and this relates to one of the two personal topics," Philip said tentatively. "The Brotherhood has been attacked by the Khaos Brigade. So, it's building a militia. I won't ask you to join, I'm not a recruiter and have no sales pitch, but would you be willing to help teach them, or at least me, how to combine magic and firearms?"

"… what would the pay and hours be like?" Merlin said after a moment of thought. "I won't join, I prefer being on my own. But if this Khaos Brigade is supplying the Fallen that have been raising hell here in Chicago… or hell, even the local Magicians that have been using alchemy to mass-produce drugs, then I can't say no to an ally. Do you know its membership?"

"Well, we've confirmed Rizevim Lucifer, the reincarnation of Cao Cao and several other heroes…" Philip paused. "And Ophis."

Merlin felt his heart rate spike. Part of him wanted to claim it was a lie. But it fit too well. There were other possibilities, but a being like Ophis, for one reason or another, becoming involved with world affairs and backing groups would explain the boldness with which the new problem groups were acting with. So many disparate groups, coordinating? Ophis had no relation to any of their quarrels and could force them to obey through raw power. The dragon, according to rumours, was an embodiment of the concept of infinity with the power to match.

"There is also the possibility of other groups being involved, due to suspiciously placed stray devils, or Fallen hunting Sacred Gears with stray exorcists and stolen Grigori equipment," Philip continued. "But those are unconfirmed."

"You're sure that Ophis is involved?" Merlin's voice shook. Then paused, processing what else was said. "Wait, stolen Grigori equipment?"

"Yeah, an excommunicated nun 'just happened' to have been sent right to them… from Rome to Japan, straight there," Philip said.

"Fuck, Church factions are playing stupid games again too, I'd bet," Merlin collapsed into his chair. "Okay, so in short, you're facing the son of the Devil, the goddamn Dragon of the Infinite, and scattered rogues, plus an unknown number of other groups."

"You make it sound so hopeless," Aya tried to joke. "…sorry."

"Don't apologise, better bad humour than despair," Merlin comforted her, his voice strained and low. "But you have a good point, I'm making assumptions. So, who, aside from your group, is arrayed against them?"

"I'm not privy to all the allies of the Brotherhood, since we don't want the Khaos Brigade to know who is aware of them," Philip answered. Merlin narrowed his eyes, noting something was off about the way the kid said it. "But my contacts include Serafall Leviathan, several members of the Egyptian Pantheon, Fenrir, Azazel…"

Merlin interjected with a snort. He also noted Lacresha made a started noise outside, apparently listening in.

"Alright, maybe it isn't hopeless, just potentially destructive… how do you know all those people?" He asked, the wide array of contacts Philip had, for some reason, piercing through the spirit of despair that had settled on him with the sheer absurdity of it. "Fenrir is supposed to be sealed away; Azazel is a recluse nowadays last I heard…; the Egyptian Pantheon?"

Merlin's gaze flicked to Aya, the girl flinching slightly.

"Well, Fenrir… I set loose, but on a condition, one that the Norse weren't upset about, basically, he agreed to not do anything that would cause the world to end," Philip admitted. "I… can't talk about the Egyptians. Azazel… relates to why I am looking for your help in another matter."

"Alright," Merlin nodded. "First, before we get onto that, I just want to be sure you are aware of the dangers of working with the devils."

"I can count the number of ones that I can trust on one hand," Philip replied. "With fingers to spare."

Merlin snorted.

"They aren't like us. Most non-human creatures, and many that are, aren't. They don't think like us. Just keep that in mind," He said. "And don't accept an offer to join their peerage. I don't know how those Evil Pieces work, but with how many strays appear, I'm willing to bet I don't want to know."

Merlin paused.

"No offence to you or your sister," He said to Aya.

"My sister?" Ay blinked. "Oh, Kuroka? She's… kinda my sister? But by choice, rather than blood or legality."

Merlin was tempted to ask how that worked, and what they were, but decided against it.

"Right, back on topic," Merlin said. "So, I think I can guess what personal requests you have, but why don't we skip the guessing game?"

"So, first, I am hoping you would be willing to teach me to use firearms," Philip explained. "But since you are willing to consider teaching other members of the Brotherhood, I will just join in that. The other topic…"

Merlin blinked as the Sacred Gear formed over the kid's face.

"Long story short, this is an artificial Sacred Gear, that is unstable," Merlin frowned as Philip explained. "The person who created it and forced it on me is dead, so I am trying to track down their notes. I have a single lead, but…"

"So, you are hoping to hire me for my skills as a PI," Merlin nodded. "Alright, sure. Anything you can tell me about that lead?"

"Moreal, the fallen that was with us a while ago," Philip said. "She used to be with the same group."

"And you trusted her to watch your back?" Merlin gaped.

"Given the fact that the subgroup responsible killed a lot of their own?" Philip countered. "Yes."

Merlin held his hands up.

"Alright, my mistake. Well, I'll meet with her, if you can arrange that, and I'll see where we can go from there," He said. "Word of warning, my services don't come cheap."

Lacresha gave a guffaw from the other room.

"Anyway!" Merlin ignored her. "I'll email you some recommendations for training equipment we'll need for the militia, as well."

He paused.

"You know what," Merlin grinned. "There's a firing range nearby that doesn't care if I use magic. I can teach you some of the basics."

"Would it be a problem if I asked for training as well?" Aya interjected.

"Sure, why not," Merlin shrugged.

"He will take any excuse to fire guns," Lacresha called from the doorway. "I'll lock up and forward any important calls if you're heading out early."

"Yeah, got a job tonight, so the practice won't hurt," Merlin glared at his secretary through the wall. "And it's practice that keeps me alive, not recreation because I like shooting guns."

Lacresha just gave a mocking laugh.

 

[charclone]

Okay. So... this one fought me. Hard enough that it delayed other stories. You can probably guess which scene in particular I had trouble with.

---

"Why did you agree?" Lacresha asked as they both got into the car. "You normally prefer to stay free of any group politics."

"Because I'm not going to turn away a couple of kids asking me to help teach them lessons that they can use to help defend themselves," Merlin answered as he closed the driver's door, giving her a look. "And I enjoy shooting for fun. Far less stressful than a shootout."

"First, those two are not children. Might I remind you of the Arctic? On top of that, I'm certain they are the age of majority," Lacresha countered. "Second, that isn't what I was referring to, and you know it."

Merlin sighed as he started the engine.

"I'm afraid," He admitted. "You aren't as deep into the supernatural as I am, for all your book smarts. There aren't governments able to crack down on gang violence like in the mundane political world. You always need to worry about some super-heavy hitter being around the next corner, or some punk growing freakishly fast in power. Leaves what governments there are cautious."

A strangle look came over Lacresha's face. Merlin chalked it up to her being reminded that she lived a more sheltered life.

"When people, creatures, like Ophis start making moves," Merlin shuddered. "I've only heard stories about the War, between Heaven and Hell. But I've seen some of the destruction that was inflicted on the world and the Underworld by it. I'd rather have some sort of anchor in that storm, all the better if they are human."

Lacresha winced.

"You don't trust anything non-human," She noted.

"Eh, I don't trust the ones that are too different. Fae are mostly human, just with a slightly different sense of morality," Merlin shrugged. "The local spirits here I just don't know enough about, but the devils have an inherent incentive to screw us mortals over and Fallen are fucked up, by both their history and with the younger ones their upbringing."

"True," Lacresha snorted. "But what about Philip's friend?"

"Eh, don't know enough about fox spirits, especially not Eastern ones," Merlin shrugged as he navigated the car out onto the street. "I know they're tricksters, but the girl seemed rather protective of him and skittish. I'll look more into it tonight, but given how she acted, I'm willing to guess she's more human than the devils."

Lacresha frowned, something churning in her mind.

"To change the topic, why did you agree to hire me?"

Merlin gave her a glance as he drove down the dark Chicago streets, streetlights only just starting to come on.

"Why do you ask?" He said. "Honestly, you were the most qualified of the people to apply. Plus, you already knew about the supernatural."

"Huh," Lacresha leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms in a rather deliberate fashion over her lower chest. "Was that all there was to it? My charming personality and looks had nothing to do with it?"

Merlin just laughed as he drove, deliberately not looking away from the street.

---

"Guns are loud," Aya groused as she ate. "I don't understand why people like them."

Philip snorted as he ate his own meal.

"Well, they are useful for defence and war. Easier to shoot someone than punch them," He pointed out, trusting in a ward he had placed to obscure their conversation from eavesdroppers. There had been an uncomfortable number of Fallen in the nearby block, practically advertising their presence with their, rather marginal, power being radiated. "Now, any thoughts about Merlin?"

"Eh, he seems okay," Aya shrugged. "I'm glad he's willing to help, but his secretary… I dunno. Something seems off about her."

"How so?" Philip asked.

"I can't put my finger on it, but something does seem off," Aya shrugged. "She doesn't seem dangerous though. Anyway… what do we do now?"

"Now?" Philip bit back a laugh. "We finish the meal unless you aren't feeling well."

Aya gave him a look.

"No, I mean…" She paused and sighed, giving Philip an exasperated look. "The other stuff going on."

"Ah," Philip dropped his gaze to his plate. "I'm not sure. Honestly, I'm realising I'm in over my head."

Aya gave him a pained, sympathetic look.

"If I may?" Tamamo spoke up, audibly. "Might I recommend continuing what you are doing? You know the three greatest threats; the Old Kings Faction, the Hero Faction, and Ophis herself. Ophis might be able to be talked down, based on your memories. Thus, you need information on the other two."

Philip winced, remembering the fragmented fanlation he read. He remembered that Ophis had been part of the main group before Issei was killed. But that version had been lacking portions, leaving him uncertain as to the how, and what happened. That Issei got better he only knew based on the fact that the series had continued.

Aya blinked as she realised the warding had blocked Tamamo's words, but not her voice.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" She asked the ancient fox, who giggled in response to the confused patrons in the restaurant, confused about the sudden strange new voice. "At least the warding will keep them from realising your voice came from us and what you said."

Philip sighed.

"Well, I suppose it's half a plan," He grunted, chewing on the last of his meal. "The other half will rely on finding sources of information on them. Okay, well, Aya, you want dessert, or should I pay so we can go?"

Aya shook her head.

"No," She drained the last of her juice, still being under the legal drinking age in British Columbia, before standing. "I'm done. And thank you for taking me here."

"My pleasure," Philip smiled warmly in response, making her heart flutter.

Philip paid the bill, and a short period later, they walked out the front door of the restaurant.

"Are we not going to call for a cab?" Aya asked as she put an arm around Philip.

Philip returned the gesture as he answered.

"One stop I'd like to make first," He said, vaguely, as he led her down the street. Aya's eyes flickered to a nearby store, her eyes widened as she giggled at the sight of the flower shop. "Do you have a preference?"

"Hello there!" A voice called from behind them. The woman that approached was perhaps a little older than them, dressed in form-fitting clothes that exposed more than a little cleavage and midriff, and was blatantly emphasising her chest with her posture. Philip felt Aya tense, he followed suit as a moment later the woman formed a barrier. Simple and meant to avoid eavesdroppers, but it was by no means subtle. "You're the magician, living in the suburbs, right?"

"Uh," Philip blinked. Beside him, Aya tightened her grip on him and glared. "That depends on who's asking."

"Well, me, obviously!" The unnamed woman beamed another grin, one that turned sultry. "So, I'll take that as a yes. Well, you two wanna have some fun?"

The question was accompanied by a wink.

Aya's grip became painful, and Philip felt his mood plummet.

"Why did you specifically approach us, if you are just looking for fun?" Aya nearly growled as she demanded an answer.

The sultry look faltered.

"Well, you two are the only ones in on the whole magic thing?" The woman gave a half-hearted chuckle, the sound dying as it left her throat. "Um."

The sultry look withered and died.

"I'm… interrupting something, aren't I?" The woman asked with a wince. "Well… I put my foot in my mouth… um… I'll just be going now."

The barrier shattered a moment later as the woman spun around and walked away, her gait no longer retaining its confident quality.

Aya gave a mournful sigh.

"That… ruined the mood," Philip grumbled. "Pretty sure that was a Fallen barrier. I see the local gang is making trouble for themselves."

There was a silent pause as something struggled in his mind before he continued.

"So, flower?"

"Maybe next time," Aya pouted, suddenly feeling very tired. "Call the cab please."

Philip nodded, both disappointment and relief written on his face, and reached for his phone.

"Philip?" Aya asked, her gaze falling to her hand. "Are you alright?

Her boyfriend blinked, then looked down, following her gaze. Slowly, he unclenched his shaking fist.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," He breathed. "Just… my mind went to my mother and her… well."

Aya hugged him.

"Let's go home." She said.

---

"What the hell was that!?" Her boss hissed at her, his black wings making his silhouette seem larger as he towered over his subordinate. "You've roped people in that have put up a bigger fight!"

The woman stretched her arms above her head. Her own pair of black wings stretching out from behind her, lazily, in symmetry to her arms.

"You didn't see the way the girl was glaring at me?" She replied. "Plus, I don't think she was human."

Her boss frowned.

"Then what is she?" He demanded. "Another half-breed Fallen like us?"

"No idea, something Eastern is my guess, based on how weird her magic felt," The woman lowered her arms and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a flicker of power. "Given how much stronger than me she felt, I'm guessing a dragon. I'm pretty sure she is more powerful than-"

"Don't say it," Her boss sighed. "You know how he gets when people say there are beings more powerful than him. If you don't say it, I don't have to repeat it. Just… keep trying. If you can rope both in, great, but don't get yourself killed. The magician… the last one was very useful. His knowledge let the boss make the cops' attempts to track us a joke."

"Yeah, yeah, 'stronger together, and strength keeps us alive'," The woman snorted as she paraphrased the overused words. "I know the gang boss' favoured saying. Honesty, I get the impression those two are prudes, and while fun to tease, I'd rather not get killed, either. I doubt I'll get anywhere with them."

"Then we try another method," Her boss sighed. "We need strong people like that if we are to become more than just a gang."

---

"I think the local Fallen might be the ones that tried to use your mother to steal your books," Aya said as she stepped out of the cab. "There have been more of them around lately."

"Are you saying that because you dislike her hitting on us," Philip asked as he paid the fare. "Or because you are annoyed at the night being ruined?"

Aya fixed him with a look in response.

"Alright," Philip waved his hands in surrender. "I'll admit, it unsettled me as well, and I'm annoyed at her ruining the night for us. But it would make sense: they're too small fry to be considered by the larger players, thus my contacts couldn't find anything because it was all local."

"See!" Aya said, bouncing up the steps. "So, it might have been them, and we should investigate if they have any connections to the Khaos Brigade. Moreal might be willing to help interrogations!"

Philip gave her an unamused look.

"No torture, I already regret letting… asking, Moreal to get information out of her sister, even if it put her in a good mood," He sighed as he followed her into the house. "Anyway, want to watch a movie?"

"Hmmm…" Aya hummed in thought as she took off her shoes. "I want to, yeah. But I have no idea what to watch."

"Well," Philip paused. He glanced over at the couch, to where Kuroka was silently watching them, a grin plastered on her face, Koneko asleep in her lap. He glared at her. "No teasing. The night was ruined by a Fallen. Now, how about we watch Star Wars?"

Kuroka's face turned crestfallen.

"No," Aya shook her head, sitting next to Kuroka. "I'm not in the mood for that. I want something flashier and modern."

In the end, they decided to watch a generic action movie, Kuroka remaining with them. At some point, Koneko left back to Japan, well before any of them went to sleep.

 

[charclone]

A.N. This chapter was easier to write, once I got around to it. Had a little bit of issue figuring out how to start it, though. For those unaware, the Galileo probe is this one.

---

"Moreal," Philip greeted as he stuck his head into the offices of the alchemy department. "How were things while I was gone?"

"Exhausting," Moreal replied, glancing up from some paperwork. "Floating castles aren't all that difficult, but the alchemy needed for long-term enchantments built into it, especially in Jupiter's atmosphere, meant we were brewing so many batches of potions for most of the week, just for the test model."

"Where's Aya?" The Fallen exorcists asked, shuffling the papers into a drawer. "I thought she didn't leave your side?"

"We aren't joined at the hip," Philip snorted. "She's off by herself buying cold weather gear since my episodes have decreased. Now, what's this about a test model?"

"They are teleporting a model of what will be the initial base to Jupiter, about know, I think," Moreal explained, sorting the rest of the papers before standing. "Rob is watching it now. I'll show you."

Philip followed her as she led him down the hall. A meeting room had had its table removed, permitting enough standing room for a small crowd to watch the spell being projected onto the wall, showing the inside of a storeroom located several floors down.

The man standing at the head of the group gave Moreal a nod, before speaking to the group.

"Okay, we are set it seems, so!" He threw his arms wide and gestured to the display. "I give you: the atmosphere of Jupiter!"

With a flash of teleportation magic, the display changed, showing layers of rippling clouds, one above, one below. A brown and yellow sky contrasted with strange whites, blues, reds and browns of the alien atmosphere. Lighting flashed in the distance, bridging the gaps between the layers of clouds.

As someone conjured a projection of the model to check on its integrity as it battled the winds of Jupiter, Philip stared at the scene being displayed from the distant model, ignoring the celebratory cheers of the rest of the group.

Something about the alien atmosphere, the distant image that was so out of reach in his past life, stirred some childish glee in him. Now, it was just within reach, so close that the group was experimenting with settling Jupiter.

"Ah, Rob!" Moreal waved at her lover. The magician struggled to get through the crowd, taking several moments to navigate the packed room. "You all ready to head out?"

"Yeah," He said over the shouting of the crowd. "I'm ready. We got cold weather gear?"

"Yes," Moreal grinned. "I picked it out myself. Let's go. I want to see what happened to the place after the rest got wiped out."

Behind the trio, as they left, there was a sudden wordless cry of dismay from the group as something smashed into the model. A few moments later, another cry arose, this one of disbelief.

"How the hell did the Galileo probe survive so long!?"

---

Merlin flinched as the wall of ice and snow hit them, the wind howling.

"I should have charged extra for the weather!" He cried. "How much further?"

"We're inside the wards now!" Moreal called back. "Not too much further! Should be just below that ridge!"

The group, composed of Moreal, Rob, Merlin, Philip, and Aya, with Lacresha taking up the rear, trudged their way up the small mountain, deep in the Caucasus. The hideout was well away from human settlements, ideal for a quiet place for research or storing materials. Its former Fallen masters' ability to fly made its isolation a limited problem.

Wind tugged at their bodies, Aya's tails billowing behind her while Philip drew his cloak tightly around his body, his coat feeling too thin, despite being made for Canadian winters. Both bolstered their cold weather gear with spells and ki techniques as they were able.

Merlin simply set his jaw to keep it from chattering as he kept alongside Rob, behind Moreal. The older magician kept his shoulders hunched, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and kept a steady trickle of power feeding into a heating spell, alongside a heat trap spell.

Rob's teeth audibly chattered as he kicked his way through the piled-up snow. His coat was far thinner compared to Philip's.

Ahead, Moreal kept her wings out to steady herself, angling the semi-corporeal constructs in the wind. Her own supernatural resistance kept her warm enough, bolstered by her spells.

Lacresha, keeping to the rear, kept her head up straight, sweeping her gaze back and forth, watching through the flying snowflakes. Her eyes were vigilant, despite the snow, for any movement or threats.

"Why did we have to teleport outside the wards?" Rob grumbled. "Don't answer that. I know, automated defences, teleportation being thrown off to leave us in the air, etc. etc. I'm just complaining to keep my lips from freezing."

"It will be warming inside," Moreal shot back at her boyfriend's complaining. "Here we are."

Glancing around, Aya noted they were still some distance from the previously mentioned ridge. A moment of concentration was all it took for her to see past the illusion.

With a wave of her hand, Moreal stripped away the barrier that hid the small cabin. Unlocking the door with a spell, she led the group inside, then down a staircase hidden beneath the floorboards.

"Alright, welcome to storehouse Kremling, as it used to be called," Moreal waved around as the others shook off snow and frost. The underground facility was larger than any of them had expected, based on her descriptions. One side of the single massive cavern was taken up by rows upon rows of shelves, some of them filled with a wide variety of materials, ranging from books to armour, swords, potions, preserved products, and even cans of food near what appeared to be a kitchen. "So, the alchemy lab is down at the other end. There is a small side lab that the lunatic used. There shouldn't be any traps, too risky with some of the stuff stored here, but I do recommend caution."

"Let me guess, set up during the Soviet Union?" Merlin asked as he rubbed his hands.

"Yup," Moreal nodded. "Oh, uh, fair warning, the kitchen in the corner… yeah, I wouldn't touch any of the food. It's been a few years…"

"Ew," Aya shuddered. "I thought the smell was just the alchemical ingredients."

"Yeah, a few of those have probably rotted away too," Moreal sighed. "Anyway, archives are on this shelf, lab is there. Hopefully, we have something here."

Aya watched as the others spread out, poking at the records, flipping through books, or inspecting artefacts. Merlin, in particular, seemed to be drawn to a small pile of exorcist swords.

But Philip instead made a beeline for the lab.

She hurriedly fell into step alongside him, her tails curling around his waist. At his questioning look, accompanied by a pause, she gave him a quiet smile and nod.

With his staff tapping against the floor as he walked, Philip resumed his pace.

As Moreal had described, the lab was tucked away. A door, unlocked, barred the way. Philip moved to open it, then hesitated. He twitched slightly, his head turning to one side as if listening to something, before he withdrew his hand.

"Okay, Tamamo recommended we be cautious, just in case," He said. "So, scanning spells, focused ones, looking for wards that were looking for scanning spells."

"And any enchantments that hide those wards," Aya replied, nodding. "You look for the wards, I handle the enchantments?"

"I was thinking you hide my spells while I work, looking for both," Philip replied. "I'm not quite as good as you are at that."

"No, you are," Aya pouted at him, then sighed. "I'm better at misdirection. Probably because I don't like lying."

Philip raised a hand and rubbed her back.

"Okay then, I hide and look for the wards, you handle the rest? On one; three, two, one!" Power surged through the formulas held in their minds.

Several moments passed as they stood there, studying the door, seeking any traps.

They both tensed and shared a look, before they pushed the door open together.

Within, the false image of a disorganised lab, with scattered books and diagrams lay as if it had been in use only a few hours ago. A flicker of Aya's power was all that was needed to burn it away, revealing the bare room.

A thick layer of dust revealed just how long it had gone unused.

"He never used this lab," Philip growled, the base of his staff ringing as it collided with the stone floor. "Damn it!"

"Based on the way the illusion was set up, it was meant to fool the other Fallen he was working with," Aya said, pulling him into a comforting hug. "Maybe the others will find something?"

---

"So," Merlin asked as he swept a spell over the disorganised stacks of notebooks, maps, textbooks, scrolls and the odd CD. "What's your game?"

"Hmm?" Moreal glanced up, seeing the way the American magician was looking at her. "What do you mean?"

"Every Fallen I ever met had some sort of plot or goal," He explained. "So, what's yours? Why work with Philip and the others?"

"Nowhere else to go, I love Rob, and… well, I need a group to be with. I'm an alchemist, I wouldn't last without support," Moreal answered. "Let me guess, lots of run-ins with the Grigori?"

"Something like that," Merlin gave her a side eye as he moved to another shelf. "But let's say I don't believe you. A couple-thousand-years old being surely would have picked up some nasty combat skills and spells."

"I'd agree, part of why I avoid the elderly," Moreal snorted. "I'm relatively young. Only been around for a few centuries."

"… huh." A troubled look set itself into Merlin's features. "You aren't lying."

"You have a lie detection spell?" Moreal blinked. "It can't be that foolproof."

"Not really, no," Merlin sighed. "Let me guess, sixth, seventh generation?"

"I think I'm fifth, though there was some separation involved and… uh, mixed generations," Moreal coughed. "So, it can't work off of reading the person's mind, since that could be detected… searching their micro expressions?"

"More divination of truth and lies," Merlin sighed. "I'll share a version of it with you, in exchange for a recipe for a truth potion."

"Eh, those are… essentially just barbiturates achieved through magical means," Moreal shrugged. "But sure."

"Great. Wish all the Fallen I dealt with were as human as you," Merlin snorted, then paused to collect a book. "Oh, what do we have here? Something disguised?"

"Oh, your spell reads intentions!" Moreal noted with interest. "And you could pick up on the intentions left behind by the person who interacted with it the most!"

Merlin winced but didn't deny it.

"Okay, let's see what we have here," The book's defensive spells came apart easily, betraying the caster's relative inexperience and desire to keep the book hidden. Merlin thumbed through the pages, his spell seeking specific emotions left behind. "Oh, hey! I got something here!"

---

"So, in short," Philip grumbled. "The mercenary band didn't trust the subgroup, but was expecting to be used as a source of income, not stabbed in the back, and was searching for the real lab?"

"Yup," Merlin nodded. "The good news is they narrowed down the area, the bad news is, that is a very dangerous area of the Himalayas that I have no idea how to refine the search area without getting close, and I have no idea how to get close safely."

"Teleportation isn't an option?" Lacresha asked.

"Well, it can be done," Merlin sighed. "But I don't know the terrain, and given its proximity to India, I'd be worried about the locals there getting upset. Yetis, gods, who knows what else."

Philip frowned.

"If I could find a local contact to help us search, would that help?"

"Depends on who and how far up the food chain they are," Merlin sighed. "I can try and narrow the location down, finding stuff is one of my specialities."

"Alongside burning down buildings," Lacresha teased her business partner. "But I have some ideas as well. Wouldn't need to be too close, but if we could get something related to the Fallen that were there…"

"I think I can manage that," Philip replied. "I'll need some time, but I can manage it."

"Great. In any case, I'll borrow the book to study," Merlin said. "Now, are we safe to teleport home from here? I'd rather not tramp through the snow again."

"Sure, I modified the wards," Moreal replied, before explaining. "The Brotherhood was looking to use this place as a new storehouse since it is isolated and well hidden."

"Fine by me," Philip shrugged. Something flickered in his eyes and something about the way his posture suddenly seemed stiff made a pit form in Aya's stomach.

Once Merlin and Lacresha vanished, Aya pulled Philip aside, away from where Moreal and Rob were discussing the supplies that were left behind.

"You okay?" She asked.

Philip stared at her for several moments, blinking, before slumping.

"Kind of. The fact that we have a plan helps, but… it's so frustrating that it keeps dragging on," Philip admitted with an exhausted sigh, slumping against her. His arm fell slack, kept up only by his staff. "I'm… scared of being pushed by this thing into doing something I'll regret."

Aya wrapped him in her tails, leaning her head against his.

 

[charclone]

A week after the brief expedition, Rias, with a slight tremor of hesitation, led Philip out of the classroom of the Occult Research Club's clubhouse. He felt Aya nearby, leaving Issei, Asia, and Saji behind as they continued to practice with magic.

Philip could feel Asia and Saji's confusion, yet Ise had been, and remained, distracted, since before Philip and Aya had arrived.

"So, what did you want to ask me about Rias?" Philip asked. "You said it was important? Hopefully, you aren't asking me to do something I will regret."

Rias coughed uncomfortably, before shaking her head.

"No, no. I am… dealing with a personal issue, but one… potential solution I would like your opinion on," She said. "What do you know of Rizer Phenex?"

"Ah, your engagement," Philip said. Invisibly, Aya snorted as Rias' face distorted with embarrassment. "I'm not certain assassination is a viable option, however."

Flustered, Rias glared, crossing her arms in the process.

"No. That isn't what I mean," She sighed. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"Partially, and I just realised that it wasn't appropriate, my apologies," Philip hastily replied. "I wasn't thinking. So, my knowledge is… rather lacking, mostly from tabloids and research on his family's powers. Regeneration, limited by magical reserves and mental fortitude, fire, and is a playboy, in addition to the standard devilish powers. Anything beyond that?"

"No, I'm not upset," Rias gave another sigh. "That is a… simplified version. He is very accomplished in Rating games, only having lost twice to close allies to his house, which were by surrender rather than defeat. His peerage is also quite skilled."

"Okay," Aya spoke up. "What do you want Philip for?"

"Well… one possible way the engagement might be broken is a Rating game," Rias began before Aya interrupted.

"No, we are not going to join your peerage."

Rias shook her head, a slight smile on her face at the blunt statement.

"I was thinking mercenary positions, if the judges for the match would permit it," She said. "But I was expecting the refusal. No, I am hoping you could offer some advice, insight, or analysis into how I might be able to defeat him."

Philip frowned.

"Well, I am willing, but I presume something has changed?" He said. The half-truth came easily to his lips. "I read that the engagement was expected to last until you reached adulthood."

"The original plan had been until my schooling finished. I had hoped to drag it out by pursuing a degree… but my father and the head of House Phenex are close friends," Rias slumped. "He means well, but we have responsibilities as nobility, thus my father has changed the date. I am to meet Riser this afternoon."

"Well, that's a drastic change," Aya blinked. "What happened?"

"Well," Rias suddenly became nervous. Her eyes flickered to Philip before she spoke, a wince flickering across her face. "… another heir was killed. The general populace blames a Fallen, as several of the heir's peerage members were previously under or being watched by them, but my brother suspects that it was… someone else, using your spell."

Philip froze and Aya became pale.

Rias, taking their reaction as guilt pressed on.

"You aren't responsible. The assassin somehow slipped past all the guards, killing them in his main estate," She said. "The assassin probably would have used other tools, either way."

"I…" Philip stuttered. A sharp word from Tamamo, within his mind, jolted him. "I am not surprised that my spell was used, given the potential and flexibility, but what makes them think it was my spell?"

"No other spell can pull off a copy of a Spear of Light," Rias said, sympathy in her tone. "Though, there were indications of fire damage, from what my brother said. He probably would have had my father bring me back to the Underworld if it wasn't for the fact that the heir had been killed there."

"You said it was their main estate?" Philip tried to push a sound of disbelief into his voice. Tamamo whispered advice, coaching him into something less strained, more natural sounding and believable.

Rias nodded.

"That's right," She huffed. "It caused quite a panic, last week. I'm even more thankful for Aya's grandmother helping find the holes in my own defences."

"… I see…" Philip shook himself. "Well, we are getting off-topic. So, you are looking at how to defeat Rizer."

"Correct. I am hoping I can convince my father to call it off and let me choose my own husband," She pouted. "But the assassination has scared everyone and underlined the need for 'heirs and spares' as one news rag put it. So, my backup plan is a Rating game."

Philip slowly forced himself to set aside the bubbling panic and forced himself to focus on Rias' words. Thinking over the problem. He was briefly distracted when Aya's tail wrapped around him.

"Okay, first, make another backup plan," He said. "Just in case."

Rias suddenly blushed, glanced towards the classroom door, then away from it.

"I'm not going to ask," Philip said.

"I was surprised and pressed for time!" Rias burst out. "… you heard nothing."

"Not going to ask," Philip reiterated. "No, I am thinking political games, blackmail, pressure, leverage, whatever. Or arrange for something to interrupt the proceedings? Anyway, I'll let you think that over. Now, regarding Rizer… do you have copies of his Rating games?"

"I do," Rias nodded. She glanced at the classroom, blushed again, and then coughed in embarrassment once more. "I will have them ready for you after you finish the lesson."

"Oh, and how much are you paying us?" Aya asked, still slightly shaken.

Rias wilted.

"Can we discuss that later?"

---

Philip winced as the match finished.

"Well, he's a brute. His queen though… she has some skill. It's limited to her own skillset, however. Every one of those victories were about using his Peerage as ablative tools, wearing away at the enemy to make it difficult for them to counteract his regeneration," Philip observed. "None of the battles give me a good idea, just theories."

He leaned back in the borrowed chair.

To view the recordings, Rias had taken the two to the clubroom after dismissing the trio of new devils. She had even surrendered, however temporarily, her stuffed office chair behind the desk.

Aya shifted in Philip's lap as he leaned back.

"Okay, so the main theories are: One, Light-slash-holy item or spell kept inside him while he tries to regenerate, though this will likely leave the attacker vulnerable and drain their reserves. Two, the same, but concentrated on his head, this would be much more difficult but should trigger the safeties in the field due to the brain damage not being immediately healed, making it faster. Three and four are the same, using fields of Destruction, but that puts you at risk. Five is yet another variation, using some sort of holy item, though that is problematic for devils. The final theory is… well. Are you allowed to take alchemical explosives into a Rating game?"

Rias blinked.

"Part of me is intrigued, but the rest of me is alarmed at the idea," She said from where she sat across from Akeno on a couch. "I believe it would be allowed, but there is likely a limit that would render it impractical against Riser."

"Really?" Aya stared. "Why?"

"Ah, I recall an incident a few years ago where someone unleashed a vat of a toxic mixture that ate away at the arena barrier, damaging the stadium," Rias placed a finger on her chin in thought. "I know the ruling afterwards limited the number of alchemical ingredients and their type, that could be brought into a match, especially since someone else had manufactured additional phoenix tears in the match for use even earlier, but I don't recall the exact limit."

"Firearms?" Aya suggested.

"A possibility, and Koneko could probably handle firing a rocket launcher, but I suspect there would be political complications from using human weapons," Rias sighed. "An option I will consider, though getting them would also be an issue. Their normal limitations could be circumvented through spells and enchantments to let them pierce the magic barriers that protect devils, and while the damage wouldn't be lethal, it would certainly be enough to take them out of the fight, or give us a temporary advantage."

"Oh, that gives me an idea," Philip said. "Riser can't fight what he can't see or hear."

"Hmm, spells like that can be counteracted," Rias pointed out.

"But what about ones that cause damage to the eyes or hearing, even if it's temporary?" Philip countered. "Even if it's limited against Riser himself, it could be used against his Peerage. On top of that, I didn't see anyone use illusions beyond invisibility."

Rias frowned.

"There are… too many ways to detect someone to easily teach my Peerage how to move undetected," The red-headed king said.

"Decoys, fake attacks, altered landscape," Aya pointed out. "There are plenty of other options."

"I suppose I should have expected someone acquainted with Kitsune to be more knowledgeable about the application of illusions," Rias snorted.

"I wonder what else those two use illusions for?" Akeno interjected, her voice husky and suggestive, winking at her friend.

Rias gave a huff and ignored the implied statement.

"Moving on," Philip felt heat rising to his cheeks, noting that Aya's current position certainly didn't dissuade the notion Akeno pointed out. "How long do you likely have?"

"I don't know for certain. A few days if it does come to a rating game," Rias answered. Then froze as the teleportation circle at the back of the room lit up. "He's early. Too early."

She relaxed a moment later when Grayfia stepped out of the fading teleportation glow.

"Lady Gremory," The wife of the ruler of Hell greeted her sister-in-law. "My apologies, but I must request that you dismiss your guests and call your peerage together. It is almost time."

"I still have an hour… very well," Rias grit her teeth. Then a light went on in her eyes. "… actually, given Philip and Aya's connection to the Leviathan and third-party nature, I would request them to remain, as neutral observers."

Grayfia narrowed her eyes. But rather than outright demand their removal, she summoned a spell next to her ear and whispered something into it.

"Very well," She did not sound pleased, a moment later. "They may remain as observers, given your… disposition to the arrangement, Riser's reputation, and his potential knowledge of the spell used against the Astaroth heir."

Tamamo-no-mae howled with silent laughter that only Philip heard.

It took little time to summon Rias' Peerage, as they had all been told to remain near the Academy until called.

Philip noted that Kuroka arrived with her sister. Grayfia's gaze narrowed at the black-haired nekoshou, before slumping in quiet defeat when Kuroka joined Philip and Aya. The maid swiftly covered up her unprofessional demeanour beneath a mask of cool focus.

Finally, Grayfia announced the impending arrival of Rizer Phenex and his Peerage, the teleportation circle bursting into flame.

 

[charclone]

The atmosphere in the room notably dimmed, as a frown formed on Rias' face, almost a look of disquiet disgust. Akeno wore a stony mask, while the other members of Rias' Peerage wore a mix of confusion and nervousness.

Aya briefly wondered as she sat with Philip on one of the couches, if Rias had remembered to inform her Peerage members just what was going on. Given the devil heiress' feelings on the matter, the answer was likely no, not that Aya could blame her. An arranged marriage would certainly skew one's thoughts to forgetfulness.

As the flames within the teleportation circle rose higher, the temperature rose. Part of Aya wondered if Rias could sue Riser for any damages the flames caused, but the rest of her just tensed up, ready to spring into action.

Riser stepped from the flames before anything caught alight, the blaze dying down quickly behind him.

Aya found… he looked dishevelled, in her opinion. A wrinkled dress shirt only done half up, wild hair, the expensive jacket left open. Faintly slouched with his hands in his pockets adding to the image of a lazy, rich boy who had never faced hardship.

Some might have found him handsome, but Aya just found him plain. She almost started to snicker when she noted his shirt wasn't even done up right, a button having been missed at the bottom, making the shirt seem lopsided, disguised only by a half-hearted illusion, or perhaps amateurish.

The young man, presumably Riser Phenex, sighed.

"It's been a while since I came to the human world," He said airily. Aya noted it seemed a little forced, his pronounced words, spoken in English she noted, were just ever so slightly overpronounced. "My lovely Rias, I have come to see you."

A flicker of emotion drew Aya's attention to Ise, who scowled, and Rias, who kept a calm face but whose clenched fists revealed her emotions.

"Hmm?" Riser's gaze drifted from Rias to Aya, Philip, and Kuroka. "Rias, who are these? Send them away."

"We are not married, nor will we be, Riser. Do not order me around," The venom in Rias' tone was nearly palpable.

"May I introduce the Magician Philip and his associates, the Kitsune Aya, and nekoshou-turned-devil Kuroka," Grayfia interjected. "They are present as a neutral third party, at the request of Lady Gremory. Philip, Aya, Kuroka, this is Riser Phenex, third son of the House of Phenex."

Aya felt Philip shift slightly, almost imperceptibly, as he considered something.

She also noted a faint, brief look of uncertainty on Riser's face, a slight tensing of the muscles near the eyes, and a twitch of his eyelids, as he looked at Kuroka. He knows of her, then.

"Why would we need a third party?" Riser said dismissively, with a wave of his hand. "Our parents have already agreed that we are to be wed. Besides, pure-blooded devils are at risk of dying out. The situation is serious, far more important than some childish flight of fancy."

"Flight of fancy!? Childish!?" Rias stood, glaring at Riser. "I am willing to take a husband, Riser, but it will not be you. It will be one of my choosing, a right even those of the old houses have a right to!"

Aya sighed as they two began to bicker back and forth. She glanced over at Philip, noting that his gaze had become distant.

"Philip?" She poked him.

"Sorry," He muttered, shaking his head. "Tam just pointed something out about something Grayfia said."

The two devil kings continued to bicker back and forth. Riser's voice slowly gained a tone of ire, rising in volume to match Rias' angered one. Part of Aya was tempted to make a joke about 'bickering like an old married couple' but that would both hurt Rias' feelings and be the verbal equivalent of tossing a lit match into a gunpowder factory.

Grayfia simply watched the pair as they bickered, her face impassive.

Rias, Aya noted, was arguing based on legal precedent, her own feelings, and her rights. Riser, in contrast, was going on about how it was generous of him to have come to Earth, despite his dislike of it. How their parents had already come to an agreement and that they must abide by it, in addition to the devils' population issues.

"Kuroka," Aya said lightly, looking over the back of the couch at where the nekoshou stood. "Do you know anything about the laws Rias is talking about?"

"Just because I lived most of my life in the Underworld doesn't mean I memorised the law," The dark-haired woman replied. "Do you know Canadian law?"

"Some of it, my mom's a lawyer, remember?" Aya shot back. "So, Philip, you know anything about Underworld law?"

Philip started, glancing at her, startled out of a conversation with Tamamo.

"Uh, sorry, yeah, not really," He said. "Mostly what I looked at was what powers the Houses and Kings held, which is both a lot, and little. Lots of precedence, like the UK, gives them a great deal of leeway, but most of it seems to boil down to who's the stronger. That, and not a whole lot is made easy to access by most people. They still rely heavily on private libraries, no public ones."

"Ah," Aya replied, disappointed.

Rias, Aya felt, gave the more persuasive argument of the two. She certainly had the drive behind her, bolstered by laws. But Riser was unwilling to budge. Couldn't, Aya realised slowly. He seemed to be of the mind that they had no choice in the matter and intended to at least use the situation to his advantage to have some fun.

Neither was willing to budge, and every time Rias said something that could be remotely taken as a slight against his house, Riser became more aggressive and irate. At one point, he tried to change the subject and get closer to Rias, even attempting to touch her. His hand came back, restored in a burst of flame, after a shaky sphere, its edges poorly defined, of Rias' inherited power appeared in its path to remove the offending extremity.

"You…!" Riser cut the rest of his words off as his hand retreated, curling into a fist. "Fine! If I have to, I'll burn my way through your peerage if I must, first."

Aya tensed as Riser stopped keeping his power close, and instead let it run wild. Flames burst from his body, worn like they were instead accessories instead of fire. Philip stood, his staff in hand. Kuroka crouched slightly, ready to pounce.

Asia clung to Ise, the boy tense and pale, but with a determined glare on his face. Kiba had a sword ready in a flash. Koneko, like her sister, tensed for an explosion of movement. Akeno didn't move from where she had been preparing tea, but lighting flickered across her shapely form. Rias, behind her desk, kept the field of Destruction, wavering as it was, in place between her and Riser.

Grayfia pinched the bridge of her nose.

Aya could understand the maid's frustration. Riser's power wasn't vast. Kuroka could probably put out the same level of power as the third son of House Phenex. Which meant Riser wasn't anything more than a nuisance to Sirzech's wife.

Riser's gaze flickered over everyone in the room, then snorted.

"Magician, I suggest you leave. You have no place here, and none of your girlfriends could pose a threat to myself or my peerage," Riser said, lazily, as if he wasn't facing a room of hostility. "Rias. Your queen might be worth something. But the rest of your Peerage is trash."

Rias bristled at the flagrant insult to her Peerage, who as Aya knew, she treated as family. It made Aya briefly wonder about the legalities of Peerages. Were Peerages members of their houses automatically, or were they vassals or property?

"Enough," Grayfia cut through Riser's power with only a word, the temperature in the room seemingly dropping, even though it hadn't risen at all, despite the flames from Riser. "If neither of you will resolve this on your own… Master Sirzechs, Lord Gremory and Lord Phenex prepared a precaution. In truth, this was, no matter what else, to be the last meeting. Lady Rias, if you wish to push your opinion on the matter forward, you may do so through a Rating Game."

Quietly, Kiba explained what a Rating Game was to Ise and Asia, further cementing the idea that Rias was not telling her Peerage enough.

"There is another matter," Grayfia glanced at Philip. "To the Brotherhood's representative, given the insult and threat presented to you, Lord Sirzechs will provide compensation on behalf of the House of Phenex for the slight."

Aya blinked. True, if a fight had broken out, it would be bad for the Underworld politically, a neutral party being attacked… but the Brotherhood of Nod was a minor power, at best, from what she had been told. So why would Grayfia bother…. Oh. Aya held in a snicker as she relaxed. Sirzechs expected this to happen… and it gave him political leverage, though small, against House Phenex, by covering their son's faux pas. Enough that Sirzechs, could, say, get Rias' engagement annulled without embarrassing either house.

Philip simply responded with a nod of acknowledgement, before sitting back down.

As Aya leaned against him, she paused, remembering that Riser had seemingly implied he thought Kuroka was one of Philip's girlfriends. Kuroka was going to be an insufferable tease over it, wasn't she?

Aya sighed as Riser began to boast and needle Rias over her lack of victories in Rating Games, before summoning his own Peerage. She watched them and noted their appearance, apparent power and skills, but focused on Rias.

Later, Aya would realise that Riser had been trying to belittle Rias, in an attack of psychological warfare, matched by some of his later remarks about even ten days of training not being enough.

Eventually, Grayfia had enough and sent the arrogant ass on his way.

"Why not say something?" Aya whispered once Riser had vanished, once more in flames. "Should we have tried to get more time for Rias?"

"We're supposed to be a neutral group," Philip said, then shook his head as he looked into her eyes, silently urging her to not press the issue. "Now, I need to talk to… probably the council, actually, over the compensation. Probably won't be much, but friendlier relations would be appreciated."

"And it can't be nothing, or it hurts the leverage that Sirzech's just took," Aya nodded.

"Leverage?" Rias glanced over at them.

"Never mind the politics," Grayfia interrupted. "Lady Rias, you have ten days, starting tomorrow. I recommend you begin planning and preparing. Magician Philip, Lady Aya, Sirzechs has extended invitations to the Rating Game to you, as a courtesy."

"He has our appreciation," Philip said. "Rias, I assume you are going to ask for more ideas?"

"Yes," The redhead nodded. "If you happen to have a time dilation spell I am willing to cover any costs or lost income."

Philip snorted.

"I wish. No, no temporal manipulations. Pretty sure I read something about time travel being lethal, actually," He shook his head. "Now, it is getting rather late. I suppose I will meet with you tomorrow?"

"Excellent!" Rias grinned. "In ten days, we are going to blow Riser away."

"Yeah!" Ise cheered.

Grayfia simply took her leave. Shortly later, Philip, Aya, and Kuroka did as well.

---

"I assume you caught it too?" Philip asked as he reclined on the couch, Aya resting against his shoulder, her tails over the both of them like a blanket. "They waited quite some time before announcing Diodora's death. They moved the body too."

Aya nodded.

"Well, now that you mention it… yeah. I was more worried about the whole 'they knew it was your spell that did it'," She sighed. "… I really hate having to lie about that."

"I don't like it either," Philip sighed. "I should have aided Rias, or at least said something. Done more to help, but being a passive observer at least tipped things in Rias' favour, even if she seemingly hasn't noticed it. I was too distracted by Tamamo. She pointed out them having moved the body, and we got to theorising why. No evidence though, so it's all just guesses."

Aya hummed in agreement, then said nothing more. She instead opted to cuddle tighter against her boyfriend.

And then Kuroka flopped across both of their laps.

"You two are too serious," She said. "Rias will be fine. I'm teaching Shirone, and you are teaching the rest of them… so, on to another topic! Riser, as much as he is an arrogant jerk, seemed to think we were a thing!"

"No," Aya bluntly stated, glaring at the raven-haired catgirl as Philip gave an exasperated sigh. She curled an arm around Philip possessively. She didn't mind Kuroka's teasing, but she had a terrible sense of timing. "This is not the time for this."

"Fiiiiine," Kuroka, lain on her side across their laps moaned with a drawl. "… actually, I think I will stay like this. Your tails are very soft, and you two are warm."

"Yet again, more proof Kuroka is a housecat," Philip gave another sigh. "And her sister is the wildcat."

"My sister is too cute!" Kuroka protested as she resisted, successfully, Aya's attempts to push her off. "Now, how about we watch TV?"