P.S this story starts a few years before the start of our favorite DXD verse!
AND I DON'T OWN ANY DXD MATERIAL, ALL CREDIT TO THE ORIGINAL WRITERS!
"Talking out aloud"
'Thinking with ones mind'
"Spirits inside the sacred gears talking"
Without further delay, lets start the chapter!
Grigori HQ
It was late at night in the Grigori headquarters, where five fallen angels walked in eerie silence towards the governor general's office. These five fallen angels, Cadre Baraqiel, Raziel, Raynare, Millet, and Kalawarner, were each lost in thought, thinking over the events that had just transpired a few hours ago. Each one of them had a reason to be happy and sad.
Baraqiel found out that his daughter, whom he always thought had died in that Godforsaken attack by the Himejima clan with her mother, was still alive but hated him with a passion of a thousand suns. Raziel was thankful that he was fast enough to save his sister from the Devils but was suitably annoyed by how easily his sister was manipulated into doing something that could have started another war. The other Fallen were just glad that they were still alive and not killed by the Devils, or worse, tortured to death by them.
The traveling group's silence was broken by Raziel, who sighed in annoyance: "What were you thinking, Raynare? Infiltrating Kuoh, more than knowing that city was under the governance of people related to the current Maos?"
"I already told you… I was under orders to do so" Raynare meekly replied as she turned her head away from her brother in absolute shame. She had been manipulated to such a degree that it almost not only cost her life but also restarted the war. Not to mention the embarrassment she felt when fiercely scolded in front of the Devils, whom she was instructed to attack if an opportunity was presented.
"You already told us that… But I want the actual reason, Raynare! Why did you infiltrate Kuoh knowing the potential consequences?" Raziel softly asked his sister again. He wanted to know why Raynare was willing to break into Kuoh. He knew his sister better than most people and knew Raynare wasn't dumb enough to get manipulated that easily.
Raynare turned to look at his brother seriously, her eyes boring holes in his skull. But Raziel wasn't deterred by the intense glare he was receiving. He just wanted to know the truth about why his sister had broken into Kuoh so recklessly.
In the end, Raynare sighed deeply as her eyes softened, "To fulfill my own ambitions," Raynare softly muttered, barely above the audible range. Still, it was nevertheless heard by the other four fallen angels.
"To fulfill your own ambitions?" Raziel slowly repeated in some confusion. He wouldn't deny some part of him dreaded the answer he would get from his baby sister. However, he needed to know to convince his father to show her some mercy.
While Azazel loved both of his children to the ends of the world, he was also rather strict regarding their discipline. When either Raziel or Raynare used to get in trouble, he would always put them in one of his training sessions to teach them discipline, like every father would. But to Raynare and Raziel, they could see shades of the old Azazel… the Evilest of the Fallen Angels, a title they knew their father had inherited during the Great War due to his brutal battle tactics.
When the two siblings told their Godfathers, Baraqiel and Shemhazi, about their theory on Azazel's character change, Cadres couldn't help but shake their heads in amusement. Always telling them what Azazel was doing was something every parent does to discipline their child, but no words were ever able to convince the two siblings otherwise.
"Yes, to fulfill my own ambitions! Ever since I was born, I have been treated like some kind of trophy. Most people look at me as Azazel's daughter! They are always coming to me to either gain some kind of favor or try to harm me for any wrongdoing my father might have done to them a thousand years ago!" Raynare finally snapped as she glared at her brother.
Raziel didn't flinch away but stood expectantly, urging her to continue. It wasn't something he wasn't familiar with. As Azazel's son, he equally came across people who would either want to have sex with him for what he brought to the table or just try and kill him for any of his father's previous actions. Just like how Raynare had explained it.
"So you accepted his offer to infiltrate Kuoh and do his bidding because if the mission had been successful, it would have spoken volumes about your capability to sneak into a territory of sisters of the two Maos. Then killing some sacred gear wielders and blaming the Devils for everything." Raziel sighed as he understood what Raynare's plan could have been. Raynare couldn't help but look away, not finding enough courage to look either her brother or Godfather in the eyes.
Baraqiel for that matter just turned around and looked at his goddaughter solemnly. He could understand Raynare's plan and could sympathize with it. But that wasn't the way to do things. After all, ambition was the reason he had initially fell from Heaven in the first place. Ambition is more worthy to his father, who used to look at Micheal and Gaberial as his Golden children. It was this ambition that resulted in him being cast out of Heaven and not just like the rest of the Cadre who fell from Heaven after they had been seduced by humans.
When he was cast out of Heaven, he had been so distraught that he had considered ending it all. After all, he loved his father way too much, and seeing him with that disappointed look made Baraqiels churn. Soon he was cast out of Heaven after which he fell into deep despair. Had it been for Azazel and Shemhazi, he would have succumbed to his grief. They showed him that the world hadn't ended there and encouraged him to move forward with his life.
It took time, but he eventually moved past his regrets and began to live his life, trying to assist the Grigori in any way he could and enjoy life a little more. This eventually took him to Kuoh all those years ago, where he met the love of his life.
"I understand your pain dear Raynare" the old Cadre spoke softly as he regarded the younger fallen. His reply caught the younger fallen off guard.
Baraqiel didn't mind their shocked expression but continued his conversation, "After all, ambition is considered one of the deadliest sins. After all, unlike your father and others, I was cast out of Heaven for the same reason." Baraqiel spoke softly to the group.
He saw a few mouths open to ask him the most obvious question, to which he just raised his hands to stop them before continuing, "While I understand your desire to prove yourself to us or other fallen angels, let me be the first to remind you that the path you took to satisfy your own ambition shouldn't ever be repeated ever again! A fallen angel is encouraged to act on his ambitions, but that ambition should never be valued above the safety and prosperity of the Grigori. There are some scenarios where a path filled with one's ambitions should never be followed, ambitions outweighing the life and safety for your brethren is one such case" Baraqiel spoke earnestly to the group.
"Yes, Sir!" Kalawarner and Millet quickly buttered out a response.
"Yes, uncle. It won't happen again. It was a stupid mistake, " Raynare muttered her apology in shame. She was remorseful of her actions, which had almost killed her in the war and guilty for ripping away the humanity of two former humans.
Baraqiel, who listened to the apologies of the three Fallen angels, deeply sighed before regarding the three female fallen with a somber expression, "Failures are part of life. If you don't fail, you never learn. If you don't learn you will never change"
"Who knew you were a philosopher in your younger years?" Raziel replied with a cheeky grin. His attempt to lighten the mood worked; everyone gave a bemused chuckle.
"I have my moments. And it's not like I have gained this wisdom without making my own mistakes," Baraqiel replied with a sad smile, his thoughts trailing back to his daughter's being alive.
However, before he got deeply involved in thinking about the subject, he quickly shook his head to clear out any negative thoughts before refocusing on the fallen angels in front of him.
"Alright, enough of this chit-chat. Let's get to Azazel now. I am sure he is dying to meet all of you," Baraqiel replied amusedly. His words again caused others to be stricken with pure fear.
A few days later
It was a bright and sunny day in Kuoh, albeit a little warmer than usual for this time of year. Classes had just finished, and students walked towards their clubrooms to participate in club activities. One group of students was heading back to their den.
"I hope the President has nothing for us to do today! Then I can really take an easy day off," Issie said.
Alongside him walked Kenta, Yumi, Kiba, and his new housemate, Asia! After the events in the church, it was decided that Asia would live with Issie, something Kenta strongly opposed, wanting to keep Asia away from Issie's perverted antics. However, with calming words from Yumi and Asia, Kenta hesitantly retracted his objection. But not before giving Issie a stern warning of the burning of his private parts- a warning Issie immediately understood.
"I wouldn't be dreaming quite yet, Issie-san," Kiba replied with a knowing smirk.
"What you mean, pretty boy?" Issie threw a questioning look, but his question was met by a slight smirk from Kiba, who knew exactly what had been planned for today by their master.
The group eventually continued their trek to their clubroom, where they were met by Rias, who, like always, was doing some paperwork on her desk, and Akeno, who was serving Marid a cup of tea.
"Nice to see you all make it over here in one piece," Marid replied when he saw the incoming Devils. His reply caused both Issie and Kenta to glare at him; after all, they had gone through some crazy events in the last few days.
"What are you doing here, Lord Marid?" Yumi asked, pleasantly surprised by his unannounced arrival.
"Just visiting to see how you all are doing?" Marid replied with a charming smile.
"Good to see everyone here! So now we are going to start our day of activities, which are going to be a little different than what we usually do," Rias replied with a charming smile of her own while speaking to the Devils of the Gremory house.
"What do you mean?" Asia asked, a little confused.
Rias could only smile at her Bishop's innocent attitude, "Because both you and Issie will be getting a familiar today," Rias announced, much to their growing surprise.
"Ano… what is a familiar?" Issie asked sheepishly, raising his hands like he was still in class. Akeno and Rias couldn't help but giggle at Issie's attitude.
"Familiars are monsters and supernatural beings who are magically bounded to a Devil as a servant or ally. Familiars are considered a basic requirement for Devils. They could assist their masters in various tasks, be used for information gathering and relaying messages, and perform any other odd jobs that their masters could think of." Rias started to explain to the three newest Devil recruits, who had no idea what familiars were.
"So, like even doing something… sexual?" Issie asked lecherously. Before anyone could reply to the perverted pawn of the Gremory house, Asia tightly pinched his cheeks while Kenta just gave Issie a big smack at the back of his head.
"Oyee," Issie began to retort, only to hold himself back once he realized who he was facing. After all, Kenta could rip him into two pieces without breaking a sweat.
"Having some kind of sexual intimacy is actually something that is highly shunned since having sex with your familiar. Most of whom don't have their own free will, is actually considered an act of brutality and is looked down upon in the Devil society," Marid quickly corrected Issie.
"Oh, man! Here I thought I could get some sexy familiar." Issie let out a disappointed sigh.
"Don't look so down, my Issie. Familiars, after all, could help you with various things and chores in your daily life…. Perhaps they could deliver summoning fliers for you while you can just relax," Rias replied with a smirk.
"But the only problem is we don't know where to get a familiar," Asia innocently spoke aloud.
"That is what all of you are doing. Going to the familiar forest to get yourself a familiar. And yes, that includes you too, Kenta," Marid replied while looking at the Gremory group.
"This might not be a bad day after all," Kenta replied with a toothy grin.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get a familiar!" Issie spoke in absolute jubilation.
However, a knock was heard before anyone could respond to the highly energetic pawn. Rias gave Kiba a nod to open the door. To their pleasant surprise, Kiba opened the door to welcome Sona Sitri and her entire peerage.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Marid replied with a smile as he looked at the incoming Devils.
"It is," Rias replied with a smile as she regarded her childhood friend.
"Good evening to you both," Sona said as she greeted her two childhood friends with a formal head nod.
"What is he doing here?" Both male pawns of the Gremory and Sitri houses shouted in disgust, pointing at each other. The three kings ignored the two feuding pawns for the time being.
"Good evening to you as well, Sona. I have to say, this is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here to our humble abode?" Rias greeted her best friend as the three young began their friendly conversation. Meanwhile, the other Devils started to have their own conversation. They might be aligned to a different house in the underworld, but here in Kuoh, the peerages of all three young Kings operated under a single rule. Plus, after all the dangerous and hectic events that have transpired recently, it was better to get an idea of the other Devil's strengths and weaknesses should some problematic events like the recent ones be repeated shortly.
"Still hanging in their pervert! It is quite a surprise for me to see you lasting this long in this world," Saji replied hauntingly.
"I had good people watching and mentoring me," Issie hotly replied to his rival.
"That's good! Someone like you needs all the tutoring they can get." Saji laughed at that.
"Why you!" Issie gritted his teeth; however, before he could do anything, his reply was caught in his throat when he heard Asia's innocent voice.
"Issie-san who is he?" Asia asked Issie innocently.
"Ohhhh!!!! Rias senpai has gotten herself a blond babe," Saji cooed as he looked at Asia with a starstruck gaze.
"Hello, my name is Asia Argento. I am Rias Buchou's Bishop." Asia innocently introduced herself to Saji, not registering that Saji had just called her a blonde babe. Something two other Devils had noticed and had become livid at the Devils comment towards Asia.
"My name is Genshirou Saji Asia-san! It's an honor to meet you," Saji introduced himself with a grin as he joyously shook Asia's hand. Who herself was confused by the sudden enthusiasm of the Sitri Devil.
"It is nice to meet you," Asia replied awkwardly, chuckling.
Issie, who suddenly felt a ton of jealousy, jumped into the mix and grabbed Saji's hand, and squeezed it with all of his might, "Hey dipshit, if you ever say something perverted like that to Asia, I will break your teeth!"
Saji retaliated by squeezing Issie's hand. "You think you only have the right to take sweets from a hot babe like Asia," Saji growled.
Asia, who heard Saji's words, suddenly turned crimson after hearing Saji's words towards her.
Nevertheless, before Issie could reply to Saji's words towards Asia, both of them felt a powerful grip on their shoulders, "If both of you don't stop making Asia uncomfortable, then I will be forced to shut both of your mouths," Kenta replied intensely, making both the pawns gulp and then nod nervously.
"Aren't they both lively?" Tomeo, the youngest of the Sitri Devils, smirked at the sight before her.
"I hope they fight; ever since their last confrontation, Saji-kun has been training extremely hard to prove both Kaicho and Lord Marid wrong," Tsubasa, the tomboy of the group, replied with an eager smile. Her smile only lasted until she saw her King's unimpressed look. Her sly plan to see the two pawns' fights was shot down immediately. Marid couldn't help but share a sympathetic face with the Sitri rook. After all, his plan to see the two pawns fight had been shot down by the other two high-class Devils alongside him.
"It's genuinely a shock that Sona Kaicho still keeps you around!" Issie snarled, continuing his feud with Saji as if nothing had happened.
"Says the one who is most likely still delivering summoning leaflets on his bike," Saji replied with an equal amount of venom.
"I won't be doing that anymore since I will be going to the familiar forest next week and getting a familiar for myself," Issie snapped back at his rival. However, his answer caught the attention of Sona, who seemed to have somewhat of a plan similar to Rias's.
"Is it true, Rias? You are taking your peerage to the familiar forest?" Sona asked Rias in surprise.
"Yes, I will take mine and Marid's peerage next week!" Rias replied with a gentle smile.
"That will be a little problem for us since I plan to take my peerage next week as well. And since the familiar master only takes people once a month, this is the only slot," Sona replied thoughtfully. Her plans clashed with Rias plans to take Saji to the familiar forest.
"In that case, why don't we have a friendly little contest to find out who will take their peerage to the familiar forest first?" Rias suggested to her childhood friend.
"Surely you are not talking about a rating game?" Sona replied in surprise.
"Of course not! We will never get permission to do a rating game for something so trivial." Rias waved off Sona's thought with a chuckle.
"Yes, of course, after all you can't afford to call attention to yourself, now?" Sona replied teasingly. Her reply caused Rias eyes to narrow a tiniest bit, but it was enough to be caught by most of the Devils in the room… well, most of the experienced Devils in the room.
"Hey do you know what they are talking about?" Issie couldn't help but ask his rival in a heated whisper.
"I don't know. By the way, what the hell is a rating game?" Saji replied with a question of his own. Unfortunately, they didn't have the answers toeach other's questions.
"We should settle this in a good old-fashioned high school way, with sports!" Rias got over her frown and suggested it to Sona. Sona gained a thoughtful look as she seriously considered Rias suggestion.
"What about Marid and his peerage?" Sona questioned as both childhood friends turned towards the sole male King in the room.
"My peerage and I won't be participating in this little competition of yours since we will be going with the winners to the familiar forest, " Marid shrugged in response to their unasked question.
"I can see why you would go with Rias and her peerage since you belong to the same house, but why would I take you to the familiar forest with my peerage?" Sona asked Marid with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I will be cashing in one of the favors you owe me for helping you deal with Zill and his lackeys. Not to mention the favor you all owe me to create the tracking device," Marid replied with a smirk.
Both Sona and Rias were surprised by Marid's reply but couldn't refute him. As he had already mentioned, he had been a big help during the problem with the Fallen Angels and Zill. They at least trusted him enough to let him and his peerage accompany them to the familiar forest.
"Fair enough. But returning to the topic, what game would we play to settle our little dispute?" Rias asked with a raised eyebrow. The two friends looked at each other intensely before smiling and silently agreeing on what game they wanted to wager on.
"OHOHOHO! This should be good," Marid replied with an amused grin, looking forward to the game the two female Devils would play.
Ten minutes later
"Oh, this stuff is going to rock, dude!" Issie replied in jubilation as he saw two masters of their own peerage standing against each other on the tennis court with their seconds in command.
"This is the worst idea ever!" Kenta replied with an unimpressed look.
"Why you gotta be a spoilsport, man! Don't you want to see those beautiful bodies shine in their sweat, showcasing their almighty glory to us?" Issie indecorously asked.
Kenta, who suddenly caught himself blushing a bit at that thought, coughed in his hand before continuing, "You do realize if they started to use magic in the middle of their game, then it would announce the existence of the supernatural to the entirety of the school" Kenta responded after taking a moment to recover himself.
Issie, who barely heard Kenta speak, focused on the tennis match that was about to start.
"I feel like they won't use magic in their game. After all, they agreed not to use magic earlier," Kiba said aloud.
"You are extremely naïve if you think they would rule they had previously agreed upon. They aren't playing tennis to settle their dispute but rather see which one of them one up the other. Their Pirde is on the line and they would do everything to win this game" Marid replied from the side with some amusement. Like the other ORC and student council members, he watched the match from the bleachers.
Unfortunately, the chances of Marid's words coming true were high since the match between four of the most famous women in the school had gained the attention of most of the student body.
"I am sure they will be more sensible than what you are suggesting, Lord Marid," Yumi added as she looked over the match with a nervous Asia.
"One can dream," Marid replied with some amusement as he looked over the competitors.
Both duos belonging to the leaders of their respective clubs were ready and in their positions, with Sona and Tsubaki on one side and Rias and Akeno on the other.
"You better be ready, Rias, because I will beat you today!" Sona retorted with a challenging smirk, her competitive side leaking through her voice.
"This isn't chess, Sona! Your luck against me will end today," Rias replied with a daring tone before serving the ball to her rival.
"Ohhh, the match just started! Look at them go!!" Matsuda and Motohama cheered from the sidelines, burning the memory of the tennis match in their brains.
"And here we go!" Marid said in amusement, seeing his childhood friends' give their all in the match. He knew it was only a matter of time before they resorted to magic to beat each other.
Later
"I can't believe you and Lord Marid called it!" Issie said in shock, holding two broken tennis rackets.
It had been a few hours since the fiasco at the tennis court. Soon after the match started, the ladies from each team did their best to outdo their opposition. However, soon, Sona Sitri was able to score a point by volleying a powerful shot past the Occults research club's vice president guard. From there onwards, both Sona and Rias started incorporating magic in their volleys to defeat the other person, much to the shock of the members of both the Devil peerages.
Within the next few minutes, the match had to be abandoned by both sides after Rias Gremory used a little too much of her power of destruction to overpower the Sitri heiress. The shot resulted in a little explosion in the middle of the tennis court- not enough to harm anyone in the vicinity, but loud enough to warrant a memory-altering spell on all the humans observing the tennis match.
"Their competitive spirit was at an all-time high at the time. It was only a matter of time before they became too obsessed with defeating their rival to obey the previously agreed-upon rules." Kenta shrugged as he sat on one of the sofas in the occult research clubroom.
"Where are they now?" Yumi asked the group curiously. After the disastrous end of the tennis match, magic users from all three of the peerages were tasked to alter the memories of everyone non supernatural. Since the tennis match between the most popular girls garnered so much attention, it was only now that the magic users of the three peerages had time to take a breather.
"Lord Marid is with Rias-sama and Sona-Kaicho to decide what kind of game they will play as the decider," Kiba answered Yumi's question with a smile.
As if on cue, the door to the Occult Research Club opened, revealing Akeno, Rias, and Marid. Both Akeno and Marid sported amusing grins, while Rias wore an expression that clearly displayed her embarrassment over how things played out in the tennis match.
"So, what sports are we playing this time?" Issie asked enthusiastically.
"American Dodgeball," Marid simply replied to the group.
"But won't we be disadvantaged since Sona Kaicho has more members?" Kiba couldn't help but ask.
"We have decided that all the extra members won't play the game. They will instead be watching the games from the bleachers while Marid's team will officiate the game, which will be played tomorrow night," Rias explained to the group.
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go beat their ass!!" Issie screamed excitedly as everyone headed towards the gymnasium, where the dodgeball was supposed to be played.
Next Day
"Perhaps playing dodgeball wasn't the best idea," Issie squealed, holding his baby maker tenderly.
The match had gone precisely as expected; it was a biting match, with each team getting very good eliminations. Koneko gots knocked out by her rival rook, while Kiba can avenged his fallen comrade. However, in the end, Rias Gremory and her peerage narrowly edged out a win at the end of playing time. Rias and her team simply had more points than Sona Sitri and her peerage.
Perhaps it was by pure luck that Rias and her team had won the game or the pure enthusiasm the team had after they had received customized head bands Issie had made the previous night for tonight's match. But one thing was certain, the headbands provided a good atmosphere for the team before the match started. Even Kenta was amazed by Issie's crafting skills. In his mind Issie had recovered some of that respect he had lost due to the pawns perverted antics.
Coincidentally, the game's last play was Tsubaki throwing a powerful shot at Issie's baby maker. Perhaps it was her pure annoyance for him due to his perverted nature. But if it was, no one could prove it.
"Looks like we won, Sona," Rias replied triumphantly as she regarded her childhood friend and rival.
"It looks like you did! Narrowly it may have been, your peerage has secured your victory. Per our agreement, I will honor my word and let you and your peers visit the familiar forest next week… Well, your's and Marid's peerage," Sona replied with an acknowledging nod.
"I hope there aren't any hard feelings, Sona?" Rias asked Sona curiously. While she held a healthy amount of pride in herself and her peers, there was no denying that she cared about her friends and family. And she had no desire to hurt someone unintentionally.
"Like I said, you won this wager fair and square. However, don't let this win give you any false hope that you would have been able to beat me if this wager had been conducted over a rating game! Because if it were to happen, me and my peerage wouldn't have held back and would have defeated you and your peerage!" Sona replied with a confident smirk.
"There is no harm in dreaming," Rias replied teasingly.
Without saying another word, Sona left the gymnasium with her peers, leaving Rias Marid and her peers alone in the gym.
"So…. Whose ready to go to the familiar forest?"
Familiar Forest
It was the week after the dodgeball match between Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri that the Gremory peerages finally arrived at the familiar forest.
"That was one long ride," Kenta yawned as he walked out of a crimson magic circle alongside both of the Gremory Peerages.
"Couldn't we have just teleported here or something?" Issie joined Kenta in his moaning as he cracked his back. Both Kings just looked amused at their behavior.
"It is required by law for all new Devils to use the train when coming to the underworld for the first time. This ensures that they get registered with the government" Rias smiled to the two newest Devils.
"I really wish there had been another way to enter the underworld without taking that long train ride" Kenta sighed as he and Issie finally took in their surroundings.
The familiar forest looked magical yet heavily wooded, producing noises of animals neither of the three former humans had ever heard. However, the most enchanting thing about the forest was the purple sky it lay under, adorned by a massive white crystal moon. It was definitely something out of a story book for the newer Devils.
"So this is the familiar forest, huh?" Kenta spoke aloud as he took in his surroundings.
"It looks creepy," Issie muttered as he cautiously looked around the forest. The sounds of different animals and familiars did nothing to ease his nerves.
However, on the other hand, Asia was amazed by the forest around her, "It looks beautiful! And the sky is so unique!" Asia simply just gushed, much to the amusement of other Devils.
"The sky of the underworld has always been purple from what we know. It is believed the sky of the underworld turned purple due to such contrasting energies living in the underworld at the time of its creation. The moon, however, is a new addition by the current four Satans. They created an artificial moon out of demonic energy to resemble the moon and the night sky in the underworld. A way to make the reincarnated Devils feel more welcomed." Marid briefly explained the underworld's geography to both Issie and Asia, who seem enraptured in the story. On the other hand, Kenta knew of the fact prior since it was part of one of his study sessions.
"The Maos must be crazy powerful if they were able to do something like that." Issie couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle. He had heard of Draig's potential from both his master and Marid, but he doubted Draig would be able to create something as beautiful as this.
"That they are," Marid replied with a proud smile. After all, out of the four Satans, one was his father and the two others were his Godparents.
"So what now?" Asia curiously asked the older Devils.
"Now we wait for the familiar master to arrive," Rias replied with a smile.
As if on cue, the sound of trees rustling got everyone's ears. While the newer Devils looked alert, the older Devils just looked towards the direction of the voice curiously.
"Woooooooooohhhhhhh!!! What do we have here? Devils looking for familiars?" a voice called out from one of the tree's branches.
When the group of Devils turned around, they were faced with a middle-aged Devil with a lanky appearance. He had red hair that was covered with his blue baseball cap. Also, he wore a white tank top, worn out blue shorts and white worn out sneakers which completed the mans attire.
"Who are you?" Kenta asked the newcomer intensely. Not knowing whether or not the newcomer is a friend or a foe.
"My name is Zatouji from the town of Madara, and I am striving to become the next familiar master of this forest!" Zatouji introduced himself to the Devils with a courteous bow.
"It is nice to meet you Zatouji-san. Marid and I were hoping to get familiars for our peerage members tonight" Rias formally spoke to the familiar master trainee.
"Rias Gremory, heiress to the Gremory family. It is an honor to meet you." Zatouji gave Rias a deeper bow, realizing who Rias truly was.
"The honor is mine Zatouji-san. As I was saying, I would like to get familiars for several members of my house," Rias said formally.
"It would be my honor to assist you in finding familiar members of your house. However.. " Zatouji's eyes went over the group, lingering a brief moment longer on Marid. "I didn't know you had one of the members of Gremory house's extended family as a part of your peerage, " Zatouju replied curiously while looking at Marid, incorrectly concluding that Marid was part of Rias's peerage.
Rias simply chuckled alongside her queen at hearing Zatouji's comment. Marid chuckled a bit at seeing the innocent misunderstanding on the familiar master's behalf.
"Why are you all giggling?" Zatouji asked the group, a bit confused as to why everyone around him was laughing at him.
"They are giggling because you were wrong in your assumption, Zatouji-san. While I am part of the Gremory house, I am not part of Rias Gremory's peerage, but I am a master of my own. My name is Marid Gremory, and I am looking to get my own servant a familiar," Marid replied with an amused chuckle. Clearly, taking the familiar master's innocent mistake in good faith.
However, his amusement soon doubled when he saw the look of pure horror on Zatouji's face. At that moment, everyone knew that the aspiring familiar master had recognized Marid as one of the 'Big Eight' members and eldest son of the current Mao Lucifer.
The familiar master stopped everything he was doing and got on all fours, asking Marid for forgiveness.
"Please forgive me, Lord Marid! I didn't know it was you," Zatouji begged Marid for his forgiveness.
"Please stand up! It is quite alright. I rarely find people who already don't know me, and experiences like this one are quite welcomed," Marid calmly replied.
Zatouji sighed in relief once he saw Marid's amusing tone and relaxed aura. After all, he had encountered many high class Devils that represented the worst parts of the Devil nobility. As the son of the current Lucifer, Zatouji expected Marid to kill him for that insult. However, to his relief, Marid hadn't done that. Indeed, the next generation of Devils were definitely different than the usual high-class Devils he used to dealing with.
"I am gracious for your forgiveness, my prince," Zataoji replied with a relieved sigh and a deep bow. Unknown to him, Marid's eyes twitched violently when he referred to Marid in that way.
Zatouji, after thanking his stars yet again, quickly moved on to the request of the two high-class Devils, "Do you all know what kind of familiar you are looking for?" Zatouji asked Kenta, Asia, and Issie.
"I want something cute," Asia replied with a cute smile.
"I could use something that meshes well with my being and style," Kenta simply replied. He didn't have enough knowledge of familiars to precisely tell the familiar master he was looking for, which is why he had given him the task of finding him something exciting.
"Good choices; we should be able to find something for you." Zatauji nodded appreciatively. He could appreciate Devils looking for familiars that could help them out rather than looking for plainly powerful familiars.
"I want something super powerful and sexy," Issie spoke lecherously. His reply caused most of the Devils to sigh deeply while Marid and Rias giggled at their junior's antics.
"I hope he gets his act together before he gets into real trouble, " Kenta said to no one in particular. However, his words reached the ears of the raven-haired queen.
"Ara Ara, are you worried about your junior's future?" Akeno asked teasingly.
"Only if he does something that hurts Asia. If he does that, I will break him into two," Kenta replied smugly as he pointed towards Asia. Akeno, who followed Kenta's gaze, started to giggle as she saw Asia pouting cutely, an act that Kenta found highly adorable. Luckily for him, before Akeno noticed his expression, everyone's attention was grabbed by Rias, who looked amused by Issie's demand.
"Honestly, Issie, what will I do with you?" Rias giggled at her pawn's proclamation.
"I want the most beautiful and powerful familiar," Issie repeated his demand joyously. This time, Asia squeezed his cheeks painfully, causing Issie to wince in pain and ask for her forgiveness. That being said, something about Asia's slightly jealous attitude made the pain almost nonexistent for him.
"This is the problem with the newer Devils; they want the familiar that would only exist in a fairy tale." Zatjouji couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. The number of Devils he had met in his life who wanted the same thing as the perverted pawn in front of him was ridiculous.
"What's wrong with finding a powerful and sexy familiar?" Issie asked the aspiring familiar master comically.
However, before the familiar master could reply, Marid beat him to the punch, "There is nothing wrong with trying to get a powerful and beautiful familiar for yourself. The problem is forming a contract with this these of familiars," Marid explained to Rias' newest pawn with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Issie asked in a confused tone.
This time, Rias replied, "The problem with that, Issie, is that everything in the supernatural world responds to power. Since you were just reincarnated into a Devil, you have barely scratched the surface of power you will one day be able to yield. However, that potential won't help you gain a powerful familiar right now," Rias replied with a sad smile as she didn't wanted to burst her adorable pawns' fantasy bubble. However, as his King, she was responsible for preparing him for the supernatural world.
"So you mean?" Issie began to reply dejectedly.
"That you won't be able to form a contract with a super powerful familiar until you get stronger." Kenta, who was listening to the conversation, completed Rias sentence.
"Then what kind of familiar can I get then?" Issie dejectedly asked the group of Devils in front of him.
"Let's try and get something you could use it in your everyday life," Rias replied with a smile.
"Maybe you could get a familiar who is useful in your everyday life but also sexy, as you put it," Marid replied with an amused smirk. His reply lit the fire behind Issie's eyes yet again.
"Let's get familiar then, " Issie said, raising his hand in pure jubilation. This made Asia pout again, and Kenta sighed at Issie's antics.
"What kind of familiars do you all have?" Asia asked the group of Devils out of sheer curiosity.
"I have these tiny demons as my familiars!" Akeno giggled as she summoned her familiars, creatures Issie could only describe as imps.
"This is Shiro," Koneko said as she summoned her familiar. Her familiar was a white cat. She was smaller than a regular housecat but had magical hazel eyes and cute white fur, like its master.
"This, right here, is my own familiar!" Rias summoned her own bat-like familiar. To Issie's shock, he recognized his master's familiarity; after all, he had seen her the day he was attacked by Raynare for the first time.
"These little beauties are my familiar," Marid said proudly as he summoned his own familiars. Many Devils expecting an apex predator as Marid's familiar were left disappointed at the sight of three butterflies flying near Marid.
"You have butterflies as your familiars?" Issie started to laugh. Kenta himself found the sight of his masters familiar quite amusing.
"Don't take these things lightly, Issie. Sometimes, the smaller things pack the biggest punch as long as you know how to use them," Marid replied with a wink before sending a mental command to his familiar.
The effect was instant as Marid's butterflies transformed into a massive grey werewolve, growling into Issie's face. Something that scared the shit out of him if Issie's embarrassing Yelp was anything to go by.
Issie's reaction to Marid's familiar transforming trick made everybody giggle. All the while, Issie muttered, swearing his revenge against Marid for the embarrassment he had caused.
Even Kenta and Yumi let out amused smirks on Issie's embarrassment. Luvkily for Issie, he was saved from further embarrassment by the only other male member of Rias Gremory's peerage.
"I actually have Goru as my familiar." Kiba summoned his own familiar, which was shaped like a small bird. The bird had charming royal blue wings with crystal-white eyes. It was smaller than a crow, making it fit the description of an exotic bird or a spy bird!
"It is quite amusing we both picked the same kind of familiar, considering how separated we have been for most of our lives," Yumi replied with a soft smile as she looked at her foster baby brother's familiar.
"What do you mean?" Kiba wondered. As if mimicking its master's emotion, Kiba's familiar landed on his shoulder and tilted its head quizzically.
Rather than responding to Kiba's question, Yumi smiled and summoned her own familiar. In a flash of azure light, a majestic white feathered raven appeared before the shocked Devils. Its sharp gold eyes made it a fearsome creature for a familiar, while its innocent white feathers made it look like any other white feathered bird to a regular human. However, to a group of Devils, the white feathers proved nothing less than a minor distraction to its more magical aspects, like the runic pattern on its back, further symbolizing it was no ordinary familiar.
"This right here is Synin. She is my familiar." Yumi introduced her familiarity to the group.
"Where did you get that bird from? I have never seen that kind of familiar in this forest ever!" Zatjouji exclaimed in amazement. Not getting enough of the sight of such a rare bird.
The amazement of the familiar master only grew when he saw the bird flexing its wings only to stand proudly upright on its master's shoulder. As if to agree with the friendly master's comment on its own rarity.
"Synin was a gift from someone I now call father," Yumi replied with a smile, much to the shock of the people present.
"Father?" Kiba asked in shock, never having heard about Yumi getting adopted by someone during their time away from each other.
"After Lord Marid saved me in that church, we moved to Europe, where we met a very nice old man who took us in his family and taught us the basics of magic and rune making. That man and his wife eventually adopted me as one of his own and welcomed us as their own" Yumi replied with a smile as she lost herself for a moment in the beautiful memories she had created with her new family and the people who took her in.
While Yumi took a moment to reminisce in fonder memories of her life, the other Devils were shocked at the sudden revelation, "So Garagamel adopted you?" Rias nodded in understanding. After Marid had returned to the underworld, Rias contacted her older brother to ask about Marid's past since she knew she would never get a proper answer from him. That is when her brother had told her about Marid's past and his mentor Garagamel.
However, once she uttered those words, Marid started to snicker.
"Is there something funny about my observation, Marid?" Rias asked her nephew, raising an eyebrow.
"Only that your observation is very wrong," Marid chuckled again. "While you are right that Gargamel was one of my mentors, he is not Yumi's father. Garagamel died long before I met Yumi. Yumi was adopted after my run-in with the church all those years ago. Yumi's father is a very respected person of his community he lives in. A community that I now call my second home," Marid explained to the group.
"And what would be the name of the said person?" Rias asked a little impatiently this time.
Marid, who saw her impatience, just smirked. "I am sorry, Rias, but I cannot answer that question. If Yumi wants to share the identity of her father, then she can do so. However, I won't reveal her father's identity," Marid simply replied in a tone that left no room for persuasion from the other curious Devils.
Rias took a quick glance to see if Yumi would be willing to reveal the identity of her father to her, but a teasing smirk on Yumi's face told her that she would have to get her answers the hard way. With a cute pout, Rias simply turned around and faced the familiar master, making her actions all the more adorable, especially to a newly converted pawn.
"Other than the sight of some truly unique and powerful familiars, perhaps it would be best for us to return to the main reason for your visit, finding these newly converted Devils a familiar." The familiar master looked at the group of Devils expectantly. His eyes lingered over Yumi's familiar in fascination for a moment longer than the rest of the Devils. They didn't call him out if someone caught his gaze. Zatouji simply nodded at the Rias Gremory's words before formulating the best plan of action to ensure all the newly converted Devils getting a familiar before the night was done.
"Let's go familiar hunting," Marid called out as he clapped his hands together, signifying the beginning of their hunt for a few unique familiars for the newest members of the Gremory family.
Chapter End
There is nothing much to say on the matter, other than I am sorry for the delayed update on the story. Other than getting lazy, I was just trying to figure out whether or not I want to cover the familiar forest in one chapter or over the course of two chapters. Turns out I went overboard during the introduction of the familiar forest and the familiar master. Which is why the second part of the familiar forest arc will be coming up shortly.
BTW, HAPPY THANKSGIVING PEOPLE!!!
Furthermore, before I end this chapter, I just wanted to urge you all to please COMMENT on the chapters and let me know what you all think. Please write constructive criticism so I know where I am lacking or if my story has some plot holes. These help me greatly improve the quality of my chapters.
Until then stay safe and have fun!
DGZalama out!
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