I was back in my backyard with the wooden box clutched against my chest, and for a moment I just stood there in the evening air, trying to process what had actually happened. The four Satans had not only agreed to my proposal—they'd given me something even better than I'd dared hope for.
The back door opened and Valerie stepped out, taking one look at my expression. "Well, you don't look like someone who just got rejected."
"They said yes." I held up the box, still somewhat in disbelief. "More than yes, actually."
Asia appeared behind her, wrapping a cardigan around her shoulders against the evening chill. "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so glad they agreed to help."
I sat down on the back steps, setting the box beside me. The weight of what I was carrying—both physically and metaphorically—was starting to sink in. "They gave me modified Evil Pieces. Ones that work on humans."
"Modified how?" Valerie asked, settling beside me with her usual directness.
"Normal Evil Pieces reincarnate someone as a devil when they're used. These ones create the same bonds and grant similar abilities, but without the species change. You'd still be human, just... enhanced."
Asia's eyes went wide. "That's incredible! I didn't know such a thing was possible."
"It wasn't, until Ajuka Beelzebub decided to spend months redesigning the fundamental magical matrices just to see if he could." I opened the box, revealing the chess pieces nestled inside. Each one seemed to pulse with contained energy. "He figured out what I wanted them for and made them work."
The implications were staggering when I really thought about them. I could offer Asia and Valerie partnership instead of just protection. They could become genuinely powerful supernatural beings while remaining themselves.
But that also meant I'd be responsible for their safety in an entirely new way. If something happened to them because of choices I'd influenced...
"You're overthinking again," Valerie observed. "I can practically hear the gears turning."
"It's just a big decision," I said. "For all of us."
Asia reached out tentatively toward the box. "May I?"
I nodded, and she carefully picked up one of the Bishop pieces. The moment her fingers touched it, soft golden light flared around her hand. She didn't flinch or pull away—instead, she studied the phenomenon with fascination.
"It's warm," she said softly. "And it feels... familiar, somehow."
"Compatibility resonance," I explained. "It means the piece recognizes you as someone who could use it."
Valerie picked up a Knight piece without hesitation, getting the same golden response. "So we could actually do this."
"You could. But it's not something to decide lightly. Evil Pieces create permanent bonds—they link souls together. Once it's done, it can't be undone."
The weight of that permanence sat heavy in my chest. I'd be asking them to tie their very existence to mine forever. What right did I have to even offer such a thing?
"What would it mean exactly?" Asia asked, still cradling the Bishop piece. "The bond?"
"We'd be connected emotionally and spiritually. You'd be able to sense my general state—if I was injured or in serious danger. I'd know the same about you. And the pieces would grant you supernatural abilities based on their type."
"What kind of abilities?" Valerie wanted to know.
I tried to organize what I knew about the system. "Bishops get enhanced magical power and the ability to support others with healing and barriers. Knights gain superhuman speed and mobility. Rooks become incredibly strong and durable. The Queen piece grants a bit of everything."
She fell quiet, and I could see her processing that. Asia had lived most of her life believing she was cursed, that her Sacred Gear made her dangerous to everyone around her. The idea of having time to actually help people, to use her abilities for good over a truly long lifetime...
"There are risks," I continued, needing to be honest about the downsides. "Being connected to me would make you targets for anyone with a grudge. The supernatural world has politics, territorial disputes, outright wars sometimes."
"As opposed to the perfectly safe life we're living now?" Valerie's tone was dry.
She had a point. We were already involved with supernatural politics whether we liked it or not. At least this way they'd have the power to protect themselves.
"I suppose that's true," I admitted. "But still, this would be permanent. There's no going back once the bond is formed."
Asia carefully set the Bishop piece back in the box, but her eyes lingered on it. "Could we... could we think about it for a while? It's a lot to process."
"Of course. Take as long as you need—days, weeks, whatever. And if either of you decides you're not interested, that's completely fine too."
Valerie was still holding the Knight piece, turning it over in her palm. "What's the actual process? How does it work?"
"There's a ritual that needs to be performed. Ajuka offered to oversee it to make sure everything goes correctly. He said there are specific procedures and safeguards that have to be followed."
The idea of going through with it felt both thrilling and terrifying. I'd be offering them real power, real protection, a genuine partnership in dealing with supernatural threats. But I'd also be changing their lives irrevocably.
Was I being selfish? The practical benefits were obvious, but underneath that was the simple desire not to be alone in this anymore. To have people who truly understood what I was dealing with, who could stand beside me as equals rather than people I constantly worried about protecting.
"You know what I think?" Valerie said, interrupting my internal spiral. "I think you're making this more complicated than it needs to be."
"How so?"
"You're acting like this is something you'd be doing to us instead of something we'd be choosing for ourselves." She set the Knight piece back in the box with a soft click. "We're already in the supernatural world, Akira. We're already at risk just by being around you. This would just give us the tools to actually do something about it."
Asia nodded slowly. "She's right. And... I've spent so much of my life feeling helpless, like my abilities were more curse than gift. If there was a way to have real power to help people..."
The hope in her voice was unmistakable, and something tight in my chest finally loosened. Maybe I had been overthinking this. The dangers were real, but so were the benefits. And ultimately, it was their choice to make.
"Alright," I said, standing up and tucking the box under my arm. "Let's go inside and I'll tell you everything I know about how this works. If you're going to make this decision, you should have all the information."
As we headed for the house, I found myself actually feeling optimistic for the first time since getting the pieces. Whatever they decided, at least they'd be making the choice with full knowledge of what it meant.
And if they said yes... well, then everything would change, probably for the better.
. . .
The next morning found me knocking on Chysis's door with a specific request in mind. She opened it looking perfectly composed despite the early hour, her hair neatly styled and her expression mildly curious.
"Akira? This is unexpected. Is everything alright with the Evil Pieces arrangement?"
"Everything's fine with that," I assured her, stepping inside when she gestured. "I actually wanted to ask you about something else. Magic lessons."
Her eyebrow arched elegantly. "Oh? I thought you were quite capable already, given your ability to create Holy Water of Life."
"That's different. That's more like... advanced alchemy mixed with sacred gear abilities." I settled into the offered chair in her sitting room. "I want to learn actual human magic, not like the one we did last time"
Chysis leaned back, studying me with those sharp eyes. "Human magic? That's quite ambitious. Most humans who attempt it end up teleporting themselves into vampire territory or accidentally summoning things they can't control."
I just smiled. "Maybe they end up being mind controlled by magic users"
"Maybe—" She paused, catching the implication in my tone. "Ah. You're expecting to get pulled deeper into faction politics."
"I know I'm going to get pulled deeper," I corrected. "The Holy Water arrangement alone guarantees that. And when it happens, I'd rather not be completely helpless if diplomatic solutions don't work out."
She nodded slowly, approval flickering in her expression. "Very well, I can teach you the basics, though I should warn you—human magic is notoriously difficult to master."
"How difficult are we talking?"
"Devils use imagination and will to shape their magic. Humans have to use mathematical formulas, precise calculations, and exact geometric patterns." She stood and moved to a bookshelf, pulling out several thick volumes. "Every spell requires you to calculate energy requirements, environmental variables, and potential interference factors. In your head. While maintaining focus on the desired outcome."
I accepted the stack of books, immediately noting their weight. "These look... comprehensive."
"The fundamentals of human magical theory," she said, settling back into her chair. "Start with the blue one—it covers basic energy calculations and simple manipulation spells."
I opened the blue book to a random page and immediately regretted it. The page was covered with equations that looked like they belonged in an advanced physics textbook, complete with Greek letters and mathematical symbols I didn't recognize.
"This looks impossible," I muttered.
Chysis chuckled. "Most humans think so. That's why so few pursue formal magical training." She moved to sit beside me, pointing to one of the equations. "But it's not as complex as it appears. This one, for example, is just calculating the energy required to move a small object. Weight times distance, modified by environmental resistance and magical conductivity of the target material."
"Just?" I stared at the formula that took up half the page.
"The complexity comes from accounting for variables. Temperature, humidity, magical background radiation, your own energy levels, the phase of the moon if you're working with lunar-aligned spells..." She trailed off, probably noticing my expression. "Perhaps we should start with something simpler."
Three hours later, I was sprawled in my chair with my head in my hands, surrounded by open books and pages of failed calculations. My latest attempt at a basic light spell had produced a brief flash that immediately gave me a headache.
"I think my brain is melting," I announced.
"You're not doing too badly for your first session," Chysis said, though her tone suggested she was being charitable. "You managed to produce light, even if it was unstable."
"It lasted for about half a second and felt like getting punched in the skull."
"That's because you miscalculated the energy distribution by about thirty percent. The excess had to go somewhere, so it manifested as neural feedback."
I looked up at her. "In plain terms?"
"Your math was wrong, so the spell gave you a headache."
"Magic is hard," I said definitively.
"Human magic is hard," she corrected. "It's also incredibly versatile and powerful when done correctly. Devils are limited by their imagination and natural affinities. Humans can theoretically cast any type of spell if they can calculate the proper formulas."
"Theoretically being the key word."
"You're just not naturally inclined toward mathematical thinking," she observed with scientific detachment. "Most people aren't. But dedication can compensate for natural talent to some extent."
I sat up, rubbing my temples. "Well, I'm definitely dedicated. Even if this feels like trying to learn calculus while someone hits me with a stick."
"A surprisingly accurate description of learning human magic," Chysis said with amusement. "Though the stick-hitting usually comes from failed spell backlash rather than instructors."
"I'd recommend focusing on defensive and escape spells first. Offensive magic requires much more complex mathematics." She added.
I picked up the textbook again, staring at the incomprehensible equations with new determination. If the Rating Game was happening soon, that meant Kokabiel's attack on Kuoh wasn't far behind. And after that, things would escalate rapidly.
"Alright," I said, opening to the first chapter. "Let's try this again. And this time, maybe start with the absolute basics."
Chysis smiled approvingly. "Now that's the attitude you'll need"
As she began explaining the fundamental principles of energy calculation, I found myself thinking about the Evil Pieces sitting at home and the Rating Game approaching like a storm front. Ready or not, I was about to be pulled into the main plot. Not as a devil, but human.
At least now I'd have some basic magical defenses to work with. Assuming I could figure out the math.
. . .
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