"Yuki!" Rias yelled, lunging forward instinctively. "Brother! That Fallen is kidnapping a human from Gremory territory!"
Sirzechs's expression hardened. The political implications slammed into him. Azazel, Governor General of Grigori, kidnapping a human from Devil territory?
Allowing it would be an unconscionable breach of sovereignty, a sign of weakness for the current government of the Devils the Old Satan Faction and other factions would exploit ruthlessly.
The Council would be apoplectic. Yet, attacking Azazel here, over a human, could spark the war everyone had worked decades to avoid. His gaze flicked to Serafall, seeking silent counsel.
Serafall, however, seemed to have reached her own conclusion. She studied the boy in Azazel's arms—'Yuki,' Sona had called him. Blue hair, striking even in unconsciousness, pale features contrasting sharply with Sona's darker beauty.
The way his bangs fell over one eye… it strangely complemented Sona's own reserved nature. Yes, he had potential.
"Governor General," Serafall declared, her voice losing its manic edge, becoming chillingly formal. She leveled her wand, not at Azazel directly, but at the space before him, water energy coalescing into a shimmering, threatening barrier.
"I must insist you relinquish the boy. Immediately."
Sirzechs's eyes widened slightly. 'Sera? What are you playing at?' This was direct confrontation.
"I can't," Azazel stated, his voice thick with an empathy that surprised even Sirzechs. He clutched Makoto tighter. "He needs help now. Grigori has the proper facilities." The scroll glowed brighter in his hand.
Elizabeth sighed softly. "Makoto is not in any danger. Please, listen to me, Councillor." She met Azazel's frantic gaze.
'The Messiah trusted her implicitly,' a voice whispered in Azazel's mind, cutting through the panic. 'That monstrous shadow accused me of envy… I won't repeat that sin. Not with him. Father… forgive your flawed son. I place my faith in the boy you wished to meet. I place my faith in Makoto Yuki.'
The internal struggle played out across Azazel's face—fear, duty, a dawning, desperate trust. With a final, agonized look at Makoto's still form, he carefully transferred the boy into Elizabeth's waiting arms.
"Save him," he rasped, the words heavy with unspoken plea. Before anyone could react, the teleportation scroll flared, and Azazel vanished in a swirl of dark energy.
A stunned silence fell over the hill. Rias and Sona rushed to Elizabeth's side. "Elizabeth! What happened? What was that thing?" Rias demanded, her voice trembling. "Yuki… the Fallen was right… he's not breathing… he's… he's dead?"
Sona whispered, her voice breaking as she stared at Makoto's pallid face, disbelief warring with horror.
Sirzechs, Serafall, and Grayfia approached cautiously. "Rias," Sirzechs asked, his crimson eyes fixed on Elizabeth, radiating calm authority mixed with deep concern.
"Who is this woman?"
"She's Elizabeth," Rias explained quickly. "She saved Yuuto and Koneko from that Oni weeks ago, but we have no time! We have to save Yuki! I'll reincarnate him!"
Rias summoned her crimson Evil Pieces, the eight pawns glowing in her palm. Simultaneously, Sona did the same, her own set of light blue pieces materializing.
"No!" Sona protested, her voice regaining some strength through sheer will. "I will be the one to save him!" She focused on Makoto, initiating the reincarnation ritual.
"Those gadgets won't work," Elizabeth stated calmly, watching them.
"They have to!" Sona insisted, pouring her will into the pieces. Nothing happened. The light in the pawns flickered and died. The ritual didn't ignite. Confusion and dawning horror replaced her determination. "What?!"
Rias tried, focusing her own power. Her Evil Pieces similarly dimmed, unresponsive. They stared at the inert pawns in their hands, then at Elizabeth, utterly bewildered.
"They didn't even activate," Sirzechs observed, his brow furrowed in deep thought. This was unprecedented. Evil Pieces rejected a viable candidate? Utterly unheard of.
"Indeed," Elizabeth confirmed. "Now, if you permit me, I shall take Makoto home. I will return shortly to explain everything." She looked at the assembled Devils, her gaze lingering on the stunned heiresses.
"He's dead! What do you mean?!" Rias cried, tears welling in her eyes.
Serafall placed a comforting hand on Sona's shoulder; the Sitri heiress stood rigid, her face pale, her eyes fixed on Makoto with a look of profound loss.
"You said he was fine," Serafall pressed Elizabeth, her usual exuberance replaced by a steely seriousness. "Explain what you mean now."
"Makoto is not dead," Elizabeth repeated patiently. "Do not worry." As she spoke, she raised her hand. A faint, ethereal blue door, intricately carved and pulsing with soft light, materialized in the air beside her. Only Rias seemed to perceive it fully, her eyes widening in recognition.
"Elizabeth?" Rias breathed, remembering the strange room.
"I shall let Makoto rest," Elizabeth said, stepping towards the door with Makoto cradled effortlessly. "Please await my return." She passed through the shimmering portal, and it vanished without a trace.
"Where did she go?!" Sona demanded, anger and helplessness warring in her voice.
"She went to the Velvet Room," Rias answered quietly, drawing confused looks from the Satans.
"The Velvet Room?" Sirzechs inquired, his analytical mind already racing. "What is that?"
"Elizabeth mentioned it before," Rias explained. "She said it was where she and Makoto reside. A place… between dream and reality, mind and matter. She wasn't very specific."
Before further questions could be asked, the blue door shimmered back into existence, and Elizabeth stepped out, alone now. She regarded the group, her serene smile returning.
"Now that the immediate danger has passed and Makoto is resting, I can explain our presence and what transpired. And please, rest assured, Makoto is perfectly well."
"I believe a more suitable venue is required," Sirzechs stated, regaining his composure. He bowed slightly to Elizabeth, a gesture of respect from one power to another.
"Elizabeth, I am Sirzechs Lucifer, overseeing the Underworld's domestic affairs. Sona," he turned to the Sitri heiress, "might we utilize the Student Council room? Its wards are strongest here in Kuoh Town."
Sona, still visibly shaken but clinging to professionalism, nodded. "Of course, Lord Lucifer. It is secure."
04/07/2012, Student Council Room, Early Morning.
The atmosphere in the Student Council room was thick with tension and unspoken questions. Sirzechs and Serafall sat opposite Elizabeth at the large table, radiating restrained power.
Grayfia stood poised behind Sirzechs, a pillar of watchful silence. Behemoth, Serafall's massive, gray-haired Rook, stood near the door, radiating quiet intimidation.
Rias and Sona stood behind their respective siblings, their expressions a mix of residual fear, confusion, and intense curiosity. The air hummed with the suppressed energy of four Satans and their formidable companions.
Sona, unable to contain her need for answers any longer, spoke first, her voice tight. "Elizabeth. What was that creature? The thing in the sky?"
"The creature?" Serafall echoed, confused. Sirzechs leaned forward slightly; they had arrived only for the aftermath.
"That was Azazel," Elizabeth stated simply.
A ripple of confusion passed through the room. Sirzechs frowned. "I beg your pardon? Azazel was the Fallen Angel present. The Governor General."
"I know," Elizabeth replied, meeting his gaze. "But the entity you saw in the sky was also Azazel. To be precise, it was his Shadow Self."
"A… Shadow?" Sirzechs queried, his mind already working through the implications. "What do you mean by that?"
"A Shadow," Elizabeth explained, her tone didactic, "is the physical manifestation of the repressed, denied, and unconscious aspects of an individual's psyche. The 'darkness' within given form. When a person utterly rejects or fails to confront this aspect, it can break free, seeking to eliminate its other self—the conscious personality."
"We have encountered many supernatural entities across all the mythologies and realities of the world," Sirzechs countered, his crimson eyes sharp. "Nothing like this 'Shadow' has ever been documented in our records or observed in this world."
"That is because this world has only recently manifested its own 'Sea of Souls'," Elizabeth replied, dropping the term with deliberate weight.
Sirzechs felt an unnatural chill, a primal sense of wrongness, crawl down his spine. Serafall stiffened, her playful facade gone. Grayfia's eyes narrowed fractionally.
"This world?" Sirzechs pressed, his voice low. "Are you implying that phenomenon originated from… beyond our established reality?"
"That is correct," Elizabeth confirmed. "I myself originate from that other reality. Makoto and I are here because a powerful entity seeks to become the 'Nyx' of this world—the primordial goddess of night, embodying the end of all things. We are here to stop it."
The revelation hung in the air, immense and paradigm-shattering. The concept of other realities, of cosmic threats from beyond their understanding, landed with the force of a physical blow.
Sirzechs and Serafall exchanged a long, silent look filled with unspoken communication—assessment, concern, the dawning understanding of a threat far exceeding factional squabbles.
Ajuka Beelzebub, had he been present, would have been fascinated; Falbium Asmodeus, likely alarmed back to wakefulness.
"Elizabeth," Sirzechs said, his voice regaining its diplomatic cadence but carrying an underlying gravity. "This information… its scope… May I propose we adjourn this meeting temporarily? The nature of this threat demands the full attention of the Devil's ruling body. I must request the presence of my fellow Satans, Beelzebub and Asmodeus. This concerns the safety of all our worlds."
Elizabeth inclined her head gracefully. "Of course. Cooperation will be essential. The enemy we face cares not for the boundaries between realities or factions."
Sirzechs nodded, relief mingling with the weight of responsibility. "Thank you for your understanding. Grayfia, Sera, we depart immediately. We have much to discuss and prepare."
He rose, followed by Serafall and Grayfia. Behemoth grunted, moving to open the door. With brief, reassuring nods to their sisters, the Satans and their retainers vanished in flashes of crimson, azure, and silver light.