Khaos Brigade's Old Faction Headquarters
The room had no windows. It was made entirely of black stone, the kind of place that felt buried deep underground. Vali lay on his side on the floor, completely unconscious. At the very least, the slow rise and fall of the silver-haired boy's chest confirmed that he was still alive.
Ophis looked down at the unconscious Vali with her usual empty eyes before raising her gaze toward Rizevim. The Dragon God was small, with straight black hair, the face of a young girl, and dark eyes that barely seemed to blink.
"There he is."
Her voice was completely flat. Ophis didn't seem particularly interested in anything inside the room. Vali and Rizevim were no exception.
"Have I ever told you how impressive you are, Ophis?" Rizevim asked with a crooked smile, showing his teeth. Off to the side, Euclid watched silently with his hands behind his back.
Ophis didn't even acknowledge the compliment. She probably didn't care enough to understand why he was giving her one in the first place. Her thoughts were somewhere else, focused on the redhead. Damon could undoubtedly be useful for her goal. Someone like him might actually be capable of helping her remove Great Red.
Rizevim studied the Dragon God for a moment. He didn't need to read her mind to figure out what had caught her attention. "I don't think Damon will join you," the older Lucifer said casually.
"I don't care."
Ophis turned around and walked toward the darkness at the back of the chamber without bothering to say goodbye. Rizevim made no attempt to stop her. He simply watched her leave as a devious smile slowly spread across his face.
Let her do whatever she wanted. If the Dragon God ended up on bad terms with the Greek King, that would only benefit him. Damon was entertaining, especially after watching the redhead kick the false Satans' asses, but entertainment was all it was. Damon remained a piece that didn't fit into the board Rizevim intended to turn upside down, and pieces that refused to fit were better controlled or removed.
All in due time.
The sound of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts. Euclid walked over to Vali and grabbed him by the collar, lifting the unconscious boy as if he were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. Norse runes appeared around Vali's body moments later, forming restraints around him.
"What do you think, Euclid?" Rizevim's mocking voice echoed through the chamber. "Looks like my grandson needs a little more discipline, don't you think?"
Euclid nodded without looking up.
"Yes, Master."
Rizevim noticed how tightly Euclid's fingers had closed around Vali's clothes, along with the tension in his jaw. "And speaking of lessons…" Rizevim paused for a moment. "Your sister is now under the Greek King's wing. Curious, isn't it? She's no longer with the Gremory. You could almost call it an improvement." He said it with a smile, as if he genuinely believed every word.
Euclid didn't take the bait. Or at least, he liked to think he didn't.
Inside, however, he was burning with rage..... The mere mention of Grayfia was enough to irritate him. He didn't want her under anyone's protection, especially not that Greek or Sirzechs. She shouldn't belong under anyone's control except his own. He wanted Grayfia for himself, completely, returned to the place she never should have left.
"They're simply two different kinds of inconvenience," Euclid replied calmly.
Rizevim let out a dry laugh. "I couldn't agree more, my dear servant." He ran a hand over his silver beard, his smile never leaving his face. "Maybe it's time we contacted this Tartarus. Who knows? A common enemy could prove useful. And while we're at it, perhaps we can recover a few things, don't you think?"
Euclid immediately understood what he meant. "Yes. I'll contact the Alliance of Hell. Erebus may want to hear about this."
Without another word, Euclid released Vali and allowed him to drop back onto the floor. A magic circle bearing the symbol of the Lucifer Clan appeared beneath him, and a moment later he disappeared.
Rizevim slowly approached his grandson. He stopped beside Vali's head before lifting one foot and resting the sole of his shoe lightly against the boy's cheek. He pushed against it slightly and smiled when Vali didn't even react.
"Ahhh… What am I going to do with you, dear grandson?"
His smile widened as he remembered the last time he had needed to "teach" Razevan something. Vali had been there as well, far too young to do anything except sit in a corner and tremble while watching.
Rizevim let out a low laugh.... "Those really were good times, hehe."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A golden flash appeared over Kyoto as Damon and Amaterasu returned to the city. Damon released her hand and looked down at the damage below. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air, mixing with the cold night breeze.
Amaterasu frowned as she watched people moving through the streets, some of them carrying the injured. "It could have been worse," Damon said.
"That doesn't make me feel any better, but at least Susanoo and Kagutsuchi did a good job," Amaterasu replied without looking away from the city.
Damon raised an eyebrow at the mention of the two gods before quickly figuring out that Amaterasu must have left them behind to help Kyoto.
Putting that aside, the two deities made their way toward Yasaka's compound. The guards recognized them immediately and moved their spears aside. One of them bowed so deeply that he nearly lost his balance. "Thank the gods you've returned."
Damon simply nodded and continued walking.
The courtyard inside the compound was filled with servants and lower-ranking kitsune. Most immediately moved aside to let them pass. Damon noticed that several of them had red eyes, obviously from crying. He couldn't deny that seeing them like that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
They soon reached the main hall, where Yasaka sat on a cushion with Kunou asleep in her lap. The young kitsune's fox ears were drooping while her tails rested loosely around her body.
Yasaka raised her head when she heard them enter. The first thing Damon noticed was the exhaustion in her eyes, and honestly, he couldn't blame her. Even he would be mentally exhausted if something similar had happened to him.
Damon crouched down in front of her while Amaterasu knelt beside him. The Sun Goddess's expression immediately softened, showing a side of herself that very few people ever got to see. "I'm glad she's doing better now," Amaterasu said softly.
Her warm presence seemed to reach Kunou even while she slept, because the younger kitsune shifted slightly and curled up more comfortably against her mother.
A short silence followed, while Yasaka pulled Kunou a little closer. "Thank you," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "I don't know how I could ever repay you for this."
"You don't have to repay us for anything," Damon interrupted.
Amaterasu nodded in complete agreement before placing a hand on Yasaka's shoulder.
"What happened today was beyond your control. As someone under my protection, dealing with this was the responsibility of the Shinto Pantheon. Besides, Kunou-chan is important to me as well. Right now, the only thing that matters is that she's alive and safe." Amaterasu gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry about anything else."
Yasaka nodded and looked down at Kunou. The girl murmured something in her sleep before snuggling closer against her mother.
Damon found it pretty cute, honestly.
He stood up and stepped out into the hallway, with Amaterasu following behind him. "What do we do now?" the goddess asked as they walked toward the edge of the courtyard. Part of Kyoto was visible from there.
"Now we protect what we have and prepare."
Amaterasu understood exactly what he meant. She stepped closer and rested her shoulder against his. At that moment, a demonic magic circle lit up behind them.
Damon turned his head and watched Grayfia emerge from the light, her maid uniform still somehow perfectly presentable despite everything that had happened. Kuroka and Koneko were right beside her.
Kuroka walked forward lazily, her ears raised and her two tails swaying behind her. Koneko remained close to her sister, clutching the sleeve of Kuroka's kimono while wearing the same expression she usually did.
"Lord Damon, I'm glad to see you. I hope everything went well," Grayfia greeted before turning toward Amaterasu. "Amaterasu-sama, as you ordered, Kuroka and Koneko are safe. I found them in the eastern wing."
A small bead of sweat formed on Damon's temple... He honestly would have expected Grayfia to take a break instead of standing around waiting for them after everything that had happened, but then again, this was Grayfia. He decided to just go along with it..."Any injuries, Grayfia?"
"Nothing serious." Grayfia inclined her head. "Kuroka had already dealt with three magicians before I arrived."
Kuroka giggled. "It was only one. The other two tried running away, and I wasn't really in the mood to chase them." She stretched exaggeratedly before giving Damon a wink. "You're welcome, by the way, nya."
Amaterasu's eye twitched.....Seriously? Did that cat have to do that right in front of her???? The goddess simply shook her head while Damon approached Koneko and crouched down to her height. "You okay, Koneko?"
The girl nodded slowly while tightening her grip on Kuroka's sleeve. "My sister protected me."
Damon smiled slightly and ruffled her hair before standing back up. More than anything, he wanted the two sisters to finally get along from now on. If nothing else, what happened today had definitely accelerated that process.
"Take them both inside," Damon told Grayfia. "Let them rest. We'll deal with anything else tomorrow."
Grayfia nodded and began leading the two sisters inside. Kuroka went along without complaint, though she still threw Damon one last smile over her shoulder.
Damon completely ignored the catgirl's obvious teasing... "By the way, Grayfia."
The Lucifuge immediately stopped and turned toward him. "Yes, Lord Damon?"
Damon looked her in the eyes with a small smile. "Good work today. You should get some rest too. Tomorrow, we're going to Kuoh."
"Understood, Lord Damon." Grayfia inclined her head in appreciation before following the two sisters inside. The door eventually closed behind them, leaving Damon and Amaterasu alone again.
"By the way, Ama, where's my mother?" Damon asked. He had been meaning to ask that for a while now.
Amaterasu answered immediately. "I took her to Takamagahara. She's with Kaguya and Izanami."
Damon nodded without the slightest trace of concern. He trusted Kaguya and Izanami with his own life, so there was no reason to worry about Rhea while she was with them. "Good. She'll be safe there."
XXXXXXXXXX
A few hours later, Damon and Amaterasu were inside a private room Yasaka had prepared for them. The room was spacious, built from light-colored wood with sliding doors overlooking an inner garden. Another door at the back led directly to a private onsen, with a light layer of steam drifting through the opening.
Amaterasu walked inside barefoot, her long hair loose and a white towel wrapped around her body. She stretched her arms above her head and released a long sigh.
It had been a while since the two of them had been able to spend some time alone. "Finally, a little peace," she said, the relief obvious in her voice.
Damon followed her in with another towel wrapped around his waist before stepping into the water. The heat immediately worked its way up his body, helping his shoulders relax. "Don't remind me," he replied, leaning back against the stone edge.
Amaterasu slowly entered the water until it reached her chest before looking over at him with a small smile. She didn't say anything at first, but Damon could tell she was happy. It was one of those smiles she only showed when they were alone.
She moved closer and settled sideways on Damon's lap. The towel clung to her body as she leaned against him, and Damon naturally placed one hand around her waist.
Amaterasu wrapped both arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his. Their faces were close enough that Damon could feel her breath against his lips. "I missed you," the goddess whispered.
"I missed you too," Damon replied.
Amaterasu laughed softly. "I know, idiot. I just wanted to hear you say it."
And that was where they stayed, close together as steam rose around them and the warm water moved gently against their bodies.
What happens next?
I don't know.
>>>>>>>>
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