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[POV - Rias][Kuou Academy - Occult Research Club Room]
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The wall clock seemed to mock me, each second dragging like molasses. Damn, why did time insist on going slow just when I wanted it to pass quickly? My fingers drummed on the table in a nervous cadence — tap-tap-tap — like rain hitting the window.
— Rias — Akeno's voice cut through my reverie like sharp silk — you're more agitated than a child on Christmas Eve.
— I'm not agitated — I lied shamelessly, trying to appear composed. — Just... anxious about the meeting.
Lie.
Actually, I was dying of anxiety to see Rito again. Since oni-sama told me he would come to the Three Factions meeting... damn, I couldn't think about anything else. It had been weeks since I'd seen him, since that painful goodbye when I returned home.
Ring-ring.
My phone buzzed. Message from oni-sama:
"Rias, he has arrived. Prepare yourself. Today you will understand why the world has changed."
Thump-thump.
My heart raced like a war drum. He was here. In my city. Breathing the same air as me.
Step-step-step.
Akeno approached, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.
— Darling — she murmured with that maternal tone she used when she saw me vulnerable — do you want to talk about him?
— About who? — I asked, feigning innocence.
— About the boy who made you come back from home completely different — she replied with a knowing smile. — About the one whose name you murmur in your sleep.
Busted.
Shit. Akeno knew me too well.
Knock-knock.
Knocks on the door saved me from having to answer. Sona entered, but there was something different about her. More tense, more... worried?
— Rias — she said directly, without beating around the bush — I need to talk to you. About the meeting.
— What about it? — I asked, gesturing for her to sit.
— My sister... — Sona sighed heavily — Serafall is acting strange. Stranger than normal, I mean.
— Strange how?
— Like she's nervous to meet someone specific at the meeting — she pushed her glasses, a tic she always did when worried. — And from what I heard from conversations between her and your brother... well, it seems this someone is very important.
Hmm.
Interesting. Could Serafall know something about Rito that we didn't?
— Sona — I said slowly — do you think it has to do with that boy? Yuuki Rito?
Her eyes widened slightly.
— How did you...? — she began, but stopped. — Of course. You know him, right?
— I knew him — I corrected, feeling that familiar pang in my chest. — Before all this became this whole mess.
[School courtyard - An hour later]
Click-click-click.
The unmistakable sound of a camera echoed through the courtyard. I followed the noise and almost choked on what I saw.
Serafall. Satan Leviathan herself. Posing for what looked like an impromptu photo shoot with school students.
— One more! — she shouted animatedly, striking an idol pose. — This one will look beautiful in my album!
What the fuck?
— Serafall-sama — Sona approached with that controlled voice she used when mortified by her sister — what exactly are you doing?
— So-tan! — Serafall jumped, running to hug her sister. — I'm creating memories! Because today... — her voice became strangely serious for a second — today everything will change.
Ominous.
Before I could properly process what she meant, another familiar voice echoed through the courtyard.
— Rias! My dear little sister!
Oh no.
I turned and found oni-sama walking in my direction with that radiant smile he always used, but carrying... a professional camera?
— Oni-sama — I said cautiously — why do you have a camera?
— To document this historic day, of course! — he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. — And especially for my special Rias-tan album!
Kill me now.
— No — I said firmly. — No way.
— Oh, come on! — he was already positioning the camera. — Just a few photos! For posterity!
— ONI-SAMA! — I shouted, running after him while he tried to photograph me in motion.
Click-click-click.
— Perfect! — he laughed, dodging my attacks. — The blush on your cheeks looked beautiful!
— I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! — I threatened, conjuring demonic fire.
— Now, now — Serafall appeared between us, smiling nervously — we can't be late for the meeting because of... photographic activities.
Oni-sama stopped running, suddenly becoming serious.
— You're right — he said, putting away the camera. — It's time.
[Alternate dimension entrance]
Whoooosh.
The world around us began to ripple like water, colors mixing and reorganizing. I felt that familiar sensation of dimensional translation — like being pulled through cosmic jelly.
Pop.
When reality stabilized, we were no longer at school. The sky had turned a deep purple, almost violet, and the architecture around was... impossible. Crystal spirals rose infinitely, platforms floating without support, light emanating from nowhere.
— Neutral dimension — Sona murmured beside me. — At least if something goes wrong, no one from school will get hurt.
Grateful.
At least oni-sama had thought that through properly.
— Rias — he approached, his voice strangely gentle — you know you shouldn't be here, right? This meeting is for faction leaders.
— I know — I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. — But since it's in my city...
— It's my way of spoiling you — he admitted with a smile. — You and Sona. You deserve to be here.
Aww.
Sometimes oni-sama could be really sweet, even being a complete siscon.
Rumble.
A sound like distant thunder echoed through the dimension, and then... they appeared.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh.
Hundreds of angelic beings descended from the purple sky like a shower of falling stars. White, golden, silver wings — a kaleidoscope of celestial light that made my eyes water. On the opposite side, fallen angels emerged from the shadows, their black wings creating a dramatic contrast.
Holy shit.
It was an army. Two armies, actually.
And in the center of it all...
Gasp.
My heart stopped.
There he was. Yuuki Rito. But... this wasn't the Rito I knew. This one wore a majestic white mantle that seemed made of solidified light, and his presence... damn, his presence was terrifying. Like standing close to a star — too beautiful, but too dangerous to look at directly.
The power emanating from him was like a tsunami of pure energy, making my demonic soul recoil instinctively. It was as if he was no longer hiding what he really was, and what he really was... was too big for my mind to fully comprehend.
Eye contact.
Our eyes met through the crowd of winged beings.
And then... he smiled.
That gentle smile I knew, that made my heart melt like butter in the sun. Suddenly, all that terrifying cosmic presence softened, as if he had turned down the volume of his own existence just so as not to scare me.
Rito.
My Rito was still there beneath all that divinity.
Whoosh.
A figure came flying, hovering in the air with that casual arrogance I knew well. Azazel. But when he looked at Rito, I saw a mixture of emotions passing over his face — surprise, anger, nervousness, and finally... resigned acceptance.
As if he had just solved a puzzle that had tormented him for a long time.
Clench.
Beside me, I felt oni-sama clench his fists. His knuckles turned white, and an aura of demonic power began to leak around him.
— Oni-sama? — I whispered.
— Now I understand — he murmured, his voice loaded with a mixture of terror and reverence. — Now we all understand.
— Understand what?
He looked at me, and for the first time in my life, I saw real fear in my brother's eyes.
— Who he really is — he replied simply. — Yuuki Rito isn't just a powerful human, Rias. He is... He is God himself.
Record scratch.
The world stopped.
Not literally, but my mind simply... stopped working for a second. As if someone had unplugged my brain.
— W... what? — I stammered.
— Look at him — oni-sama whispered. — Really look. With your demon eyes. What do you see?
I looked. Really looked. And then...
Oh. My. God.
Literally.
The light. The presence. The way all the angels looked at him with absolute reverence. The way even Azazel, who defied any authority, was clearly nervous in his presence.
Yuuki Rito, the gentle boy who offered me taiyaki. Yuuki Rito, who blushed when he accidentally saw me in compromising situations. Yuuki Rito, whom I had fallen in love with...
Was G—
PAIN.
A piercing pain shot through my head like lightning, making me stagger. It was as if my demonic brain was violently rejecting the very thought.
— Argh! — I groaned, bringing my hands to my head.
— Rias! — oni-sama caught me before I fell. — What...?
Understanding.
And then, as if a fog had lifted, the pain simply... stopped. As if someone had flipped a switch. And along with the pain relief came a strange understanding.
I could think about him. About what he really was. Without pain.
Kindness.
Through the crowd of winged beings, I saw Rito looking directly at me. Those gentle eyes carried a deep understanding, and I knew — knew — that he had done something. Allowed my demonic mind to process the truth without self-destructing.
Even now, even revealing his true cosmic nature, he was still taking care of me. He was still my Rito, gentle and protective.
Yuuki Rito was God. The God. The Creator of everything.
And out of pure benevolence, he let me, a demon, be able to think about this truth without my head exploding.
Overwhelming.
The enormity of it hit me like an emotional tsunami. I had fallen in love with the Creator of the universe. And he... he had been kind to me. Had taken care of me. Had protected me even from the truth about himself until I was ready to deal with it.
Faint.
I think I was really going to faint now.