April 21st, 2012, with Rias, Morning.
Deep within the fortified basement of the Gremory manor, a special chamber hummed with latent energy.
The walls, the floor, and the ceiling were forged from a unique magic-resistant alloy, etched with countless intricate containment circles that glowed with a soft, persistent light.
This was a room built on the direct order of Lord Gremory, its construction overseen by the genius Ajuka Beelzebub himself. It was designed for one purpose: to safely contain the raw, volatile Power of Destruction in its most fundamental forms.
In the center of this sterile, metallic cube, Rias Gremory sat cross-legged on the cool floor. Her eyes were closed, her brow furrowed in concentration.
Across from her, observing her with an expression of profound, almost theatrical boredom, stood a man who called himself Louis Cyphre.
He was impeccably dressed in a tailored purple business suit, a vibrant yellow tie, and polished black shoes. His blonde hair was slicked back, and his smile was a thin, condescending line.
"Mr. Cyphre," Rias said, her voice laced with frustration as she opened her crimson eyes. "What am I supposed to be doing? I've been sitting here for twenty minutes."
"You are too eager, little girl," the man replied, his voice a smooth, chilling baritone that seemed to suck the warmth from the room. "You call your parlor trick 'the Power of Destruction'. It is a grandiose name for what is, to me, to the Universe, little more than a weak breeze."
He snorted derisively, adjusting his cufflinks.
"You don't have to be so harsh, Mr. Cyphre," Rias pouted, a flicker of her noble pride surfacing.
"And what kind of Persona are you, anyway?" she pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her. "I've never heard of any Louis Cyphre in any mythology or folk story."
A dark, knowing glint flashed in the man's eyes. "It is better for you that you do not know, girl. Now, stop wasting my time. If you truly wish to crush that vermin Riser Phenex into the dust he so resembles, you will do as I tell you."
The name 'Riser Phenex' was spat out with a venom so pure and ancient it made the air itself feel toxic.
Rias gulped, the sheer intensity of his disdain momentarily silencing her. She closed her eyes again, trying to slip back into the meditative state.
'Why should this even work?' she wondered internally. 'My brother never meditated. He just... was. He became the strongest devil, surpassing even the first Luci—'
Her thought was abruptly severed. A sensation of being utterly and completely seen, flayed open and analyzed, washed over her. She slowly turned her head. Louis Cyphre was staring directly at her, his gaze not just looking at her, but through her, piercing the veil of her mind and soul.
'Why is he looking at me like that? Can he... read my thoughts?' A genuine shiver of fear, something she rarely felt, traced its way down her spine.
She tried to ignore him, forcing her breathing to steady, attempting to find that quiet center of nothingness. But the attempt was short-lived.
A firm knock echoed on the heavy, sealed door of the chamber.
"Universe," Louis Cyphre said without turning around, a hint of amusement in his voice. "What brings you to our little sanctuary?"
The door hissed open, revealing Makoto Yuki standing in the doorway, his expression one of mild concern. "Is everything alright in here?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room before settling on the man in the purple suit.
"Do not worry yourself," Lucifer—for it was he—replied smoothly. "I can contain myself when the situation requires it." His tone suggested that the situation was a tremendous bore.
"Don't bother us, girl!" he suddenly barked, making Rias jump. She had been peeking again.
"But what exactly are you having her do?" Makoto pressed, stepping fully into the room.
"I am merely showing her the source of her power," Lucifer answered, his reply deliberately cryptic and unhelpful.
Rias, chastised, squeezed her eyes shut again. 'I've never heard of devils needing to meditate to get stronger,' she grumbled internally, but she quickly shook the thought away.
'No. Clear your mind. No thoughts. Nothing.'
Minutes ticked by. The oppressive silence was broken only by the faint hum of the containment circles. Strangely, she could no longer hear Makoto's or Louis's voices. Had they left? A sense of profound isolation settled over her. 'Is it... working?'
Cautiously, she opened her eyes.
She was no longer in the metallic chamber.
She was floating in an infinite, lightless void. There was no up, no down, no sound, no sensation except the faint awareness of her own consciousness. It was terrifying and awe-inspiring in equal measure.
"Acceptable."
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. The form of Louis Cyphre materialized beside her, seeming to stand on nothingness as if it were solid ground.
"Mr. Cyphre? Where are we?" Rias asked, her voice a whisper that didn't echo in the consuming dark.
"Inside the Sea of your soul," he stated, as if discussing the weather. "The source of the truest kind of power. Not the borrowed trinkets you devils favor, but the strength that comes from within."
"The Sea of my soul? Elizabeth explained the Sea of Souls to me once. Is it related?"
"More or less," he conceded with a dismissive wave. "Power comes from within, not without. The soul is the wellspring for Persona users. Their strength of heart. In your world, this principle is... diluted. Muddled by your Sacred Gears, Evil Pieces and magic. However, the Sea of Souls remains a constant."
He turned his piercing gaze on her.
"You, being the Priestess of the Universe, have a soul that resonates more closely with this Sea than most. I am merely here to awaken what is already yours. Now behold."
He snapped his fingers.
In the vast emptiness before them, a star was born. But it was like no star Rias had ever seen. It was massive, a swirling vortex of impossible darkness, yet it blazed with an intense, black flame that radiated pure annihilation. It was both a creation and an ending, a paradox given form. Its light was a shadow that consumed all other shadows.
"What... what is this?" Rias breathed, her mind unable to fully process the terrifying majesty of it.
"This is your Power of Destruction," Lucifer said, a note of pride in his voice. "I have simply... refined the image. Made its truth more apparent. Stripped away the childish notion that it is merely a crimson wave of energy. It is an ending. A finality. A divine judgment. Remember this."
Suddenly, Rias blinked. She was back on the cool floor of the training chamber. Louis Cyphre stood before her, looking as impeccably bored as ever.
"I... I don't feel any different," she said, a wave of disappointment washing over her. The vision had been profound, but her body felt the same.
Louis's face contorted into a mask of utter disgust.
"What is that look of disappointment!?" he snarled, causing her to flinch back. "Did you think I would simply gift power to you on a silver platter? That I would pour my strength into you like filling an empty cup? I have done something far more valuable. I have unchained your own innate potential. I have shown you the true face of the power you wield so clumsily. The rest is up to you."
Rias nodded slowly, the reprimand striking a chord within her. She was a Gremory. She was not some helpless novice waiting for a handout. She looked around. "Where is Yuki?"
"The Universe's location is not your concern at this moment," Louis snapped, his patience clearly at its end. "Now, stop stalling. Use your 'power'. Attack me. Let us see if my efforts were in any way effective, or if you are merely a blank tablet too stubborn to be written upon."
He stood there, arms slightly spread, offering himself as a target. There was no defensive stance, no gathering of energy. He was the Prideful One, he was the picture of absolute, unconcerned arrogance.
Rias took a deep breath, pushing aside her doubt and her questions. She focused on the memory of that dark star. She reached inward, toward that newly revealed wellspring within her soul. She raised her hand, and for the first time, she didn't just summon destruction.
She commanded it.
The energy that gathered around her fingertips was not the familiar, vibrant crimson. It was deeper, darker, shot through with veins of absolute black. It didn't crackle with wild energy; it hummed with a silent, deadly intent. It felt heavier, more concentrated, more... final.
With a cry that was equal parts effort and revelation, Rias Gremory unleashed her power not as a wave, but as a focused lance of annihilating energy directly at the chest of the man in the purple suit.
The attack, for the first time, felt truly worthy of its name.