The maid's silver gaze fell first on Gasper. The boy kept his posture withdrawn, but his eyes carried expectation. Beside him, Rias watched in silence, waiting for the next step.
Grayfia broke the stillness, her firm voice echoing against the stone walls.
"Gasper, you don't know how to manifest your demonic power effectively. I can feel how much you possess, and it's not small. But you waste it without control. Whether it's your Sacred Gear or your dhampir abilities, everything depends on the same foundation: mastery of demonic energy."
Gasper's face paled even more, but he nodded quietly, unable to lift his eyes.
Grayfia then turned to Rias. Her tone didn't soften, but every word carried clarity.
"Lady Rias, in your case it's not about quantity. The problem is the speed at which you release the Power of Destruction and the control of mana expenditure. You have strength, but without discipline, your magic consumes more than it should. In real battle, that would leave you vulnerable."
Silence fell again, heavy as the cold wind sweeping the training field. Rias kept her eyes fixed on her, absorbing the critique.
Grayfia did not relent.
"If you want to win, raw power won't be enough. You need control, precision, and discipline. Gasper's training will be to awaken and stabilize his magic. Yours, Lady Rias, will be to shape the speed and control of destruction. Only then will you have a chance against the fate awaiting you."
Gasper's eyes gleamed quietly. Despite Rias's sudden decision to train, it was evident Grayfia had already planned something for her.
'It's been a long time since I watched the anime, and Gasper's memories don't help much. But I'm certain of one thing: Rias was always lazy. Maybe, with me here, she'll finally change that habit and use the chance life is giving her.'
While he reflected, Rias kept her posture upright, seemingly unaware Grayfia had already structured a method for her. Her casualness bordered on carelessness, but for Gasper it only confirmed an old pattern.
Grayfia allowed no distractions. Her silver eyes turned back to the boy.
"Gasper, turn your back to me."
Her voice was a command, not a request.
He obeyed silently, taking a few steps until he stood before her, turning his body.
"It will hurt."
The warning was simple, blunt, heavy with her usual seriousness.
Gasper's shoulders tensed. His breathing quickened, but he remained still.
Rias frowned.
"Grayfia… it wasn't like this with me. You used far gentler methods when you trained me the first time."
The maid did not shift her gaze from the boy before her.
"We don't have time for the traditional way, Lady Rias. What's at stake allows no concessions. Gasper must feel the pain of releasing magic raw. Only then will he learn to shape it."
Gasper drew a deep breath, bracing himself.
'If it hurts, then let it hurt. I already knew this path wouldn't be easy. If this is how I'll grow, I'll endure every second.'
Grayfia raised her hand. Silver aura condensed in her palm, cold as a thousand winters. The energy didn't flicker, didn't waver, only grew in intensity until the air itself grew heavy, almost solid.
Rias watched in silence. Concern was plain in her eyes, but the memory of that woman's absolute strength weighed more. The strongest Queen of the Underworld didn't make useless moves. Rias knew this. And even with her heart tightening, she decided not to intervene. Gasper needed that pain.
Grayfia pressed her hand against his back.
Ssshhh…
The energy pierced into him like invisible blades. His veins lit in red and violet, pulsing from within.
Gasper arched his body, muscles drawn taut under the pressure.
Nhhhhh…
The pain burned like liquid fire, yet froze like an abyss of ice. Every fiber of his body seemed torn and rewoven, forced into shape against his will.
He clenched his teeth, eyes squeezed shut.
'I can't scream. I can't look weak before her. If this is the price, I'll endure it. I'll master this.'
Rias turned her eyes away, unable to watch. She fixed her gaze on the runes carved into the ground, as if the geometric patterns could mask the agony before her. Her chest burned with distress, but her lips stayed sealed. To interfere would be to betray the trust she had placed in the maid.
Grayfia, meanwhile, remained cold. No muscle on her face moved. Her hand pressed with steady force, magic flowing with absolute precision. To her, this wasn't cruelty. It was necessity.
Crack.
A dry sound echoed from within Gasper's body, as if something had broken. Shadows around him reacted instinctively, spiraling up like living whips, trying to shield him.
But Grayfia did not relent. Her energy dominated every inch of space, forcing the darkness to retreat, making Gasper face the pain unprotected.
His breathing grew ragged, sweat streamed down his brow, but his eyes glowed faintly red. Even bent under the crushing force, there was no surrender.
'Keep going. Just a little more. I need this pain. I'll turn it into strength.'
The training ground filled only with the sound of his uneven breaths and the steady flow of energy. Rias clenched her fists, while Grayfia stood impassive, shaping the boy's future her way.
Grayfia broke the silence, her voice as cold as her touch.
"Lady Rias, look at him. See how he endures without screaming. As King, you must learn to value the willpower that exists even in the weakest."
Rias slowly raised her face, turning from the runes. Her heart still weighed heavy, but the sight of Gasper bent, enduring the pressure without a sound, lit a new flame inside her.
Grayfia increased the intensity.
Ssshhhk!
Demonic energy seeped into him like fire through open veins. Gasper nearly dropped to his knees, but planted his feet firmly, holding his body upright against the crushing force.
'It's burning… but also… it's flowing…'
The pain, once suffocating, began to reorganize into something else. Gasper felt dense heat course through his chest, down his arms, through his legs.
'So this is… demonic energy.'
His breathing steadied, slow and deep, as if his body had finally found rhythm. Sweat still poured, but his muscles no longer trembled.
'I feel stronger… like I could shatter a mountain with one punch.'
The shadows around him answered the call, rising in steady spirals, no longer chaotic. It was as if the mana's flow had linked with his vampiric instinct, guiding the power instead of merely unleashing it.
Grayfia withdrew her hand, cutting the flow that had crushed him. Her silver aura dissolved like melting ice.
Gasper staggered forward a step, panting hard, but his red eyes still glowed. Not just exhaustion—there was a clear glimmer of triumph.
Grayfia folded her arms, studying him in silence for a few moments.
"Now you both know what you must do. Gasper, you will train to expand and stabilize this flow of magic. Lady Rias, your training will be to control the speed and expenditure of the Power of Destruction. Only then will you have any chance against the fate awaiting you."
Rias breathed deeply, taking in every word. Her gaze fell on Gasper once more.
'I hope this will be enough to defeat that disgusting Riser.'
The training field sank into quiet. The stones etched with runes still pulsed with residual energy, reminding them that the first step had been taken.
What had begun as Gasper's training had become something shared. With Rias's decision, Grayfia was shaping not only the dhampir but also the Gremory heiress. An unexpected shift, among many already piling up.
The days ahead would bring no rest. Grayfia had made it clear there was no time for the traditional way. Each session would be carved by pain, by weight, and by discipline. And in the end, one silent question lingered: would it be enough to defeat Riser and free Rias from the forced engagement?
The doubt hung like a constant shadow. For Gasper, every step forward was also a reminder he was being pushed toward a greater destiny. For Rias, his presence at her side revealed there was no turning back. The strength of her most unstable piece was already changing the board.
Grayfia, cold and calculating, kept to herself the promise of a gift she would one day give Gasper. Something to expand his power, a gift as sharp as it was dangerous. Neither of them yet knew what it would be, but the maid's gaze made it clear—it would not be anything ordinary.
Meanwhile, in the background, events were already shifting elsewhere. Without Gasper's interference, Hyoudou Issei was walking a different path. The place that, in the world Gasper once knew, belonged to Issei at Rias's side no longer existed.
Destiny kept changing. The training that once molded only Gasper now molded Rias as well. Small choices intertwined in invisible threads, preparing for an inevitable conclusion.
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