The next day began with Koneko.
She stood at the edge of the obstacle course, arms crossed, golden eyes flat and unreadable. The course itself stretched before us - climbing walls, balance beams over nothing, weighted carries, and sections that looked designed specifically to cause suffering.
"Physical conditioning," she announced. "...you need it."
"That bad?"
"...worse." She pointed at the first obstacle. "Start."
I started.
The first wall wasn't so bad. Twenty feet of rough stone, handholds carved just far enough apart to make every reach a strain. My arms burned by the top, but I made it.
The balance beam tried to kill me. Twelve inches wide, suspended over a pit that went down further than I wanted to think about. No railings. No safety nets. Just wood and air and a very long fall.
"...don't look down," Koneko said from somewhere behind me.
I looked down.
Bad idea.
Somehow I made it across. Then came the weighted carries - stones that felt like they contained concentrated gravity, strapped to my back while I ran laps around the compound. Then the climbing wall again. Then the beam again. Then more stones.
My lungs were sandpaper, taste of copper on my tongue
"...still weak, senpai." Koneko's voice came from above me. She stood over my prone form, not even breathing hard. "But less pathetic."
"Thanks," I managed between gasps. "That means a lot."
"...wasn't a compliment."
She offered her hand. I took it. Her grip was iron, hauling me upright with casual strength that reminded me she could probably throw me off the mountain if she wanted.
"Again," she said.
We went again.
Afternoon brought Akeno and magical theory.
We sat in one of the facility's study rooms, diagrams spread across a low table. Energy flow patterns. Demonic power circulation. The mechanics of supernatural ability.
"Demonic energy flows through everything," Akeno explained, her tone shifting between educational and slightly too enthusiastic. "Your body is a vessel. Your will shapes the flow. Understanding that flow is the difference between using power and mastering it."
"I've been using power fine so far."
"You've been brute-forcing it." Her smile carried an edge. "Impressive, given your timeframe. But inefficient. You waste energy on every ability. Thirty percent loss, at least."
Thirty percent. That was significant.
"How do I fix it?"
"Practice. Understanding." She traced one of the diagrams. "Feel the energy. Don't just push it, guide it. Your Fragment abilities already have pathways. Learn to use them efficiently."
I closed my eyes and focused inward. The Fragment's gifts sat in my mind like threads of light - Combat Speed, Stealth Mode, Light Lance. Each one drew from my reserves when activated. Each one cost something.
"Good," Akeno murmured. "Now trace the flow. Follow the path from core to expression."
I followed. Felt the energy move from some central point outward, branching and splitting as it fed different abilities. There were leaks. Places where power bled away unused. Inefficiencies I hadn't noticed before.
"I see it."
"Good." Her voice dropped, becoming something almost intimate. "Now tighten the flow. Close the leaks. Make every drop count."
I tried. Failed. Tried again. The energy slipped through my mental fingers like water.
"Ara ara. Patience." Her hand rested briefly on my shoulder. "This takes time. But you'll get there."
By the end of the session, I'd reduced my energy waste by maybe five percent. Small. But something.
Day two evening brought the first team strategy session.
We gathered around a table covered in maps and diagrams. The Rating Game battlefield - a replica of the human town, with key positions marked. Riser's known tactics. His peerage's capabilities.
"The game has rules," Rias said. "Elimination-based combat across a designated arena. Each piece retired removes a component from the team. The game ends when a King is defeated or retreats."
"And Riser's approach?" Kiba asked.
"Overwhelming force. His peerage is trained for coordinated assaults. They'll try to eliminate our pieces quickly, then converge on me." Her expression darkened. "His regeneration means attrition favors him. The longer the game goes, the worse our odds."
"So we need a fast victory."
"We need to reach Riser before his peerage can stop us." Rias tapped the map. "Which means someone needs to create an opening."
Eyes turned to me.
I thought about my abilities. Stealth Mode. Combat Speed. Light Lance.
"I can get close," I said. "Invisible approach. Strike before he sees me coming."
"That's the theory." Rias's gaze held mine. "Can you actually do it?"
"In ten days?" I thought about power levels. About gaps that seemed impossible to close. "I can try."
"Trying isn't enough." Her voice was gentle but firm. "We need to know your limits. Push them. Then push further."
The meeting continued. Tactics. Positioning. Contingencies. By the time we finished, my head ached with strategy.
But I had a role. A purpose.
Now I just had to become strong enough to fulfill it.
Day three morning focused on my weaknesses.
Which were numerous.
I stood in the training ring, running through my abilities one by one. Light Lance - decent accuracy, but slow formation. Stealth Mode - effective concealment, but limited duration. Flight - functional, but not combat-ready. Combat Speed - helpful, but not enough to close the gap with elite opponents.
The Fragment watched, analytical.
"Your ceiling is approaching."
What do you mean?
"Natural training has limits. Your current abilities will improve marginally with practice, but significant power increases require... acquisition."
More memories.
"More payment." The Fragment's tone was neutral. "Would you like to discuss options?"
I thought about yesterday's training. About how every marginal improvement felt like pulling teeth. About Riser's power level sitting at 85 while I struggled to reach 58.
What do you have?
"Enhanced Reflexes. Builds on Combat Speed. Allows instinctive reaction to threats, physical and supernatural. Currently dormant."
The price?
"Minimal. A sensation. The feeling of sleeping in on weekend mornings. Nothing significant."
A sensation, not a memory. Something small. Something I could afford to lose.
Do it.
[FRAGMENT NEGOTIATION]
[ABILITY: Enhanced Reflexes]
[STARTING PROFICIENCY: 40%]
[PRICE: Sensation - Weekend morning comfort]
[CONTENTS: Physical feeling of sleeping past dawn, warmth and contentment]
[ACCEPT?]
[CONFIRMED]
[ABILITY ACQUIRED: Enhanced Reflexes]
Effect: Instinctive threat response, enhanced reaction to danger
Current Proficiency: 40%
The sensation slipped away. I tried to remember what sleeping in felt like - the warmth, the peace, the reluctance to leave bed - but found only vagueness. The concept remained. The feeling was gone.
But Enhanced Reflexes hummed alongside Combat Speed, and suddenly my body felt more responsive. Faster. More alive.
I tested it immediately, throwing myself through a combat drill. Dodge. Strike. Block. Counter. My reactions were sharper, more instinctive. Threats registered before my conscious mind processed them.
"Improvement noted. Power level: 57."
Two levels. Just from one ability.
How many more can you offer?
"Several. But each cost increases. The trivial payments are nearly exhausted." A pause. "Further growth requires... significant investment."
I filed that away for later. For now, two levels were two levels.
Progress.
Day three afternoon brought the first real group combat exercise.
All of us. Together. Working as a unit against magical constructs designed to simulate Riser's peerage.
It went badly.
The constructs - humanoid shapes of compressed energy - attacked in waves. Coordinated. Relentless. The way Riser's peerage would attack.
We fell apart within minutes.
Kiba and I ended up fighting the same opponent, getting in each other's way. Koneko overextended, leaving Asia exposed. Akeno's lightning struck too close to our own positions. Even Rias's commands came too slowly, overtaken by the chaos.
"Stop." Rias's voice cut through the melee. The constructs froze mid-attack. "Reset."
We regrouped, breathing hard. The exercise had lasted maybe two minutes.
"This isn't working," Akeno observed.
"We're fighting as individuals." Kiba's voice carried frustration. "Not a team."
"We've never fought together at this intensity." I wiped blood from a cut on my forehead. "Not against coordinated opposition."
Rias nodded. "Then we learn. Again."
We reset. Tried again.
Better this time. I stayed out of Kiba's way. Koneko held position. Akeno's lightning found only enemies.
Still not good enough. But better.
Again. And again. Each attempt smoother. Each failure teaching something new.
By evening, we could last five minutes against the constructs. Not victory, but survival. Not enough, but progress.
The bonfire that night was Akeno's idea.
She'd found a clearing away from the compound, gathered wood, and lit it with a casual spark of lightning. We sat around the flames, exhausted and sore, eating the dinner Asia had somehow found time to prepare.
For a while, no one spoke. The fire crackled. The stars watched.
Then Kiba broke the silence.
"I never asked to be saved."
We looked at him. His face was illuminated by firelight, shadows dancing across features that usually showed only calm.
"When Rias found me, I was... broken. The Holy Sword Project had taken everything. My friends. My purpose. Nearly my life." He stared into the flames. "She saved me anyway. Gave me a reason to keep fighting."
He met Rias's eyes across the fire. "That's why I'm here. Because she saved me when I didn't deserve saving."
Akeno spoke next.
"Ara ara. We're sharing, are we?" Her smile was smaller than usual. Softer. "I have two halves. Devil and fallen angel. For years, I hated the fallen side. Blamed it for my mother's death. For everything."
She looked at Rias. "She accepted both. Didn't try to change me or fix me. Just... accepted." Her voice dropped. "That's why I'm here. Because she accepted me when I couldn't accept myself."
Koneko's contribution was brief.
"...family." She said it like the word was heavy. Precious. "...never had one. Now I do." Her golden eyes found each of us in turn. "...won't lose it."
Asia went last.
"I had faith," she said softly. "In God. In the Church. In my purpose. Then I had nothing." Her hands clasped in her lap. "You all gave me something new. A home. People who care. A reason to heal."
She looked at me. "You saved my life, Ryder. But everyone here saved my soul. That's why I'm fighting. Because you're all I have now."
Silence settled. The fire crackled.
I thought about my own reasons. About Rias, who'd reincarnated me. About the peerage, who'd become family. About the Fragment and the prices I kept paying.
But also about them. About Kiba and Akeno and Koneko and Asia. About the people fighting beside me, who had their own reasons and their own stakes.
This wasn't just about saving Rias from an unwanted marriage.
This was about protecting something worth fighting for.
"Sentimental," the Fragment observed.
Yeah, I agreed. It is.
"Sentiment is inefficient."
Maybe. But it's also motivating.
The Fragment fell silent. For once, it had nothing to add.
Later, as the fire died and the others drifted toward sleep, I checked my progress.
Power Level: 58. Up from 55 at the start of day two. Decent growth.
Echo Level: 17%. Rising, but still within safe range.
Days remaining: 7.
Still not enough. The gap to Riser was still 27 levels. Even with the peerage's combined strength, we were outmatched.
But looking around the fire, at the people fighting beside me, I felt something I hadn't felt since arriving in this world.
Hope.
Irrational. Probably unfounded. But real.
The Fragment noted it. Said nothing.
Some things didn't need commentary.