Beneath the infernal ground, where the rock breathes heat and the light never stops being orange, fire is not decoration.

  It is language.

  The blue obsidian columns burned with living, musical flame, vibrating with every word spoken in the chamber.

  And at the center of that sanctuary of ego and power—

  Riser Phenex lounged upon a low throne, bathed in gold and incandescent feathers.

  A perfect image: straight-backed, sharp smile, a goblet of red wine in hand.

  The kind of man who did not understand the concept of doubt.

  Nor humility.

  “Father,” he said without lifting his eyes from the parchment a servant held before him, “how many more times are we going to repeat this?”

  Lord Phenex, standing like a contained flame, clasped his hands behind his back.

  “As many as necessary,” he replied with calm authority. “This engagement with the Gremory is not a mere formality. It is political, symbolic… and it must be handled properly.”

  Riser scoffed, elegant even in his disdain.

  “Handled properly means I show up, smile, and Rias says yes. I don’t see the difficulty.”

  The servant trembled.

  Speaking so lightly of the Gremory heiress was madness.

  But Riser lived in a world where consequences were for others.

  Lord Phenex closed his eyes with practiced patience.

  “Rias is not an ordinary girl. She is her family’s pride. The Underworld is watching this union. If you provoke her—”

  “Father,” Riser interrupted, waving a hand casually. “She may be impulsive, dramatic, whatever you like… but she is a Gremory. She knows her duty. And I am a Phenex.”

  “A match she did not choose,” his father corrected.

  Riser smiled with perfect teeth, that smile that always seemed to ask for applause.

  “In nobility, nothing is chosen. Everything is negotiated.”

  The surrounding fire answered with a warm pulse.

  A Phenex’s native aura always quickened the flames.

  But Lord Phenex had heard too many versions of the same arrogant monologue.

  “Riser,” he said now, without softness. “Rumors around Kuoh are increasing. Sitri has detected unusual magical fluctuations. Rias is withdrawing with her peerage. This is not the time for diplomatic errors.”

  Riser clicked his tongue, irritated that the real world dared intrude on his personal narrative.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Then it’s better this is done quickly.”

  His father watched him.

  He saw no prudence. No concern.

  Only a dangerous certainty.

  Riser rose to his feet.

  The motion was beautiful. Theatrical. Almost choreographed.

  As if an invisible spotlight had turned on above him.

  “I will go to Kuoh,” he announced. “Not to ask permission—but to remind Rias Gremory what is expected… and what is inevitable.”

  A flame burst from his right shoulder, spreading like a burning wing.

  His footsteps left tiny embers on the floor, extinguishing silently behind him.

  The servant shrank back, as if the heat alone could burn.

  Riser smiled.

  “Besides… I want to see who’s been interfering with her little club lately. I’ve heard rumors. Things that shouldn’t be nudging fate just yet.”

  His eyes gleamed with something between amusement and predation.

  “And you know, Father… I am very curious.”

  He glanced back at the throne he was leaving behind, empty now, like a stage no longer worthy of him.

  His voice dropped.

  Sharper.

  More dangerous.

  “After all… I am Riser Phenex.”

  A short laugh escaped him.

  “Other people’s stories always end up revolving around mine.”

  And he left the hall in a storm of sparks, leaving behind the scent of fire, ambition… and a destiny that had just begun to move.

  Dusk settled over Kuoh Academy. The windows of the old Occult Research Club building glowed with the last traces of light.

  Inside, the atmosphere was… tense. Too tense, even by ORC standards.

  Koneko ate cookies in silence. Akeno prepared tea with a smile a bit too perfect. Kiba sharpened a spiritual sword, more out of habit than necessity.

  And at the center of the room…

  Rias Gremory stood, staring at the magical board floating before her.

  Pawns, rooks, bishops—everything rendered in crimson light.

  But the piece she watched most closely…

  Was the King.

  Kiba broke the silence.

  “President… you’ve been uneasy since this morning. Is something wrong?”

  Akeno set the tea down with exaggerated gentleness.

  “Oh, Rias knows something. I can see it in her aura. When she stays quiet… it means something big is coming.”

  Koneko muttered flatly:

  “Phenex…”

  Rias closed her eyes for a moment. Then inhaled. Then spoke.

  “Riser Phenex… is coming to Kuoh.”

  The silence fell like a stone into water.

  Kiba frowned.

  “Is it official already?”

  Rias nodded.

  Akeno tilted her head, her smile slanted—yet her aura was sharp.

  “I thought we’d have more time.”

  “So did I,” Rias said.

  Her fists clenched.

  A spark of power flared in her aura, barely contained.

  “My family believes I must accept. That it’s inevitable. That it’s a future already decided for me. But I…”

  Her voice trembled—something rare.

  “I don’t want that future.”

  Koneko watched her.

  “…Then we break it.”

  Rias opened her eyes, startled by the girl’s blunt calm.

  Akeno smiled softly.

  “Koneko is right. If Riser comes… he won’t come to listen. He’ll come to impose. To remind you of your duty.”

  Rias felt her heart pound.

  “And the worst part,” she whispered, “…is that I can’t show weakness. Not when the entire territory is… shifting.”

  Kiba looked up.

  “You mean Hyoudou Issei?”

  Rias hesitated.

  Just for a moment.

  Then answered:

  “Everything. Kaelan. Issei. The fluctuations Sona mentioned. That… feeling that something bigger is approaching.”

  A cold wind passed through the room, despite the closed windows.

  Rias touched her chest. Her aura crackled.

  “I can’t fail,” she whispered. “Not again. Not this time.”

  Akeno stepped toward her, soft as a shadow.

  “Rias… if Riser comes, we’ll face him.”

  All of us.

  Kiba nodded.

  Koneko took another cookie—but her gaze was firm.

  “You’re not alone.”

  For the first time all day…

  Rias smiled.

  Not a noble smile. Not a mask of confidence. A genuine one.

  “Thank you… all of you.”

  The room calmed.

  But just before the chapter could close—

  A red seal flared in the air. A message sent from the Underworld.

  Burning letters floated:

  “Riser Phenex — Arrival scheduled.

  Mandatory diplomatic preparations.”

  Rias’s smile cracked.

  “…It begins.”

  And the storm was set in motion.