Author's Note: And I'm back! CA was long overdue, sorry about that. I was too exhausted yesterday to write, but I pushed through today. AMD is next on the list once I get some time... and fix my sleep schedule this semester, haha. Hope you all enjoy the chapter. See you soon!
Celestial Ascendancy
Chapter 99: Pride and Forgiveness.
Elias Black.
The Underworld.
“Rias,” Venelana smiled brightly as she hugged her daughter once more, “We’ve been worried about you.”
Zeoticus didn’t smile. He frowned minutely before he sighed. “After all that has happened since the last time we saw you,”
Rias's smile didn’t waver even as her parents ignored our presence to care for her. Not that I, nor anyone in our group honestly minded.
I shared a glance with Akeno, who giggled behind her hand.
Iris had a smirk on her face, finding amusement in how some very nervous tells passed through Zeoticus's body.
He had no chance of hiding them from us.
“It was a lot,” Rias winced, looking apologetically at her parents. “You have my apologies for that. I know I should have texted you or at least said something, but I wasn’t ready for that. I was angry at you two, and I didn’t think of what the news must have made you feel.”
She smiled guiltily, “Once more, I apologize. Mother, Father. I will make sure to let you know as soon as things happen, at least.”
I couldn’t help but smile proudly seeing how much Rias had grown in these few months. A sentiment obviously shared by all of our group, who looked at her with varying degrees of respect.
Iris, as always, went beyond as she glomped on the redhead, hugging the stuffing out of her.
Rias squealed as Iris easily lifted her, giggling as my gothic dressed lover put her down gently.
Venelana and Zeoticus smiled, seeing the exchange. Then they turned their attention to me.
“Elias Black,” Zeoticus looked at me up and down, “We’ve heard… things about you.”
“All good, I hope,” I smiled genially at him, “Or bad if you heard them from your son or Sera.”
I waved him off when he didn’t respond as fast as he should have, laughing calmly. “The last time we saw each other was during Rias’s rating game, and I understand a lot has changed since then. I myself didn’t expect what I am right now.”
“It is hard to believe,” Venelana grabbed Zeoticus's hand, caressing it gently for a moment before she smiled, “We didn’t know who, or what you were back then. It’s not like Rias told us about you, and while it was surprising seeing her kiss a wizard of all things, we didn’t put our mind into it as much as we should have.”
“And no one can blame you for that, Mama Gremory.” The peppy voice of Serafall sounded from behind Rias's mom; she was so small that I wouldn’t have noticed her if it weren’t for my magical senses. I did notice Sirzechs approaching, but we just smiled at each other.
“Father, Mother,” Sirzechs nodded, “It’s good to see you both.”
“Sirzechs?” Zeoticus frowned, “I didn’t expect you to be here. Not with the guests we heard you mention the last time we spoke.”
“Hm,” The overpowered devil nodded, “Falbium took my place in the talks I was busy with. Something pressing happened that required my presence here.”
“Really, Sera?” Iris snorted amusedly, “Couldn’t give us a day?”
“Nope,” Serafall popped the ‘p’, sticking her tongue at us.
“But Red can wait, right?” She glared at Rias's brother, who slumped in his place.
I didn’t bother hiding a smirk, goading him with my eyes.
“Yes, I can wait,” he grunted, looking defeatedly under the glares of Rias and Serafall. “It was a pleasure to meet you all again. I’ll take my leave.”
I grinned when Serafall all but dragged him away as they mingled with some of the Lords.
Well… that was a way to slow down the attack. I doubted the Old Satan faction would dare to do it today with all of us present. They didn’t have the manpower to keep Sirzechs busy.
Not that I wasn’t aware that a very uncomfortable conversation between us was long overdue. He was a good brother, and I genuinely liked him almost as much as Ajuka, even if we hadn’t spoken as much.
But things weren’t as simple as before. I wasn’t just a Wizard like when we first met, and even being a messiah wasn’t as impactful as controlling the hell of the Abrahamic faction. Now, I was a nuclear bomb waiting to go off.
I was still pissed about that. I wasn’t sure what I preferred, having some kind of higher power playing with my life, or worse, that it was all a coincidence from the Grimoire.
Fuck it all. It wasn’t funny anymore.
“That was…” Rias muttered softly, “Something I didn’t expect.”
“Can you blame Sera, though?” Hermione shook her head defeatedly, “It is already a blessing that they left us alone to enjoy the party. I wouldn’t have, if I were him.”
“Because you are a bookworm,” Iris kissed her cheek, “not that we don’t love you as you are.”
Mione’s cheeks pinked a bit as she glared at the gremlin.
“Anyone want to explain?” Zeoticus asked curiously.
“No. We can't bring you into this,” Rias shook her head firmly, not looking apologetic in the slightest.
Then an uncomfortable expression appeared on her face, “Believe me, it’s for your own good.”
Zeoticus opened his mouth, looking about to complain, but Venelana put a calming hand on his shoulder.
“Are you in danger?” she asked hesitantly.
“Not more than the usual,” Akeno butted in with a smirk.
Venelana’s eyes dimmed for a bit, then she sighed.
I was sure we weren’t going to like where this was going.
“And that’s why I fear we must talk privately,” she murmured.
Rias expression turned neutral almost immediately after her mother finished talking.
“Akeno, be a dear and take the group to our friends. Make sure you enjoy the party.” Rias ordered Akeno, who looked worried for a moment.
But she didn’t complain. Surprisingly enough, no one did. Not even Iris.
I looked at them suspiciously. They were usually a bit more… pushy about things, not wanting to leave her alone even if they trusted she knew what she was doing.
Iris winked at me, and I hid a laugh. They had already spoken about this, I was sure.
How considerate. No one complained as they bid us farewell, each of my girls hugging Rias and murmuring something even I couldn’t hear.
But Rias was also thinking ahead. If those in a relationship with me followed us with Rias's parents, it would have been too chaotic. Also, we couldn’t leave the non-devils alone. Not when we were here in the underworld, with a bunch of its nobility and younger generations.
While I doubted everyone here was trash, it wouldn’t surprise me if they saw Ross, Asia, or even Nym as prime candidates for a peerage. And we wouldn’t want more trouble if I were forced to erase their lines from the underworld, as I would do if something like that happened so shortly after Diodora.
I was still angry about that monster; I could only hope he would suffer in hell for his sins.
As if the world had a sense of humor, I heard agonizing screams from the devil inside my head.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Iris wince out of nowhere.
Hm? That was weird.
Her back went rigid for a moment before she relaxed. She didn’t look in our direction, but I knew she could feel my worried glance.
Weird.
Rias grabbed my hand, and I made sure to caress it softly as I smiled at my girlfriend.
“Shall we go somewhere private?” She asked her parents.
And so, we followed them.
Feeling the eyes of… too many devils on my back.
And not all of them felt like curiosity. Many of them felt like… fear.
I sighed despite myself.
Well… time for a very uncomfortable conversation.
Later.
The room was quiet. Enough that I knew absolutely no one was even close. The wards around it were impressive, but I made sure to stack mine over them just in case.
It was also tense. Like everyone inside knew that no matter what, words were going to hurt, even if we chose them carefully.
Venelana was the one who spoke first, something I had noticed by now was the norm.
“I know you do not think highly of us as parents,” she said softly. She wasn’t accusing Rias, nor defending herself.
If anything, she sounded tired. “And you are right in more ways than I would like to admit. But that does not mean we stopped caring. Or that we never cared.”
Rias didn’t answer. She stood beside me, her shoulders tense,
Her hands were folded in front of her.
Zeoticus exhaled through his nose. “You have been attacked how many times in the last year?” he asked, looking at her. “Not training incidents with Sona like before. Or even on Rating Games that you have ignored since your fight against Riser. These were real attacks, Rias. Ambushes and assassination attempts by enemies from other factions.”
Rias stayed silent, even as Zeoticus waited for a moment to see if she would answer.
“And every report,” he continued, slower now, “has the same name somewhere in it. Your boyfriend.”
I felt Rias’s fingers tighten slightly. I did not pull away. Nor did I hide my understanding expression.
Venelana closed her eyes for a moment, looking genuinely torn. “We are not saying you are weak,” she said quickly. “Or foolish. Or that this relationship is a mistake. We are saying that danger follows him. That by tying yourself to him, you are in the very eye of a cosmic storm, daughter.”
She looked at me then. She didn’t look angry at me, and I genuinely didn’t think she blamed me for anything.
“You are in the middle of every big event that happens lately, young man,” she said quietly. “Even when you do not want to.”
I nodded despite myself. “You are not wrong.”
It was honestly absurd how much bullshit I’ve been tangled in lately.
That seemed to throw them off more than denial would have.
Zeoticus frowned. “Then why do you let her stay?” he snapped. Not harshly, but worried.
Even his nervousness around me seemed to be forgotten in his worry.
He really cared about Rias… in his own way. Faulty? Sure, but he cared.
“If you love her, why do you not push her away?”
“Because she is not something I am allowed to decide for,” I answered calmly. “Do you think I do not think that? That hiding them in a gilded cage would be for the best for everyone involved?”
“But she’s her own person, and she can make her own decisions. Something you forgot about in the past.” I sighed, lifting my hand as he looked ready to bellow, “That was rude. I overstepped.”
Rias remained silent.
Venelana clasped her hands together to break the glare her husband was throwing at me. Whoops.
“Rias,” she said gently, “we know you are strong. We know you have grown. But you are our daughter. Watching you walk into danger willingly is not something a mother learns to accept easily.”
Zeoticus’s jaw tightened as he huffed. “And forgive me for saying this,” he added, a bit sharper this time, “but love does not stop corpses from forming. And no matter how powerful one is, there is always a stronger being waiting above. You have already been forced once into a situation where you had no choice. I apologize for that. But I can’t, in good conscience, allow you to go through that again.”
That was when Rias lifted her hand.
She did so calmly. Neutrally. In a way that honestly surprised me.
She really had grown a lot since we first met. We would be in the middle of a shouting match if we were in the past. I loved my girlfriend, genuinely, but she was a bit of a brat.
“I am stronger than you, Father,” she said softly.
Zeoticus froze. It was almost funny. I avoided using the abilities I got from being a messiah with her parents to avoid spooking them, but I had gotten really good at reading people even without my third eye.
And his pride shuddered when Rias said that, in a way that genuinely scared me.
He was a really prideful devil, and Rias's words shattered it.
For a moment, I feared that this conversation would end like this, but Rias continued.
“And I could beat you, Mother,” she continued, still calm. “I am not the same little girl who was panicking thanks to the mess you put me in.”
Venelana flinched. Zeoticus’s expression twisted between anger, shame, and something dangerously close to pride.
How peculiar. He hated being the weakest of the family; I could see that. But at the same time, he was proud?
I didn’t get some people.
“I did what I thought was necessary,” he said, his voice terse. “The marriage was meant to make you grow. To secure your future.”
Rias shook her head.
“You only cared about the family power, your power,” she replied in a no-nonsense tone. “You decided what my life would be without asking me. You left me with no choice. But I succeeded, and I am free.”
Her voice wavered for just a second. She clenched her hands together, taking a deep breath.
“I was angry,” she admitted. “For a long time. It took me longer than I like to admit to forgiving you. And part of that is on me. I was a slothful devil. I let myself stagnate, and that shamed you.”
I felt her hand tremble slightly. I caressed it with my thumb, smiling proudly at her. She glanced at me, smiling.
She then continued.
“But everything changed,” she said quietly. “Because of him.”
Zeoticus looked at me again. He thankfully didn’t glare like before, at least.
“When I met Elias,” Rias said, “I was weak in every way it mattered, and I hated myself for it. I was afraid of responsibility. Afraid of failing, more than I had already done. Afraid of becoming someone who could not live up to the name Gremory. And I felt you were ashamed of me because I wasn’t like my brother.”
She squeezed my hand.
Venelana looked visibly stricken by what Rias said.
Rias laughed, seeing her reaction. “I know it wasn’t like that,” she placated her mother, “but I felt this way, and I never felt confident enough to speak about it with you two.”
“Elias saved me, but not in the way you think,” she said firmly. “He did not fix me. He just showed me what I was refusing to become. He trusted in me when I lost trust in myself.”
Venelana swallowed thickly, “What about the danger, Rias?”
Rias met her eyes, “It was always there. Given who my brother is, I was already in danger. Elias brings more from different places, but I love him, and I will face them head-on, because he is who I wish to share my life with.”
“As short as it can be,” he shared a smile with me.
A sad one that I matched.
“Even if I were to die today, as long as I fought for what I loved, I would die with a smile on my face.”
Zeoticus looked away. He didn’t look back towards us as he answered.
“I am afraid,” he admitted quietly. “Afraid that one day I will lose you because fate decided you were collateral damage. That someone so unbelievably powerful killed you, someone, not even your brother could avenge you. And we would be powerless to do anything about it.”
Rias stepped forward and took his hand.
“Then trust me,” she said softly. “That I will grow enough so that doesn’t happen. Trust the woman standing in front of you.”
“Or if I fail, I know that Elias will avenge me.”
“If something were to happen to you, I’d kill everyone involved, then everyone else before ending myself.” I rolled my eyes despite the huge knot that formed in my throat.
The room stayed silent… My joke wasn’t as well-received as I expected.
It was strange because they just looked at us defeatedly. But… there was acceptance in their eyes.
I took a breath before speaking.
“I am aware of the danger I attract,” I said quietly. “I am not blind. I see the eyes on me. And by extension, the eyes on my girls.”
They turned their eyes in my direction.
“I consider Odin a friend for all he has done for me and my kind,” I continued. “He brought Baldur to meet us. I offered Amaterasu a fight to prevent her from punishing Akeno’s cousin. Lugh tested me, and I earned his respect. I have dealings with your Satans, the Angels from Heaven, and your neighbors, the fallen.”
Their eyes widened at the absurdity of it all. And from an outside perspective, it was almost funny.
I let out a short, bitter laugh.
“Wild, I know,” I said, shaking my head faintly. “I am barely a newborn by your standards, and I speak with them quite casually despite everything. And I know they fear what I could become.”
Rias squeezed my hand again.
“When I was younger,” I went on, “I thought the wizarding war would be my entire life. I spent most of my life preparing for it. And I thought that would be all, being a hero for my people, but nothing much.”
I exhaled slowly.
“I did not expect this. I did not expect gods, pantheons, or politics older than civilizations. I know I attract danger. I know I have not finished growing.”
I looked at them both.
“I am a messiah,” I said plainly. “I care for humanity in a way I can’t explain, but it’s not because I am that. It’s not because the system He left behind chose me. I care for them because that is who I am.”
I looked at the ceiling, smiling despite the seriousness. “I want people in the future to see me as a savior. Not because that is what a messiah is supposed to be. But because I did what I believed was right. I don’t follow His teachings; I am not him. But I will do what I have to do because it is what is right.”
Venelana smiled softly at that. A genuine smile that surprised me.
“I love your daughter,” I said, turning my head toward Rias for a moment. “Just as I love Akeno, Iris, Hermione, and Fleur. Just as I care for everyone under my protection.”
I met Zeoticus’s eyes again.
“That is why I cannot stop growing. Because I want to be strong enough that they will be safe.”
Zeoticus was silent for a long time.
“You are a political nightmare,” he finally said, rubbing a hand over his face. “A walking bomb waiting to go off.”
He glanced at Rias. Then back at me.
“The Underworld is torn. Some people fear you, some reincarnated devils see you and see hope. Some of my peers are angry at your existence. Some see you as a threat to be eliminated. Others as a miracle to cling to. And some resent you simply because you are not theirs.”
Venelana placed her hand on his arm.
“But he also brings opportunities,” she said calmly.
Zeoticus looked at her. She held his gaze firmly, at which he let out an unbelieving laugh.
Then he nodded at his wife.
“Opportunities,” she continued. “To complete what my son missed. For alliances that would have been impossible a year ago. For a future where our children do not inherit the same hatred we did.”
Zeoticus shook his head, smiling.
“And I cannot order you around anymore,” he admitted, looking at Rias. “Not without pushing you away.”
Rias nodded firmly.
“I was wrong,” Zeoticus said quietly. “About the marriage. About forcing your path. Will you forgive your foolish father?”
His voice wavered.
“I am proud of what you have become.”
Rias smiled softly, nodding and hugging Zeoticus harder than was necessary.
I think I heard a bone crack. His face was purpling, much to Venelana’s and my amusement.
“I will continue to make you proud,” she said. “And in the future, you will see how everyone stops comparing me to my brother. My name will grow because of me. Not because of my name.”
Zeoticus nodded. Venelana wiped at her eyes, smiling.
Minutes later, we rejoined the party. Rias’s parents walked away from the venue in the opposite direction.
They did invite us to stay in their house during our stay, promising to meet our group as they should have.
All in all, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
Rias slipped her arm through mine as I walked toward Iris’s magical signature, but I felt my eyes widen seeing someone I didn’t expect talking with the group.
The fact that it didn’t evolve to a fight surprised me a lot, especially when Akeno had a genuine smile when Riser was in their group, along with Sona, Latia, Sai, and Seekvaira.
Hell… even Kiba was smiling as Riser said something.
Rias stopped cold, her relieved smile frozen in place as she watched the scene next to me.
“Want to see what’s going on, love?” I poked her ribs.
She didn’t respond, too dumbfounded to do so.
But she was pulling me as she marched toward the group.
Soon after.
Rias didn’t let go of my wrist.
She pulled me through the crowd with purpose, weaving between devils who politely stepped aside or stared a little too long. I didn’t resist mostly because it was easier to let her drag me than to ask questions.
Also, I found it hilarious. I didn’t exactly hate Riser, even if I didn’t like the things he said during their Rating Game. I understood that he wasn’t human, and he probably grew up like that. I also believed people could change.
That was the beauty of life.
We stopped right in front of the group.
And Riser was there… Talking and laughing with some of the other devils and my group.
Everyone was there: Sona, Latia, Seekvaira, Sai, and a devil I didn’t recognize.
Rias’s grip tightened around my arm.
“What’s going on here?” she asked flatly.
Riser turned toward her, a hint of surprise flickering across his face. Before he could answer, the blonde from his peerage kicked him hard on the shin.
Her sister, if I remembered correctly. Ravel, was it?
He hissed, glaring down at her. She stared back with a growing blush, her eyes flicking toward me for half a second before she crossed her arms and tilted her head in Rias’s direction.
Riser sighed.
Then he bowed his head. Deeply.
“I was an ass,” he said plainly. He wasn’t excusing himself, just stating a fact. “I was arrogant, entitled, and blind. I am ashamed of how I acted. Of what I said. Of what I thought I was owed.”
And yes, he had been an ass. But Rias wasn’t perfect.
They had been put in a terrible position by their parents.
Rias blinked owlishly.
“I am not asking you to forgive me immediately,” Riser continued. “I would not deserve it. I only ask that you judge me for who I am now, not who I was then. I have changed. Or… I am trying to.”
Rias stared at him like he had just grown a second head.
Wait a damn moment! Was he fucking talking in first person? Damn, Rias beating must have scrambled his brain.
I poked her ribs through my shock. Good thing I did, because she was opening and closing her mouth like a fish. And as adorable as she looked, she had to respond fast because I noticed a bit of red growing in Riser’s face at Rias’s silence.
She flinched, then looked at me. The shock in her eyes was hilarious. I just nodded and tilted my head.
She exhaled hard. If we were in an anime, I knew that smoke would have come out of her nose.
“The past is done,” she said slowly. “And I wasn’t exactly blameless either.”
Riser stiffened slightly.
“I threw wine in your face, the first time we met after the announcement,” she added, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “Years ago.”
Ravel snorted.
Riser shot his sister a glare. Then, to my surprise, he laughed amusedly.
“Fair,” he admitted. “I probably deserved it.”
Rias’s eyes widened, then she shook her head firmly. “You didn’t. And I apologize for that.”
The tension eased significantly, and I smiled proudly at my girlfriend.
“Well,” Riser said after a moment of hesitation, like he didn’t know where to go from this, “when are the tournament pickings supposed to start? Has anyone seen Diodora? He’s the only one missing.”
No one answered.
Sona adjusted her glasses. Latia looked away. Seekvaira shrugged confusedly. My group, almost like they had decided before, looked toward the ground like it was the best thing from the universe since the invention of sliced bread.
I just kept a neutral expression, and I could swear I heard his screams once more. Sairaorg looked at me, confusedly.
I shook my head slightly and mouthed ‘later’.
Before anyone could push further, Serafall’s voice rang out from above, amplified and annoyingly cheerful.
It made me grin. I wanted those damn cooking classes already, if only to speak with her in a less tense environment.
“Attention, everyone! Due to unforeseen circumstances, Diodora Astaroth has been disqualified!”
A murmur rippled through the venue. Curiosity from all, none looked like they honestly cared about it.
“And now,” Serafall continued, clapping her hands, “let’s get to the fun part!”
A massive magical display formed in the air. A spinning roulette of clan emblems and names from my friends and the unknown, I supposed.
He was glancing at Iris with barely contained lust.
She was ignoring him, like everyone else.
The tan-skinned devil was surprisingly strong, though. Around Akeno’s level, and even she wasn’t that far from Rias.
“The rating games will start in two weeks, everyone! On Lucifaad Stadium!”
The wheel slowed, then stopped.
“Sona Sitri versus Riser Phenex!”
Riser cracked his neck. Sona pushed her glasses up.
They fucking shone as she did so.
The wheel spun again.
“Seekvaira Agares versus Zephyrdor Glasya-Labolas!”
Zephyrdor’s lips twitched into a grin as he shot a mocking glance at Seek. She ignored, also pushing her glasses up.
And they also shone. I snorted loudly, and both Sona and Seek blushed in embarrassment.
“Did you go to the same store?” I laughed.
Rias smacked my arm, shushing me down.
One last spin. Which was for nothing since there was only one option.
“And the final match of day one,” Serafall sang, “Rias Gremory versus Sairaorg Bael!”
It was like someone silenced the room.
Sairaorg clenched his fists, Touki erupting from his body in a violent surge. The pressure slammed outward, cracking glass and rattling the room.
No, the whole building, even with the wards on the way.
I narrowed my eyes even as a grin grew on my face.
Low-Satan at least. And that was without Regulus.
Heh. What a damn monster. He could defeat Falbium already, the weakest of the Satans. And may have a chance against Sera, even if I trusted the bubbly Satan most of the time.
Rias smiled sharply.
Power of Destruction crept up her arms, looking almost black from how dense it was, until it almost stopped looking like energy and more like pure mass.
Mid to high Ultimate.
The two auras collided.
More glass shattered.
I didn’t envy the venue's owners. Some of these cups might cost more than some houses on Earth.
Ravel, the one called Zephydor, and Riser stared in open shock.
Especially at Rias.
Her arm looked like it was becoming destruction itself, just like her brother's true form.
Not at that level, she wasn’t strong enough for that. But she had the potential to. And that was more than enough to shock everyone into silence. Literally everyone was looking at the pair with open mouths, including Sera and Sirzechs.
I clapped my hands once, amused beyond belief, and a tiny bit excited at the upcoming match.
Both of them froze as the sound broke through their auras.
Then they looked around at the mess.
And laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of their heads almost in perfect synch as if I needed more proof they were cousins.
Sairaorg stepped forward, the pressure fading completely. He pulled Rias into a tight hug, grinning.
“I have a favor to ask,” he said quietly, looking at me.
I raised an eyebrow, “For you, Sai? Ask whatever you want.”
The genuine smile on his face made me grin.
He was really my male best friend.