POV: Mephisto
The morning sun lazily filtered through the clouds like the remnants of warmth after a sleepless night. I set out early for school, where our group was supposed to meet at the main entrance before heading together to catch the train to the Underworld.
I wore a dark, charcoal-black suit and coat, sharply contrasting with the others' typical school uniforms. I felt like a stranger – perhaps not just in this world, but even among them. Still, the acceptance from Rias and her friends was surprisingly reassuring.
In my arms, I carried Fennekin. His fluffy dark fur was warm, though his eyes vigilantly watched the world around us. My fingers gently stroked his back, and he purred softly, almost like a cat. It was a strange mix – calm and restless at the same time.
Gradually, the others started to gather. Issei and Asia were the first to arrive, of course with a smile, as if excited for the adventure without fully knowing what awaited us. Then came Koneko, quiet and with her typical expression, hiding both alertness and unwavering loyalty. Akeno appeared as peaceful as ever, but behind her smile was a spark of energy she could unleash like a storm.
"Hello, Mephisto, Fennekin looks content today," she remarked as she approached. Her voice was quiet but carried comfort.
"Today is a big day," I replied. "He feels it, just like we do."
The rest stayed silent for a moment, as if words were gathering in their minds but didn't dare come out. Then Rias arrived with her usual calm and majesty.
"Let's go," she said simply. "The train is waiting."
The journey to the station was uneventful.
The city was just beginning to wake, and the streets were empty. Each of us was lost in our own thoughts. While Issei was probably imagining a training full of sweat, explosions, and... naked scenes, I was thinking about Sirzechs.
Surely, he had been told what happened with Riser – how would this all unfold?
The Train – Compartment
Our train was a long, metal colossus, inlaid with runes and technomagic. A link between the human world and the Underworld. Once we boarded, we settled into one of the larger compartments. It was quiet, comfortable, and yet carried a sense of something old, powerful.
Fennekin curled up on my lap, closed his eyes, and began to doze off. His breathing was steady, and the warmth radiating from him calmed me.
Arrival in the Underworld
The train rushed through a black tunnel and stopped with a quiet hiss. Outside the windows, another world unfolded. The sky was dark, deep red. Above us stretched an endless ceiling of magical energy, and beneath it rose the Gremory estate – red, gothic in architecture, and with an aura that clung to your skin like mist.
When we arrived, Sirzechs Lucifer himself was waiting for us. His posture was calm, his smile friendly – but his gaze lingered on me a second longer than on the others.
"Rias, welcome home. And your friends – welcome to the Underworld," he said. Everyone except me knelt on one knee. Issei at first didn't know what to do or even who he was, but after a moment, he knelt as well, along with Asia.
"Thanks, big brother," Rias smiled. "I'll take them to their rooms, and then we'll go train."
Sirzechs nodded, stepped closer to me, and spoke.
"You're Mephisto? Would you come with me for a moment."
Even though he knew how powerful I was, he didn't leave room for refusal. What he said wasn't a request or a question – it was a command.
POV: Sirzechs Lucifer
I led him into one of my studies, away from the others. This part of the Gremory estate was calm, untouched by the light of magical lanterns or the voices of nobility. Everything here was designed to foster concentration – or a confidential conversation.
I closed the door behind us with a quiet click and gestured for him to sit. Mephisto remained standing. His eyes slowly scanned the room, as if analyzing every detail – books on the shelf, an old map of the Underworld on the wall, a goblet of wine on the table.
"You have an unusual aura," I said at last. The silence had grown too dense. "Not a demon, not an angel, but not entirely human either. I sense something... different in you. What are you, Mephisto?"
He was silent. His eyes met mine. There was nothing friendly in them, but neither was there hostility – only focused balance. Calm, but not the peaceful kind. He was like a serpent – calm only until the moment of attack.
"I'm just a man, Luci," he answered, and there was something provocative in that nickname. Does he know me? Or is it just a mask? "You've probably already tried to gather information about me, haven't you?"
For a moment, I froze. He knew? How could he? Did he really sense my curiosity, or was he just guessing?
"Even if you say you're human, your power doesn't match that claim, does it?" I asked carefully, choosing my tone to avoid sounding like an interrogation.
"Maybe," he shrugged. "But I'm not here because of power. I'm here because I believe this is a turning point. And you know it too, don't you?"
I looked away, but only briefly. Not out of weakness. But because he was right. And I hated hearing the truth from someone I couldn't fully read.
Eventually, I nodded. "Yes. Something is coming. And I want to know if you're with us – or against us."
"I'm not against anyone," he said quietly. "But if someone stands against those I protect... they'll regret it."
I felt it. Every word was true. Mephisto wasn't playing a game – he had his own rules. And if he was protecting Rias now, there was a chance… no, more than a chance. A hope.
I stepped closer. Maybe too close. I could see he noticed, but he didn't back away.
"In that case, I want to ask you for something," I said slowly. "If Rias and her team fail in the Rating Game... if they are defeated, and the wedding with Riser becomes inevitable… then I ask you, Mephisto – stop that wedding. Confront Riser. And end it."
It was a plea, but there was desperation in it too. I felt that this man could do it. I knew his magic – that raw, impenetrable energy I sensed beneath his calm – could defeat even the Phoenix.
But Mephisto didn't move. He remained completely calm, unmoved by my urgency.
"No," he said quietly.
I blinked. "No?"
"That wedding… stopping it isn't my destiny," he continued. "I'm not the one who is meant to step between them and issue the challenge. That decision... belongs to someone else."
He sounded convinced. Not stubborn, but like someone who knew. Who had seen it.
"Are you saying you know who it is?" I asked softly.
"Maybe," he smiled for the first time. "But some stories must fulfill themselves. I can only stand beside them. And when the time comes – I'll support the ones who take that step."
Those words broke something inside me. I realized I had wanted to find a savior in someone who came from outside. But maybe the answer had always been here, within this story.
I looked him straight in the eye. "In that case... when the time comes, I hope you'll stand on our side."
"I'll stand by those who deserve to fight," he replied.
Then he turned and left the study.
And I, Sirzechs Lucifer, for the first time in a long time, felt that even we – the kings of hell – are nothing more than pieces in a chess game that someone may have begun long before us.
Back to the group – MC POV
After that conversation, I returned to the others, where Rias and her noble team were already waiting for me. I know I should interfere with fate more, but as the system itself said, it's all up to me, right? So I can still leave that role to Issei. The training ground was monumental – fully magical, adapted even for the strongest spells.
I stepped in front of everyone and asked, "Ready? Today I'll test you."
"I'm looking forward to it," they all replied. Fennekin, in the meantime, stood by my side, ready to fight alongside me.