45 Everlasting Cycle

Not minding Julian's quip nor worrying about the possible ideas brewing in his son's head. Sirzechs lifted his eyes from the painting depicting a somewhat familiar breathtaking silver haired woman crying beneath a starry sky while smiling brightly and tenderly at him, the spectator.

He threw a look to the basket he previously spotted before finally resting his gaze upon the waiting Julian. "Of course I can put them in an auction. But are you sure you want to sell them? The person you painted look like someone you hold dear.

Julian nodded at the answer as he procceed to pick up a couple of other lying around his very little workshop, a dozen in total. There had been way more he had painted in the past, but unfortunately. He had to destroy all of his earlier attempt as the space in his room and in his closet was limited. "Yes I'm sure that I want to sell them. Those are failures anyway, so it doesn't matter. There is still a bunch in the closet by the way."

Sirzechs looked at the painting one last time before he squinted his eyes.

This was a Failure?

This was a masterpiece, one of the best he ever saw. And he had seen the works of multiple pantheons God of art and painting. So that was saying something.

In the end Sirzechs chuckled as he shook his head and snapped his fingers, making three maids appears in the room.

"You called us, Lucifer-Sama?" All three said in unison as they curtsied. Not paying any intentions whatsoever to their surrounding, or simply not caring.

"Yes, these paintings are to be stocked and sold at our auction house the earliest possible. No need for any advertisement, they will sell by themselves."

"Right away, Lucifer-Sama." The maids began their task right away, with Julian at a bit of a lost as he gave them the ones in his arms and showed them the closet.

Julian was impressed by their professionalism, as only one of them blushed during all of their interaction. And it was only when their hands brushed together as he gave her a part of the canvas.

After that, he retreated to Sirzechs' side and watched them repeatedly teleport away with their arms full of paintings before they came back only a minute later.

"Are they aware, and if so are they thrustworthy?" Julian asked, more to move the conversation along than anything else.

Sirzechs smiled as he answered. "Aware of what? That you are my son? If so, then nobody besides Rias know yet, and I have to admit maybe her peerage. As for the thrustworthyness, they were maids personally trained by Grayfia..." He stopped there, as if it was all that needed to be said.

And indeed, it was for Julian.

A short silence ensued as the last painting was brought away with the three maids bowings toward Sirzechs a final time before teleporting away.

A silence that was broken as Sirzechs palmed one of his fist. "Ah. I think I almost forgot a quite important matter here. The earliest we can organize the ceremony where you will be introduced to devil society as well as tested for your class to obtain your peerage is 2 week. Are you okay with that date?"

Julian thought about it for a short time before he shrugged. "The earlier the better."

The stirring of Raynare on the bed prompted Sirzechs to rapidly move out of the room. "That's fine then. We'll better get back downstairs. It's beginning to be late and I think it's time to call it a day."

Julian agreed and followed him. Closing the door behind himself.

—————

Julian escorted along with his mother Grayfia and Sirzechs to the door as they said their goodbuys. Sirzechs addressing a last question to Julian before leaving for good.

"Oh right, do you have an artist name you want us to use when we will be introducing the paintings? Or do you simply want to leave it blank?"

Julian frowned as he pondered. An artist name? Time to let out a bit of his inner edge.

"Vanitas. You can use Vanitas."

Sirzechs nodded as he gave a thumb up. "I got you."

And with that, the door was closed.

Kassidy sent a pointed gaze at Julian and asked suspiciously. "What's this thing about paintings? What were you talking about?"

Julian shook his head and answered. "Just an idea I had for some spare money."

"You sold those paintings? Every single one of them? I kinda liked them." She mumbled.

"No, I didn't sold every ones of them. And I'll already told you that I'll make a painting for you. Only when I'm skilled enough though."

Kassidy waved him away and yawned. "Yeah, yeah. It's just that I really loved the ones where you painted that silver-haired lady, she remind me of my mother for some reason..."

Putting a finger to her lips, she began to clean up the table as she spoke out loud to herself. "Speaking of lady, why weren't those three girls present for the supper? I mean, I don't care. But aren't maids supposed to help around during such occasions?"

Julian who was picking up a plate and was in the process of redressing Jacob in a upright position answered nonchalently. "They're sleeping in my room right this instant."

Kassidy whiped her head up and threw a surprised look at Julian. "What? When... What is your relationship with those girls?"

Julian took a while to answer before he simply shrugged. "I think servants with benefits would be appropriate. And before you assume anything, they were the one to jump me when I woke up."

Kassidy stayed silent for a while before she rubbed her eyes. "Servants with benefits?... As long as nobody is getting hurt..."

Julian sweatdropped at his recalling of how he treated Mittelt.

"You know what, you seem tired. Let me handle all of that. Besides, it would be way faster that way."

Acting on his words, Julian cleaned the entire kitchen in a matters of second and dropped his dad in his bed. Kassidy seemingly not registering as she placed the now clean plates in her hands in the dishwasher. "If you say so, good night. Juju."

"Night, mom."

Julian watched her leave and casted his gaze across the kitchen before he left himself.

As the trio of ex-fallen angels were surprisingly still sleeping. Julian went to the guest room and made it his own for the night. But he didn't sleep, he meditated with the purpose to grow his reserves until he couldn't anymore and procceeded to practice EV for the rest of the night.

According to his estimates, it would take a couple of days at best before he would be able to use his newfound ability properly. So better to start now than never.

—————

The next couple of days came and went by in a flash. With Julian going to school more to check on Issei and company than anything else. Nothing of notes happened beside a young girl with blonde hair and emerald eyes appearing and sticking close to Issei.

As he had already erased Raynare's group before her coming to Japan. Julian had spared her the fate of being used as a tool and mistreated by Raynare and Freed. Certainly a good thing. But it also left her totally alone and lost in a foreign country. Her new black winged owner becoming totally disinterested or too busy to care about her with the disappearance of a task force and the destruction of the ancient device.

So without surprise, Issei had lept with the 'good intentioned' deed of taking her in. Not without struggles and drama from his king though.

That's what Julian pieced back together from what he gathered from his Issei's mouth at least.

His change in behavior was almost immediatly spotted by Issei too. Which led to a prompt interrogation on Julian's well being.

Julian's only answer to Issei was that he never had felt better and clear-headed in his life. Ending with Julian finding himself curiously asking in what ways he was acting differently from before exactly.

It had taken Issei a good amount of time to gather his thoughts at the time before he answered with:

"I don't really know how to describe it. But It's like the previous joviality and energy you had going on suddenly disappeared overnight. You seem calmer, more composed, serious. More mature maybe? Seriously, did something happen?"

Julian felt some warmth growing in his chest at having his friend worry, making him smile genuinely as he answered back. "Yeah, something happen... I had a reality check."

Yeah, he had deflected. Maybe one day he'll tell Issei the entire story. But not now.

—————

Julian smiled as his eyes gazed at something only he could see, a little screen like projection resembling the page of a book. It floated in the corner of his vision and could display everything in his essence in details.

At this very moment, the esoteric like page had some words written upon it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Essence of: Julian Håberjorgen-Marquis.

Race: Newborn (0 pair of wings) First-Order Nephalem.

EMBODIMENTS

Lust (minor): You are a weak personification of the sin of lust.

Abilities: Allow the incarnation to mask one intentions. Give the embodiment the capacity to manipulate Lust to a small degree. As well as allow to hear the lustful thoughts of weaker entities.

One spark Impossibility (Extremelly minor): No matter how little of it you are. You still shouldn't exist.

Abilities: Capable of manipulating causality to an almost non-existent extent. What should be impossible for others because of ignorance is rather easy for you. Because if it isn't impossible, then you only need a bit of luck to accomplish it.

INHERENT POWERS

Power of Destruction: The magic that lead to the end of creation.

Mastery: 1/10 of current universe most powerful user Sirzechs Gremory.

Everlasting Cycle: The superior magic to Twilight manipulation. Not the darkness at the end nor the light at the start. But something more, encroached into existence itself.

Mastery: Kass here, by all means. This is the first time I ever witnessed this magic. Not that there isn't other Nephalems in existence, far from it. But you are the only one truly an impossibility because of your wish. Anyway, if there is something that I know for sure, is that you are hardly using a percent of this magic. So I'm pretty sure your mastery of it is quasi null, and it can't be compared to anyone as nobody else in existence poccess it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An eyebrow was raised as Julian read of his mastery of what he had called Trinity magic since his first use of it.

This bit was indeed enlightening, but at the same time not. Disappointing, really.

Because while he instinctively knew what this Everlasting Cycle magic did with reading his Essence. He couldn't fathom what it did at the same time. His mind simply couldn't wrap itself around the nature of this magic.

If he had to describe the feelings, then it would be that it could do anything. Time a hundred. Which didn't make any fucking sense and was too vague.

Julian shook his head as just thinking about it made his head begin to pulse with a growing headache.

"At least I know it can manipulate time, that's still something no?"

"What are you talking about Julian-Kun? Are you perhaps talking about your future pet? If it's the case, I regret to inform you that familiars that can manipulate time are rarer than rare. And the odds of finding one in our next trip are next to impossible." Rias informed Julian as she and the rest of her peerage turned their head to gazed at him curiously.

Julian lifted his head from his pondering position on one of the couches. Suddenly remembering his current situation.

Rias was explaining the purpose of familiars for both Asia and Issei, and as she had already informed everyone in her peerage that he was in fact her long lost newphew. So he was naturally invited by her to come along.

Of course, they knew he was her newphew and her older brother son. But they weren't aware of his particularities. Only taking him as a pure blood devil. With one pair of wings...

Of course, everybody had been extremelly surprised by such a development. With Kiba blushing a bit in shame at his former behavior and Koneko looking like she had been enlightened. While Akeno only particular reaction was to quirk an eyebrow at the revelation.

"Ah sorry. I merely lost myself thinking about something else. But thank you for the tip nonetheless Rias." Julian dismissed the attention on him as he closed his eyes and put his head atop one of his palm. Demonstrating that he was done talking.

He wasn't really interested in having a familiar. At least not a common one that wouldn't be of any use for him.

If he had to have one. It would be something that could help him in his training or his future projects.

Speaking of which, his little advertising campain for his simple web creating app was going exceptionally well. He had already formed a contract with some already proeminent companies and some future giants like fiddlebook and the like.

Just by that little project, he was beginning to accumulate a little fortune. And he was waiting for even more with the selling of his paintings.

Some of his plans were soon to come to fruition with the ten days training camp for Rias' peerage.

But for now...

Julian opened his eyes as someone knocked on the door of the room and upon being given autorization. The door opened to let in a group of people with multiple familiar faces in the lot.

He will enjoy his time of being in a dumb ecchii world.