Alice Knight

I stared at my phone as I waited at the plaza once again, but this time for Alice. She was running late, but she said she was bringing someone with her. I looked up from my phone then opened my left eye. I saw the many auras of people, all different colors, different moods.

"Emblem of Talent, a strange ability. Grants the user Enhanced Ability Learning. But your...Miracle Eye can also see aura. You've never really used it." Satan said as she floated next to me.

"I don't see a need in abusing this power. I only use it when absolutely necessary or when I need to read the mood of my lovers. What's the fun in powers if you easily abuse them? I still don't even know everything I can do as The Ace." I said.

"True. You did just unlock your Limit Break and Limit Break: Wrath. Well since we are on the subject, The Mask of The Fortune evolves into The Mask of The Chosen via Love Demon Fusion." Satan started.

"Love Demon Fusion?" I asked.

"It's a process where you and your desired Love Demon fuse together to further awaken and evolve The Masks. The Ace will evolve into The Master. The Mask of The Master. You can only evolve the mask during your Awakened State which you haven't unlocked yet." Satan explained.

"Was that form he had against Benedict, not an Awakened State?" Luckie asked.

"Are you slow? I literally just called it Limit Break: Wrath. It's far stronger than normal Limit Break, but more draining to his body. Even if he masters it, it will still drain his body because he's only a human." Satan said.

"It may have looked like an Awakening but it was just a different form of Limit Break. I can definitely see the confusion." Talenta said.

"My love!" Alice called out to me.

I looked over and noticed her walking toward me with a child holding her hand. I smiled and watched her stop in front of me. "Hey there. This must be little Catherine..~"

"Mhm!~ My pride and joy~ I actually invited her out with us..~" Alice smiled and looked down at Catherine.

I crouched down and met with Catherine at eye level. "Hey there, my name is Ryder..~"

Catherine looked at me and became shy, hiding behind her mother.

"She's not too keen on meeting new people. She'll come around." Alice smiled.

I stood up and smiled. "So whatcha call me out here for?"

"Wanna join us for a trip to Aquarium Galaxy?~" Alice asked.

"Sure, I have no plans for today." I answered.

Alice gave me a heartwarming smile then looked at Catherine. She looked back at me. "Let's go..~ It's an hour drive from here."

"Okay." I nodded.

------

"Mama!~ Mama!~ We are going to see big whales and fishies right?~" Catherine asked with excitement.

"We are, sweetheart~ We are going to see the biggest whales and the most beautiful fishies like in your coloring book~" Alice said with a smile.

Seeing Alice like this was like a breath of fresh air. Her interactions with her daughter and how Catherine talks to Alice.

"Mr. Ryder?" Catherine said, trying to get my attention.

I looked back at her and smiled. "What's up?"

"What happened to your left eye?" She asked.

Alice grunted and looked at me then back at the road. She was nervous of this question as she doesn't want Catherine to be exposed to our line of work.

"Well you see, I am a bit clumsy..~" I chuckled and smiled at Catherine. "There was this banana peel on the floor and I slipped and gave myself a big ouchie."

Catherine tilted her head then giggled. "You're silly!~ Mama always tells me to be careful, you should listen to Mama!~"

I smiled and looked at Alice. "I should huh..~"

Alice smiled and shook her head. "Yeah, I told him to watch out, but he didn't listen."

Talenta watched as she sat on my shoulder in her tiny demon form. "I guess that's a good cover up story..."

"It was the biggest piece of dogshit I've ever heard. How the hell does slipping on a banana peel result in a crippled eye?" Satan asked.

I flicked Satan's head and she grunted, holding her forehead. 'Quiet. No one said the lie had to be good. It was believable enough for her.'

"Hmph! Come up with better lies!" Satan grumbled.

We soon made it to Aquarium Galaxy and Alice parked her car in the parking lot then stopped it. She got out and helped Catherine out the car. I got out and stretched then moved my hair from my eyes. Alice and Catherine made their way to the entrance and I followed them.

"Sooo...do you know the first thing about being a father figure?" Luckie asked.

'I'm only 19. I have never thought once about being a dad. Now that I think about it...I gotta start pulling out before I become an actual dad.' I thought to myself.

"Don't you want kids of your own?" Talenta asked.

'Do you know how large my harem is and will be? But I guess I should start practicing. I do plan on having kids with my women...but only after we stop the Black Market. I can't bring my children in this world as it is.'

"I mean I guess." Satan crossed her arms as she hovered beside me.

We made it to the entrance and Alice scanned her digital tickets and we walked inside into the world of aquatic wonders. Catherine pointed at a dolphin jumping out the water then dove back inside. Alice watched the dolphin and picked Catherine up then carried her over to the Dolphin show.

I followed them and stood beside them to watch the show with them.

"Did you know, dolphins are capable of understanding English?" I asked.

Catherine looked at me with amazement and looked back at the dolphins. "Really?!~ I wanna talk to a dolphin!~"

"Well they won't be able to speak English like we can, but I can definitely say they understand us." I smiled.

Alice smiled as she listened to me and Catherine. We continued to watch the show together then once it ended we walked off to experience the rest of the attraction.

Catherine was truly a bundle of energy and joy. She couldn't contain herself as she wanted to experience the entirety of the Aquarium. Alice wasn't so sure if I had the time, but I told her it was alright. The three of us wandered the aquarium together and I gave Catherine my little facts about each type of fish and aquatic creature we saw. Catherine enjoyed learning about them and Alice was happy Catherine was enjoying herself.

------

We began to leave the aquarium, but Catherine noticed a carnival game that was rewarding giant orca plushies and she really wanted one. Alice was skeptical about these games, but I walked over to it.

"Hey there sir! Three bucks and you have three chances to knock down all these bottles! If you knock them down, you get a prize!" The man said and gave a sly smirk.

I looked at his smug face then chuckled. I placed three dollars on the counter and got three balls. "Simple."

The man watched as I threw the first ball, but the ball hit the bottles and none of them fell.

"Babe, let's go. This is a waste of time." Alice said. "It's obviously rigged."

"Nah, imma get this plushie for Catherine. No matter what." I said.

Catherine watched me and looked at the man who was smirking at me.

'Luckie.' I thought.

"On it!~" Luckie giggled then golden particles faintly surrounded my next ball.

I concentrated and the man watched me. I gripped the ball tightly and threw it with full force. The ball hit the bottles then shattered all of them, releasing a slight gust of wind.

The man looked surprised and his fake mustache fell off his face.

"Whoa, did you see that guy's throw?! He has hella arm!" A man said, sounding impressed.

"Look at the con artist! He's shook!" A woman laughed.

"Well. I beat your game, time for my reward." I chuckled as I tossed my last ball up and down.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah!" The man said then quickly rewarded me with an orca plushie.

I received the plushie and gave it to Catherine who happily accepted it.

"Now what do we say?~" Alice asked and smiled.

"Thank you!~" Catherine cheesed at me.

Satan grunted at her cuteness then blushed a bit. "This purity. It pisses me off..!"

"Don't be such a Debby Downer!" Talenta said.

"Yeah! Ryder did that for his step-daughter!" Luckie pouted.

I chuckled softly and noticed Catherine was holding her hand out to me. I smiled and held her hand. Catherine had finally warmed up to me after the day we spent together.

"Mama? Can Mr. Ryder come over for dinner?" Catherine asked.

Alice looked at me and rose an eyebrow. "It depends on his answer." She smiled.

I smiled at Alice then looked at Catherine. "Yeah I'll come over. I just need to run a few errands."

"Yay!~" Catherine giggled and smiled happily at me.

I chuckled softly and the three of us made our way back to Alice's car.

------

Alice dropped me off at the plaza then got out her car to kiss me. I kissed her back then she broke the kiss. "See you over at five?"

"Yeah." I answered.

Alice caressed my cheek then got back into her car and drove back home with Catherine. I walked over to HQ and entered the building to go to Charlotte's office.

I rode the elevator up and stepped out. I noticed a woman with long black hair, wearing a commander outfit, and she carried a great sword on her back. I tilted my head, wondering who she was. She was with Leonidas and they were talking to Charlotte.

I walked forward and Charlotte noticed me then smiled at me. The woman and Leonidas turned around me and noticed me.

"Welcome, my beloved~ Orishi, this is my Ace, Ryder. Ryder, this is the LIONS commander, Orishi Ashikaga." Charlotte smiled.

I looked at Orishi and noticed her very warrior like attitude. "You used to be a part of the Pride Force right?"

"Yeah, I was just stopping by for business." Orishi said then turned to Charlotte then bowed. "I'll be on my way."

Charlotte nodded then watched Orishi walk off. She walked past me and moved her eyes to look at me as she walked by me. She walked into the elevator and left the office.

"She has strong energy within. Who is she exactly?" I asked.

"She's a hero who's been around for years now. You don't need to worry about her, but she will be assisting us when it comes down to gathering the Alchemist Weapons and the Twilight's Bow." Charlotte answered.

Leonidas crossed his arms and looked at Charlotte. "Are you sure about this? It wasn't too long ago since Chaos's defeat a few years ago. Having LIONS on the scene means the Black Market has bigger plans than we realize. They are using our women to power Shida and Acillia. What they are planning is beyond me."

"I know. I know, but what other choice do we have exactly? Paid Relationships and Pride Force can only do so much alone. My scouts don't have superhuman abilities like we do. Look what happened to Paige. I don't want to go through that again." Charlotte said.

"Whoa what's going on?" I asked.

"The Syndicates are declaring War. The Mask Users are trying to revive old villains that used to wield the Crests Shiro once had. If they succeed..." Leonidas said.

"Even if they do, we have power of our own. They can't fight fire with sparks. I refuse to lose to them. Whatever they are planning it won't work." Charlotte said then stood up. "Leonidas, you're the only family I have in America. I'm seriously counting on you to help out as much as you can. I can trust you with this task of scouting right?"

"Nothing escapes my senses. I can definitely do it, but this is a death wish. We need a plan. A plan to prevent the revival of Lane, Kismet, Romeo, Vance, and Micah. If they succeed in that, we've lost." Leonidas said.

"These are Shiro's old adversaries. If they get revived it's bad news. They will immediately target you." Talenta said.

"What can I do to help?" I asked.

"Nothing for right now, my beloved." Charlotte said then walked toward me and kissed my cheek. "If anything comes up, I'll tell you. For now, just enjoy the peace."

Leonidas and I watched Charlotte leave her office.

"Well I guess I'm off to do some scouting." Leonidas said then pat my shoulder.

I nodded and watched him walk off. I looked at the monitor then noticed pinpoints. There were five points and one of them was on an island named Destiny Island. "Destiny Island..?"

"Shiro's home. Getting there is not easy. It's best to not think about it for now." Satan said.

I nodded and left the office.

------

I parked my car on the curb next to Alice's house then got out and walked to the front door then rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" Alice said as she turned off the stove and made her way to the front door. She opened the door and smiled at me. "Hey~"

"Am I a bit early?~" I asked.

"No you're on time, I'm just running a bit behind. I-I just wanted everything to be perfect." Alice blushed then moved to the side. "Come in, make yourself at home~"

I smiled and walked inside with a bag in hand. "I hope you don't mind, but I got Catherine something."

"How thoughtful of you~" Alice smiled and closed the door. "I have a rule of no shoes in the house. You can leave your shoes next to ours there."

I nodded and took my shoes off then set them beside Alice's and Catherine's.

"She's in the living room watching her cartoons~" Alice smiled. She kissed my cheek and went back to the kitchen.

I made my way to the living room and Catherine looked at me and happily got off the couch. I crouched down and watched her stop in front of me.

"Mr. Ryder!~" Catherine said happily.

"Hey there, Cat." I chuckled then gently rubbed her head. "I got you some new toys."

"Really?!~" Catherine said excitedly and watched me open the bag.

I pulled out some brand new dolls from my bag then handed it to her. "Alice always tells me how good you always do when she's away~ I felt like it was right to get you something..~"

Catherine smiled at her new dolls then hugged me. "Thank you, Mr. Ryder!~"

I chuckled and hugged her back then she let me go so she can play with her dolls while watching cartoons. I stood up and smiled. I noticed Alice was leaning against the wall and she gestured for me to come over to the kitchen. I walked over to her.

"It's been a while since I've seen her so happy..~ Her father is never around so it's a treat to her when a man does something nice for her. She always talks about how she wants a father figure." Alice said as she looked into my eyes.

"Hey, I'm willing to be her father figure..~ I may not have the experience, but I'm willing to try.." I said as I stared back into her eyes.

Alice smiled and held my cheek, rubbing her thumb against my skin. "How did I get so lucky..?~"

I chuckled softly and held her hand. "I should be asking that..~"

Catherine was watching us the entire time and smiled at us. She heard most of the conversation and looked at her dolls. Although she never really understood what her mother goes through, she cared a lot about her happiness. She saw how happy I made her.

"My new daddy..~" She said to herself as she looked at her doll house with the family of three sitting at the kitchen.

-----

We enjoyed our dinner together and Alice noticed Catherine growing sleepy after the dinner. She smiled and gathered our plates, but I stopped her.

"I'll handle it.." I smiled at her.

She smiled at me then nodded. She picked up Catherine and made her way up the stairs with her in arms while I cleaned the kitchen.

"Mama..?" Catherine said with a yawn.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Alice asked and looked at Catherine as she entered her room.

"Can Mr. Ryder, be my new daddy?" She asked.

Alice looked at Catherine and closed her eyes with a smile.

~Alice's Flashback~

"You should let Ryder take care of her with you. He will be the closest thing to a father she gets.." Wendy said. "I would've done so."

~End of Alice's Flashback~

Alice gently tucked Catherine in then kissed her forehead. "It depends on him..~ I love him. I truly do, but I can't force him to help me."

"If he does...be my daddy, will we be a happy family?" She asked and looked at Alice.

Alice gently rubbed Catherine's hair and smiled. "We will..~"

Catherine smiled and closed her eyes. "I love you..."

Alice fought back her tears. She ran her fingers through Catherine's hair and kissed her forehead once again. "I love you too, sweetheart.."

Alice was finally able to say those three words freely again. Catherine's smile had begun to grow bigger. She hadn't heard her mother say those words in so long. Alice turned on her night lights then left the room.

She wiped her tears and felt a lump in her neck. She leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling. Her emotions were becoming overwhelming. She's been hiding her emotions for so long but she felt free.

I finished cleaning the kitchen and noticed Alice walking back into the kitchen. I looked at her and noticed her hug me, crying. I smiled at her and hugged her back.

"Babe...what's up?" I asked.

"I love you..." She softly said and gripped my shirt.

"I love you too." I smiled.

"No...I love you so much. You made her so happy...I never want to see her not smile again.." Alice said with sniffles. She looked up at me, resting her chin against my chest. Her guard was completely down. "My love...will-"

"Yes.." I said before she could finish her sentence.

Alice smiled at me with pure happiness. She buried her face against my chest once more and kept embracing me.

Talenta noticed a Love Sigil had appeared on Alice's shoulder. "Huh. So you don't need to have sex for it to appear."

"Well you're the one who said it only shows up with true love. Sex isn't a factor in true love. Love...Love is something that can't be earned through sex alone." Satan said.

"Oh wow, for the person who's the complete opposite of Love, that was kinda deep." Luckie smiled.

"Watching him...I don't know. It warms me on the inside. I can get used to watching his little romcoms." Satan smiled.

Talenta watched Alice lead me upstairs and smiled. "Romcom. What a joke. Anyway, I'm getting tired as well so I'm gonna head to the Love Domain."

"Wait don't forget me!" Luckie said and teleported after Talenta.

Satan smiled then disappeared back to Hell. Today marked the day, I become a father for Cathrine whenever I'm around. I had something more to fight for, more of a reason to let go of the past, more of a reason to grow stronger so I could protect Cathrine and my future children.