New Beginnings

James' birthday party was an enjoyable event for all involved. The adults had their fill of food and alcohol. The kids got to eat as much as they wanted as well. Most importantly, Rias kept control of herself. More accurately, she showed no negative emotions at all. It seemed like she really wanted to talk to James about something, but the atmosphere told her and everyone else that today was meant for having a fun time and nothing else.

After a night of eating, drinking, and making merry, the next day James decided to finally use his [Evil Pieces]. Since all those who were present at the party were still at the Alaverus Estate, they decided to witness the event. And why was everyone still at the Alaverus Estate? The answer to that question is quite simple, actually. The adults drank themselves into a stupor and the kids played around until they just passed out.

Underworld, Gremory territory, Alaverus Estate.

Seated on the sofas, recliners and even the floor of the living room, Cassiel, Leona, the Gremory family; Zeoticus, Venelana, Rias, Grayfia, Akeno, and Koneko; the Sitri family; Dante, Rhea, Sona, and Tsubaki; and the Satans; Sirzechs, Serafall, and Ajuka, were waiting in anticipation for the creation of James' peerage. Meanwhile, James, Mizore, Cu Chulainn, and Moka were standing in the center of the room with James facing the other three. In his hand, James was holding the case containing his [Evil Pieces].

"Now, I hope you three are ready." James said, the flames of ambition burning deep within his eyes. "This will be our first step in becoming the strongest team this world has ever seen."

"The boy really aims big, doesn't he?" Zeoticus said, glancing in Sirzechs' direction.

It is a widely accepted fact that Sirzechs peerage, even though they are not ranked in the [Rating Game's] rankings, are known as the strongest peerage in the Underworld.

"Young people should aim high." Sirzechs said calmly as if looking at the dreams of a child.

"You shouldn't be complacent, my old friend." Ajuka said with some warning in his tone. "Although you were born with immense power, James was born with potential not inferior to your own. Not to mention, he works much harder than you did when you were at his age."

In response, Sirzechs only shrugged his shoulders. The pride he has in his own strength, visible for everyone to see.

Seeing his friend's dismissal of his advice, Ajuka shook his head and thought, 'Pride comes before a fall, my friend.'

While that conversation was going on, James finished his motivational speech to his friends.

"Alright, let's get it started." James said as he opened the case and was thoroughly confused by what he saw inside.

"Huh?"

Noticing James' confusion, everyone was curious if there was a problem with his set of [Evil Pieces]. Ajuka then approached James. Looking over his shoulder into the open case, Ajuka knew immediately what caused James' confusion.

Inside the case, as expected, there were fifteen [Evil Pieces], fourteen of which had the appearance of standard chess pieces. However, one of the [Knight Pieces'] design was different from the rest. The horse was crafted with more exquisite detail and the color was more vibrant.

"So, that's what it was." Ajuka said in realization.

"Huh? That's what 'what' was?" James asked, confusion still evident in his tone and expression.

Patting James on his shoulder, Ajuka then said, "Congratulations, James. One of your [Knights] is a mutated [Piece]."

James' eyes widened in surprise. Then his expression morphed into one filled with joy. It is said that only one in ten devils have a mutated [Evil Piece]. The significance of a mutated [Piece] lies in the fact that because of an individual's power or potential, it may take more than one [Piece to reincarnate them. A mutated [Piece], however, largely reduces the need for extra [Pieces]. The mutated [Pieces] also make it possible to bypass the rule that the [King] must exceed the individual they wish to reincarnate in power, within reason.

Ajuka then returned to his seat and James reigned in his excitement.

"Now, where were we?" James asked rhetorically, then gestured to Mizore. "Mizore, as the first who chose to follow me..."

"That's only because she met you first." Moka grumbled, then looked away when James glared at her for interrupting his dramatic moment.

"The audience giggled at their interactions.

"Would you just get on with it?" Cu Chulainn complained impatiently.

"Okay, little Cu, take it easy." James said patronizingly.

"Grrr!"

The audience's giggles turned into full blown laughter.

"Ahem, Like I was saying." James cleared his throat, trying to get back on track. "Mizore, as the first who chose to follow me. You shall be the first to join my peerage."

With that, Mizore approached James. Meanwhile, James raised his hand in her direction. Above James' raised hand, four [Pieces], a [Bishop] and three [Pawns], floated out of the case and hovered above his, now, outstretched palm. Taking a moment to consider, James realized the [Pieces] themselves were telling James which pieces would be suitable for Mizore's reincarnation. Although James had an idea which he would choose, he decided to ask his closest ally for his opinion.

"[Yo, Ddraig. What do you think]" James asked Ddraig through their mental connection.

"[Based on what I know about the [Evil Piece] system, I'd pick the [bishop].]"

James nodded his head, as that aligned with his own thoughts. What needs to be understood, each [Piece] has its own characteristics and attribute boosting capabilities. The [Rook] boosts physical attack power and defense. The [Knight] boosts movement and reaction speed. The [Bishop] boosts magical attack power and demonic energy capacity. The [Queen] has the combined effects of the three previously mentioned [Pieces]. And last, but certainly not least is the [Pawn]. Although it lacks the immediate boost in power the other [Pieces] offer, it has the [Promotion] ability. Meaning, whenever a [Pawn] makes it into enemy territory, it can gain the abilities of another [Piece] through [Promotion].

Having made his decision, James placed his hand on the [Bishop], then the ]Pawns] returned to their places in the case. James then took a step forward and Mizore closed her eyes. James then pressed the [Bishop] into the middle of Mizore's chest. Once it made contact, the [Piece] sank into Mizore's chest. After a moment, her physiology began to change. While keeping all her natural abilities as a youkai, she took on the physical characteristics of a devil. And once the process ended, a pair of black bat-like wings spread from her lower back.

Opening her eyes, Mizore looked down at her hands and flexed her fingers, then her arms. Eventually checking the state of her body before she finally noticed the new wings sprouting from her back. And at that moment, she knew she had a connection with James that would last a lifetime.

Lost in her excitement, Mizore proceeded to jump forward and hug James. Before he could react to the hug, Mizore pressed her lips against his, stealing his first kiss. A short kiss filled with Mizore's affection.

At that moment, the atmosphere froze and James thought.

'A headache I know I need to deal with is coming. But I really wanna run away right now.'

===Twenty-seven minutes later===

After a healthy dose of teasing from Leona, Venelana, and Rhea, some jealous glares from his father, and promises of discussion to all the girls who seemed to be interested in him romantically, James was able to get back to creating his peerage. Following the same steps with Cu Chulainn and Moka, James gained a [Knight] and [Rook], respectively. Moka did pout at the fact she was last, but with a few head pats and an explanation that he was just going in chronological order, Moka was pacified.

After the reincarnation of the new devils, everyone had another meal together. After the meal, James scheduled conversations with Rias, Sona, Akeno, Mizore, and Moka, set to take place over the next month or so. He planned to finish by Rias' birthday, April 9th.

Over the next few weeks, Mizore, Cu Chulainn, and Moka explored the changes in power and capability the reincarnation and [Evil Pieces] brought. Also, they started adding team exercises into their training routine. As they planned to participate in the [rating Games] in the future, they all knew it was necessary to gain experience working as a team.

Another matter to take note of was that James had the discussions about romantic feelings with the girls. For the most part, all the conversations went about the same. James explained that he was unsure about how he felt, and he was not willing to jump right into anything. He wanted to take time, spending some time alone with each girl to determine if he had romantic feelings or not. Considering how James usually avoided the topic all together, the girls were willing to take the time to try and foster feelings, for now. The only conversation that went differently was James' conversation with Rias.

Underworld, Gremory territory, Gremory Estate.

Saving his conversation with Rias for the end, James was now visiting the Gremory home for the second time this month. Emerging from the teleportation circle, James was greeted by a smiling Akeno. Before he could greet her, Akeno approached and gave James a hug, and said, "Welcome James-Kun. It's good to see you again" {A/N: Remember, Akeno hasn't been reincarnated yet. So, she's still speaking Japanese.}

Still not used to the intimacy, James smiled awkwardly, choosing not to return the hug.

Seeing James' expression, Akeno thought to herself, 'I guess he wasn't just playing hard to get.'

As Akeno stepped away, James asked, "Is Rias around?"

"Yes, she's been anticipating your visit." Akeno replied. "She's in her room right now, I'm sure you don't need me to show you the way."

"No, I'm good. James replied with a smile. "I'll see you later."

Waving at Akeno as he walked away, James made his way to Rias' bedroom after five or six minutes.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Hey Rias, it's James." James called out as he knocked on the door. "Are you in there?"

After a moment, Rias opened the door with a pout on her face. Seeing her expression, James tilted his head in confusion.

"What's wrong, Rias?" James asked curiously.

"*Sigh* Come in, then we can talk." Rias said as she made space for James to enter.

Once James stepped inside her bedroom, Rias closed the door and walked over to her bed side. Sitting down, Rias pointed to the chair at her desk and offered James a seat.

"Please, take a seat."

Nodding his head, James pulled the seat from the desk and positioned it in front of Rias then sat down.

"I really missed you over the last year." Rias said bluntly as she began the conversation. "I know I was wrong, and I know apologies won't make the way I acted go away, but I really did miss you."

After a minute, Rias still had yet to hear James' reply. She then decided to continue.

"I won't ask for forgiveness." Rias said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Just... please tell me how I can make it up to you. How can I make things like they used to be."

After she finished, she lowered her head cupping her face in her hands.

"*Sigh* Rias." James said as he reached out and cupped Rias' chin. He then raised her face so he could make eye contact. "Truthfully, I stopped being mad at you a long time ago."

James then reached out and wiped her tears with his fingers.

"But I have to ask." James said in a gentle tone. But the look in his eyes told Rias that this question was serious. "Do you even know what you did wrong?"

When Rias heard that question, her breath hitched. She then thought about all the conversations she had had with her mother about what she had done wrong and what she could do to fix those things about herself. Just thinking about how she acted made tears come to her eyes again.

"Yes, I do." Rias forced out through sobs. Then she told James about all the conversations she had with her mother. And how she came to realize how terrible she had been. She even asked James to set up a time so she could apologize to Mizore.

After Rias, face now a mess from her tears, finished, James pulled her into a hug.

"I can't say things will go back to how they used to be." James said gently while patting Rias' head and combing his fingers through her hair. "But I'm willing to be friends again. As for how things will end up, only time can tell."

Hearing that James was willing to try, Rias cried. Tears of joy rolled down her face, wetting James shirt.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Rias said through her tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

James silently continued to pat her head.

Outside the door, Venelana, grayfia, Akeno, and Koneko were eavesdropping.

"*Sigh* James is more than that girl deserves." Venelana said. The smile on her face a stark contrast to the harsh words she spoke.