The Beginning of the Journey

The Occult Club had gathered in a room inside an old school building for a session of revelations.

Rias Gremory, the club president, sat behind a massive wooden table with her hands folded, her gaze piercing through the figure sitting opposite her.

This person had recently executed fifty runaway exorcists and one fallen angel with exceptional cruelty, and now reclined in a chair while sipping tea and mocking her servants.

Kiba and Koneko stood on Rias's left, while Akeno stood on her right. Her first and only pawn, Hyodo Issei, sat on the couch with his arm wrapped around her new bishop, Asia Argento.

"So?" interrupted Alduin, placing an empty teacup on the table.

"Himedjima-sempai, your tea is simply delightful. May I have another cup?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Tatsumi-kun" Akeno smiled.

"What do you want to know, Hyodo-kun?" Rias asked.

"My question is for Issei" he said. "Is what that winged thing said true?"

"Yes" Issei replied, his eyes brimming with anger. But that anger vanished as soon as Asia placed her hand on his.

"Okay. So, my brother was killed. How did he become your servant? Don't deny it. I see the 'master-servant' connection" Alduin continued.

"I resurrected him using Evil Piece" Rias answered honestly.

After everything that the younger Hyodo had done in the church, she had no doubts that he would attack her if he didn't like what he heard. So, she decided to tell him the truth.

"That's what you used to resurrect Asia?"

"Yes."

"I see. The thought of my brother being your Dremora servant makes me sick, but at least he's alive. A dead brother does me no good. For the record, I cleaned his mind of any mental implants that might have been in there, and I can do it again. Although, this idiot will follow you to the ends of the earth if you show him your body or let him touch you."

"Hey! I'm not that hopeless!" exclaimed Issei, whose hand was squeezed by Asia once again.

"Shush! You are" Hyodo retorted.

"Why do you keep calling us 'Dremora'?" Rias asked.

"And who do you think you are?"

"We are devils. I don't know who taught you magic, but whoever did gave you false information. We are not 'Dremora' or whatever you call us. We are devils."

"Same shit if you ask me. You corrupt mortals for fun. Isn't that right?" Hyodo sneered.

"No, that's not true!" Rias said, taken aback by Hyodo's words. "Admittedly, devils used to do that, but we don't anymore. There are some renegade devils who continue to take souls as payment for their services, but they are few and far between" she added, surprised by Hyodo's lack of reaction to her mention of souls.

"So, what's the difference between you and that bitch who killed my brother?"

"She was a fallen angel, and we are devils, as I've already told you" Rias replied, demonstrating her leathery wings behind her.

"A fallen angel? Next thing you'll say is that the Bible is based on true events."

"Actually, it is. I'll tell you a story that I've already told Issei" Rias began, but Alduin interrupted her.

"Alright" said Alduin "By the way, your wings sucks."

"Ahem. So, long ago..." Rias began, but was interrupted again by Alduin.

"In a galaxy far, far away..." he started jokingly, before turning serious.

"One of the strongest angels, Lucifer, was cast out of heaven for his sins. He and his followers escaped to Hell, where they assimilated with the local population and began meddling in the affairs of mortals. They offered mortals deals in exchange for their souls, giving birth to the devils. Following Lucifer's expulsion, many other angels were also cast out of heaven but instead formed their own faction, becoming fallen angels. A war erupted between the devils, fallen angels, and angels, which is commonly referred to as the War of the Three Factions, or the Great War. The conflict has been ongoing for centuries, but active fighting ceased about a thousand years ago due to the huge losses suffered by all sides. Each faction began looking for ways to replenish their ranks, and for the devils, the answer was the Evil Pieces. Do you understand chess?"

"I'm not a fan, but I know what it is" replied Alduin.

"Good. So, each high-class devil was given a set of Evil Pieces, consisting of a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The highest-ranking devil who possessed this set would become the equivalent of a chess king. These pieces gave their wielders certain abilities that corresponded to their chess piece, and with their help, a mortal could be turned into a devil. That's how I resurrected your brother" Rias finished.

"I see. And one last thing: what's with the glove on Issei's left hand?" asked Alduin.

"This? It's the reason why the fallen angels killed him. This glove is one of the thirteen most powerful sacred gears called the Longinus" Rias explained.

"What Issei possesses is the Boosted Gear. It can double the wielder's power every ten seconds, and the limit of amplification depends solely on the owner's stamina. With enough skill, this gear can kill a god."

"Kill a god?!" exclaimed Issei in surprise.

"In theory. But to achieve that, you'll need to train a lot. We'll start tomorrow morning. Is that all, Hyodo-kun?" Rias asked.

"I should ask her if she resurrected my brother for the artifact. Although that's obvious, I can't do it in front of Issei" Alduin thought to himself, before saying out loud, "Thank you for bringing back my brother, but..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a wild idea popped into Alduin's mind, one that he had to think over carefully - and preferably, alone.

"I have to go now. Issei, don't linger. Take care, everyone" Alduin bid farewell and quickly left.

POV Rias Gremory.

"President, was it wise to tell him everything?" Issei asked after his brother left the room.

"Unfortunately, yes. The first time I met him, I tried to use hypnosis on him, but it didn't work. He won't harm me, since I saved you from death, and I can tell from his behavior that you mean a lot to him" I replied.

"I never would have believed it until today" Issei said, looking at the door behind which Tatsumi had disappeared.

"President, perhaps we should ask him about his abilities?" Akeno asked. I was sure she was interested in that lightning spell.

"I don't think now was the appropriate time. Plus, Sona claimed him. Although I'm curious to see what she'll turn him into. If I remember correctly, she has a knight, a rook, and three pawns left. Ah, we should have paid more attention to the newcomers" I sighed.

"He would make a great knight, even if he doesn't know how to handle weapons" Yuto expressed his thoughts.

"That axe, it's as if it was forged from suffering. Just the memory of it still makes me shudder" Koneko said, clutching her teacup.

"Perhaps" I mused.

"Um, President..." Issei spoke up, "Where will Asia live? She can't go back to the church..."

"She'll stay in the school for now. There are several dormitories here. Later, I'll come up with something."

"Thank you, President" Issei replied.