Rias stared at me, her crimson eyes searching for something—truth, maybe, or reassurance.
Akeno tilted her head slightly, watching in quiet amusement, waiting for my answer.
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "It wasn't Raynare," I said finally. "It was… Kalawarna."
Rias blinked. "Kalawarna? The fallen angel who worked under Raynare?"
"Yeah," I nodded slowly. "After I became a devil, she found me one night. Said she wanted to talk—about what happened, about Raynare, about the things that went wrong." I paused, my tone softer now. "We ended up… spending some time together. A few days, actually."
Rias folded her arms, her tail flicking once in irritation. "And in those few days, you got that close to her?"
I smiled faintly, not defensive—just wistful. "It wasn't planned. She wasn't like Raynare. She was calm… tired, I guess. She told me she'd seen enough blood, enough fighting. Maybe that's why I didn't push her away."
Akeno leaned closer, curiosity glinting in her violet eyes. "And what happened to her?"
"She left," I said simply. "One morning after I came from school, she was gone. There was a note—just a single line. She wrote that she didn't want to get involved with the Gremory family and that staying with me would only bring trouble."
Rias's expression softened, the anger fading into something closer to understanding. "So… she chose to leave before things could get messy."
"Yeah," I murmured, exhaling slowly. "Guess she was smarter than both of us back then."
For a long moment, silence settled between the three of us—not heavy, just… thoughtful.
Then Akeno smiled faintly. "Ara~ I see. So that's the woman who left a scar on our dear Issei's heart."
•••
"Azazel, do I have to attend tomorrow's conference as well?" Vali asked, his voice calm yet bored as he leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, silver hair catching the faint light of the room.
Azazel, sitting across from him with a glass of wine in hand, sighed deeply. "Of course you do, Vali. You're the Hakuryuukou, one of the centerpieces of this whole political mess. Everyone wants to see the White Dragon Emperor in person."
Vali's lips twisted into a faint smirk, but there was no amusement in his eyes. "How troublesome. Sitting in a room full of hypocrites pretending to seek peace. I'd rather fight."
"You and your obsession with battle." Azazel chuckled softly. "You're just like that dragon inside you—always looking for something to challenge. Albion really picked a fitting host."
Vali's crimson eyes shifted toward him, sharp and reflective. "Tell me something, Azazel. Do you really believe wars will stop? That all these factions will just hold hands and live peacefully?"
Azazel swirled his drink for a moment before answering. "No. But we're trying to minimize the damage. You can't erase conflict, only control it. That's what the conference is for—balance."
"Balance…" Vali murmured, almost to himself. "I don't care about balance. I just feel like I was born in the wrong era."
Azazel raised a brow. "How so?"
Vali's voice dropped lower, colder. "A world without God. No supreme being to challenge. No throne to reach. I wanted to see Him… and defeat Him."
Azazel smiled faintly, though his eyes softened with something like pity. "That's really like the Hakuryuukou talking. You crave the impossible."
Vali shrugged. "After defeating every strong opponent… what else is left?"
"Then what will you do after that?"
"Simple," Vali replied, standing and turning away. "I'll die. There's no point in living in a world that's already conquered."
Azazel sighed again, watching the boy's back as he left. "You're chasing a dream that will kill you, Vali."
Vali's voice echoed faintly as he disappeared down the hall. "That's fine. Dying after reaching the peak… sounds perfect to me."
~~~
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