Chapter 43: Appraisel

A/N: Sorry for the delay in upload, took longer to write than I initially deemed.

Ichigo sat in the dark with one arm around a drawn-up knee; his gaze unfocused as he peered out the window to the city lights below. The stillness of Yasaka’s bedroom wrapped around him warm. His wife lay asleep next to him, one hand curled under her pillow, her breathing even and deep. The other resting in his own hand across his lap.

Every so often, a lazy tail would flick over and tickle his legs.

And though he wished to grab Yasaka and drift off into dreamland with her, sleep eluded Ichigo. His thoughts tossed erratically after the discussion he had with Yasaka upon his return.

“I didn’t know he had such thoughts,” Yasaka had said with a heavy frown. And then she sighed as she put a hand to her forehead. “If this is the case, I’m decidedly not comfortable with Kunou meeting him. It’s too risky, too dangerous. Thank you for sharing the memory with me, dear.”

As ever, Yasaka had been decisive when it came to Kunou’s safety and wellbeing, immediately cutting off any thoughts or possibilities of the deluded six-tailed Kitsune being involved with their lives. She wasted no time in upgrading the wards and letting her guards and patrols know that Akihiko was no longer welcome.

Though there was a lingering worry in both of them when it came to Akihiko’s inexplicable ability to conceal his presence. Ichigo had offered to hire mercenaries from Infernity on her behalf, but Yasaka had declined, not wishing to post foreign troops within her country. Which was quite fair, in Ichigo’s opinion.

And yet, despite the headache his wife’s former one-night stand was proving to be, the real issue that was plaguing his mind was the revelation that the damaged liminal barriers in Kuoh had been repaired. Almost overnight.

Ichigo was mystified.

He had seen the tears firsthand; the merciless and unmatched cutting prowess of the Slaying Spear had ripped the barriers to shreds. While he had considered the possibility that the Shinigami could contain the damage, the idea that they would wholly fix them?

Impossible.

That was beyond Soul Society’s ability. Hell, it was beyond Amaterasu’s ability. But then, according to Yasaka, Amaterasu had ordered silence on the matter. Thus, Ichigo surmised Japan’s divine matron knew of how the veil was so suddenly repaired. But the question still remained: how?

The only way that those barriers could have been naturally mended was by the Sovereign who ruled over them: the Soul King. But from Ichigo’s understanding, the Shinto Ruler of the Dead was incapacitated; incapable of taking such direct action.

But then, what other explanation was there?

A minor frown formed on his lips and his thoughts drifted closer to home. Urahara called earlier with an invitation. While a small part of Ichigo was content to ignore the eccentric Shinigami, a greater part wondered whether he had something to say regarding the mystery of the veil in Kuoh. And, as annoying as he found the man, Hats-n-Clogs was one of the most perceptive and resourceful people he had ever met.

Mouth bending sourly, Ichigo realized he’d have to put up with the man’s antics on the chance he could glisten some intel on what was going on in the afterlife.

The unfortunate reality of being a Hell-infused Demon Lord; he was persona-non-grata number one in the various afterlives of Earth. No one wanted Hell near the mortal souls of their pantheons. There was no chance of him slipping in unnoticed either. Therefore, as much as he would like to, he couldn’t just waltz into Soul Society whenever he wanted.

Not when his literal presence risked destabilizing an already highly volatile afterlife.

With an audible sigh, Ichigo put Yasaka’s hand down onto the covers and slipped out of bed, doing his best not to wake his sleeping wife. And with a twist of magic, he found himself outside in the palace gardens.

One of the Tengu guards looked alarmed at his sudden materialization, but when Ichigo waved reassuringly at him, the winged Yōkai recognized him and gave a quick bow before continuing his patrol. For his part, Ichigo took out his phone, dialed the number Urahara had called from, and began to slowly walk down carefully planted columns of ever blooming peach trees.

The dial rang twice before Hats-n-Clogs boisterous voice boomed through his phone’s speakers.

“Kurosaki-kun! What a wonderful surprise! Have you changed your mind about dinner? If so, I am afraid you’re too late. We’ve all eaten quite some time, but perhaps you’d like to stop by for drinks?”

Tilting his head away so that the man’s voice wouldn’t grate on his ears so loudly, Ichigo scowled into the phone. “No, I didn’t call you back for a dinner date. I assume you want to talk about something?”

“Why, Kurosaki-kun! You wound me!” And Ichigo could practically hear the exaggerated pout Urahara must have been wearing. “Can’t a man simply want to spend time with his student to strengthen bonds of a teacher and pupil?”

He rolled his eyes. “Cut the crap, Hats-n-Clogs. This is about what the Shinigami found in the Kuoh Valley, isn’t it?”

There was a brief silence, before Urahara’s voice came back smooth, tinged with a hint of amusement. “You always were a perceptive child, Kurosaki-kun.”

“I’m not a child,” Ichigo said reflexively. He got enough of that from Tiamat; he didn’t need it anymore from Hats-n-Clogs.

The Shinigami chuckled. “Very well. How aware are you of what happened?”

“Probably more than you,” he admitted.

“Oho?”

“But I’m not letting you in on the details. The barriers were torn, but how and why is not up for discussion,” Ichigo stated firmly.

“Oh, very well. Keep your secrets, Kurosaki-kun. I’m sure I’ll find out by myself soon enough.”

He snorted but said nothing.

“But then,” Urahara said, “you are aware that, much to Soul Society’s horror, a rather considerable hole in the barriers between the living world and the dead was found?”

“Yeah,” he said simply.

“And you are also aware that said hole mysteriously vanished one night?”

Ichigo grimaced. “Yes, I was made privy to the barriers mending themsleves.”

There was a pregnant pause, then Urahara’s voice came heavy. “Oh dear, judging by your tone and choice of words, you don’t know how it happened though, is that right?”

Ichigo continued treading through the garden, briefly stopping to move a drooping branch out his way.

“No,” he said gruffly, confirming Urahara’s words. “No idea how something like could be undone so quickly.”

Well, the only possibility he could imagine was the Soul King personally handling the matter, but again: that was nearly impossible according to what Ichigo knew of the Dead King’s current state.

“I see...” Urahara let out a thoughtful hum from the other end of the line. “Out of curiosity, Kurosaki-kun, have you been keeping an eye on Soul Society lately?”

“Can’t say that I have,” he responded while scratching the back of his head. “For reasons, I generally keep a healthy distance from the afterlife.”

“Oh? Something to do with your newfound status?”

“Conversation for another time, Hats-n-Clogs,” he said flatly, getting a chuckle from Urahara. “But why are you asking about Soul Society all of a sudden?”

“Well, there have been interesting developments in the afterlife,” the Shinigami said lightly. “And they all started happening as soon as the barriers were repaired.”

Ichigo brows knit in a frown. “What kind of developments?”

“For starters,” and Hats-n-Clogs voice became a touch quieter, but no less weighty, “the reishi in Soul Society has shifted subtly. I’ve run some cursory tests, but spirit particles seem to have become denser. Heavier. There also seems to be some other added phenomena, one that I cannot fully identify.”

His frown growing heavier, Ichigo asked with a hint of worry, “What do you mean?”

“A new form of reishi is appearing within Soul Society. At least, what is being assumed as reishi,” Urahara said.

“Assumed? You don’t know for sure?”

“No, not quite. Unfortunately, Captain Kurotsuchi is being somewhat stingy with Squad Twelve’s research.” 

Ichigo rolled his eyes. Of course he was.

“This allegedly new form of reishi; it cannot be directly observed. But its effects and interaction with other spirit particles can be observed. We’ve taken to calling these new unseen spirit particles, ‘dark reishi’.”

“How very original,” Ichigo said dryly. Nevertheless, this newest development was rather worrying to him. New form of spirit energies in the afterlife? That was not a good sign.

“Well, it’s not my fault!” Hats-n-Clogs cried indignantly. “I wanted to call them Giga-Reishi! But Captain Kurotsuchi was rather adamant in his report to the Captain-Commander that it would be an affront to the aesthetics and dignity of Soul Society. As it were, the Captain-Commander agreed with him.”

Shaking his head in exasperation, Ichigo asked, “This dark reishi, or whatever, has it done anything? Caused any adverse effects within Soul Society?”

“An excellent question, Kurosaki-kun,” Urahara said with a hint of pride in his voice. “But we’ve not noted anything unusual.” The unsaid ‘yet’ rang loud in Ichigo’s mind. “But when the fundamental make-up of your very reality begins to change, it’s quite the valid cause for concern.”

Ichigo pinched his chin in thought. “And you think this dark reishi is somehow connected to the whatever knit the veil back together?”

“I cannot say with certainty if one caused the other, but given that both phenomena were discovered within the same day, it would be foolish to assume that they’re unrelated,” Urahara deduced.

Ichigo agreed. But he also understood something else, if Urahara was right and the reality of Soul Society was transforming, then that meant its Sovereign was transforming as well. Because Realm and Ruler reflected back onto one another.

Something had definitely changed. A foundational change that had allowed the once inert ruler of Soul Society to finally express his Imperial Will.   

Which was incredibly disconcerting to Ichigo.

Because what could cause a millennia long dormant Throne to suddenly awaken with renewed strength and vigor? If there’s one thing Ichigo had learned in his time in the Supernatual, these ancient immortals don’t suddenly change without massive consequences following in their wake.

“Anything else strange been happening? If Soul Society has been seeing strange new reishi, what about Hueco Mundo? The Human World?” he asked.

“Oh, my young disciple,” Urahara said, sounding far too pleased. “We’ll make a proper scientist out of you yet!”

He scowled. “Just answer the damn question.”

“So far, we’re still analyzing the data coming from Hueco Mundos. As the reishi there is naturally tainted, it takes time to properly filter and evaluate individual spirit particles. That being said, there have been numerous reports of powerful seismic activity within the realm.”

Ichigo blinked in confusion. “I didn’t know Hueco Mundo had tectonic plates.”

“It doesn’t.”

Ichigo paused midstride, the weight of Urahara’s words falling heavy on him. And for one dreadful moment, Ichigo wondered, perhaps, what if they were more than mere quakes? What Hueco Mundo was being torn apart? Could the Soul King be trying to restructure the Japanese afterlife? Tearing entire dimensions apart to put them back together in a more cohesive and stable manner?

To rearrange the cosmos; only those who firmly sat entrenched in the Fourth World could exert such power.

He rolled his jaw with uncertainty. He wasn’t involved with Soul Society anymore, Hell, he wasn’t supposed to be. This wasn’t his problem. But… Japan was his problem. His father, his sisters, Yasaka and Kunou.

“Tell me Kurosaki-kun, do you have any sort of idea of what may be behind all of this?”

He gave his phone a doubtful look. “Please, like you didn’t already know before you called me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were grasping for straws, hoping that you’re wrong.”

It was a testament to how bothered Hats-n-Clogs was that the man didn’t even try and rebuff his words. “The Soul King,” he said grimly.

Ichigo nodded out of habit and let out a hum. Urahara was a certified genius, he probably had more ideas in his head in one minute than Ichigo had in an entire day. But even geniuses sometimes needed to hope in vain. Because sometimes, the truth wasn’t what worth finding.

Several quiet moments passed before Ichigo said, “Don’t go digging too deep, Hats-n-Clogs. Things are getting dangerous. I’d hate for you to lose your head.”

The Shinigami let out a small laugh. “Your concern is appreciated, Kurosaki-kun. Would you mind terribly, if I called again? I would be thankful to have a primary source for certain unanswered questions.”

Ichigo let out a snort. “Even if I said no, you still would. Would it kill you to learn to send an email?”

“Excellent! I’ll keep in touch if there are any other frightening developments. Do take care, Kurosaki-kun.”

“You too. And tell Yoruichi and Tessai-san I said hi.”

“Will do, ta-ta.”

And it was with another over the top laugh from the former Captain that Ichigo cut the line. Shaking his head, Ichigo put his hands into his pockets and warped back to his sleeping wife.

-----

The door rattled behind her just as she stepped out of the bathroom, steam curling around her ankles.

“Time’s up!” came a shout, followed by a few aggressive knocks. “We agreed on twenty minutes each!”

Rias let out a groan, dragging a towel over her dripping hair as she shuffled to the sink. Her shoulders slumped. Living with so many people in such a cramped, rundown house had made the smallest luxuries feel like hard-won victories. A hot shower without someone banging on the door? Practically a miracle.

She was missing her old life terribly. For the first time in her life, she understood what the word privilege meant. Her own bathroom, private chefs, clean sheets, personal attendants: all of them now sorely missed memories. Here, the only help they had was Gobdad, and he was more likely to scold them than lift a helping finger.

Her parents had cut her off entirely. No support. No money. And job-hunting? A nightmare. She had no formal education, no degrees, no references and job history, and no accolades in the Rating Games. Worse, whenever she introduced herself as the Heiress of the Gremory family, in the hopes of hooking someone trying to curry favor with a Pillar, they’d always ask for her to prove it. Which she couldn’t. Because her parents had kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back.

Being poor sucks!

Ironically, the only one gainfully employed was Issei. The extroverted and happy-go-lucky boy had somehow managed to make friends with the owner of a magical VR café he had chanced upon. Issei now worked the front desk, assisting customers in choosing and renting magical booths that allowed one to experience magically simulated virtual realities.

The ignominy of it all.

She wrapped herself in a robe and sighed. This was not how she imagined independence would look like. Not in the least.

There was a another banging on the door, and Rias snapped annoyed, “I’m coming!”

Quickly getting dressed in a huff - and that was another thing, she needed money to buy clothes because she was quickly tiring of wearing the same over and over again – before she left the bathroom.

Akeno met her on the other side, her arms crossed and foot tapping, as she looked at her expectantly. “I suppose we need to put a timer in the bathroom from now on.”

Rias rolled her eyes. “I barely went two minutes over twenty.”

“But that’s two minutes over into my time,” Akeno said, her eyes narrowing as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.  “And then I have to go two minutes over into Asia’s time to get my full twenty minutes. And the cycle continues until everyone is screwed.”

Rias grimaced. “But you’re perfectly fine wasting your time stating the obvious to me?”

Akeno shook her head and stalked past her into the bathroom with a dark mutter of “Whatever.”

As the bathroom door slammed shut, Rias let out another sigh, this one much heavier and far more distressed. With so many people forced together in uncomfortable circumstances, tempers were quickly beginning to flare.

But she didn’t blame anyone. She was their King, it was her responsibility to take care of her peerage and provide for them. She needed to find a solution to their miserable living situation and fast.

She turned the corner of the hall, trying to push anxiety away from her mind, but it was all thrown back in her face as every single step down the staircase was accompanied by a loud squeak or an irritated groan of old and worn floorboards. She winced at each sound; it was as if the house itself was mocking her. And as the stairs creaked again, even louder this time, she grit her teeth and held back a curse. It was like even walking in silence had become too much to ask for.

As Rias came to the ground floor of the building, she saw Tsubasa, Sona’s Rook, deep in discussion with Xenovia. Both blue-haired girls had a focused gleam in their eyes. As they saw her, they both gave polite nods of the head. Rias lips briefly twitched. Not just in looks, but both blue-haired girls were quite similar in mannerisms too.

But Rias was happy for Xenovia. She was happy that the young woman was making a good friend. Her blunt mannered Knight had her fair share of insecurities, having thrown her entire life away after she had learned all of her devotion had been towards a lie. Ergo, it was quite comforting to know her Knight was making strides in opening up to others.

She approached the two with a warm smile, “Everything okay?”

Tsubasa nodded her head. “Yes, Miss Rias. We were just lamenting the lack of physical labor warranted in this city.”

Xenovia crossed her arms in a frown as she agreed. “There doesn’t seem to be much need for manual labor when magic can accomplish so much. Any jobs that do require your hands are typically reserved for individuals with specialized skillset. It is disheartening.”

Rias placed a comforting hand on Xenovia’s shoulder and said, “I’m sure there’s an exception somewhere. I doubt everyone in this city has access to magical convenience, and we’ve only been job hunting for two days now. We’ll all find something, I know it.”

BANG!

However, before Xenovia could respond, a loud crash resounded through the house with such force that the windows rattled. Rias feared the rickety glass would shatter on the spot.  

A second later, Rias heard thundering footsteps pounding up from the direction of the basement, followed by the frantic appearance of Issei and Yuuto. Both boys looked pale and disheveled, with Issei practically tripping over his own feet as he slammed the basement door shut behind them. Yuuto threw his back against the door as if fearing something might still come crawling up the stairs after them. Both boys were heaving and looking downright terrified.

“Nope! Nope! Not worth it,” Issei gasped. “I’m done! I’m not going back down there!”

Yuuto’s expression mirrored the sentiment; her male Knight was wide-eyed and shaken. “It had teeth in its eyes! How did it have so many teeth in so many eyes?!”

“Dude!” Issei exclaimed, beginning to look rather ill. “Don’t make me think about it!”

Rias cautiously approached them. “Are you okay?”

They both looked at her, naked fear dancing in their eyes.

“W-we,” Yuuto heaved in breaths, “We tried to clear space in the basement. That damn goblin was right; there’s something living down there!”

“What was it?” she asked curiously.

Issei shook his hysterically. “Don’t know, don’t want to know! Whatever it is, I just hope it stays down there!”

“Forgive me, my master,” Yuuto said, fretful eyes fidgeting back between her and the door Rias alarmingly realized was made of nothing but wornout wood. “But we’re going to have to make do with the space we have. No one’s living down there for the time being.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rias let out what seemed to be the hundredth sigh of the day.

“Xenovia, go tell Akeno to get out of the bathroom, it’s an emergency. Tsubasa, if you could fetch Sona and Tsubaki please?”

“O-Of course!” Tsubasa said nervously, while Xenovia wordlessly marched off towards the bathroom.

However, at that moment Sona had already appeared at the foot of the stairs. “What happened, and what was that loud noise?” she asked with a frown.

Rias motioned towards the two boys still pressing themselves against the door.

“You recall Gobdad stating there might be something living in the basement?”

Understanding lit Sona’s eyes, before she let out a sigh of her own. “And I suppose there is something rather unpleasent down there?”

Both boys nodded frantically.

Sona crossed her arms and said, “We can go in with our Queens and handle it then, since it’s too much for these two gentlemen.”

“No!” Cried said gentlemen simultaneously.

“I really think we should just leave it alone,” Kiba said fretfully.  

“I think we should find a new place to live!” Issei exclaimed.

“While I agree with Issei,” Rias said, “at the very least, we should take some precaution and not trust the near rotten piece of wood to protect us.”

Sona agreed with her. “Yes, I think we can weave a barrier over the door. But it’s a temporary solution.” And then Sona let out an unladylike snort. “It’s almost painfully childish. Living in fear of the monster in the basement. Honestly.”

“So loud. Why Devils being so loud?”

They all turned to see Gobdad trudge through the back door of the house. Their diminutive and green property manager lived in the backyard of this wretched house. Or rather, he had a burrow under the backyard. Rias herself had not seen inside it, nor did she have any desire too. And the goblin had starkly warned them that his hole in the ground was off limits to them.

“Dude!” Issei began. “Get that Satan guy back here! He can’t make us live here! That was like every Resident Evil boss ever fused into one!”

Gobdad waved both hands dismissively. “Stinky dragon boy think boss be summoned? Boss come when boss want. Gobdad already say thing in basement, why you go see?”

Yuuto frowned rather aggressively. “I distinctively recall your recommendation to kill the thing in the basement if we needed extra space.”

Gobdad shrugged. “Then kill. No complicated.”

“Um, is everything okay?”

They all turned towards the stairs and saw Asia standing there, the rest of her and Sona’s assorted peerage standing behind the blonde girl as well. It appeared that the clamor from the two boys had drawn the full house downstairs.

Not two seconds later, a very upset-looking Akeno, with a subdued Xenovia behind her, pushed past everyone on the stairs. Her black hair tied into a wet knot above her head and a towel wrapped around buxom figure, she stopped before her and Sona and angrily crossed her arms. “Seriously? If this is about the shower timer thing, don’t you think this is a little too much?”

Rias rolled her eyes good naturedly.

“Basically, Yuuto and Issei here,” and as she motioned towards both boys, she realized that Issei’s eyes had glazed over, and a lick of drool began spilling from the corners of his mouth as he stared captivated at her Queen wearing nothing but a towel. “Issei!”

“Sorry!” Her Pawn barked as he closed his eyes, though Rias could see he was trying to discreetly peek out of one semi-shut eye.

Shaking her head, she continued, “As I was saying, Yuuto and Issei chanced upon our basement ‘roommate’ and suffice it to say, no one else is going down there for the time being.”

Sona then added, “We’re going to seal and reinforce the door with a barrier, but we’d like for you and Tsubaki to help as well.”

Akeno twisted her mouth as she angrily muttered, “You couldn’t have waited ten minutes?”

But just then, the doorbell rang. They all gave a collective surprised flinch.

Rias turned towards the entrance with a curious gaze. Who could be visiting newcomers like them? And honestly, Rias wasn’t sure if she had the energy to deal with visitors at the moment.

Gobdad waddled to the door with surprising speed for someone his size and yanked it open without so much as a glance through the peephole. A moment later, he returned, strutting expressionlessly back into the room with Lady Meril in tow. Rias straightened instinctively. Tall, cold-eyed, and with the bearing of a woman who would flay you for blinking out of rhythm, Meril exuded a sharp authority. It didn’t help that she reminded Rias uncomfortably of Grayfia; her sister-in-law was someone she grew up with both idolizing and fearing in equal measures.

Lord Ichigo’s chief secretary’s blue stare swept the room, and Rias already felt judged, gauged, and found sorely lacking.

The gorgeous she-Devil was dressed in another elegant professional outfit. A shimmering silver pencil-skirt that hugged her hips with an identically colored blazer over her shoulders, and beneath was a powder blue blouse that perfectly matched her hair and eyes.

“Good, you’re all gathered in one place already,” Meril said. But then the woman’s lips pursed thinly as her cool gaze fell on Akeno. “If you would kindly put on some proper clothes, young lady.”

Akeno smiled and said sweetly. “Of course.”

Her Queen then turned away and walked back up the stairs to change into her clothes. But as she turned, Rias had to suppress a quiver of laughter as she caught Akeno mouth ‘bitch’ to herself.

“We weren’t expecting you, Lady Meril,” Sona said sharply as she adjusted her glasses.

“Yes, originally you were all supposed to be given one, full week to settle yourselves in,” Meril said impassively. “But Lord Ichigo has deemed it necessary to move up his planned schedule for you all.”

They all shifted nervously. That did not sound good.

“May I ask what Lord Ichigo intends for us?” Rias asked politely.

“Your training,” Meril answered immediately as blue eyes fell on her. “Or rather, a proper assessment so that Lord Ichigo may fittingly tailor a training regiment to suit your needs.”

“Lord Ichigo will be personally overseeing our training?” Rias asked, a tinge of hope in her voice.

“I cannot say, that is for him to decide. But the assessment will be done by another, my Lord has made the necessary arrangements.” Several stiff moments passed in silence, and Rias nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. But then Meril asked, “How are you adjusting to life in Grevex?”

Terribly. Down right terribly. For a young Devil like herself, this was the closest she had ever been to Hell. She had no money, no clothes and her living situation left much to be desired.

But Meril knew all that. And Rias knew that she knew. Which is why…

“We’re adjusting just fine, thank you for asking,” Rias said with a flawless smile.

Sona agreed with an identical smile as she said, “It’s been a process, but we’re managing it perfectly.”

They were bullshitting. Everyone in the room knew they were bullshitting. But Rias and Sona had been raised around nobility long enough to recognize a test when they saw one. If they complained, there was a fair chance Lord Ichigo may decide to make things even more difficult for them. That they sucked it up and went on with their lives proved they had the fortitude to be worth the Crown Prince’s time and attention.

At least she hoped so.

But their bluster seemed to have worked worked, because Rias noted a small twitch at the corner of the older woman’s lips.

“That’s good,” Lady Meril said as Akeno returned and came to stand by her side. “Well then, now that everyone is here, Gobdad?”

The goblin gave a deft nod. “Kos! Gobdad set everything perfect. Just like Boss tell him!”

Lady Meril returned his nod and said, “Then please follow me, everyone.”

As the expressionless woman walked past them and out the back door into the backyard, they all quickly followed behind. Though Akeno tugged on her sleeve and said in a low whisper, “What did I miss?”

Rias quickly filled her in as they all marched outside. But as they came out into the magically charged air of Grevex, Rias set her eyes towards the wide space behind their new home.

The backyard was large and spacious, clearly once intended for gatherings or garden parties if the broken chairs and tables were any indication. But time and neglect had turned it into a small wilderness. Wild grass reached their knees, swaying in the breeze like waves of a dull green ocean, while weeds coiled in tangled, ugly clumps. The plain wooden fence marking the perimeter of the yard sagged in several places, with cracked slats and splintered posts threatening to collapse with the next strong wind’s coming.

And Rias shivered slightly as her eyes caught subtle, creeping motion: thick, snake-like vines slithering forward and gliding through the grass. She was keenly reminded of the nature documentaries she sometimes watched in the Human World, of lions stalking unsuspecting prey.

Lucifer, was there anything natural in this accursed house Lord Ichigo had condemned them too?

For her part, Lady Meril ignored the predatory plants and set her eyes on the lone clearing in the miniature grassland. A large patch of paved dirt which held several small boulders arranged in a circle. And at their center, there stood tall a large sculpture of which Rias assumed to be a wolf.

The sculpture was hewn from dark green stone, its surface marbled with pale veins like frozen lightning. Despite its stylized form, the wolf radiated a sense of strength and vigilance: broad-shouldered, thick-legged, with ears pricked and eyes narrowed, as though captured mid-prowl. It felt less like art and more like a standing sentinel.

The strict-looking secretary approached the statue and examined it appraisingly. There was a color of admiration in her voice as she said, “This is rather well made, Gobdad.”

The goblin puffed up proudly. “Gobdad use serpentinite! Boss say it traditional!”

“Wait, you made that?” Issei asked, sounding very impressed. And Rias had to concur, the sculpture looked remarkable. Really, the only good thing in this near wild jungle of a backyard.

“Kos! Gobdad work as sculptor lots of years ago!”

“Nice,” Issei said as he gave the goblin a pat on the back. Judging by the scathing look Gobdad gave him, the goblin did not appreciate the gesture.

Indeed, his very next words were, “Stinky dragon boy no touch. Gobdad oil just yesterday.”

“Hey! I’m not stinky! I… oh wait, I haven’t had my turn to shower to today. But I’m not stinky!”

“That aside,” and Issei wisely fell silent at Lady Meril’s strict voice, “you all should familiarize yourself with these stones for the duration of your stay here.”

As they all peered over, Sona asked, “What are they? I sense some sort of magical matrix on them.”

“Very good, Miss Sona. They are a teleportation array. They will be taking you all to your assessment’s location. However, only one peerage will go at a time, so that both Kings and their followers may be accurately judged separately.”

She and Sona exchanged a look.

“Where will we be sent? And who is going first?” Rias asked.

Meril waved a hand, and a magical projection of the realm of Infernity appeared before their eyes. She pointed to the far north-west of the map, towards a series of white trees next to the length of an icy mountain range.

“The Eliverind Forest, far to the north of Lord Ichigo’s domain,” Meril stated plainly. “It is a mountainous region, with year long snow. No permeant settlements are found here, though several nomadic tribes of Worgen and Snow Elves are known to wander the land. It is a dangerous land filled with carnivorous megafauna such as Cold Drakes, Borelian Bears, Yetis and others.”

“Why am I getting a bad feeling all of a sudden?” Yuuto said quietly from beside her.

“As for who will be going first.” Stern blue eyes fell on her, and Rias shuddered. “Purely reasons alphabetical, young Lady Gremory and her peerage may have the honor.”

It did not sound like an honor to her. Certainly didn’t feel like one either.

“If you would be so kind as to step forward and place your hands,” Meril said as she gestured with an open hand towards the statue of the wolf.

One by one, Rias and her peerage nervously put their palms onto the green stone of the sculpture. And as they did so, several of them let out a hiss as the smooth stone was ice-cold to the touch. And then, within a second, Rias felt an alien sensation in her brain as she felt herself be pulled forward.

“Oof!”

She fell flat onto her face, and the sudden cold hit her like a freight train.

It clawed past her sweater and skirt, curled around her bones, and bit into her lungs with every breath. The moment Rias lifted her face from the snow, her cheeks were already stinging, numbed and raw from the icy kiss of the Eliverind air. She staggered upright, her boots crunching against the frozen crust as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

Snow fell in dense, endless sheets. Thick flakes spiraled downward with deceptive gentleness, but in such volume that she couldn’t see more than a few meters in any direction. It was as though the very world had vanished, swallowed by a white void. Only a few jagged silhouettes of brown and green gave the scene any shape: colossal conifers bowed beneath the weight of the snow, their branches drooping heavy.

And through it all the wind howled, carrying the harsh bite of front and rime.

“R-Rias?” came Akeno’s voice, faint and muffled behind her.

She turned, barely making out her peerage as they all stumbled upright, brushing frost from their clothes and shivering violently. This wasn’t just winter.

Lucifer, they were going to freeze to death at this rate.

“W-warming s-s-spells,” she chattered. And both Akeno and Gasper quickly began forming the necessary magic circles, even as their hands shivered aggressively in the falling snow.

Soon enough, her peerage huddled together under the combined magical warmth that they had conjured. But even then, the cold in this place ran so strong it could still be felt through the protective warmth of their magic.

“I-I thought w-we were s-supposed t-t-to be getting tested!” Issei stuttered out as he hugged Asia dearly to his chest and rubbed his arms up and down her back. Rias felt a tug of affection for her Pawn and at the care he showed for his fellow Peerage Piece.

“You are.”

And an all too familiar dread washed over her, the call for submission being demanded from her soul.

Slowly, she turned around, and but a few feet from her stood an amused looking Lord Ichigo. Appearing completely and utterly unbothered by the ferocious blizzard raging about them.

And the Demon Lord snapped his fingers, and just like that, the howling of the wind fell silent, and all the cascading snow disappeared from the air. Within seconds, Rias was staring up at a clear sky, colored with shimmering auroras of purples and greens and gold. An incredible display of natural beauty that she had never seen before in the Underworld sky.

But a deep and low growl brought her gaze back down to the ground below.

Rias’ eyes widened, as from behind the Crown Prince stalked his Knight. The colossal white wolf with tribal markings dancing gold across its feet and across the ground where it tread. Its muzzle was dyed red with gore, and clenched within its jowls was a giant of a creature which Rias promptly recognized as a Yeti. Its throat torn open by the Amaroq’s razor fangs; staining the white snow with splashes of crimson as blood dripped.

Saviġuk dropped the dead thing in her jaws, and it fell to the snow with a sickening crunch. The demonic wolf fixed them with her golden glare, and her lips bared back, revealed the blood-stained gums and teeth. She let out a fierce snarl and instinctively, they all flinched and took several steps back.

Bafflingly, Lord Ichigo began to coo almost tenderly. “Did you find yourself a snack, girl?”

Saviġuk turned an eye to her master and snapped her jaws viciously. Globs of blood mixed with saliva and chunks of flesh falling from her mouth onto the frozen ground below. Rias shivered anew as the beast radiated a primal ferocity.

Lord Ichigo chuckled low, and Saviġuk dipped her head and clamped her fangs around the Yeti’s back. With a clawed paw to hold it in place, she began tearing into the carcass and swallowed bloody pieces whole.

“Right,” Lord Ichigo said as he patted the Amaroq on the side. “Sorry to disturb you all first thing in the morning,” and Rias could not help but note he did not sound sorry at all, “but I’ve decided to move up my planned schedule for you.”

“Our training, you mean?” Rias asked, not being able to take her eyes off the Yeti carcass that was quickly being stripped to the bone.

“Yup,” he said, popping the ‘p’. “Now, here’s the thing, in my experience, the best way to get someone’s measure is to just fight them head on.”

And immediately Rias neck snapped towards the Demon Lord, utter horror written plainly across her face. And the rest of her peerage must have shared in her dread as the Demon Lord snorted in their direction.

He laughed and waved them off. “Yeah no, that wouldn’t even be remotely constructive. No, I won’t be fighting you.”

And they let out a collective sigh of relief.

Good, Rias thought. Of course he wouldn’t make us fight him. We’re probably going to fight someone else he prepa-…

Uh-oh.

Saviġuk looked up, her face drenched in warm blood. A near lazy sheen in her golden gaze, utterly at odds with her brutal and savage appearance. And Lord Ichigo matched the mythical wolf’s vicious regality with his smile.

No.

Please don’t say it.

“You’ll be fighting Saviġuk instead.”

Fuck.