The first thing Gasper noticed wasn't the sound of the door opening. It was the air changing.
For over three years, the barrier had made the world feel muffled. Like he lived inside a glass box where sounds were soft, where time stretched, where nothing from the outside could reach him unless Rias let it. Just the way he liked it. He had grown so used to the stillness that even the faintest disturbance felt like a shock to his system.
But this...
This felt different.
A burst of air rushed in, carrying scents he hadn't smelled in years. Perfume. Sweat. Fresh air from the hallway. Magic that didn't belong to Rias or Akeno or Kiba. Something familiar and terrifying.
Footsteps.
Too fast.
Too close.
"G–G–G–G—!?"
He scrambled backward on instinct, nearly tripping over the pile of blankets on the floor, his breath coming in panicked gasps. He clutched at the edge of his oversized hoodie, tugging it tighter around himself like a shield.
Someone was coming.
Someone new.
No no no no that wasn't allowed, Rias said no one outside the peerage could come in, no one, because it wasn't safe, because he wasn't safe—
He shut his eyes tight and covered his ears just as something—someone—burst through the threshold.
"GASPER!"
That voice.
His eyes snapped open.
Time jerked, the world slowing around him for half a second before stuttering back into motion as his Sacred Gear reacted to his spike of emotion.
She stood there, framed by the doorway like a ghost ripped straight out of his memories.
Pale blonde hair. Crimson eyes. A face he had seen only in dreams—sometimes comforting, sometimes crushing him with guilt.
"V–V–Valerie…?"
His voice cracked on the name. He hadn't said it aloud in years. Saying it felt like breaking a taboo.
She didn't walk to him. She ran, crossing the room in just a few long strides, dropping to her knees in front of him and grabbing his shoulders with trembling hands.
"Gasper! Gasper, look at me!"
He didn't. He stared everywhere but her. The floor. His hands. The walls. Her shadow. Anywhere but her eyes.
"Y–You're not real," he whispered. "You can't be real. This is a trick, it's, it's a hallucination! It has to be—"
She cupped his face with both hands, firm but gentle in a way that made something inside him twist painfully.
"It's me," she said. "Really me."
He still didn't look up.
Because if he did...
If he let himself believe...
If he let himself hope...
If it wasn't real, he wouldn't survive it.
So she leaned closer. Close enough that he could feel her breath on his skin. Her forehead pressed to his.
"Gasper," she whispered, her voice breaking for the first time. "I found you."
Something inside him cracked.
His fingers tightened on his hoodie. His breathing grew unsteady. His eyes burned.
And slowly, painfully, he lifted his gaze.
Her eyes were the same.
Full of warmth.
Full of guilt.
Full of love that had been forced to wait too long.
"V–Valerie…" His voice was barely a sound. "I… I didn't want to leave you…"
She pulled him into her arms before he could finish the sentence, hugging him so tightly he almost couldn't breathe.
"You didn't leave me." Her voice shook. "You got free. I was so glad for you. And I've been looking for you ever since."
He clung to her back with shaking hands, burying his face in her shoulder as a sob escaped him. Quiet, broken, unfamiliar.
The sound of her heartbeat. fFast, desperate, real. It finally shattered the last piece of doubt inside him.
"I—I thought you would forget about me," he choked out.
Valerie pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes.
"I could never forget you," she said. Then with a small and shaky smile. "You idiot."
Gasper let out a laugh and sob hybrid that didn't sound like him at all.
And outside the doorway, Tenma watched quietly. Because this reunion wasn't his to interrupt.
Nor theirs.
"Miss Gremory, shall we step back and give them a moment?" Tenma asked with a smile, yet the look in his eyes made it clear that it wasn't a request.
"...yes." Yet Rias couldn't bring herself to care. Her worries about Gasper may not have fully disappeared, but it was obvious this Valerie did not wish to hurt her Bishop. And for now, that was enough.
The hallway was quiet as they stepped aside. Kiba and Akeno flanked Tenma, their expressions unreadable but alert, while the rest of the peerage lingered a few paces behind Rias.
Finally, Rias broke the silence, her crimson hair catching the dim light as she stepped closer. "Tenma… how did you get past the barrier?"
Tenma tilted his head, resting a hand on his chin with a faint smile. "I assume you mean the one keeping your bishop in isolation?"
Rias crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Exactly. That barrier isn't something that can be easily bypassed. My brother's bishop, Macgregor Mathers, built it himself. I need to know, how did you do it?"
Tenma chuckled softly, shrugging. "You know, there are a lot of ways to look at a problem. Some involve brute force, others finesse, and a few are… strategic rather than straightforward."
Rias pressed, stepping closer, her voice firmer. "That isn't an answer. I need to know. This is serious."
"Of course it's serious," Tenma replied smoothly, spreading his hands in mock apology. "But the truth is, sharing that would be… inadvisable. I wouldn't want to compromise your security measures, would I?"
Rias huffed, frustration flickering across her face. "I don't care about that! Gasper's safety isn't just about some stupid barrier. If you can bypass it, then someone else could as well. I need to know!"
Tenma leaned casually against the wall, one eyebrow raised, his smile never fading. "I assure you, your bishop is still perfectly safe. Beyond that… well, some mysteries are more enjoyable when left unsolved, don't you think?"
Rias stared at him, crimson eyes blazing, but she felt the weight behind his words. There was no immediate threat, yet Tenma clearly had the upper hand, and he knew it.
And then, before she could say anything, Tenma's gaze sharpened and suddenly she felt small.
"Also, the way I bypassed that barrier? I assure you, no one else can do it like I did." Tenma said, his voice low, and Rias could swear that the lights flickered as he looked at her, making her clench her hands in an attempt to calm down.
Finally, she straightened. "Fine. If you're not going to tell me, then at least… tell me why you're here. What exactly do you want from us?"
Tenma suddenly smiled, and he finally moved his attention from Rias to the rest of the peerage. "Now that, my dear, is a question we can discuss without jeopardizing any barriers."
Kiba and Akeno exchanged subtle glances, while the rest of the peerage stiffened slightly. It was clear. Whatever Tenma wanted, it was going to be a delicate negotiation, and their King would need all of her wits with her.
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