16. Alignment
Despite all that had taken place, much of the noise has come and gone. School had ended sooner than usual— for anyone in the Occult Research Club— and, for the next ten days.
Well, it made sense with how Rias chose to handle the upcoming Rating Game.
And, everyone understands.
This is an opportunity not worth passing up; to have a rough week and a half dedicated to a self study of sorts, and to grasp a better future for themselves, this is the best way.
Anos at least, imagines so.
Currently, he finds himself in a mostly empty hallway and facing down the door to the student council's office. Which is guarded down the middle by a devil of Sona's peerage. A Pawn in the service of Sitri; a blonde boy by the name Saji.
How mirthful. Minutes ago Sitri's group had just gotten back to the human world and had already been put to work. It was nice to be reminded of how predictable Sona could be. She's likely waiting for him.
"Voldigoad-senpai," Saji says by way of greeting, his voice tight, "what're you doing here?"
"I have some business with your King." Funnily enough, Anos' voice makes it sound like the Pawn should alreadyknow this.
A grumble escapes Saji, and it seems Anos is proven right.
The blonde begrudgingly opens the door, his hands flex too, as if preparing to wrap around the hilt of a sword. Anos ignores him and the action entirely, and walks himself right in. It would be an insult to them both if he acknowledged that useless gesture from Saji, so instead, Anos leaves him at the door.
Inside the room sit Sona Sitri and her Queen; Tsubaki Shinra. The rest of their peerage were around attending to their work. Before they even see Anos, they note his steps, they are soft and somehow heavy, the steps of someone who walks almost not on the same plane as mortal men but above it. Sona especially, doesn't doubt who it is.
"Anos," she greets, turning to acknowledge him further.
"Sona," he replies, as if following some formula set up that day, he smiles at Tsubaki in regard to her, she returns it earnestly. Some of the girls in Sona's peerage peek over for that smile.
From then on, the silence stretches onward, but there is something oddly content about it. It's the silence of a girl who wishes to say something but does not quite know how to say it. One the man knows well from years in his tenure as a ruler. And so, he is content to wait, knowing that, eventually, Sona will say what Anos has come here to hear.
"Presumably," she manages to get out eventually, "we both are aware of what this is about, so I don't believe we need to hedge anything."
Sona would like to say that she didn't hesitate.
After all, Anos is the one who probably already knows and just wants to confirm his speculation, because if she's got her own guesses then he's already ready to give the facts of it.
"Very well, I much prefer to skip the platitudes." Anos' voice is relaxed in a way to take off some of the edge.
"So I've noticed," When Sona talks, her voice is slow; thoughtful. Some might even call it anticipatory, "I need to know. What are your thoughts on the proposal?"
This is it; this was right about the only thought Sona had.
She gave him the floor to speak so Anos does, "For all your smarts, Sona, you are quite shortsighted," is not what Sona was expecting him to say, but he speaks onward before she can properly react.
"Do I care about the laws that devils adhere to? Obviously not. You couldn't expect me to," Anos continued. It's true regardless of whether or not Sona accepted it or not.
Evidently, it seems she hasn't, what with the way her eyes rounded with shock as her stomach hit the floor like a hot stone. She should have known such an engagement would mean nothing to him. Anos was too proud for such a thing. And it's not like the world is going to bend over backwards to change that just because she personally doesn't like it.
It takes Sona some time to respond properly; mostly because she has absolutely no idea what to say.
"A simple, 'I don't like it,' would have worked fine on its own, Anos." Sona responds, it's the closest she'll allow herself to joke about her own shortsightedness.
Anos fixes her with his gaze, "That would have been the easy thing to say. Right now, easy isn't what you need to hear from me. Besides, I believe we both have someone we know who can attest to not favoring forced matrimony."
The obvious implication of it being Rias leaves her on the shy side of exasperated, she nods, not eagerly but it's there. "Your point has been made."
She turns and beckons over her shoulder for her Queen who, up until now, was as steady as a statue in the wind.
Oddly enough, this entire conversation was a little cathartic to the Queen. Then again, it's not like she'll be vocal about it much like how she'll never be vocal about fancying Anos... at least not when Sona, or anyone else for that matter, is around.
"Tsubaki, contact our House; formally give them an updated notice of the engagement and its subsequent cancellation. If they push for a reason then tell them this: it was the magnanimous thing to do."
The King sounds a little bitter but Tsubaki neglects to mention it and does as told, she visibly looks worried for the bespectacled Sitri though, "Right away, Kaichou."
Anos supposes he can't blame the Queen, or the King for that matter; all that work in the Underworld for no gain. Or, well, no immediate gain. The situation isn't unsalvageable, but it is frustrating.
The House of Sitri were willing to break the general understanding that you don't drag the mundane world into a supernatural conflict, knowing Anos was human, they all still collectively took that risk— likely out of respect for Sona's own judgement.
It would be Sona's same judgement that undoes it all which is all Anos needs to work with.
There's about a minute of silence before Sona faces Anos again, expectantly this time, "It isn't necessary, but I do appreciate you not letting your contempt with me over this delicate matter show, Anos."
He smirks, a flash of pearly whites dash across his face. Then, he chuckles; the laughter is short, but no less amused for it. Anos is the most easy-going person you'll ever meet, even under the worst circumstances.
"Don't be silly. I doubt there's anything you could say or do to offend me that I haven't heard or seen a dozen times before." Anos comments, dismissal of the disbelief that reaches her features.
"So... you're just going to forgive and forget, that fast?" She asks, pushing aside a strand of her bob-cut hair from her glasses.
"If I'm being honest, it gave me a good laugh and a smile when I first heard it from Rias. Nothing more."
Part of Sona can admittedly see the reason. Another part assumes he doesn't really mind and she wonders how he can brush off such heavy discussion and destroy the lingering discomfort. A third already knows why. The rest of her is simply shocked into silence, save for a little voice in the back of her mind that wonders if this is how Rias feels when around him.
"Still, I was too abrasive. I should have come to you sooner. A formal discussion of sorts." Sona reasons with idle regret. Even if he'd denied it outright, it would still have been more preferred to this.
She just thought—she thought— she didn't think much at all, did she?
Anos waves her words off in the same way one might swat a fly, "Earlier today I was thoughtlessly attacked by Gremory's Knight. He had his reasons even if I can't entirely approve of the method. And if I can forgive him for that, I can forgive you too."
Sona can tell there was a story behind that, though she couldn't imagine Kiba doing such a thing.
"I suppose you've come to the same conclusion I have," Anos' back is facing her now, almost ready to depart, "I'll disturb you no longer. I need to set aside some time for the days ahead."
A single brow rises across the Sitri's forehead. Those words were totally incomprehensible to her. Which was bad. One would need to be the type to see the spaces between what Anos implies and what he actually says.
As for Anos himself? There's this sudden idea he'd like to play with that involves the Sitri.
"From how I understand it, you and Rias have a longstanding mutuality with one another, no?" He suddenly asks, as if he didn't already know.
"Close. Less of a contract clause and more of genuine amity." Sona says with a smile.
Rivalry be more damned than a fallen angel, both blooming young ladies were friends before most other labels.
"Well," Anos continued, "if you're well and truly bored then gather your subordinates and join your fellow King for the upcoming trip. I'll be mentoring Rias' group for the next ten days or so, give or take."
Sona considers the offer and Anos wonders if he'll need to act terribly surprised to find out she'll obviously say yes, and then have Sona spend the rest of the day wishing she knew about it sooner.
She eventually does answer— and oh, what an answer it is.
—————
On this new day, it is still surprisingly just before morning, and the weather is turning out to be perfect with a semi-dark sky. Today is the beginning of Anos' self study in regard to the devils of Kuoh. However, first...
Anos closes and locks the front doors to Wind of the Sun, along with placing a bolded sign of the week and a half hiatus on the wall. The second after he does so, he leaves the building for a stroll in the park before reaching the old club building. It was something long overdue in his opinion.
The walk is short and the air is steady, until wasn't.
It was now as heavy as uncertainty, and as familiarity; snakes.
Tossing a glance to the floor right when Anos sits himself upon one of the many empty park benches. He slides himself onto the seat, his upper body does not quite meet the backrest because he leans forward as he moves an arm, and seemingly takes a stretch. He's really casting concealment magic, and also...
His shadow flickers as his hand passes over it. Anos smiles when his palm meets resistance, he pulls.
"Morning, Ophis," He says, plucking the Infinite Dragon God from his shadow, "to what do I owe this visit?"
She dangles from his grip— the representation of the infinite— hanging by an ankle with her attire falling enough to expose more skin than fabric.
Ophis tilts her head to him, in a strangely human mannerism, as if she didn't think he would not notice she had hitched a ride in his shadow. Regardless, she dangles, and Anos drops her. She doesn't fall, she instead hovers, twisting her body to be upright -- but does nothing after. Just stares.
Perhaps she's thinking to thank him for not crushing her spine to powder like she knows he can. No, that joke, though a true statement; was a little tasteless even for Anos.
Perhaps she's still confused. But it's not like Ophis will say that directly to him again. The Ouroboros Dragon wholeheartedly believes that those who are confused around this man do not stay around him for long. So instead, she basks in still, contemplative, silence.
"You move like you think you have an idea of what I'm going to do, and you fall apart when I don't do it," Anos says after what felt like minutes, "if I wanted you destroyed, I would have done it already. If I wanted you confused, I would be laughing right now. All I want from you, is to change your prerogative."
For a moment, Ophis looks defiant, but the fight in her wilts fast, she finally speaks, "How can I be mistaken in my beliefs? I only want my silence."
"Backed by means that would leave this world in ruin," Anos shakes his head, his pitch-black hair whipping against his temple, "I've seen your core memories, if you truly only wanted to be left alone then you would not have dared to leave the confines of the Dimensional Gap."
She however, did.
"That isn't how it works, child of man," She begins, steadily, "taking one tiny speck of time outside my domain doesn't absolve Great Red from sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."
"No matter," Anos isn't concerned with her sudden glare, he even speaks like he could be talking about the weather, "The Dimensional Gap is infinite in size, space and direction; vaster than this universe. The chances of you two even meeting once is already astronomically close to zero."
She knows this, Anos had gotten this knowledge from her, after all.
"No." Ophis says. She moves a bit closer, a finger pointed and leveled near his mouth. "No." she repeats even when he is right.
"Yes." Anos replies. His hand over her hand. A palm, firm and folding her finger back into a fist. Anos slowly pushes her arm down as well and lets go.
"To keep a long story short, you wanted— needed— to leave. You had simply grown tired of solitude, of empty space. But you came rushing back like a child who discarded her toy and worked up the nerve when another found it. If you can abandon your silence long enough for it be handed over then when should I expect you to abandon this false outrage? One that doesn't drag the rest of this world into disarray."
Ophis' lips are stiff like a coffin-lid. Her mind racing for a rebuttal that wouldn't come. She blinks when Anos pokes her forehead back into focus.
"Deluded dragon, I truly have no wish to destroy you, it is your own desire that makes it necessary." He favors her with a smirk. "So if you really need such isolation then how does a second bout sound to you? Destroying infinity should do for a nice stretch."
Anos stands up, reaching out as Ophis flinches, but she settles like she's found warmth; he simply ruffles her hair, amused with her locks being soft against his hand. Eventually Ophis lifts her head— frizzy hair and all.
"Losing something does not mean not having it is wrong." Anos pats her shoulder next. "We should talk like this more often."
Anos knows Ophis— why would he not? He has seen into her mind since their first engagement. He's aware that while she is stubborn, she is not hopeless. Not how Raynare turned out to be.
'Wait,' Ophis does not say aloud.
He starts walking away; on the third step, he vanishes in the flare of a magic circle.
Ophis goes still, silently; just like a time long before this day, it does not feel good to be left all alone.
—————
"Is everyone prepared?" Rias asked with Akeno by her side.
"Looks like it, Buchou," Kiba voiced firstly, nodding politely. He appears to be back to his usual self.
"All good over here, Buchou." Koneko uttered, sitting upon many, many bags. One for every peerage member and then some.
"Same with us." Issei answers for Asia and himself, adjusting his bag straps.
"We'll be at the manor well before evening if we leave now." Rias declared, eyes seemingly searching. She bit her bottom lip. 'Where are they?'
Soon enough, Gremory's group doesn't need to wait much further, because not only does Sona stroll over to her but so does her entire peerage. Each with their own belongings and whatever else they felt appropriate for this training trip.
"Good, everyone's already gathered." Sona notes. Straight to the point. As always.
"Senpai, why is Kaichou here?" Issei suddenly voiced, lost at the new arrivals.
"Have you already forgotten, Issei?" Rias asks, she thinks she's already explained this to the Pawn.
'No,' is what Issei doesn't say before he conveniently remembers promising Buchou he would act as an honorable representative of the Gremory clan when she first learned that he might be required to meet Kaichou and her Peerage. He'd had a lot on his mind as of late.
"Ah, I remember now." The Pawn grins, looking away with a chuckle, scratching at his cheek.
"In-between yesterday's events, Anos advised me to have Sona and her group tag along when he picked up their presences in the human world again. We've all formulated an agreement to help each other out, so treat our partners with care everyone."
Everyone nods in an almost practiced unison. "Speaking of senpai, where is he exactly?" Issei took it upon himself to ask.
"Right here," says Anos directly from Issei's left.
The Pawn spins with a startled shriek.
All who are here at attendance suppress a laugh, though a few chuckles slip from the cracks from either peerage.
"Alright," Rias claps her hands. The motion is as beautiful as she is. "The training grounds are quite the distance, much too great to use teleportation magic so it will take some time to get there. Although, if we leave now we won't burn much daylight."
"That won't be necessary," Anos says, he steps up to the crimson King, "May I?" he asks.
Rias allows it even if she has no idea what he is suggesting. Anos simply places a palm to her head, all eyes bore into him with curiosity as Anos slips into her head, and searches her open thoughts for the exact location she had in mind. Eventually...
There.
Everyone in proximity gets to feel the flare of Anos' magic, like a distant sun or the roar of a lion. When it fades, all who were present are standing near a manor in the mountains and a vast open field surrounded by forest. Kuoh is nowhere to be seen for miles, and all their belongings are stacked neatly around themselves.
Ah, it is a bit too easy to forget Anos is several tiers above them all when it comes to— well, not just in magic casting— everything, really; Satan's included.
To even ask, is to waste time, which is why no one does. Everyone gets situated quickly, a tour ensued but Anos had already sauntered off near the open lake, he'd known where everything was since the layout was right next to the location in Rias' mind, among other things.
Anos took a breath, sulfur. He supposes that was the hot spring.
All in all, he actually was rather satisfied with the cloudy mountainous location; and the air itself had faint magic energies. It all seldom reminded Anos of the Goanel Mountains, better remembered as the Thundering Volcano; such a hellish wrench of a time in his former life that turned out to be.
He felt himself walk towards a large boulder and sit down, not minding the area as much as his thoughts.
A couple of steps from Anos' left takes his attention over to Issei, his backpack still over his shoulders as he absently fiddles with the straps. The boy looks nervous.
"What can I do for you, Issei?" Anos honors the Pawn by taking his gaze away from the horizon, and focuses completely on the boy.
"Oh! Didn't notice you there senpai—" The lie was so painfully pathetic that it made Anos go along with it out of pity.
"L-Look, I need your help with something," Issei speaks, slowly, almost a stutter, like he's half forgotten how, "I know we're not really friends—"
"You don't need to be my friend in order for me to help you," Anos says. There. That should sound reassuring to the Pawn, shouldn't it? "Remember what I told you at the church?"
Issei nods, shallowing dryly. The next second, Anos simply stares at the activation of the young devil's Sacred Gear, gleaming green and crimson.
"Speaking of the church, I've been having these... dreams... visions, then voices, I guess," Issei mouthed, he held up his arm, the one with the gauntlet, "I— urm, don't know the best way to—"
"Don't mind the runt."
A rumbly, guttural, voice of a beast was spoken. Issei felt his skin jump. Anos had a brow raised at the artifact on Issei's arm. Wonderingly, Anos didn't think the dragon trapped in that emerald gemstone would awaken so soon.
Issei reflexively felt the need to make his concern known since this is the first time it has chosen to speak to anyone other than him. "Who are you?"
"Who am I? You ignorantly ask." Gruff telepathy roared. "I see you pay next to no attention to me or what I have to say, though I will utter this once more so you best pay attention boy, that goes for you as well, Anos Voldigoad. I am Ddraig! The Heavenly Dragon who stole the principle of Domination from God! I mock the infinite and fret over the dream! I am the Red Dragon of Domination!"
Instead of saying something profound, Issei instead tapped his chin, "Woah, that sounds pretty badass." he replied, even if he couldn't understand it, the statement was still wondrous.
However loud it ended up being.
"...A simpleton such as yourself wouldn't understand the weight of my existence, nor the significance of my strength," The dragon's snarl simmered to a low growl, directing itself elsewhere, "but you however, the one who calls himself Anos Voldigoad, you are vastly different."
"Oh?" Anos remarks, this should be fun, "pray tell, Ddraig."
"I've sensed it. You, who has the power to ruin the universe." Ddraig nearly roared to Anos in indignation, "would it be fair to assume you have the means to unseal me?"
"I do." Anos admits. He hasn't been idle for eighteen years. He has learned a great many things over the course of this life in this world. And one of the few things he has yet to learn is the true extent of power that the Longinus possess.
Sure, he's already used Ophis as the baseline and the ceiling — but it doesn't take away from the fact that he wants to see it in action, at its near infinite potential, the power to kill God in mortal hands. That power was secured in that gauntlet, only able to be brought out by Issei himself.
"How sterling, what would you require from me in a suitable exchange for my freedom?"
"Unfortunately, I have no use for an imprisoned dragon," Anos could practically feel the rampant fury ready to run free with the way Issei winced and the gauntlet glinted, "you're of much greater asset to your owner as you are now."
Anos merely reaches out a hand, and a magic circle emblazoned with a great number of sigils appeared atop the gauntlet, it shone before fading.
Issei stared in disbelief when he felt Ddraig quiet down, almost to the point of incapacitation. "Woah... I didn't know there was a spell to force dragons to sleep."
"There wasn't. I just created it."
"You can do that?!"
"Yes," Anos answered plainly, before turning his head back into the distance, "head to the manor and tell Rias I'll be here waiting. Also, to prepare yourselves. Before that sun in the sky is gone, I will have had you all at ten times your current capacity."
An eager nod and a thanks later, and Issei is off to do what he's told. Meanwhile, Anos mentally prioritizes, there's work to be done.
—————
"I still never expected you to come along, Sona-chan, you didn't have to." Rias said to her fellow King, at the moment, she was fitting on her training jersey.
Gremory, Sitri, and their Queens are occupied, pride-of-place in one of the many changing rooms. Such a lovely sight couldn't just be called stunning, it is what defines every sense of the word.
"It isn't like I've come here without gain, Rias." The Sitri replies. Sona uses honorifics in public, and nowhere else, so she does without the Chan prefix. "Our peerages can certainly learn from one another this way."
"Ara, Sona-chan, don't be so modest, do tell us what Anos said to convince you~" Akeno implored, just having adorned her gym shorts over her moon-silver legs.
Sona turns at Akeno, perplexed. "How could you—" it clicks suddenly, and soon she's staring at another Queen, "—Tsubaki."
"I didn't intend to sow any discord by it, Kaichou." Said eventually by the vibrant in the face Vice-President.
"Oh come now, Sona-chan," Akeno says by way of taking her attention once more, "Queens can talk."
"So you say," Sona replies with the sort of iciness that could give the Leviathan a run for her money.
"Well," Rias leans on the corner of the room's doorframe, speaking her mind, "I would quite like to know as well."
"We're friends, Rias." Sona hides the demur in her words well, "baring the circumstances of you going against an immortal, there should be no greater reason to assist you."
Akeno resists a giggle and speaks affectionately like one would a child, "Well isn't that nice; lovely even~"
She scoots towards Sona, every step is a gesture in of itself, "But Anos doesn't do lovely, Sona-chan."
"Is... there something you want to say to me, Akeno?" The Sitri is certainly quizzical now.
It is less what Akeno wants to say and more what Sona isn't telling Akeno, "Poor little Sona-chan. Is somebody nursing a crush?"
Two Kings and a Queen find their eyes wide and rounded. Akeno is in her element, she turns to Tsubaki and Rias as well, they look away with less poise than they were raised with.
"Yes." There is a half-second of shock before everyone realizes it is Sona that admits it, "I won't deny it. But it isn't only me is it?"
This time a King and two Queens turn, very slowly, to face her. Tsubaki wants to speak out but Sona raises a hand to her. "I've seen the way you stare at him when you think I'm not looking. You also weren't too enthusiastic when I made my decision to propose to him."
After that observation, it seems Tsubaki has no words to give anymore because her lips are sealed and her head is down. She knows.
"It isn't just a crush either. You're smitten with Anos." Sona continues, directing her words at everybody. "We all are."
"Lucky guess~" Akeno playfully comments over the silence, making herself busy by tying her hair to her usual ponytail.
Rias is particularly quiet about this. Firstly, she didn't need competition from her friends on top of everything else. Secondly, was it so obvious to Akeno? And what does Sona think she's doing, noticing that anyway?
Is... Anos aware? Sona is genius enough to figure it out but Anos is different, he's an extraordinary genius at his worst.
And if Sona could see it, Anos must have.
By the grace of Lucifer did two knocks at the door snap her out of her current disposition; it did for everyone.
The redhead moved to face the closed door. "Yes?"
"Sorry to disturb you Buchou, but senpai wants us all outside to begin training!" Issei called from the other side.
That was fine with Rias. The more she's doing, the less she's thinking about all this.