"Ahhhh—!"
The moment Tenra and Ravel stepped inside, Riser bolted, scrambling to hide behind a battered cabinet. The room was a disaster zone—clothes strewn everywhere, empty bottles on the floor, the stench of neglect thick in the air. Tenra grimaced. Ravel instinctively clamped a hand over her nose.
How long had it been since anyone cleaned this place?
"Riser, how long do you plan to keep hiding?" Tenra's voice was calm, but edged with disappointment.
"I don't want to see you! I don't want to see you!" Riser's voice shook from behind the cabinet. "Tenra Kamiyo, you're just here to mock me, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm just a maggot, I'm trash! Go ahead, laugh at me—mock me all you want, then get out of my room!"
His words came out in a panicked, feverish rush. The proud Riser Phenex reduced to this—Tenra almost wanted to laugh, but it was more infuriating than funny. He strode over, grabbed Riser by the arm, and dragged him out from his hiding spot.
"Ahhh! Let me go! Let me go!" Riser thrashed and screamed, but Tenra's grip was unyielding.
What they saw was pitiful: Riser's hair was a wild mess, his clothes filthy and torn. The once-dashing noble looked like a vagrant pulled off the street.
Ravel's eyes filled with tears. She covered her mouth to stifle a sob. Arrogant as Riser had always been, he was still her brother. To see him like this…
"One loss to me and you throw your whole life away? Riser, you look pathetic." Tenra's voice was sharp with anger and disappointment.
"What do you know?!" Riser spat, clutching Tenra's arm. "I was the Phoenix family's genius! And I lost to a nobody—a bastard who couldn't even awaken his bloodline!"
"Now everyone's laughing at me! I've lost everything—my dignity, my pride!"
Tenra met his gaze, unflinching. "You lost because I worked a thousand times harder than you ever did. If you hate it so much, then get stronger. Beat me. Win back what you lost."
"Easy for you to say! Yubelluna and the others are your servants now, Rias Gremory is engaged to you—servants, women, my honor, everything's gone! I'll never get any of it back!"
"How do you know if you don't even try?"
"Stop lying to me! You had that monstrous Sacred Gear all along and kept pretending to be weak—were you laughing at me this whole time? Treating me like a fool?"
"I heard everything—you beat Kokabiel, you defeated the White Dragon Emperor, you've got both Heavenly Dragons' power. You're probably even stronger than Father now! No matter what I do, I'll never catch up!"
"Let me go! Let me go! How long are you going to humiliate me? Just kill me and get it over with!"
Riser's rage dissolved into raw despair. And in that moment, Tenra finally understood: this wasn't just about losing a single fight. Watching Tenra's meteoric rise, Riser had been crushed by hopelessness. He'd lost all confidence in himself.
Normal methods would never bring him back.
Tenra released his grip. Riser stumbled away, immediately scurrying behind the cabinet again—like a wounded animal desperate for cover.
Tenra had become his living nightmare. He couldn't bear to face him for even a second.
"Let's go, Ravel. That's enough for today."
"Onii-chan…" Ravel's voice trembled with worry as they left the room. Tenra's expression was stormy.
"Don't worry," he said, ruffling her hair with a reassuring smile. "I'll take care of it."
He sent Ravel off to find Mira and Ile, then made his way to Lady Phoenix.
—
He found her in the sunlit garden, tending to a cluster of rare crimson blossoms. She looked up as he approached, her smile gentle.
"I'm sorry, Mother. Riser's like this because of me." Tenra bowed deeply, guilt etched across his face.
"Little Tenra, there's no need to blame yourself." Lady Phoenix's voice was soft, unwavering. "Riser has never suffered a setback like this before. It's only natural he can't accept it right away."
"But I believe in him. I'll wait as long as it takes for him to stand up again."
She reached out, lifting his chin with a mother's touch. For a moment, Tenra saw a flicker of his birth mother in her eyes—unconditional love, even in disappointment.
So much time had passed, and still Riser hadn't recovered. Lady Phoenix probably didn't expect much anymore, but she still chose to believe in her son. That was what it meant to be a mother.
Tenra drew a slow breath, then spoke with new resolve.
"Mother, I think…I have a way to help Riser recover."
—
The next morning
"Hah…" Riser yawned, dragging himself out of bed. He rubbed his bleary eyes and pulled on whatever clothes were within reach.
The room was still a mess, reeking of old sweat and stale air. Once, he would've been disgusted by such filth. Now, he barely noticed.
He planned to eat breakfast and crawl back into bed. But the table was empty—no breakfast, nothing. Irritation flared.
"Where is everyone?!" he shouted. "Why isn't my breakfast here yet?!"
His voice echoed off dirty walls. A moment later, the door opened—not a maid, not a servant, but a stranger.
A girl, young and pretty, with a calm, composed air.
"Good morning, Riser-sama. I'm Tosca, Tenra-sama's servant."
She gave a polite curtsy.
Riser's lip curled. "What's one of his servants doing in my room? Get out! Get out and send someone to bring my breakfast!"
The girl was pretty, but the fact she belonged to Tenra made Riser's skin crawl.
Tosca only smiled, hand covering her mouth. "Tenra-sama says your breakfast is cancelled today."
For a moment, Riser was stunned. Then fury erupted.
"He what?! Who does he think he is, canceling my breakfast?!"
He lashed out, conjuring a wave of searing phoenix fire and hurling it at Tosca.
The flames crashed against an invisible barrier, stopping half a meter from her. No matter how they raged, they couldn't touch her.
"Such weak fire," Tosca said quietly. "Is this really all that's left of the proud Phoenix?"
Riser stared, shocked. He'd let himself go, sure, but his flames should still have been formidable. Who was this girl?
"Riser-sama, Tenra-sama asked me to escort you out. But I doubt you'd cooperate if I just asked, so—"
She smiled again, and her Sacred Gear flared to life. A shimmering, spherical barrier snapped into existence, trapping Riser and lifting him effortlessly into the air.
"I'm Riser Phenex! You can't do this to me!" He hammered at the barrier, shouting, but Tosca ignored him completely.
Even at his best, breaking her barrier would have been tough. Now, he didn't stand a chance.
Without a word, Tosca turned and walked out. The floating sphere containing Riser drifted along behind her, his shouts echoing uselessly down the hall.
—
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