Sirzechs Lucifer sat slumped in his office, absently doodling on a piece of paper that was probably a very important document that he should be reviewing and responding with proper etiquette.
But for the life of him, he simply couldn't find it in him to give it more than a cursory glance. And even the little that he did read made him grimace in disgust, robbing any motivation to proceed further.
It was another request from Zekram Bael, 7th in three days, asking to take immediate actions against the former angel, now stray devil, Gabriel. Somehow, the news that the Satan-class stray devil was staying in Japan had leaked in the underworld, making waves across the lands.
And of course, the first to respond to this were the old devils, always laying in wait for any opportunity to strike and manipulate events to their liking.
The Bael patriarch's letter had listed all the reasons why a stray devil such as her should be promptly eliminated, or atleast enslaved, for the betterment of Devil-kind. It described in detail the sins of the former Seraph, using her achievements in the Great War as some kind of proof to show how she was a threat to the peace and stability of their kind...
But Sirzechs knew the truth; It was a load of bullshit. An utter piece of filth wrapped in pretty words and twisted logic.
The thing that annoyed him though, was that he couldn't ignore it. The Great King faction was too influential for him to simply dismiss their request out of hand. Even knowing that the old devil has some shady plot and motives behind his request, Sirzechs couldn't do anything to disprove it.
Worse, there was nothing he could do to Zekram Bael himself, and the cunning devil knew it. The old bastard had his claws deeply burried in the Devil society, controlling not just the entirety of Rating-games business, but also numerous black-markets, hospitals, schools and whatnot. A single word from him, and the entirety of devil-economy could collapse.
And for all his strength, there was nothing Sirzechs could do to stop it.
On the other hand, he could also not do anything against the former angel. Not only did she have Azazel's protection, but even Ajuka himself had warned him against any direct intervention. Apparently, should any harm come to her, the entire Devil-kind might face extinction.
A bit dramatic, and a lot cryptic, but he'd learned long ago not to make light of his best friend's warnings.
So now here he was, stuck between two hard places with zero motivation to deal with either...
Oh sure, he would come up with a solution sooner or later. He always does. The 500 years of experience and wisdom has taught him some things. He may not be a genius like Ajuka, but he had his own ways to solve mess like these.
But it was the principality of the matter. He shouldn't need to find solutions for stupid useless issues.
It was times like these that made him question his decision to take this position of power. Till now, all he could count for his efforts were the amount of headaches he'd recieved in his job, along with death-threats from cowards who hid behind anonymity, and subtle proposals from married women looking for some fun.
And this made up for the life of Satan Lucifer– The strongest devil in existence, now stuck in the webs of politics.
Sirzechs sighed. "I need a glass of some strong devil whiskey..."
The door to his office suddenly opened; but he didn't turn away. Only one being on this world would blatantly enter his office without any permission or notice.
"My lord." His wife and queen greeted him with cold composure, her tone without any inflections or warmth as she proceeded to plop another bundle of files on his desk.
Dressed in a French maid outfit that made her massive tits stand out like twin giant globes, and long silver braids prettily cascading down her back and shoulders, Grayfia Lucifuge looked like a thing of fantasies. It has always been a dream of his to bend her down on his desk, and tear down her maid-dress to plop out those perfect bouncy tits that he loved so much, and take her from behind like a Devil-in-heat. A shame that she would never agree to it. Her job as the maid meant too much for her to act anything but the most professional.
Even now, only the slight tugging of her lips informed him of her affection. It used to annoy him back then– Her strict adherence to her duty as his maid. But that was a long time ago. Now? Now he'd grown to love this part of her. Just like every other part of her.
"Lady Leviathan wants you to take a look at these." She announced, unwrapping the bundle of files and papers.
Thankful for the distraction, he quickly pushed away Bael's letter and leaned back in his chair with a mighty stretch, enjoying the pops his body produced. "Read me through it would you please, Fia?"
There was no word of acknowledgement. His queen simply opened the first file, her eyes scanning through the documents. "First off, the rumours about West youkai faction's leader are confirmed to be true. Yasaka was seen with a three year old girl who has now been identified as her daughter with an unknown partner."
Sirzechs hummed lightly, closing his eyes in peace. Finally some news that wasn't threatening the status quo in any way...
"Give her our heartfelt congratulations, and ask her about this whole... secrecy thing. If she's cautious against someone, I'd like to know."
"Of course." His wife replied. "Next, our sources suspect that Zeus has broken the pact about not siring any children with mortals–"
...and there goes his slight hope for a peaceful day.
"–A girl, twelve namedays old, was seen channeling the same divinity as the God of Sky."
Sirzechs groaned in annoyance, before a thought broke through his mind. "Wait, wasn't Zeus in love with Gabriel? Or did he cheat on her too?"
There was some shuffling of papers as Grafia opened another file, before starting again. "The events aren't clear, but we know for a fact that Zeus had given up on ever successful courting her. I...we don't know what happened next but...hmm, it seems Gabriel...changed her mind? We don't know. No one does. The only thing we know is the alive status of their son, Mikael."
That was... slightly interesting. Atleast compared to the shit he usually had to deal with on the daily basis.
"How old is the boy now?"
"He is estimated to be around seven or eight."
"Around Rias' age then." Sirzechs mused. "Interesting."
Very interesting indeed...
His father had recently announced the marriage arrangements for Rias with house Phenex, and she understandably hadn't taken well to it.
As her beloved older brother, it was his duty to help out his little sister in her times of needs.
Unfortunately, the moment he had become a Satan, he'd given up any rights to interfere in Gremory house business. His hands were tied...unless he abused his authority as Satan Lucifer and forced his father to cease the arrangements.
It would undoubtedly ashame his father though, making him look like a child whose decisions did not matter in the end. Zeoticus Gremory was usually a very laid-back and understanding man, but even he wouldn't like being publicly shamed like this.
But now he wondered if he could use the boy somehow to get her out of this. He may be a half-devil but–
"Don't." Grayfia's snapped, her professional tone suddenly gaining a steely edge. "I know what you're thinking, My Lord. Drop it."
"Now now, dear, I assure you–" He started, only to be cut off.
"No." The firmness behind his wife's voice shut him up. "Do not forget that the boy isn't just the son of Gabriel, but of Zeus as well. And the Olympians always try to find any excuse to take offense and start wars. Wars that we cannot afford to fight. So kindly keep your nose out of their business."
Grayfia usually never talked to him like this when she was on her job as his maid...unless she saw her husband doing something particularly stupid.
And purposely tangling with the Greeks was very stupid.
Sirzechs sighed despondently. Well, he tried atleast.
"Next up, rumours are that Thor has once again lost his hammer..."
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One century. One century was all it took to turn Gabriel's life upside down.
She'd been alive for a long time now, thousands of years, and yet even her Father and Supreme Creator's death hadn't thrown such ripples in her life that the last century had.
One mistake was all it took, and her life had went spiralling down a path of novel uncertainty, wrecked with options and decisions that left her wondering if she chose right or wrong.
This was the reason that her respect for mortals was so high. They live their entire lives in uncertainty, not knowing where their lives may brings them, not knowing if they'd live to see another day, for even a simple shaking of earth may ruin their settlements and futures. And yet, they never give up. They look at the uncertainty of life, glance at the countless possibilities and alternates that exists, and face it head-on like warriors.
And here she was, having lived thousands of years watching over them, and yet having learnt nothing.
It seems there was truth in their saying: Experience truly was the greatest teacher.
She may have watched over millions of families, and she may have seen thousands of mothers raise their children...but nothing could've ever prepared her for the little baby that she birthed 8 years ago.
8 years ago, on that night, she'd birthed a boy that became her anchor in this uncertain world. Her life, which she'd thought ruined, had been restarted from the fire and intelligence in those little sparkling eyes that had stared up at her in amazement.
And for these 8 years, she'd never let go of that anchor.
The dark thoughts that usually assults a newly turned fallen angel were much more easier to ignore with Mikael by her side. The sinful urges that every devil possesses were casually brushed away as she borrowed strength from her son's upbeat and unrelenting personality.
She'd been nervous at first, not knowing how to take care of her son...and yet, it seemed more as though Mikael took care of her instead.
He never complained, never made demands, never did the things that she remembered most of the mortal babies do. Instead, he provided her with an unmoving rock of support. Just holding him in her arms made life better, and her son never forgot to show his appreciation, always showering her with praises and support that she didn't deserve. His words never failed to light up her day, and she was sure that without him, she would already be dead, having taken her own life, even knowing how big of a crime that was.
Mikael was mature beyond belief, Gabriel knew. Almost as if he understood the world even better than she did. Truthfully, she wouldn't be surprised if that were so...
Afterall, he was a genius. A kind, caring, and wonderful genius that she truly believed she did not deserve, and yet had grown to love so much that it completely overshadowed her love and devotion for her Creator.
...And now, after just 8 years, she was being forced to give up the person that mattered most to her.
Gabriel always knew this time will come. And yet, she found herself just as unprepared for it as she'd always imagined, her eyes welling up in pained tears.
'Be strong', she chided herself, 'Now isn't the time to cry.'
But as Kael walked towards the centre of the teleportation circle, silent tears trickled down her cheeks anyway, uncaring of her futile attempts at restraints.
'You should be grateful to have a son like him.' A darker part of her mind sneered at her. 'He's a lot braver than you could ever hope to be.'
Of course he was, she fully agreed. Mikael looked the very picture of resolute composure as he walked forward. There was no doubt in his mind that they will see each other.
But she wasn't the same. Doubts clawed in her chest fiercely, the fear that she may never see him again making her entire body shake in suppressed sobs.
Her son may be mature beyond his years, but he was not powerful enough to survive this world. Only 2 years ago, he had been barely stronger than an athletic human, making her constantly fear for his life. The progress that he'd made since then was nothing short of a miracle but she feared it may not be enough.
'Don't be a coward.' The darker part hissed in anger. 'He can take care of himself.'
Yes, he can indeed. But this world was filled with beings who could tear her apart in a split second, Could she really be blamed for worrying?
'Coward.'
'...No.' She replied to herself. 'I'm not a coward. I'm just...a mother.'
The voice shut up as her son silently walked forward. Only she and Aza were present for his final farewell.
They'd already said all their goodbyes. Already made the promises to each other, and yet, it wasn't enough. The doubts still ran a havoc in her mind.
She snapped her eyes shut as Mikael came to a stop, turning back to look at her one last time.
'Don't look, Don't look, Don't look...'
Cause if she did, her heart might just crack and she may end up doing something stupid.
More than once she'd thought about simply running away. Just her and Mikael, slipping away from the eyes of the world. They could stay hidden away from any dangers, until Mikael grew powerful enough to face the world.
The worst part was knowing that he would most likely agree, if that was what she truly wanted.
"Mother." Her son's soothing voice suddenly came from directly in front of her, making her reluctantly open her eyes, shameful showing him her tears.
"Mum, don't cry." Kael kissed her on her cheeks, standing up on his toes. "You know we'll meet again."
And the dam broke just like that. Whatever remnants of control she had over her emotions slipped, and she dragged the boy in a tight desperate embrace.
"Promise?" She sniffled.
'How childish' Her darker voice snickered. She ignored it, her full focus on her son.
He didn't reply, instead his hand came to cup her chin, pushing her face towards him.
"Mother, look at me." He commanded calmly, and she opened her runny eyes, peaking at him through a curtain of tears.
His fingers came up and wiped them away, and she got her first look into his eyes.
Deep powerful eyes, that flickered between electric blue and sparkling violet in colour, staring at her in complete confidence and resolution.
"Believe me when I say this mother;" Kael started. "Eight years from now, I will come back, and we will meet each other again. And there shall be no being on this known universe who would dare stop us from reuniting. This, I promise."
There was nothing but complete confidence in his words, and this time; Gabriel believed him.
They will meet again.
And as Azazel's teleportation circle activated, taking her son far away, her Will firmed with a newfound strength.
They will meet again, and until then...she had a job to do.