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"Hmm, this one is cuter than the first one," Akeno smiled, "But also a little scary."
"Did it just change gender!?" predictably, that from Issei.
He ignored them all and focused on the newly called Persona.
"Agilao."
Orpheus held out a hand and from its opened palm a wave of suffocating heat erupted, blasting over the heads of the assembled devils and directly into the ice Penthesilea had created. The wall immediately burst into flames, engulfed by angry, orange embers as the conjured fire ate steadily into the ice. In no time at all, the hoarfrost that coated the surface had melted, reduced to mere puddles on the floor, and even that did not last long. The heat was so intense that its lingering aftereffects evaporated what pools that managed to gather and turned them into hissing clouds of steam.
He could see the flickers of doubts in their eyes. They were wavering on what to decide, and he sympathized with them. When Mitsuru had first introduced the concept of Personas, he himself had been skeptical. The Dark Hour and subsequent forays into the Tower had quickly disabused him of any misgivings he had. But there was no Dark Hour here, and no Tower either. They had no way of seeing the Shadows for themselves or experiencing the awakening of a Persona. The things he was doing could be replicated by Sacred Gears, and naturally, they deviated to that as explanation enough.
It was human nature to fall back upon the expected to explain the unexpected. Apparently, the same held true for devil-kind.
He could not explain with words what a Persona was without them hand waving it away as another function of Sacred Gears. He could only show them, and though twice he had displayed the elemental power a Persona could wield, he still had a third he could show.
Without preamble he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the flesh of his arm. Before anyone could protest, he slammed it hard against Sona's table, feeling the skin tear as he cut it against the heavy, wooden edge. When he lifted it, all could see the ugly welt that leaked blood down his limb.
"Arisato-san!" Rias exclaimed, concern and worry etched on her features, "That was unnecessary!"
"What did you do that for!?" Issei cried out, his normal cheer forgotten at the sight of an injured friend.
It was not a question of what, but a question of why. If they still needed proof, he would give it to them the only way he knew how.
"Dia."
Orpheus rose above him, and bared its iron lyre. Mechanical fingers danced across steel strings, and in response, he could feel the Persona's power concentrating in his arm. He held up the limb for them to see and waited as the healing spell did its work. The skin reknit, closing over the gash with methodical slowness. The bruises followed, the dark pigments in his flesh fading second by second until only healthy, pink skin remained. He clenched his hand, and showed them the unblemished arm that had bled real blood not seconds ago.
He saw the stunned faces of those around him, and knew he had succeeded.
"Not a Sacred Gear," he repeated, saying every word slowly for emphasis, "Persona."
Rias had offered him peerage.
He had dismissed Orpheus and almost immediately after the red-haired devil had offered him a place by her side. He had refused. From what they had told him about peerages, it was an unattractive prospect. It almost resembled feudalism in a way, with lesser nobles supporting a higher noble or a king. Despite what they may have thought, he was not unfamiliar with the concept. The ruler gave the nobles titles and land, and in return they brought themselves and their retinues to serve in his army. It was much the same with peerages. Perhaps that was why a second name for them was dukedom.
He had no wish to be bound to a king or ruler. Rias treated her servants well, he was sure of that, but nonetheless he had no desire to serve under her. So he had refused, and shortly after he had refused, Sona had offered him peerage as well.
The look of betrayal on Rias's face when her rival proposed the exact same conditions she did mere seconds ago had almost been worth it. Almost.
He had declined Sona's offer as well, of course. With Rias, at least he knew her to some extent. Sona had been a stranger barely hours ago, and had come only to explain what they were. If he would not join Rias's peerage, then he certainly wouldn't join Sona's.
He had refused both of them politely, but somehow, he knew it would not be last time this subject was brought up.
He was proven correct when the next day Akeno and Rias met him at the academy gates wearing dazzling smiles. The sudden feeling of doom that welled up within him was only exacerbated when both girls promptly took one of his arms in theirs and forcibly guided him into the school.
He had received a fair share of death glares before when he was seen with Yukari in Gekkoukan High, and later when he was rumored to be close to Mitsuru. He had thought he was well-versed in dealing with negative attention.
Oh how wrong he was.
The amount of ominous stares he was being given as the two great beauties of the school dragged him reluctantly across the courtyard was a magnitude higher than what he thought possible. If looks could kill, he would have been dead and buried a hundred times over.
At least Thanatos had been happy. The aspect of Death reveled in all things that had to do with its calling, stares that radiated premeditated murder included. Where others would have shriveled or clamped up at the glares they were being given, the Persona that represented Death positively preened under the attention.
And that had not been the worst. Not by far. After the two had deposited him in his classroom, had promised they would be back later at lunch to retrieve him, completely ignoring the look of horror he was giving them.
It had been an interesting lesson, he was forced to admit. Who knew calculus could be so exciting with half the class's population staring daggers into his back?
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