The Phenex Citadel stood tall against the crimson glow of the evening sky, bathed in the gentle heat of magical fire that radiated from its towering spires. Its walls shimmered with enchantments layered over generations, pulsing faintly with the heartbeat of the Phenex lineage. Tonight, it was more than a fortress. It was a monument an empire in the making, with the blood and dreams of a boy at its core.
Riser Phenex, Still fourteen, stood atop the grand staircase at the heart of the central hall. He wore a black and gold doublet adorned with phoenix feathers at the shoulders, his golden hair slicked back, eyes aglow with regal confidence. Around him, the hall sparkled floating golden orbs illuminated banners that stretched down from the high ceilings, each bearing the sigil of House Phenex a fiery bird reborn from flame.
He watched as the gates were thrown wide and guests began to arrive beneath a starlit sky woven with magic. This night wasn't about conquest or diplomacy it was about vision. A celebration of what was, and what was to come.
Later in the evening A Gathering of Nobles
Lord and Lady Phenex were the first to enter, walking arm in arm like royalty from a tale of old. Lord Phenex's eyes met Riser's with the pride of a father who saw in his son not just potential, but power. Lady Phenex's gaze, more thoughtful, drifted over the murals painted across the chamber walls. One depicted Riser standing victorious over the colossal demon boar Nago. Another, the moment Milim Nava shook his hand in the Kyoto moonlight. And another still Riser, clad in shadowed armor, lifting Rita Ignis Regum with one hand under starlight.
She smiled. "You've filled this place with legends, my son."
"And I've only just begun," Riser replied smoothly.
Sirzechs Lucifer arrived next, not with his infernal aura or mantle of Satan, but as a man an older brother. His red hair gleamed beneath the magical lights, and his expression carried the warmth of both admiration and curiosity.
Grayfia stood at his side, silver haired and poised as ever. She paused at the threshold, her sharp gaze scanning the archways and ceiling beams. "Your wards are exceptional," she noted. "Layered against teleportation, mental intrusion, and dimensional phasing. I'm impressed."
Riser offered a faint smile. "Coming from you, that's high praise. I'm told your own seals are used to guard the archives of the Gremory Vault."
"You're well informed," she murmured.
Rias Gremory entered next, Still eleven, dressed in a gown of scarlet and starlight. Her crimson hair flowed in waves down her back, her every movement poised with the grace of nobility, but her eyes gleamed with mischief the moment she spotted Riser her future husband.
"This place gets more beautiful every time I see it," she said, her voice carrying easily over the music and murmurs.
Riser stepped forward, descending the stairs with a smirk. "Well, I am royalty now. Might as well look the part."
Rias lifted her chin. "Careful, Riser. One day I might just bite you."
"I look forward to seeing it," he said, offering his a warm hug. She took it, and for a brief moment, the two stood in the warm of each other, not as nobles, not as future rivals but as something more complex. Friends. Maybe something neither of them fully understood yet.
Behind her, Akeno followed tall for her age, already regal in posture and demeanor. Her violet eyes scanned the crowd with quiet confidence. Kiba was beside her, blade at his side, giving a courteous nod to Riser. Koneko, quiet and ever watchful, stayed close to Rias, her small hands at her sides.
A Toast to the Future
The feast roared to life like wildfire.
Long tables were arranged in concentric circles around a raised dais. Roasted meat, shimmering with golden enchantments, was laid alongside grilled abyssal squid, shimmering soulfruit, and fae honeyed bread. Golden wine flowed like rivers. The taste of power and prestige lingered in every bite.
Kaijin, wearing soot stained robes despite the occasion, tore into his grilled boar while talking rapidly with Daryun about weapon compression enchantments.
"I'm telling you," Kaijin grunted, mouth full, "if we integrate a mana core into the hilt, it'll reduce the drain by half!"
Daryun nodded slowly. "But only if it doesn't overheat. You nearly blew up my forge last time."
"It was a controlled explosion."
Across the hall, Milim Nava was challenging every passing noble to an arm wrestling match.
"C'mon! One match! I'll go easy, promise!" she shouted, nearly flipping a table in her enthusiasm.
Merlin, radiant in a flowing purple gown with slits along both legs and a plunging backline, glided through the crowd like moonlight. She paused behind Riser, tracing a finger along his shoulder.
"Enjoying yourself, my king?" she purred.
Riser arched an eyebrow. "Trying to, when my court mage isn't scheming behind my back."
Her lips curved into a smirk. "Scheming? I'd never. I merely charm."
Artoria stood silently near a pillar, arms crossed, Excalibur Morgan strapped to her side. She surveyed the festivities with the eyes of a knight searching for threats, though her gaze lingered on Riser more than once. Beside her, Thalia sipped her drink with the careful discipline of a soldier, though her eyes followed every movement around Milim with exasperated suspicion.
Finally, Lord Phenex rose from the head table, goblet raised.
"A toast," he declared, voice echoing through the enchanted acoustics of the chamber. "To my son. A boy who has not only claimed victory over his foes, but has built an empire on loyalty, fire, and vision. House Phenex has always burned bright, but under Riser we shine."
Cheers erupted.
Riser stood, goblet high.
"We stand united. Kuoh is ours. Peace is ours. But I didn't build all this just to rest. I built it so we could rise."
He turned, sweeping his gaze across his peerage.
"You've stood with me through every trial. Now, we begin the next chapter. The time has come to expand not just through allies or battles, but through familiars."
murmurs rippled through the hall.
"Not pets," Riser continued. "Tools. Companions. Weapons and watchers. Every one of you will find a creature that enhances you. Grows with you. Reflects you."
Later on in The War Room a New Flame Ignited
The war room of the Citadel was aglow with magical projection arrays and flickering leyline charts. Riser stood at the center table, flanked by his peerage.
"familiar forests," Merlin said, conjuring a floating map with a flick of her wrist. "Each aligned with a different element and anchored to a leyline. We'll begin with reconnaissance in the eastern forest it borders a realm. Rare beasts wander out during celestial shifts."
Kaijin rubbed his beard. "Any chance I can find a lava bound golem?"
"Two, maybe three," Merlin replied. "But you'll have to wrestle it into submission."
Milim grinned wide. "I like the sound of that. I want a dragon. Something huge! With horns!"
"You already are a dragon," Thalia muttered.
"One can never have too many dragons," Milim quipped, winking.
Artoria studied the leyline grid. "A lion would suit my movements. Swift and deadly."
Merlin's eyes sparkled. "I know you find what you seek."
"And I" Merlin tapped her lip theatrically. "Perhaps a owl. A creature that sees through illusions."
Riser's gaze rose to the constellation map projected above them.
"I want something that soars," he said softly. "A being that can challenge the very skies. Not just a familiar a symbol."
Later that night on Balcony Beneath the Stars
long after the last toast had been made and the nobles had retired to their homes, Riser stood alone on the highest balcony of the Citadel. The wind tousled his cloak, carrying the faint scent of fire and stars.
Rias appeared beside him, her gown trailing softly behind her.
"Did you always plan this?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"No," he said. "But I knew I'd need it."
She looked at him. "You've built something real. Not just walls and towers. But hope. People believe in you."
He didn't respond right away.
"You believe in me?"
She hesitated. "More than I want to admit."
He glanced at her, and for a moment, the wind seemed to pause.
"You're going to be incredible," he said quietly. "Stronger than anyone expects."
Rias smiled faintly. "Only if I keep chasing you."
He reached for her hand. She didn't pull away.
Together, they looked out over Kuoh a city now thriving under their protection.
Above them, a Phenex soared through the constellations, its wings trailing fire.
A new chapter had begun.
And the world was watching.