The obsidian grandeur of Arx Tenebris felt alien, intimidating, and impossibly vast to Akeno. The air hummed with latent power, a constant reminder of the ancient lineage she now found herself part of. The journey through the dimensional gap, guided by Grayfia's frigid efficiency, had been a blur of disorientation and bone-deep exhaustion. She clung to Revas's hand like a lifeline, her eyes wide, taking in the towering spires, the shadowed halls, the servants who bowed with respectful silence, their gazes lingering on the strange, soot-stained, half-Fallen child the young heir had brought home. The weight of her loss was a crushing stone in her chest, the image of the burning house, the masked assassins, her mother's final, desperate shove into the bushes, playing on a relentless loop behind her eyes.
Revas felt her trembling. He didn't let go. He walked beside her, his small frame radiating a calm certainty that seemed to push back the oppressive shadows. "This is home now, Akeno," he said softly, his voice cutting through the intimidating silence of the grand entrance hall. "My home is yours."
Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory awaited them. Venelana, radiating the contained power of a Bael, her crimson hair like liquid fire in the dim light, stepped forward first. Her gaze, usually sharp as a honed blade, softened perceptibly as it fell upon the traumatized girl clinging to her son's hand. She didn't see a half-breed abomination; she saw a child shattered by cruelty. She knelt, bringing herself to Akeno's eye level. Her voice, when she spoke, was surprisingly gentle, a low murmur like distant thunder.
"Welcome, child," Venelana said, her crimson eyes holding Akeno's frightened brown ones. "You are safe here. No harm will reach you within these walls. Revas has claimed you for Gremory, and that claim is absolute." There was steel beneath the gentleness, a promise of retribution should anyone dare challenge it.
Zeoticus approached, his scholarly demeanor projecting a quieter strength. He offered Akeno a kind, understanding smile. "Arx Tenebris can be imposing, little one. But it is also a fortress. You will find warmth here, and safety. Revas speaks highly of your courage." He placed a reassuring hand on Revas's shoulder, pride evident in his gaze for his son's decisive action.
Akeno stared, overwhelmed. No accusations. No flinches at her heritage. Only kindness and fierce, unwavering protection. A fragile spark of something other than terror flickered within her - disbelief, perhaps, or the faintest ember of hope. She managed a tiny, shaky nod, unable to find words.
Grayfia stepped forward. "The child requires rest, nourishment, and care, Lady Venelana, Lord Zeoticus. She has endured significant trauma."
Venelana rose, her tone shifting to efficient command. "Of course. Grayfia, see to her immediate needs. The Rose Suite adjoining Revas's chambers. Find her suitable attire. Revas," she turned to her son, "stay with her. Your presence anchors her."
Revas nodded solemnly. "I will, Mother."
The Rose Suite was smaller than the main family chambers but no less opulent, decorated in deep crimsons and warm golds. Akeno flinched as servants brought steaming water for a bath and soft, unfamiliar clothes of fine silk. Revas stayed just outside the bathing chamber door, a silent, reassuring presence. Later, seated by a crackling fire in the hearth of the suite's sitting room, wrapped in a thick, soft robe, Akeno picked listlessly at the food brought to her. Revas sat opposite, eating quietly, his violet eyes watchful.
"It's... very big," Akeno whispered finally, her voice hoarse from disuse and tears.
"It is," Revas agreed. "But it's safe. The walls are strong. The wards are stronger. Grayfia is the strongest." He offered a small, encouraging smile. "And I'm here."
"Why?" The question burst out, raw and painful. "Why... why are you being so kind? After what I am? After what they said?" The words 'half-breed', 'tainted', echoed in the quiet room.
Revas put down his spoon. His gaze was steady, unwavering. "Because what they said was wrong, Akeno. What you are isn't dirty. It's just... you. Like my eyes are violet. Like Grayfia is very good at making ice. It's a part, but it's not all of you. And the part that matters - the person who sat under the cherry blossoms, who loved her mother, who is brave even when she's scared - that is who the Gremory see. That's who I brought home."
His words, simple and profound, struck a chord deep within her. He didn't dismiss her heritage; he simply refused to let it define her worth. The crushing weight of self-loathing eased, just a fraction. The tears came again, quieter this time, less of despair and more of a bewildered, tentative relief.
Adjustment was slow. The Underworld customs were strange, the scale intimidating. But Revas was her constant guide. He showed her the quieter corners of Arx Tenebris - the vast library where Zeoticus worked, filled with the scent of old parchment; the training grounds where Venelana's controlled bursts of Power of Destruction lit the shadows (Akeno flinched at first, but Revas stood calmly beside her, a shield against remembered terror); the kitchens where the scent of unfamiliar spices was warm and welcoming. He explained Devil society patiently, the peerage system, the Houses.
He also kept his promise fiercely. When a visiting vassal lord, Lord Kael of House Vepar, a known traditionalist with ties to families like the Himejima, visited, his gaze lingered on Akeno with undisguised distaste during a formal dinner.
"A... unique addition to the Gremory household, Heir Revas," Kael remarked, his voice oily. "One hopes her... particular lineage... doesn't bring complications. Tainted blood can be so... unpredictable."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Revas, seated beside Akeno, went very still. His violet eyes, usually so calm, hardened like amethyst. Before he could speak, Venelana's voice cut through the air, sharp as a whip crack, though her smile remained fixed.
"Lord Kael," she said, her tone deceptively light, "the Gremory household values strength, loyalty, and potential. Miss Akeno possesses all three in abundance. Her lineage is a matter for Gremory alone, and we find it... fascinating. Not tainted." The emphasis on the last word carried the weight of a Bael matriarch's warning. "Wouldn't you agree, Zeoticus?"
Zeoticus, who had been observing quietly, lowered his wine glass. His gaze, usually mild, turned piercing. "Indeed. Fascinating. And remarkably resilient, given the *unfortunate circumstances* of her arrival. It speaks volumes of her character, wouldn't you say, Lord Kael? Circumstances that, I understand, involved parties whose actions the Lucifer might find... deeply concerning." He let the implication hang - the Himejima's actions were now known to the highest power, and linked to Kael's associates.
Lord Kael paled visibly. "O-Of course, Lord Zeoticus. Resilient, indeed. A credit to Gremory." He quickly looked away, suddenly finding his plate fascinating.
Grayfia, standing silently near the door like a statue carved from glacial ice, hadn't moved, but her gaze fixed on Lord Kael held a promise of frozen oblivion that made him flinch. The message was clear: Insult the girl under Gremory protection, and you answer to powers far beyond your station.
Akeno had shrunk in her seat during the exchange, bracing for the familiar sting of rejection. Instead, she witnessed a wall of crimson fury rise instantly in her defense. Revas's small hand found hers under the table and gave it a firm, reassuring squeeze. The fear receded, replaced by a dawning sense of awe and fierce loyalty. They meant it. They protected her. Not just Revas, but his formidable parents, and the terrifyingly efficient Grayfia. The Gremory shield was real, and it was absolute.
Later, in the quiet of the Rose Suite, Akeno looked at Revas. "He... he called me tainted."
"And he was wrong," Revas stated, his voice firm. "And he knows it now. You saw them, Akeno. My family. They see you. Not the blood you didn't choose."
Something shifted within Akeno that night. The ember of hope fanned by Revas's kindness and solidified by his family's fierce protection ignited into a flame of determination. The self-loathing, the shame attached to her Fallen Angel blood, began to crumble under the weight of unconditional acceptance. Why cling to a heritage that brought only pain and rejection? Why define herself by the father who abandoned her and the clan that murdered her mother?
She looked at Revas, her beacon of calm joy in this strange, powerful new world. He had given her sanctuary, friendship, and a fierce sense of belonging. He had shown her a different way to be strong. He saw her, truly saw her, and found her worthy. Not despite her blood, but because of the person she was beneath it.
One afternoon, Revas found her sitting by a window overlooking a courtyard filled with dark, crystalline flowers that bloomed under the eternal twilight. She wasn't crying. Her expression was thoughtful, resolved.
"Akeno?" Revas approached quietly.
She turned to him, a new light in her brown eyes. "Revas," she said, her voice clearer, stronger than he'd ever heard it. "You called me your Queen. When you offered... your peerage."
Revas nodded. "I did. You are my Queen, Akeno. If you want to be."
Akeno took a deep breath. "I do." The words held finality. "This... this is my life now. My family. My future." She looked down at her hands, then back up, meeting his violet gaze with fierce intensity. "I reject it, Revas. I reject the past. I reject my father. I reject the Fallen Angel blood they hated me for. It brought me nothing but sorrow. It took everything." Her voice wavered slightly but held firm. "I choose this. I choose Gremory. I choose..." She paused, a small, genuine smile touching her lips for the first time since the shrine. "...I choose being your Queen."
It was a declaration of self. A shedding of the skin of victimhood and shame. She wasn't denying her biology; she was refusing to let it dictate her value or her destiny. She was embracing the identity offered to her - not as a tainted half-breed, but as Akeno, Queen to Revas Gremory, member of the Gremory household.
Revas's answering smile was like sunlight breaking through the Underworld's gloom. He didn't say anything profound. He simply held out his hand. "Welcome home, Akeno. Properly."
She placed her hand in his, the grip no longer trembling with fear, but firm with newfound purpose. The path ahead was still shadowed by grief, but it was no longer a path walked alone in terror. She had a crimson sanctuary, a fearsome family, and a young master whose calm presence and unwavering belief were her anchors. She was Akeno Himejimma. And she would learn to wield the power simmering within her - not as a curse, but as a shield for her new family, and a weapon in service of the boy who had been her beacon in the darkest night. The Queen had claimed her throne, forged not in ambition, but in sanctuary and a vow of loyalty stronger than blood.