The rhythm of Arx Tenebris was a comfortable hum - the quiet intensity of Venelana's training sessions echoing from the lower halls, the soft scratch of Zeoticus's pen in the library, Akeno's focused lightning drills crackling in a shielded courtyard, and Koneko's near-silent movements as she practiced her forms. Revas, seventeen, observed it all with quiet contentment, the ebony chest of Evil Pieces a familiar, untouched presence in his chamber. Destiny's timing, he trusted implicitly.
Sirzechs's arrival, therefore, carried a subtle shift in the air. He appeared without fanfare, clad in simple travel robes, his crimson eyes holding a thoughtful weight as he found Revas reviewing star charts in the observatory tower.
"Little brother," Sirzechs greeted, his smile warm but layered. "Grayfia and I require a brief excursion to the Human World. A minor dimensional eddy has formed near a nexus point in the Scottish Highlands. Requires observation. Routine, but the locale is... starkly beautiful. Thought you might appreciate the perspective. A brief respite from fortress shadows."
Revas felt it instantly - not the eddy Sirzechs mentioned, but the familiar, insistent pull deep in his gut. Stronger this time, almost a physical tug eastwards. Destiny wasn't whispering; it was firmly directing his gaze towards a specific point on the vast Human World map unfurled before him. He met Sirzechs's knowing gaze. "A change of perspective is always welcome, Brother. The Highlands sound... bracing."
Akeno and Koneko, informed of the brief trip, offered nods of understanding. Akeno's eyes held a flicker of curiosity, Koneko's a silent trust. They remained behind, guardians of the home Revas would return to.
The transition deposited Sirzechs, Grayfia, and Revas onto a windswept, heather-clad moor under a brooding, grey sky. Ancient, weathered stones stood sentinel against the howling wind that carried the scent of peat, salt, and an unsettling undercurrent of ozone and iron. Grayfia immediately began scanning the energy flows, her expression impassive. Sirzechs examined a nearby standing stone covered in faded Pictish symbols.
Revas stood still, letting the biting wind whip through his crimson hair. Sirzechs's "eddies" were nowhere in his perception. The overwhelming resonance came from the *south*, down a steep, rocky gully choked with gorse and bracken. It wasn't just pain; it was a soul screaming in silent agony, bound by chains of crushing guilt and a desperate, furious refusal to yield. It felt like a knight's banner trampled in mud, yet still defiantly held aloft by sheer, agonized will.
"Grayfia," Revas said, his voice taut. "South. Down the gully. Can you feel it? Like a sword shattered but still burning."
Grayfia's icy gaze snapped southward. A fractional tightening around her eyes betrayed her focus. "A potent soul signature. Fading rapidly. Severe trauma. Profound guilt. Residual... holy energy signatures. Malignant." She glanced at Sirzechs, who gave an infinitesimal nod. "It is distinct from the eddy we came to observe, Heir Revas."
"Distinct and immediate," Revas breathed, already striding towards the treacherous slope. The pull was undeniable, a siren call of urgent need. Grayfia flowed silently after him, a glacial shadow against the bleak landscape.
They found him crumpled at the base of a jagged outcrop, partially hidden by thorny brambles. He was young, perhaps Revas's age, but broken almost beyond recognition. Fine, light blue fabric, perhaps once vestments, was shredded and stained crimson and black with burns that reeked of corrupted sanctity. Blond hair was matted with blood and dirt. Deep, charred wounds marred his torso and limbs. His breath was a wet, ragged rattle, each inhalation a battle. But his eyes... clouded with pain and encroaching darkness, burned with a fierce, unbreakable fire - the fire of a knight who refuses to abandon his post.
He jerked as their shadows fell over him, a mangled hand twitching towards a snapped sword hilt nearby. "N-No closer..." he choked, blood flecking his lips. "Won't... won't give them... the victory..."
"We are not them," Revas stated quickly, kneeling a careful distance away, his voice calm but piercing through the haze of pain. "We offer no harm. I am Revas Gremory."
The name meant nothing. The boy's gaze, blurred by pain, swept over Revas and Grayfia - a Devil heir and an ice-cold enforcer. Despair warred with the stubborn flame. "M-More... hunters? Or... scavengers?" He coughed violently. "Finish it... then. But know... I didn't... betray them. They died... for this... for my escape..." Tears of fury and anguish mixed with the blood. "Can't... die... here. Not... like this. Not... worthless..." The fire guttered, dimmed by overwhelming weakness. "Their sacrifice... must mean... something..."
Revas felt the knight's oath in the boy's words - the unbearable weight of lives given for his own, the refusal to let their gift be squandered in anonymous mud. The resonance in Revas's soul solidified into absolute conviction. This spirit, this knight, was meant for more. His thread was meant to join the Gremory tapestry.
"You will honor them," Revas commanded, his voice gaining the quiet authority of his lineage. "But not by dying here. Live. Carry their will forward. Forge a new blade with their memory as your steel."
The boy - Isaiah - the name surfaced in Revas's mind like a whispered plea from the fading soul - stared, desperate hope battling utter disbelief. "Im... possible..."
Revas didn't argue. He looked at Grayfia. "He needs the Underworld. Now. He won't survive the journey without intervention."
Grayfia assessed swiftly. "Catastrophic physical trauma. Deep-seated holy energy corruption resisting natural healing. Vital signs are crashing."
Revas met her gaze, then looked back at Isaiah, the dying knight. The moment had arrived. He stood, turning to Sirzechs, who now stood silently overlooking the scene, his expression grave but expectant.
"Brother," Revas said, his voice unwavering. "My Pieces. Now."
Sirzechs gestured. The ebony chest materialized beside Revas on the cold, wet ground. Revas knelt, his fingers brushing the cool silver inlay. Years of waiting dissolved in the face of this urgent need. He lifted the lid.
The soft, multi-hued glow of the fifteen Evil Pieces illuminated the grim scene. Revas didn't hesitate, didn't ponder strategy. His hand moved with the certainty of destiny, bypassing Pawns, Rooks, Bishops. His fingers closed around a Knight Piece. It hummed in his grasp, resonating with the essence of speed, precision, loyalty, and the noble spirit clinging to life before him. It felt perfect.
He turned back to Isaiah, whose sky-blue eyes were dimming. "Knight," Revas declared, his voice resonating with power that thrummed in the air. "Do you swear to live? To wield your life as a blade in honor of those who fell for you? To find a new purpose worthy of their sacrifice?"
The fire in Isaiah's eyes flared with a final, desperate surge, cutting through the agony. "I... SWEAR IT!" The words were a blood-flecked gasp, a knight's final vow.
"Then LIVE!" Revas commanded. He pressed the glowing Knight Pieces firmly against Isaiah's ravaged chest, directly over his faltering heart. "Become my Knight! Bind your soul to mine! Survive! Rise! Honor them with every breath!"
The Knight Piece erupted in a blaze of pure, silver-white light. It sank into Isaiah's chest, a star descending into shadow. Isaiah arched, a silent scream contorting his features as potent demonic energy, swift and purifying as a knight's charge, flooded his system. It clashed with the holy corruption, burning it away, knitting shattered bone, sealing ravaged flesh with incredible speed. The death rattle became deep, gasping breaths. Color flooded back into his pallid skin. The grievous wounds sealed into stark, livid scars that would mark his survival. When the light faded, Isaiah lay breathing steadily, unconscious but stable, his aura transformed - no longer dying human, but a reincarnated Devil Knight, humming with latent speed and power.
Revas exhaled sharply, the act of imposing his will on destiny, of wielding the Pieces for the first time, leaving him momentarily drained. He looked at his hand, then at the transformed figure - Isaiah,Knight of Revas Gremory.
Grayfia efficiently lifted the unconscious Isaiah. "Stable. The transformation is complete. Physical trauma resolved. Psychological trauma remains significant. He will require care."
Sirzechs placed a firm hand on Revas's shoulder, pride radiating from him. "The first thread woven by your own hand, little brother. And you chose the Knight perfectly. Destiny smiles."
The return to Arx Tenebris was swift. Kiba was settled into a secure healing chamber under Grayfia's meticulous care and the fortress's potent regeneration wards. Zeoticus and Venelana greeted Revas with solemn nods, acknowledging the significant step he had taken.
News traveled fast. Revas found Akeno and Koneko waiting for him in his private quarters. The atmosphere crackled, but not with welcome.
Akeno stood by the unlit hearth, her back rigid. The beautiful silver replica Queen piece hung at her throat, but her fingers were clenched tightly around it, knuckles white. Lightning flickered faintly, uncontrollably, along her fingertips. Koneko sat perched on the window seat, her small face a mask of stoic disappointment. Her golden eyes, usually so calm when observing Revas, held a hurt confusion. Her tail was completely still, wrapped tightly around her leg - a sign of deep distress.
Revas entered, the energy of the Knight piece still a faint hum in his veins. He saw their expressions, the unspoken accusation hanging heavy in the air.
"You reincarnated him," Akeno stated, her voice dangerously low, still not looking at him. "A stranger. Bleeding in the dirt. Before us." The replica Queen piece gleamed accusingly in her grip.
Koneko remained silent, but the slight tremble in her shoulders spoke volumes. She had been his shadow for years. Akeno had been his declared Queen since she was a child. Yet this unknown knight received the sacred bond first.
Revas walked towards them, his expression calm but filled with profound understanding. He stopped before Akeno. "Akeno," he said softly, reaching out to gently cover her clenched fist with his own. "Look at me."
She turned, her brown eyes blazing with a tempest of emotions - fierce loyalty warring with deep hurt and a possessive fury. "I AM your Queen! Koneko is your Rook! We have stood by you! We have bled for this family! And you... you gave your first Piece, your Knight, to a boy you found dying!"
"He was dying, Akeno," Revas replied, his voice steady and calm, a counterpoint to her storm. "His soul was fraying in that moment. Destiny demanded immediate action. There was no time for deliberation." He turned his gaze to Koneko. "Koneko, when you came to us, shattered by loss, you were safe within these walls. You needed time, space, to find your voice, to choose the name Koneko. You needed to heal before the bond could be sealed." He looked back at Akeno, his violet eyes holding hers with unwavering intensity. "And you, Akeno. When I found you, broken in the ashes, I offered you sanctuary, a home, a vow that became your shield. This," he touched the replica Queen piece beneath their joined hands, "was never just jewelry. It was the physical symbol of the oath I made to you - the promise of protection, of belonging, of being my Akeno. That bond," his voice deepened with conviction, "was forged in fire and sealed in sanctuary long before any Piece could make it official. It was unbreakable."
He took a step back, encompassing them both with his gaze. "Isaiah needed the Piece to live. To anchor his soul before it fled. His need was desperate and immediate - a life hanging by a thread. Yours," his voice softened, filled with warmth, "yours was the bond of family, already solid, already unshakeable. It needed no Piece to validate its strength. The Pieces aren't rewards, my Queen, my Rook. They are instruments of destiny, used when and where they are needed most urgently. And your destiny," he locked eyes with Akeno, "has always been to stand as the heart of my peerage, my Queen." He turned to Koneko. "And yours, Koneko, to be my unyielding foundation, my Rook. The timing of the symbol doesn't change the truth of who you are."
He walked to the ebony chest, now radiating a quiet power. He lifted the lid, the remaining Pieces glowing with eager light. His hand hovered over the Queen Piece. It pulsed with a warm, golden radiance, recognizing its sovereign. He turned to Akeno.
"Akeno Himejima," he said formally, invoking the name she had cast aside, "do you embrace your future as Queen to Revas Gremory, the heart of his peerage and the shield of his will?"
Tears welled in Akeno's eyes, the storm within her subsiding, replaced by a wave of profound love and loyalty. The hurt dissolved, leaving only the unbreakable bond. She released the replica piece. It fell to the floor with a soft, final clink, its purpose served. "I do," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion, a radiant smile breaking through. "I am your Queen."
Revas lifted the glowing Queen Piece. It flared brightly, drawn to its true bearer. He pressed it gently against Akeno's chest, directly over her heart. "Then be bound, Akeno Gremory. My Queen. Now and forever."
A warm, golden light, deep and anchoring, suffused Akeno. It wasn't just power; it was completion, a homecoming within her own soul. The Queen Piece settled, becoming a living part of her, amplifying her strength, forging an intimate, unbreakable link to Revas. She gasped, a sound of pure joy and fierce possession, the replica instantly forgotten.
Revas turned immediately to Koneko. He picked up the Rook Piece, its aura solid, immovable, enduring. "Koneko," he said, his voice gentle but resonant with certainty. "Do you embrace your path as Rook to Revas Gremory, his fortress and his unbreakable strength?"
Koneko stood, her golden eyes blazing with unwavering determination, all traces of hurt vanished. She met his gaze squarely, her small frame radiating newfound resolve. "Hai," she stated, her voice clear and strong. "I am your Rook."
Revas pressed the Rook Piece to her chest. A deep, grounding light, like polished obsidian reflecting inner fire, enveloped her. She felt her connection to Revas solidify into bedrock, her purpose as his protector magnified, her inherent strength resonating perfectly with the Piece's enduring power. She felt taller, stronger, a small but indomitable bastion. The light faded, leaving a subtle, warm hum beneath her skin.
Revas stepped back, looking at his Queen and his Rook, now formally, powerfully bound to him. The chest still held Pieces, but the core of his peerage - his sanctuary, his strength, and now his swift knight - was forged. The path destiny revealed was no longer just trusted; it was actively being walked, step by deliberate step, bond by unbreakable bond. The replica Queen lay discarded on the floor, a relic of a promise kept, now replaced by the living light within Akeno's soul.