— Grayfia Lucifuge —
The journey back to the Underworld was quiet, but my thoughts were loud. Even for me, too loud.
Again and again, I saw that moment before my eyes – kneel.
One word. And the Phoenix heir knelt. Not from pain. Not from magic. But from pure dominance.
As soon as I arrived at the estate, I didn't head to my chambers. I went straight to him.
I reached the door of his study. No guards were stationed – he didn't need them. They knew if I came in person, it was for a reason.
I knocked twice.
"Enter," came the familiar voice.
I stepped inside. Sirzechs was sitting at his desk, documents spread out, fingers pressed to his temples. No grandeur – just how he always looked when he was truly thinking, deeply.
"Grayfia?" he looked up. "You don't often arrive unannounced."
"And yet I'm here. We need to talk. Immediately."
His expression changed. He saw it. Saw it in my eyes. He nodded and gestured to the chair opposite him.
"What's wrong? Is Rias okay?"
"Yes," I replied. "But something else happened. Something… unexpected. Possibly… significant."
I took a deep breath and began recounting the events. Every detail. How he entered. How he spoke. How the air in the room shifted. And then it came.
When I reached that scene – "Kneel." – Sirzechs stopped moving. Not even breathing. Just watching me. His brow slightly furrowed, fingers steepled beneath his chin. The exact look he wore when we first spoke about the Great War.
When I finished speaking, silence lingered.
"He… made a Phoenix kneel?" he said slowly. "With a word? No magic?"
"Yes. And it wasn't a threat. It wasn't a spell. It was… an authoritative command. As if – as if reality itself accepted his word as law for that one moment."
Sirzechs leaned back. He looked at me for a long time before speaking. "That name… Mephisto. What do we really know about him?"
"From official records? Almost nothing. A human boy, no family, highly intelligent, raised in human social care. Since enrolling at Kuoh Academy, he's lived and studied with them, observed them…"
I hesitated. "But he's not human in his presence. Nor in behavior. And if he is human… then I've misunderstood all my life what it means to be human."
Sirzechs laughed. Briefly, faintly – but without mockery. "So even you are lost for answers."
"Not lost," I corrected. "Just… curious."
Another silence. Heavier this time. I knew what he was thinking. I knew what he was weighing.
If this young man is not what he appears to be… then he might be the key. Or a threat.
But maybe… something else entirely.
"He'll train with them in the Underworld?" he asked after a moment.
"Yes. He'll personally accompany Rias and her team. Which means – you'll have a chance to see him for yourself."
He nodded. His gaze lingered briefly on a painting on the wall – an old portrait of the first council of the Four Great Kings.
"Very well. Thank you, Grayfia. Once he arrives… I want to speak with him. In person."
"You'll have the opportunity," I replied.
— POV Sirzechs Lucifer —
I remained in the study long after Grayfia left. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, the papers lay still – and yet the world around me felt different. Not brighter. Not darker. Just… the calm before something.
"Kneel," I repeated the word in my mind.
To make a Phoenix – proud, arrogant, immortal – kneel. Not with magic. Not with a strike. But with a simple word, spoken with such force… that reality bent.
That is not ordinary. That is not normal.
And if it is human… then perhaps we have missed the most important truth of all for centuries.
I stood. Walked to the window. The Underworld spread before me in silent majesty. Cities like dreamscapes, rivers of magic, a sky of rubies and nebulae.
And yet…
Somewhere in that chaos, someone may have just stepped into history – someone who was never meant to be part of our stories.
But for that very reason… they may play a role no one else ever could.