A Wizards Misadventures

~~Level Twenty Four~~

"Alright." She smiled at me and tapped the crystal. And then we were in a different place. The hooded person in the corner lowered their hands and we walked ahead.

After a while all the devils' portal corridors looked the same. Plain room, fancy corridor, maybe some art, and boom, you were in a fancy dance room or a lounge or wherever the meeting was taking place. If I were to make a portal room I'd do something fancy, draw some runes on the wall or put a fake sky above someone's head. Maybe I'd add some floating candles like Helen does for her dining hall. Gold and silks and fine carpeting were expensive but just not that unique as far as decorations go.

It at least made it easier to make my way through whoever's manor I was in. Sirzechs' probably, since Yasaka mentioned that he was hosting. Then again, Sirzechs probably owned a manor for every day of the year with how rich the Gremories were. And Satans weren't known for being poor.

I tracked down my first target quickly. I just looked for the largest crowd of people. "Sirzechs!" I smiled my fakest smile and he smiled back, the groupies around him shuffling out of the way for me.

"Abyss! Wonderful to see you again. Thank you for your help at the invasion."

"It was no issue. I was just in the neighborhood." I wanted to move on and play with Kunou already. At least I only had to attend these parties once every few weeks.

"Visiting the underworld? Well, feel free to visit anytime. And maybe let Serafall know next time. She'd love to see you. She's actually across the manor, giving a show to the kids."

"I might go see her. Thanks, Sirzechs." He nodded and returned to chatting with the groupies. I heard the word 'taxes' and 'abolishment' before I left. I didn't want to be a part of that conversation in the slightest.

The next person was going to be similarly easy to find. I sensed with my aura for a moment and looked towards the lustiest person in the room, who happened to feel like scales and raw power. Next to him was clearly Sirzechs' sister, Rias, who felt like force, erosion, and… attachment? Oh, possession. That made much more sense for a devil.

I walked closer to them before I got distracted. A short girl with white hair was raiding a table full of food and wines for sweets. I saw at least three croissants piled on a plate. She felt like a yokai and had an active aura. Touki. Observing her was the tipping factor that made me approach her.

"So you're Koneko, then." I walked up behind her and subtly pulsed my aura, pushing amusement and interest into her. The girl choked on her food and dropped her plate. I caught it with magic and floated it onto the table.

"Who… you." She glared at me.

"Me," I affirmed. "I don't suppose you've heard from Kuroka?"

"She's pregnant."

"So she has talked to you. Well, to formally introduce myself, I'm Abyss, and I suppose I'm your step-brother now. Nice to meet you."

"… Koneko." She was suspicious.

"Did I do something wrong?" My smile fell a bit.

"You use touki." She sounded agitated now.

"I call it aura, but yes. What of it?"

"Using that will kill you. It's why sis went crazy." I stared at her. That was so ridiculous that I actually sent out a probe with mind magic to make sure she wasn't crazy. She wasn't.

"I've no clue where you heard that but it's very, very wrong. Touki is the force of your soul made physical, a manifestation of it, you might say. You can't actually 'use' it any more than you can use an arm. It's always there. If you're not using it you have to be actively suppressing it."