They were devils.
As he sat in the lavishly furnished student council room, listening to their ongoing explanation, that same thought played over and over again.
It was such an unfathomable concept, such an insane suggestion that had he not experienced the strangeness of the Dark Hour and climbed the unnatural creation that was the Tower he would have thought they were lying to him.
But they were not. That much was clear. Rias had shown him her wings, manifesting bat-like pinions from her shoulders. Issei had proudly displayed his Sacred Gear, the weapons devils apparently used in their so-called Ranking Games, and regaled him with the tale of how Rias had resurrected him to be one of them. It bothered him that the boy was not disturbed by the fact that he had been forced to shed his humanity to live again, but from what choices were available to him at the time, he could hardly blame him. It was a decision that was not wrong, nor was Rias wrong for giving him a chance to make that decision.
And that was the crux of the issue. He could sense no evil among them. No sense of ill-will. That troubled him. It was not in the nature of those affiliated with the Hells to help others, humanity especially. There was a fundamental difference between what he understood of demonkind and theirs. His demons, the ones embedded deep within his psyche, were malign creatures of terrible power that forever plotted the total destruction of Heaven and the utter corruption of Man. These demons, the ones sitting in front of him, 'educating him', were not.
Angels embodied the aspects of Justice, Truth, and Valor. The Fallen were corrupted angels and their calling was Lust, Envy, and Avarice. Demons personified all that was negative about humanity, and as a result they fed on dark emotions such as Hatred, Anger, and Despair.
It had been this way since the dawn of time. It was a rule that every myth, every legend, every fable followed. His Personas were based on them, and how they looked and how they acted matched those stories. It was disconcerting to see that there was no such rule enforced here.
Or perhaps they were not demons at all.
Devils, not demons, Rias had introduced them as. Devils, the lesser evil, only devious instead of outright malicious. Only mischievous, instead of outright harmful. Tolerable, instead of outright blasphemous.
His eyes roamed around the room. Rias had brought her full peerage with her. Some he recognized. Yuuto Kiba, the most popular boy in school, his normally smiling face unusually solemn as he sat on the couch, watching him warily. Beside him was Akeno Himejima, the renowned second of Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies. She winked at him when his gaze travelled to her. He fought the sudden urge to shudder. From the short time he had seen her and Rias interact, it was clear that the beautiful girl was not nearly as elegant or refined as her fellow students believed. Some of the things she had said were down right vulgar. In the back of the room, perched on a table and her legs swinging in rhythm was Koneko Toujou. Out of all of the entire group, she was the one he knew the least about. The petite girl was almost always quiet, and like him, escaped notice quite easily. He did not recall ever speaking to her. And finally there was Issei. The pervert had positively crushed him in a hug when he entered the room and from the look in the boy's eye, he knew he had made a friend for life for what he did yesterday.
He supposed that was a good thing.
His gaze shifted. Rias and her peerage had not been the only devils in the room when he entered. His eyes flickered to Souna Shitori, Student Council President of Kuoh Academy, and a high ranking devil herself. That name had been an alias however, and she had introduced herself as Sona Sitri, heir to the Sitri Clan, and a rival of Rias, though from what he had seen that rivalry was more platonic than real. Apparently his deeds had warranted enough attention for Sona to show her hand as well, and it was she who had done the most of the talking, something he was forced to admit she was very good at. Her explanations were concise and thorough, and he did not find himself bored or wanting for information. Sona had also brought members of her peerage, but not all. Among those that loitered around the room, he recognized Tsubaki Shinra, the tall, calm girl that was Sona's right hand, standing ever vigilant by her president's side. A few others he also knew as well, not by familiarity but by name.
And they were all watching him, waiting for his response as Sona finally finished her account.
Minato: "I see"
Sona: "Do you have any questions, Arisato-san?"
Minato: "No"
Rias: "I understand it may be a little too much to take in at one time, If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, it is the least we can do in exchange for helping my peerage."
Minato: "No, it is sufficient."
They stared at him. He could see why. Yukari had always said he appeared apathetic and cold to approach. Attempting to get a rise out of him was next to impossible, not that Junpei and later Ken lacked for trying. But they misunderstood. He was not apathetic. He merely saw things in a different light.
Akeno: "My goodness, Arisato-kun, you are taking this quite well"
He frowned. How had they expected he take it? They were devils. They had shown him the evidence, and no matter how many questions he asked or how many times he denied it, they were still devils. Asking inane questions was not his way. Denying the truth was foolish. When Thanatos burst forth from Orpheus's body, he had accepted that his life would never be the same again. It was much the same now, just without the threat of imminent death from hungry Shadows.
In fact, this was almost tame compared to some of the things he had seen in the Tower.
"That's Arisato-san for you, Always cool and steady!"
Rias and Sona exchanged significant looks.
Rias: "Very well then, we have told you what we are. If you don't mind, we would like to ask you a few questions."
He nodded. He had expected this and prepared himself for the interrogation to begin.
To his surprise, the girl instead took a deep breath.
Rias: "Why have you been avoiding me!?"
Then promptly released it all at once in an impressive outburst.
He raised an eyebrow. Now that was a question he had not expected in particular. And judging from Sona's expression, neither had she.
Sona: "That question wasn't part of the list"
Rias: "Every single time I try to approach you, you find a reason to go and do something else! I've spent so many hours searching for you that it's practically become my damn hobby! And when I do find you and try to talk to you, you just nod and refuse to say anything! It's all very rude! If you don't like me at least have the decency to say it to my face!"
She finally stopped ranting when she noticed the amused looks she was being given.
Akeno: "Ara ara, I didn't know that our Buchou was infatuated with Arisato-kun."
Rias blushed and crossed her arms across her chest.
Rias: "That's not what I meant Akeno!"
Akeno: "To think that my beloved Buchou would not tell me her heart's desire, What a bad friend I must have been."
Rias chose then to say a few choice words that he had not expected could come from someone of her reputation. Eyes twinkling, Akeno retaliated and the two began to hurl abuse towards one another as old friends would often do.
Issei: "Buchou, if you wanted to talk to Arisato-san, why didn't you tell me? I sit with him nearly every lunch."
The silence was staggering.
Rias: "What you're telling me, is that you managed to somehow find him every day, while I chased him around like some dog after a stick?"
Akeno: "It must have been a very big stick"
Rias: "Not helping, Akeno, not helping, what were you two doing together then all the time? Wait! Stop! Forget I asked-"
But it was far too late. Issei's chest puffed up proudly.
Issei: "We talked about harems of course! And women! Lots of women! Breasts, legs, butts, you name it!"
Really. The boy had no shame. He was worse than Junpei, who had practically drooled when the girls had appeared wearing swimsuits at Mitsuru's resort.
Koneko: "Ah, they are both perverts then."
Now that was just being unfair. Issei had been the one who talked about harems. He had just been forced to suffer through it.
Akeno: "Is it true? Has our dear Issei-kun corrupted Arisato-san with his talk of wicked, forbidden things?"
He wasn't sure what to say to that, so he chose to say nothing at all. Apparently, Akeno took that as a yes, because a lecherous grin spread across her face.
Akeno: "If you would like, this onee-san can show you some adult things when we are alone"
The corners of his mouth twitched. Were all devils this needlessly provocative?
Issei: "Way to go, Arisato-san! Your harem route begins now!"
Oh god.
Sona: "Will all of you stop this!? We need to get to the matter at hand! We still have questions to ask."
Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief. Finally, a voice of reason.
Rias: "Exactly, like why have you ignored me for all this time?"
Or not.
Sona sighed and took off her glasses. She rubbed her eyes tiredly.
Sona: "Is it really that important, Rias?"
Rias: "Yes, you have no idea the frustration he caused me."
He honestly didn't know it affected her that much. He felt a little guilty about that. So he decided to tell them the truth.
Minato: "You remind me of someone I know."
~Flashback~
~End of Flashback~
They stared at him. They had not expected that for an answer, especially Rias, whose cheeks were flushed.
Rias: "Oh"
Akeno: "My, my, it turns out that our mysterious Arisato-kun has in his heart someone who looks like our beautiful Buchou, and whenever our brave hero looks at her he thinks of the pain that is his lost love"
She winked at him, expecting him to blush, to deny it, to laugh it off.
Instead, he gave her a neutral gaze.
Minato: "Yes."
And just like that, the mood in the room soured. Akeno actually paled. He smiled thinly. He was rather good at making things awkward.
Akeno: "Ah, I am sorry, I did not mean... I meant it as a joke... I didn't want to..."
Her apologies died miserably in her throat as he continued to stare at her.
Rias: "You have someone you love that looks like me?"
Minato: "Had"
They all winced. Except for one. Issei's mouth was wide open, and to his mild horror tears were beginning to form in the boy's eyes.
"I thought all this time that Arisato-san was not interested in harems"
The pervert clenched a trembling fist in a suitably emotional gesture
Issei: "But in reality it was because of your futile love for a single woman!"
What.
Issei: "Don't worry, Arisato-san!"
Issei actually had the gall to clasp his hands into his own
Issei: "I will help you get over this woman as a true friend should! And then we will bask in the joys of the harem together!"
Hmm. He wondered which one of his Personas still ate humans, and if they would consider a male roughly of high school age as suitable sustenance.
Issei: "Just imagine, Arisato-san, what you could do with a harem! The sea of breasts! I want to drown in their softness! I can just imagine it now! Buchou's breasts!"
To her credit, Rias managed to look dignified as her pawn began describing the myriad of things he would do to her rather bountiful assets, and judging from the resigned expressions around the room, Issei's behavior was not exactly unexpected. What was unexpected was when a brown-haired boy the same age as Issei suddenly sprung out from the side of the room that held Sona's peerage.
Saji: "Hyoudou-san! You have moved me with your love for your Buchou! I too wish to fondle my Buchou's boobs! Which is why I, Genshirou Saji, will also help Arisato-san get over his love of his former girlfriend and set him on the path of righteousness!"
He had no idea what one had to do with the other, and part of him, the sensible part, told him it was best not to ask.
Issei: "Saji-san"
Issei's voice was filled with emotion as he took his counterpart's hand.
Saji: "Hyoudou-san"
Saji returned with equal emotion and grasped Issei's wrist.
He had read about bonds of brotherhood forged from extreme circumstances, almost all of them war. The rigors of battle made companionship tighter, and those that survived alongside one another under great duress became lifelong friends. He had a hint of the same brotherhood with the members of SEES, the obstacles that faced them on the Tower forcing them to become a close-knit group. But all that paled in comparison to what he was witnessing before his eyes.
For the first time in the world's history, a bond of brotherhood was being formed not based on battle or war, but from perversity.
If he was not faintly nauseated by the whole scene, he would have been impressed.
And then the realization hit.
Oh god, there were two of them.
He must have looked significantly aggrieved because Rias suddenly coughed into her hand and instantly Kiba stood up, moving from his seat on the couch with almost inhuman grace. The older boy looked amused as he dragged Issei back with him, shaking his head ruefully at the pervert's antics. His counterpart though, did not seem to share his amusement. Tsubaki's features were set in a stern frown as she pulled a sudden taciturn Saji back towards their side of the room.
And abruptly as the commotion began, it ended, and once more the attention was solely undivided on him.
Sona: "How did you defeat the Fallen Angels?"
He had known Sona Sitri, the real Sona Sitri, for barely hours and already he was getting used to the girl's style of conversation. Always curt. Always precise. Always to the point.
"Indeed," Rias took the opportunity to press him, "Issei says you used a gun, though I am hesitant to believe that such a simple weapon was capable of downing all four of them."
The doubt was apparent in her tone.
"I saw what I saw, Arisato-san pulled out a gun, and then Raynare kicked me in the head. I didn't see anything after that."
His knew this. He had discovered Issei out cold after Metatron had done its bloody work. The boy was unconscious when the Lord of Angels had materialized, and had known nothing of what transpired between him and the Fallen. That suited him just fine. He did not mind disclosing his Personas if need be, but some of the higher ranked ones he would rather keep secret. It would be... problematic... if they were allowed to manifest without warning.
In truth, on the way here, he had considered lying to them, hiding the existence of his Personas, and making up a suitable cover story. But then again, they had been be entirely truthful with him from the start, entirely transparent, and he could at least reciprocate the gesture. That, and he knew eventually his power would be revealed, if not from saving Issei, then certainly by doing something else, and he would rather reveal it now in a controlled environment than have it exposed involuntarily in a situation out of his grasp.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and produced the Evoker, and held it up for them to see.
Issei: "That's it! That's the gun! I told you I wasn't lying!"
Rias took being wrong gracefully, and gave the Evoker's silver barrel a curious glance. That curiosity turned swiftly to shock as he put the barrel to his head.
Issei: "Wait Arisato-san-"
He pulled the trigger and instantly chilling power speared through his mind. He allowed it to gather, to reach into his psyche, calling out to the countless manifestations that were stored within.
His eyes were still on Rias. It was perhaps for that reason the Persona that chose to appear was hers.
Its lithe frame materialized from behind him, long, slender limbs draped with black cloth. Steel enclosed its chest, riveted with iron bolts, but that only served to enhance its figure. A casque of metal covered its head, slit-visored yet strangely graceful. On top of the helm, a golden crown sat, signifying the royalty the legends had proclaimed it to be. In one hand it held a rapier, the other a dagger, and it crossed both in an elegant motion across its chest, bowing to him even as the rest of its body solidified.
The silence that followed he predicted, as did the exclamations of surprise once the silence had run its course.
Saji: "What the Hell is that?"
Saji managed eloquently to put all of their thoughts into one simple question.
Minato: "Penthesilea"
Saji: "Penthe-what?"
Sona: "Penthesilea, According to human mythology, she was a queen of the Amazons, and fell in the Trojan War at the hands of Achilles. The legend is Greek, I believe. Though that it is not what I thought an Amazon would like."
He smiled. Personas took the image of what their wielders unconsciously wished them to be. Mitsuru had been young when her power awakened Penthesilea, and what she had desired first and foremost then was to protect her father from the Shadows. It was for that reason that the figure before them was clad in steel instead of robes, and bore weapons instead of rod and scepter. It had been summoned for a purpose, and its image reflected that purpose.
The thought led his mind to stray to when he first appeared on this world, when he first called for his Personas. They had answered and among his, theirs as well. He was not surprised. Igor had mentioned bonds that surpassed even Death. The ones he had with SEES certainly counted among them. He had died for them, after all. No, that did not surprise him. What had surprised him was when he first called for Orpheus and Thanatos, it had answered instead, Penthesilea, elegant form materializing in front of him and then embracing him in its ethereal arms.
Seldom was he emotional, but that particular moment was... powerful.
He wondered what Mitsuru would say when he told her that it was her Persona, not one of his own, that had answered him in his moment of weakness. Probably blush, and then chastise him for making her blush.
Kiba: "So what can it do?"
He was startled from his reminiscences by Kiba's voice. The handsome boy was gazing at the Persona with some skepticism, his eyes lingering on the two blades it held in its hands.
Saji: "It looks kind of fragile, how does it even-"
Minato: "Bufula."
Spikes of ice erupted from the wall furthest from them, coating the surface with sheets of dense hoarfrost. Rings of thorns, coiled and serpentine like the stem of a rose, contorted in meandering patterns. Jagged barbs, their chilling surface serrated liked the edge of a knife, shot up in rows across the wall's exterior. Great spines that were more spears than ice jutted out by their own, lonesome edifices surrounded by smaller structures. Together, they arranged themselves haphazardly until the entire wall was coated with irregularly shaped rime.
They stared at the scene before them, the wall crystallized entirely by ice, and then stared back at Penthesilea, silent and hovering, whose rapier was pointed to the frozen monument it had just created.
Sona: "That is... impressive"
Her face completely unperturbed, Koneko hopped lightly from where she had been sitting, and moved towards the nearest ice spike. Gingerly, she laid a hand on it, and then quickly withdrew when the chill burned her.
Koneko: "Real"
Issei: "That's really cool, Arisato-san! You didn't tell me you had a Sacred Gear inside of you too!"
Rias: "No, he didn't"
Rias said and eyed him appraisingly. The way her gaze lingered on him longer than necessary was something he did not miss.
"So you must be an elemental type then? Buchou told me about the different forms of Sacred Gears, and since you can cast ice that would have to mean your Gear is the elemental type! Isn't that awesome? We can be rivals and train one another!"
Minato: "No."
Issei halted in mid-speech and stared at him.
Issei: "Errr... what?"
Minato: "Not a Sacred Gear, Persona."
Issei: "Persona? What's that?"
Minato: "A manifestation of thought, Resolution of the mind taken form."
They stared at him in confusion.
Rias:"I know you're new to the concept of Sacred Gears, Arisato-san, but could it be that you grew up with this power and thought of it as a 'manifestation of thought' when in reality it was just the Sacred Gear revealing itself?"
Sona: "Sacred Gears that can summon are not exactly common, but they are known to exist, though for a Gear to summon a familiar that can use the elements? That's something I've never heard of. It will require research."
Issei: "Hear that, Arisato-san? You have a rare Sacred Gear in you just like me!"
He closed his eyes. Sometimes the boy's incessantly cheerful attitude really did annoy him. But he couldn't hold that against him. It was in his nature. He could no more blame him than he could blame Junpei for being obnoxious, or Akihito for being stoic.
Minato: "Your Sacred Gears can only cast one element at a time, correct? And the ones that can summon. They can only summon one type of familiar?"
Sona: "Yes"
The bespectacled girl looked at him in confusion, clearly not understanding what his questions had to do with anything.
He suspected as much. The Sacred Gears, from what they told him, were artificial creations. Personas were innately human, entirely organic. The former had limits. The latter did not.
He allowed the power that formed Penthesilea to recede back into his mind, and in response the ironclad figure that was Mitsuru's representation of the Amazon queen faded from view. He dived back into his conscience, searching for the right manifestation to call upon. He didn't need to search far. The ones he used the most, the ones he was most accustomed to, awakened to his call far easier than the ones he kept back in the recesses of his psyche. Summoning them took no more than a second of probing.
The Evoker rose again, and though he no longer required the tool to call for the Personas he used the most, he wanted to make a point. The barrel once more kissed his skin and he pulled the trigger without a second thought.
Minato: "Orpheus."
Familiar power flowed through him, cold like ice, accompanied by a sound like tinkling glass. He did not need to look back to know the summon had worked. From a flash of blue light Orpheus emerged, eyes the color of human blood gleaming from a mask of blackened metal.
Sona: "Impossible!"
Akeno: "Hmm, this one is cuter than the first one, but also a little scary."
Issei: "Did it just change gender!?"
He ignored them all and focused on the newly called Persona.
Minato: "Agilao."
Orpheus held out a hand and from its opened palm a wave of suffocating heat erupted, blasting over the heads of the assembled devils and directly into the ice Penthesilea had created. The wall immediately burst into flames, engulfed by angry, orange embers as the conjured fire ate steadily into the ice. In no time at all, the hoarfrost that coated the surface had melted, reduced to mere puddles on the floor, and even that did not last long. The heat was so intense that its lingering aftereffects evaporated what pools that managed to gather and turned them into hissing clouds of steam.
He could see the flickers of doubts in their eyes. They were wavering on what to decide, and he sympathized with them. When Mitsuru had first introduced the concept of Personas, he himself had been skeptical. The Dark Hour and subsequent forays into the Tower had quickly disabused him of any misgivings he had. But there was no Dark Hour here, and no Tower either. They had no way of seeing the Shadows for themselves or experiencing the awakening of a Persona. The things he was doing could be replicated by Sacred Gears, and naturally, they deviated to that as explanation enough.
It was human nature to fall back upon the expected to explain the unexpected. Apparently, the same held true for devil-kind.
He could not explain with words what a Persona was without them hand waving it away as another function of Sacred Gears. He could only show them, and though twice he had displayed the elemental power a Persona could wield, he still had a third he could show.
Without preamble he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the flesh of his arm. Before anyone could protest, he slammed it hard against Sona's table, feeling the skin tear as he cut it against the heavy, wooden edge. When he lifted it, all could see the ugly welt that leaked blood down his limb.
Rias: "Arisato-san! That was unnecessary!"
Issei: "What did you do that for!?"
Issei cried out, his normal cheer forgotten at the sight of an injured friend.
It was not a question of what, but a question of why. If they still needed proof, he would give it to them the only way he knew how.
Minato: "Dia."
Orpheus rose above him, and bared its iron lyre. Mechanical fingers danced across steel strings, and in response, he could feel the Persona's power concentrating in his arm. He held up the limb for them to see and waited as the healing spell did its work. The skin reknit, closing over the gash with methodical slowness. The bruises followed, the dark pigments in his flesh fading second by second until only healthy, pink skin remained. He clenched his hand, and showed them the unblemished arm that had bled real blood not seconds ago.
He saw the stunned faces of those around him, and knew he had succeeded.
Minato: "Not a Sacred Gear, Persona."
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