DXD - The Presence

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[POV - Riser Phenex]

[Phenex Mansion - Riser's Room]

CLINK!

The sound of crystal against crystal echoed through the room as I poured another glass of crimson wine. I let the liquid dance in the glass, watching the reflections of light in the ruby ripples. I picked up the glass, brought it to my lips and...

"To my future," I toasted to no one in particular.

If there's one thing I, Riser Phenex, can boast about, it's being patient. Many call me a hedonist, lewd, lazy, womanizer... so what? I don't deny it. I do enjoy every second with my girls, with my peerage. If you lived as long as I have, you'd also seek pleasures to fill the abyss of eternity.

But another thing I'm good at, and few notice, is fulfilling my family duties. Especially arranged marriages.

FWOOOSH!

The flames danced in the fireplace, casting elongated shadows on the marble walls. I reclined on silk pillows, thoughtful.

I'm the third son. That's the cruel truth. Ruval, my older brother, is practically a god among the Phenex – Top 3 in the rating games, unparalleled warrior. My second brother built a media empire from nothing, controlling half of the Underworld's communications. My little sister Ravel? A prodigy, a mind so sharp that even the elders think twice before debating with her.

And me? Well, I am... the third son.

"Heh," I laughed bitterly, swallowing another sip.

I won't inherit anything. The mansion where I live? Phenex territory, not mine. I have permission to live here as long as my father lives. Privileges? Sure, many. Real power? None.

So when my parents secured a deal with the Gremory to marry me to the precious Rias, I knew. It was my chance. My only real chance to help my clan, to have importance.

SPLASH!

I threw the empty glass at the wall, watching the crystal shards explode into a thousand brilliant sparks. Like my patience had exploded after years of enduring the red-haired princess.

"I don't want to marry you," she said at our first meeting. Looked me straight in the eyes, without blinking, without trembling.

At first, I overlooked it. "She's just a spoiled girl," I thought. "She'll grow up, she'll understand the responsibilities."

Years passed. The same old tune. So I... changed. If she was going to treat me like trash, I would act as such. If she was going to despise me without knowing me, I would give real reasons for contempt. If she believed I was arrogant, I would be the very incarnation of presumption.

TAP-TAP-TAP!

My fingers drummed on the armchair, while bitter memories rose like bile.

Their hypocrisy got on my nerves. Lady and Lord Gremory weren't virgins when they married – nobody was back then! We were in the midst of war, devils dying at every corner. Sex was an escape valve, comfort, proof that we were still alive.

Even Sirzechs and Grayfia only married after a century of exploring the world – and more specifically, exploring each other.

But now? Now the little princess needs to maintain her "chastity." While I, the groom, can sleep with half the Underworld. What a joke! What hypocrisy!

BOOM!

A distant rumble vibrated in the air – probably some servant dropping something valuable. I ignored it. I had more important things to reflect on.

Yesterday, my parents announced: the wedding would be in a month. No more postponements, no more games. Zeoticus agreed. The date was sealed.

Which meant it was time for me to confront my runaway bride. But first, I needed to understand what I was up against.

My... investigations (calling it "espionage" is so vulgar) revealed that Rias had added a new pawn to her collection. Some boy named Issei. From what I saw, the poor fellow was being trained by Sitri along with another rookie – Saji, if I'm not mistaken.

CRACK! CRACK!

The sound of enchanted volleyballs nearly broke my eardrums when I spied on their training. The boys could barely stand, much less dodge the magical projectiles that Sona relentlessly launched.

Pathetic. This Issei had barely unlocked his Sacred Gear.

But this didn't surprise me. The new evil pieces were absurdly weaker than the old ones. Now that they reincarnated only "half-devils," the power was diluted like cheap wine in water.

And this had created another problem: a new division in demonic society. Those reincarnated before the new system, who lost their Sacred Gears, became practically useless to their masters. Many were sold, traded, or simply abandoned – their pieces removed, leaving them without purpose, without place.

Resentment was simmering in the Underworld. Certain noble clans refused to use the new system, preferring the old method that guaranteed more power. They reincarnated completely, creating fully demonic servants – without Sacred Gears, but unquestionably loyal and powerful.

With a simple move, Heaven almost initiated a civil war among us. Threw us back to the times of warring factions.

And speaking of Heaven... the news was alarming. Pure angels were beginning to emerge again, recovering the numbers from before Lucifer's Fall. If one-third of the angels fell, and now new ones were created to replace them, then the celestial faction was at full strength.

Even worse: they created the "Exorcists" – souls in paradise who chose to return to serve. Warriors of past eras, forgotten heroes, all returning with knowledge accumulated over centuries.

And the Brave Saints system, which somehow circumvented the Sacred Gear rule, allowing reincarnated angels to keep their sacred powers intact.

In summary: Heaven was ready for war. And probably capable of wiping us off the map.

"Argh!"

THROB! THROB!

A searing pain attacked my temples. Fortunately, the Phenex immortality took care of it in seconds. I took another sip of wine, letting the liquid burn my throat.

But this led me to the biggest problem of all: this Yuuki Rito.

Who the hell was that boy? What was he? My investigations showed something disturbing: he had frightened Grayfia Lucifuge. GRAYFIA. The "Strongest Queen," Sirzechs's wife, a woman who faced Maous during the civil war without blinking.

GULP!

I swallowed hard, breaking out in a cold sweat.

If this boy could scare Grayfia, what would he do to me if I became a problem? If he decided to interfere in my marriage to Rias?

TICK-TOCK. TICK-TOCK.

The clock marked the hours mercilessly, reminding me that my time was running out. I needed a plan.

I reclined in the armchair, sipping wine while ideas emerged and disappeared in my mind. Perhaps, if I could find a way to approach... an alliance of some kind?

And then, a deliciously perverse idea emerged.

What if... what if I impregnated his little sister, Mikan? Or perhaps this Asia? They would become part of the Phenex family. He would be forced to accept me, to work with me instead of against me.

I imagined the scene: me, seducing the girls, taking them to my bed... the expression of surprise and pleasure on their young faces when...

GUUUUURK!

Suddenly, something invisible grabbed my throat. The wine going down now felt like concrete, blocking my breathing. My entire body was crushed against the armchair by an inconceivable pressure.

"AAHHGK! HHHHH!"

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. My servants were nearby, but no one seemed to hear my suffering. The pressure increased, as if the universe itself was punishing me for the thought.

THIRTY. DAMN. MINUTES.

Thirty minutes choking, suffocating, feeling every cell of my body being crushed. Not even my Phenex immortality alleviated the torment – I didn't die, but I felt every second of the pain.

When it finally ended, I fell to the floor, gasping, trembling like a leaf.

"W-what the hell was that?!"

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

My heart was beating so hard it seemed to want to jump out of my chest. The realization hit me like lightning: it had been him. Yuuki Rito.

Somehow, that monster had sensed my intentions. Had punished me for merely thinking about touching the girls. From kilometers away, without magic circles, without alerts.

"Impossible," I murmured, still trying to catch my breath. "Not even Sirzechs... not even the Heavenly Dragons..."

A shiver ran down my spine. This boy, this thing, this Yuuki Rito... was something beyond my comprehension. Something that made Maous and Dragons seem like children compared to his power.

CLACK!

I stood up with difficulty, leaning on the table. My hands were still trembling.

"Rias, you idiot," I whispered to the empty air. "What mess have you gotten yourself into?"

And for the first time in a decade, I felt something I thought I had forgotten: fear. A primordial, visceral fear that not even immortality could calm.

The wedding would be in a month. But now, for the first time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go forward. Not if it meant facing that... thing.

TICK-TOCK. TICK-TOCK.

The clock continued its relentless rhythm, counting the seconds to my uncertain fate.

One month. I had one month to decide if it was worth risking my eternal existence for an arranged marriage.

One month to find a way out of this labyrinth without provoking that creature disguised as a student.

One month to rethink everything I thought I knew about power.

"Riser," I whispered to myself, "what mess have you gotten yourself into?"

[A/N: he doesn't know that in fact Grayfia got hot because of Rito's power, the demonic species, the Women of the demonic species prefer the most powerful Men.]