Luke's consciousness returned to the chilling expanse of the void. He stood on the colossal, bone-white platform—the Chess Space. His eyes immediately darted to the Seven Keys now floating at the center. One of the golden keys—the one that had unlocked the first lock of the Golden-White Gate—was inert, no longer pulsing with light, a monument to the energy he had just violently expended. My Multi-Promotion shouldn't be regressing like this, he thought, observing the dull, lifeless metal. And why did the Voice call me that? He knew this place operated on a mind of its own, a terrible, demanding engine for his new power.
A sudden, jarring warmth dragged him back to the material world.
Luke woke up with a sharp intake of breath. He was back in his large bedroom, resting comfortably in his familiar black bed, dressed only in a white t-shirt and shorts. The air was heavy with the scent of vanilla and Riis's signature hellfire mana.
He felt something soft pressed against his left side. He widened his eyes in surprise and turned his head.
Riis was there, asleep, her crimson hair flowing across the pillow. She was naked, showcasing her gorgeous, well-developed body. Her hand was resting casually on his chest.
His gaze snapped to the right. Yuma was also beside him. Like Riis, she was asleep, her obsidian-colored hair flowing, and her well-developed naked body was pressed close.
What is happening? Luke thought, his mind racing. Why are these two here? I mean, I'm not complaining, but this is entirely unexpected.
Riis stirred first, her fierce green eyes blinking open. She stretched languidly, the movement mesmerizing. "Good morning, Luke."
Yuma woke up a second later, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand before smiling. "You slept well, Luke."
Luke swallowed, offering a nervous smile back. "G-good morning. Both of you."
Before he could process the situation or ask the twenty questions screaming in his head, the door creaked open.
His little sister, Miku, walked in, wearing her bunny onesie and holding a stuffed animal. She rubbed her eye with a fist and asked tiredly, "Big brother, are you awake?"
Luke waved nervously. "Hi, Miku."
Miku simply yawned, glanced at Riis and Yuma, and then delivered the casual, devastating line: "I see big brother has another concubine with him."
She gave them all a simple nod and ran out of the bedroom, presumably to find breakfast.
Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair. Riis and Yuma were both smiling at him, their expressions perfectly relaxed. His exhaustion was already returning, and he hadn't even made it to breakfast.
"No explanation?" Luke asked, pulling the sheet up to his chin.
Riis simply rolled her eyes, her smile possessive. "You were drained, Luke. You nearly killed yourself with that light power. You were shaking and burning." She pulled the sheet off his chest and rested her head there. "The Master always sleeps beside the Pawn when he needs core strength. You are mine."
Yuma nuzzled into his right shoulder, her voice a low, possessive murmur. "It's the Fallen Angel custom, Luke. You're my King now, and I simply can't allow my King to be weak." She ran a cold fingertip lightly over his chest. "We're keeping you warm and safe. Besides," she purred, the sound full of mischief, "we missed you."
Luke let out a long breath, a genuine smile finally replacing the nervous one. He was physically exhausted, but he was surrounded by the people he risked everything to protect.
"Alright," Luke conceded, wrapping an arm around each of them. "But I'm getting dressed before Miku comes back with a camera."
The next few minutes were a blur of comfortable chaos. Riis and Yuma, still playfully possessive, argued lightheartedly over who got to fetch Luke his clothes. Luke eventually retrieved his fourth set of Seishu Academy uniform from the closet—the grey blazer, white shirt, blue tie, and blue trousers—since the previous one had been utterly wrecked by the Lamina Mortis incident.
Riis and Yuma quickly changed as well, before the three of them headed downstairs. The smell of frying bacon and buttered toast had begun to drift up the staircase.
Luke's mother, warm and composed as ever, smiled from the open kitchen. "Good morning, my dears," she called out, already plating a massive stack of pancakes.
"Good morning," they responded in unison.
Breakfast was a quiet, domestic affair, utterly disconnected from the conceptual chaos and demonic warfare of the night before. Riis and Yuma, ever polite when necessary, genuinely thanked Luke's mother for having them. Luke focused on replenishing the thousands of calories his fight had demanded.
Soon, the three were walking down the street toward Seishu Academy.
Luke glanced at Riis. "Why aren't you taking the car today, Riis? You're usually driven to school."
Riis looped her arm through his, her smile dangerously sweet. "Oh, I just want to know my darling servant is all right, Luke. Besides, it's refreshing to walk."
Okay, Luke thought, swallowing nervously. The boys are going to hunt me down at school.
Yuma, walking on his other side, squeezed his arm teasingly. "Don't forget, Luke," she reminded him. "You promised to participate in almost all events at next month's sports festival."
Riis chuckled, her eyes sparkling with memory. "Ah, the sports festival. That was so much fun in my second year."
Oh, right, Luke thought. Me, Yuma, and Kai are second-years now. We might stick around a while until graduation. He glanced at the peaceful street. Hopefully, I don't have to deal with anything else this time.
Meanwhile, miles away, the four Knights—Valis, Snoke, Ezio, and Gale—were already deep into their first command. They moved with the silent, purposeful efficiency of independent entities, their crimson and golden-white armor shimmering through the shadows of the city's outskirts.
Led by Snoke's lethal precision and Valis's analytical genius, they were tracking the residual mana signature left by the Grigori forces. They found their first tangible sign not in a grand vault, but in a discarded burner phone, scorched at the edges with shadow essence.
Valis waved his staff, the transfiguration-white light analyzing the device. "The communication logs are wiped, Snoke. But the location data remains. Lamina's forces met here, but they were only retrieving a transit key to move the primary objective."
Snoke, nodded grimly, his features sharp and focused. "Then the objective isn't here. It's somewhere else. The scent of the fallen is heading inland, toward the old port district."
The Knights exchanged a glance, their commitment absolute. They were no longer mere projections. They had lives, and they had a command. They continued their pursuit, but their every thought was tethered to the one who had given them sentience.
We will not fail our King, they thought in unified resolve.
Luke and Yuma arrived at Seishu Academy, parting ways with Riis, who effortlessly glided into the Student Council office.
They headed to their classroom, 2-A. Ichirou and Kuze were already inside. The two friends were laughing about something near the window, a small pocket of normal human teenage life. They looked up, grinning when they saw Luke.
Luke took his seat at his desk, and Yuma, true to her possessive nature, immediately settled herself onto the empty desk right beside his. The school day began, heralded by the faint chime of the morning bell. The quiet atmosphere of the classroom was a physical relief after the chaos he'd just survived.
Riis, now in the plush Student Council office, was standing by the large window overlooking the campus. Seated calmly at the main desk was Akane, the Vice President, neatly reviewing paperwork.
Akane's demeanor was perpetually composed, masking a deep supernatural acuity.
Riis raised her hand, summoning the familiar crimson glyph. "Saibot," she said, cutting straight to the point.
The image shimmered, resolving into the strikingly handsome face of Saibot Lucifer, the Devil King. He wore a playful smirk, despite the circumstances.
"Riis," Saibot responded, his voice deep and measured. "I thought you were going to bring me a new little nephew this week, not a report about a breach. My disappointment is palpable, little sister."
Riis expertly ignored the tease. "The attack on the Headquarters has been neutralized. The 13th of the Grigori, Lamina Mortis, is sealed in the deepest containment unit. He was immobilized by the tactical application of a prototype conceptual containment field utilized by Headquarters staff. His remaining forces have been routed and are being systematically cleared."
Saibot's playful demeanor dropped slightly. His crimson eyes narrowed, looking past the glyph. "I sense the containment, but I also sense an unstable residual energy around you, Riis. Something new and profoundly paradoxical settled there. It doesn't look like your usual cleanup," he observed.
Riis maintained her composure perfectly. "The field was prototype, brother. The residual energy is just the fallout from the containment."
Saibot studied her for another moment, his smirk returning, now tinged with warning. "Very well. But understand this: what I sense here must not become what the Council knows. They would use any deviation as an excuse to seize that power." He finished with a curt, decisive nod. "Handle the clean-up and maintain the official report. I will handle the rest of the political fallout. And Riis? Don't forget your obligations. I hear you have a rather powerful servant who doesn't like to be kept waiting."
The crimson glyph vanished. Riis let out a long breath, turning to Akane.
"Was that enough to convince him, Riis-sama?" Akane asked, not looking up from the paperwork, yet her question conveyed full understanding of the risk.
Riis walked to the desk, her hand resting on the smooth wood. "It was enough for now. He knows something powerful happened, but as long as we maintain the cover of 'prototype containment field,' he won't pry into the true source for the time being. The rest of the Council will only get the sanitized report I gave him."
The school day, blessedly, was uneventful. For Luke, it was a much-needed period of mental recuperation. The questions from Ichirou and Kuze about the state of his uniform were easily dismissed, and he spent the day catching up on math equations, leaning slightly into the constant, comforting presence of Yuma beside him.
When the final bell rang, Luke, Yuma, and Riis left the school grounds together. Riis waved off her car again.
"Still want to walk with your darling servant, Master?" Luke asked, teasing her with her own possessive title.
Riis hooked her arm around his, her golden eyes sparkling. "Of course. Someone has to make sure their pawn doesn't get ambushed by any lingering threats. Besides, I enjoy the attention."
They stopped at the corner where they normally parted ways. Riis leaned in close to Luke, her voice dropping to a low, serious murmur meant only for him.
"Be ready tonight, Luke. Kyra is managing the fallout, but the Council is already making noise. Your power—that conceptual anomaly—it's too much of a risk for them to ignore. They will demand answers."
Yuma, on his other side, squeezed his arm. "Don't worry, Luke. We'll be there."
With a final, lingering look, Riis stepped away and signaled for her waiting car. Yuma followed Luke back down the road toward his house, the mundane sound of traffic and distant laughter filling the space where explosions had been only the night before.
As they walked, Luke briefly focused on his internal space. The inert gold key still sat among the seven. He was healing, but the paradox was a weight he would carry from now on.
Just as they reached his front door, a subtle, sharp pulse of demonic energy—a predetermined signal—hit his senses. He glanced at Yuma, whose face had immediately gone serious.
"That's them," Luke confirmed quietly. "The Knights are back."
The rest period was officially over.