Antares' thoughts floated in the void, like distant echoes that never reach terra firma. He was lost in an endless darkness, without forms, without light - an immensity of nothingness. It was as if he were between worlds, between life and death, suspended in the abyss of existence itself.
"Tiring days have come..." His voice was low, almost muffled by the deep silence that enveloped him, as if the universe itself were watching him.
Fragmented images began to form, small memories, like flashes that flickered before disappearing into the blackness. His thoughts were a patchwork dance, a floating consciousness trying to get back on its feet.
"After that fight, I realized... yes... my powers... are here." He muttered, as if convincing himself of this in order to make sense of it all. "The body of an ordinary demon couldn't withstand such strength... and at least... at least he couldn't have withstood that fight without drawing on all his reserves to reinforce his body."
An empty sigh escaped his throat. The pain of his wounds still throbbed in his mind, but he was already beyond it, in a place where pain didn't exist... or perhaps existed in a distorted form.
"I wonder... what the original owner would do? Run around for minutes and try to make sure Rias Gremory saved him..." He smiled bitterly, a cruel irony in his words. "Even so... the wounds were fatal. With luck, I'll survive... but until when?"
The shadow around him seemed to intensify, as if the darkness wanted to swallow him whole, offering him eternal rest... an end without struggle, without pain.
"I feel like... I'm getting closer to that power..." He murmured, as if words had the power to bring something he longed for. But the feeling of facing death was with him, a weight that was becoming part of his identity. Death now no longer seemed like a terror, but something familiar... an extension of himself.
The shadow around him enveloped him, almost as if it were trying to whisper words of surrender, an invitation to final rest. But he wouldn't give in. Not yet. His will to fight was still there, no matter how small it seemed.
"Yes... that power..." He repeated, almost in a whisper. But words had no power. He tried again, one last attempt to summon something. "Rise..." His voice sounded almost empty, an imitation of those words Ashborne had said earlier. But nothing happened. The silence that followed was even more overwhelming.
He took a deep breath in the darkness, his eyes closed. "She told me I'd have his power... but it seems it was just an illusion." Discouragement overtook him for a moment, but not enough to break him completely.
Antares allowed himself to rest, but he wouldn't give in. Darkness enveloped him, but inside him there was something that still burned, a faint flame, a resistance.
When Antares blinked, a sharp, distressing sound pierced the stillness of the room.
<... IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP, I'LL KILL YOU... IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP, I'LL CUT YOU TO PIECES!
The voice was imposing, charged with an icy fury, but something in it made Antares give an annoyed grunt.
"Ah... is it morning already?" he muttered with difficulty, his head heavy and his bones still in pain, as if the whole night had been a relentless battle. "At least I'm alive..." He let out, but the word "alive" sounded more like doubt than certainty.
With a weary movement, he reached out, tapping the object that was emitting that infernal sound, and the annoying voice ceased immediately. Antares snorted, but something made him stop immediately, his gaze wandering around.
He felt the slight breeze of a cold environment... And then, the first thing he realized: he was completely naked. The shock came in a flash, like a bucket of cold water.
He looked down, and his eyes almost popped out in surprise. No, it wasn't a nightmare. It was reality. No clothes were covering him.
"I usually sleep in my underwear, but... what the hell...?" He muttered, his mind still foggy, trying to make sense of the situation. He wasn't in the habit of sleeping naked... so what had happened during the night?
Confusion overtook his body and mind. He couldn't remember how he had gotten home. How was he here, in this state? Where were his clothes? He strained his mind, trying to recall the events, but the memory seemed like a blur, a tangle of shadows that refused to organize itself.
"That's... strange." Antares stood up slowly, his physical pain intensifying with the movement. But his mind was still more focused on the question hammering away in his brain: How did he end up here? What happened after the fight? He remembered Rias Gremory, the feeling of almost dying... but nothing else.
Still bewildered, Antares pulled at the sheets to cover himself, trying to regain control of the situation. When his eyes came into focus, a sweet, soft voice, as if from an angel, sounded.
And then, there she was. A red-haired woman, sleeping next to him. Her fire-red hair fell gracefully over the pillow, creating an almost ethereal aura around her. The soft light coming through the window seemed to highlight her skin, which was as white as snow, almost blinding as it illuminated her. She was completely naked, her skin soft and silky, so perfect that it seemed like a dream.
Antares couldn't look away, but the growing sense of unease and confusion inside him couldn't be ignored.
'This isn't going to end well...' he thought, his mind clouded, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Ise! Wake up! It's time for school!"
"Honey, is Ise still in his room?"
"Darling, his shoe is in the hallway, so he's come home. What a thing! Staying late at his friend's house! Besides, he's going to be late for school! I won't forgive that!"
Issei's parents' conversation could be heard on the second floor, in Antares' current room. This was followed by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. The footsteps gave the impression of restrained anger. It was a little different from his usual strides.
"Fuck it." Antares said and quietly picked up his underwear from the floor as if nothing was happening.
"Fuck! I won't forgive you anymore! We'll have a little talk about this!" Issei's mother's voice came like lightning.
"Mmmmm... is it dawn yet?" Rias muttered as she rubbed her eyes.
SLAM!
The door swung open violently. At the same time, Rias rose from the bed. Antares' tired eyes stared into those of his mother in this reincarnation. 'She looks nervous,' he thought
"Good morning." Rias said quietly, greeting Miki Hyoudou
Miki's eyes moved to stare at Antares in her underwear and Rias naked. Her expression simply froze. She turned her eyes to Antares, who simply ignored her, and continued picking up her clothes.
"... GET READY SOON." Speaking in a mechanical voice, she slowly closes the door.
After a short moment, the loud sound of her footsteps coming down the stairs can be heard.
"Dar-, Dar-, Dar-, Dar-, Darling!" Miki spoke
"What happened, dear? You look like you've seen a ghost. Was Ise up to some mischief this morning again?" Gorou, Issei's father said.
"Se- Se- Se- Se- Sex!!! Ise did it... With a foreigner!!!" Miki reported
"Honey? What happened?" She said, after clearly spitting out her food.
"International... Ise did it!"
"Honey, calm down."
Antares just carried on quietly putting on her clothes... 'The more underwear the better... this woman's luscious body has finished me off. He thought. Although he was trying to remain natural, the hormones of a teenager were acting brutally on his body.
"Your family is very lively in the morning." He then heard Rias move and turned, seeing her get up and walk over to the desk, completely naked... something Antares couldn't take his eyes off for a second...
Despite playing the tough guy, Antares couldn't help but let his eyes roam over every inch of Rias' naked body. He was a man, after all, and any man with blood in his veins would be impressed by such a beautifully made woman.
There was so much to admire: her delicate lips, her long white legs, her shapely ass, her full breasts with pink nipples. Every detail was perfect, every curve inviting. Antares felt his desire growing by the second.
But he had to control himself.
"You seem very interested in my body." Rias joked, a mischievous smile on her lips. She then moved a little closer and asked: "Is your body better?"
Antares looked in the mirror in the corner of the room. The scars and marks were there, on every corner of his skin - his belly, his shoulder, his hand... All evidence of the battles and pain he had faced.
"Apart from the scars, yes. Everything's fine." He replied without the slightest gratitude, his eyes now fixed on her.
"I healed you. It was a critical situation, but your body is resistant. Thanks to that, I was able to heal you in a single night. I used some of my demonic power to help you... and that was only possible because we're from the same clan." She spoke with an intense gaze.
"Naked, huh?" Antares raised an eyebrow, giving a lopsided smile. "I hope we didn't do anything... Forgetting something like that would be problematic." He joked, although her presence around him since he'd woken up was unmistakable, something he couldn't help but notice.
Rias replied with a mischievous smile. "It's all right. I'm still a virgin." She teased, a soft laugh accompanying her words.
Antares raised one eyebrow, but couldn't resist and let out a soft laugh. "You're cute."
Rias's face froze, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "F-cute?!" She stammered, surprised by his reaction.
"Yes, very cute. Even with all that body..." He paused, and the tension between them grew a little. "I get what you're like." He smiled charmingly, making her heart almost leap out of her chest.
"What's happening to my body? She thought, trying to control herself internally.
"So... we're from the same clan..." Antares muttered, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
Rias was pulled back to reality. "Y-yes, I didn't introduce myself before..." She started to speak, but was interrupted by Antares.
"Rias Gremory, a demon." He spoke before she could complete her sentence.
"B-well, yes..." She replied, almost sounding like an embarrassed little girl, which only made Antares smile more.
"I see... So, if we're from the same clan... does that mean we're married?" Antares asked, his smile becoming more devilish.
"I-I'm your master!" She stammered, trying to keep her posture, but something in her voice, her attitude, seemed to contradict her answer.
"Ah... so you're mine, huh?" Antares questioned, his smile widening as he left her confused. "S-s-i... WAIT!" she said suddenly, her mind starting to spin.
"What?" Antares said, stepping even closer to her, his mischievous eyes fixed on hers. "You said it yourself... we're from the same clan. That means we're family. And I don't remember having a sister... so either you're my wife, or we're not from the same clan."
For a moment, Rias was completely speechless, his thoughts shattered by the simple play on words. His mind felt like a whirlwind, and Antares' triumphant smile only made things even more complicated.
'I told you! I am master of myself!' He roared internally like the Proud Dragon that he is.