Union of Orca and Wolf

"I wanna be strong. What about you?"

Marriage. To many, it was a concept filled to the brim with love, affection, and care. It was the solemn vow between two individuals to spend the rest of their lives together, a legal manifestation of their love if you will.

"I wanna see all of the ocean!"

To devils though—especially those among the pillars— marriage was a business, a manifestation of a contract between two families. Marriage didn't come from love or affection, they came from shared benefit. Emotions played a marginal role, one that was easily ignored.

"You'll do. Let's get married."

With those three sentences, a marriage—a contract— was formed between the Forneus and Purson clans. From a morality standpoint, the entire arrangement was so very corrupt that it would make even the most sinful man shudder.

The bride—Morgan Forneus— had recently lost all her close family. Her father, mother, and older brother had been killed. Officially they had died under mysterious circumstances but not even a child would believe that lie.

As the only member who would gain something from such a series of tragedies, her uncle—Gragg Forneus— was obviously the culprit. And it was because his intentions were so obvious that the engagement was happening at all.

In return for the Forneus bloodline, their vote in political affairs, wealth, and numerous other things all the Purson clan had to do was protect Morgan from her uncle. The Purson clan wasn't acting in goodwill, they were taking advantage of the tragedy that befell a literal child.

"Mhm! I look forward to living with you!"

"Same."

Shaking hands the marriage between Morgan Forneus and Noel Purson was complete. The entire event took less than five minutes and secured the Purson clan a future of prosperity and the Forneus clan a fate of subservience. The Forneus clan had fallen in all but name.

"So this is your room! It's really big!"

In five minutes they were married and in ten they were already in the room they would share. It was fast even for devils but there was no choice. The best way to protect somebody was to keep them in the center of the fortress.

"It's not just mine. We're going to share it. Will your tail be an issue?"

Despite being the bare minimum the worries Noel showed for her spread numerous butterflies in her stomach, a wide smile crossing her face. Even as a devil himself, the more human side of Noel couldn't help but show itself as a frown marred his features.

To begin with, he did not say that question out of goodwill. The Forneus clan was one of the many with an odd form. Born with the face of an angler fish—or any other ocean life for that matter— many considered them undesirable from that alone.

But the same couldn't be said for Morgan. Likely because of her diluted blood but she took on a much more humanoid form, the only trace of her heritage was the large orca's tail emerging from just above her shapely rear. It was large and surely would impede sleep for both of them. It was that selfishness that funded his question.

"Well, I do need a few things."

Shyly speaking while pressing her fingers together cutely Noel's feelings were reinforced drastically. As hurtful as it was to admit, she had aimed far too low. He wouldn't fall too far behind them— he'd even say he was above them— but those two had more benefits on paper.

"Why'd you come to us? You'd probably manage to lure in somebody like Riser Phenex or Diodora Astaroth if you wanted."

Those two were the most famous scum of the new generation with a list of fetishes that would never end and a desire for woman more than that of Zeus in his heyday. To marry either would be a fate worse than death of course—especially since one was engaged—but she didn't have many choices. It was either that or everything her family represented got taken from her.

And, by sheer looks alone she would have no issue with seducing either of them. Her black and white hair was long and extremely beautiful, her pure face inspired adoration with a glance, and her body was—like many devils— downright sinful. For a child no older than ten her body was extraordinary, so much so that perhaps only the famous Rias Gremory could rival her.

Blue tribal markings covered her skin, most noticeably her face and her sizable chest, and while her dress was somewhat odd considering its oceanic theme it was still beautiful. If a mortal were to see her, the words cute and succubus would come to mind in a heartbeat.

"Well… I liked your hair."

"Fair enough."

The snow white hair of the Purson clan was famous— nearly as much as the Gremory albeit they still fell behind— and it wouldn't be the first time a marriage was decided on it alone. It was natural, some would say.

But that was with anyone but Noel Purson. Maybe it was his intimidating aura, the frightening glint in his eyes, or maybe even his clothing but very few people approached him. Those who meet him would agree that his impression was arguably worse than even the likes of Riser.

Riser Phenex had no intention to hide his ambitions, he simply did and said whatever he pleased. He was disliked of course but he was akin to a predictable evil. Noel on the other hand was like a feral beast.

At times it may throw you a bone, it may even allow you to pet it, but it is not on the side of anyone but itself. Riser— despite all his flaws— understood the intricacies of society well but in what reality would a feral beast care for the laws or society?

"We have plenty of money so just ask me or the servants for anything you want. There should be a few ocean focused books in the study over there so you can read those too. If you've got anything else you want, I'll be in the training hall."

And with that, Noel took his leave. It was rude but he didn't particularly care. To begin with, this was a marriage of convenience, a loveless contract. It didn't matter if he left her to his own devices most of the time.

"Hey, what's your clan trait? Mine is Ingurgitate!"

But it seems that he had underestimated his betrothed. He expected her to explore, maybe relax, and probably read a few of the books he pointed out to her. What he didn't expect was for her to follow him around like a lost puppy.

"I've got the Evil Eyes of Paralyzation."

Oohing at his words with stars in her eyes she quickly ran in front of him, her intentions obvious for anyone above the age of one. The Evil Eyes of Paralyzation was a famous trait and she obviously wanted to experience it for herself.

"I'm not going to use it on you. You can watch it happen though."

Chuckling lightly as she pouted he walked past her, simply accepting her presence as an unavoidable thing. There was no point in worrying about things that don't matter when more important things could be done after all.

"So, your clan has twelve traits, right? Isn't that a lot like a personal trait then?"

"Somewhat. It's all just variations of the same trait so it's a mix of both."

The Purson clan trait was the Evil Eyes that they were famous for but there were a dozen different eyes in total. A clan trait was a trait passed down a bloodline while a personal trait was a trait awakened by a single person. 

The topic of clan traits was still highly studied to this day as one would expect. A clan trait is almost guaranteed to be awakened by a child and in the case of two parents with different clan traits only one can be awakened.

Personal traits on the other hand were just that, personal abilities built for them alone. It was said that it was lucky if you saw a single one in five hundred years. Yet, as if making up for that drawback, they were stronger than most clan traits. They were focused on a single thing and had immense prowess in that field. They were specialized abilities in short.

The Purson clan trait of Evil Eyes was one inherited absolutely and yet it had variations that would be best fit for an individual. It wasn't completely unique since clans like the Phenex existed but the Purson clan's twelve was the undisputed record. 

Most traits had one— the Bael clan being the most common example with their power of destruction— while some had two or three. Twelve was rare but it was far from overly important all things considered.

Perhaps if they could use all twelve it would be a fact worth worry but that wasn't the case. The children of Purson could only use one of the twelve eyes, a heavy limit that made something incredibly important only a curious oddity.

"So, your clan trait. How does it work?"

Making idle chatter as they walked, Noel asked a rude question. A person's trait wasn't often something you should act about. Clans like the Bael or Phenex did so only because they were long since revealed to the world, their traits common knowledge for centuries.

But that wasn't the case for most clans. Vague, most likely incorrect knowledge was all that was shared but that was it. Even the Purson clan only revealed five of their twelve eyes over the thousands of years.

"Anything I eat gets turned into pure demonic energy that is added onto my reserves permanently. Pretty cool huh?"

The million lumen smile on her face had the power to make even a beast like Noel smile although the grin on his face was much more intimidating than her own. There was no denying it, the power was good. One of the best even.

"Extremely."

Placing a hand on her head she cooed like a cat, moving into his touch without a single complaint. It was a simple power but it had more uses than most traits and the things it gave her would never vanish.

"Hehe."

Ignoring the laughing orca that was now his wife, Noel opened the large door blocking their path. The arena within was large—around one hundred meters— and resembled the Colosseum of Ancient Rome.

In the center of the arena was a muddled aged man with a thin figure, the attire of a servant, and a completely unreadable face. His hair was golden blond and slicked back while his sky blue eyes were mere skits.

"Cyrus, you ready to lose?"

"I dare not, young master. The master would hate to have to find yet another teacher for you."

Despite speaking politely and wearing a smile on his face, the demonic energy wrapped around his form was much less welcoming. The yellow flame like energy lashed out at its surroundings, its malevolence demanding respect as Morgan shrunk back.

"If you aren't ready, stand up there. This isn't a battlefield for you anyway."

Meekly nodding her head with cold sweat covering her body she retreated into the stands all around them, a barrier automatically rising from the earth to protect her. Staring each other down, demonic energy surged all throughout the arena.

"So that's the young miss? How cute."

"Don't act like a kind old man. You still stink of blood."

White energy danced around Noel's body, his energy fighting a losing battle against the yellow energy of his opponent. Retreating back into his body, silence overwhelmed the field for only a second before a golden ray of energy shot through the air like a ray of sunlight.

"It isn't kind of you to point out my flaws young master. I'm quite sensitive about my scent."

Gently scolding Noel with the ever polite smile he wore, the old man didn't even react as the attack he sent his students' way was blocked and his body was paralyzed, all his bodily functions locked besides the bare minimum.

"You're pretty stupid if you think I care."

A small barrier— roughly half a foot wide— vanished from above Noel's chest, the attack effortlessly blocked by the hexagonal construct. Raising a small staff dozens of spheres of pure white energy manifested into reality, each shooting forward faster than Morgan could see.

"How scary."

The leisurely smile masked as polite on Cyrus' face was unchanged even as the attacks rapidly approached. Mere inches away from his body the sensation vanished, an omni directional barrier surrounding him in an instant.

"Those eyes of yours are as terrifying as ever young master. But please, don't get complacent."

A loud explosion ravaged the battlefield as dust rose into the skies. Closing his eyes at the onslaught of dust a familiar warmth abruptly appeared at his back. Soaring up into the sky Noel's body broke free of the dust, his momentum ceasing only dozens of meters off the ground.

Dozens of yellow spheres rose into the sky—each radiating enough heat to be classified as a small sun— as a blur flew past in the corner of his eyes. Predicting the path of the small suns Noel ignored them, each crashing into a barrier without him even looking.

"You rely far too much on your eyes and instincts. Please, do learn from your mistakes. I may accidentally kill you at this rate."

Speaking casually to the injured Noel who dropped from the sky Cyrus had no emotions besides those plastered on his face, his face an unreadable mask. Simply by distracting him with something he believed to be Cyrus, the young Purson failed to see Cyrus approach from below.

"...!"

However, the confidence on Cyrus' face was wiped away as the already familiar sensation of immobility washed over him once more. Unable to control his demonic energy, he dropped from the sky. It wouldn't be fatal, but it would give more than enough time for another attack.

"I should say the same to you Cyrus. I'm not good at holding back."

Falling past the young heir Cyrus was shocked to see his clothes unhindered, remnants of a barrier crumbling off his apparel. Closing his eyes in resignation, Cyrus awaited his defeat at the hands of the young beast.

"Marvelous."

Smiling softly the words coming from Cyrus' mouth were devoured by the screeching winds of the magically manifested meteor falling from the sky. The method of a mage was to have a backup plan for your backup plan and Cyrus was no exception.

"Annoying geezer."

Smirking in a mix of amusement and an unwavering desire for more the blade of concentrated wind forcefully bent its shape before shooting forward. The strike effortlessly cut the massive sun that was over ten meters wide in half as numerous identical attacks swiftly followed suit until the flaming mass of magical prowess was nothing more than crimson rain.

Shooting to the side a massive wall of flame rose into the sky where Noel once stood, the brief distraction caused by the sun releasing Cyrus from his prison. Flying all throughout the field the temperature rose drastically as sweat covered Noel's form.

Throwing his arm to the side a large blade of wind struck forward, bisecting both the incoming flame in two and cutting deep into the ground. Unfortunately, Cyrus remained unharmed as he simply teleported away.

Blades of wind descended from the sky, clashing against the rising flame as smoke and ash spread across the battlefield. The two moved through the air and ground, their attacks crashing into the barrier and demolishing the field.

"What a monster you are young master. I dare say there is no youth better suited toward murder than you."

"That's rich coming from you."

A momentary reprieve began as the two caught their breath, a barrier of stone covering the left half of Cyrus' form. The Evil Eyes of Paralyzation were powerful but they were difficult to utilize correctly. Unless the opponent's entire body was in their view, the eyes would do nothing.

"I hope you grow into a wonderful murderer young master."

"Don't get sentimental geezer."

Shooting forward with a tacit understanding both targets clashed, staff and hand colliding as dozens of attacks formed all around them. There were many ways to keep the entire body from somebody's eyes but Cyrus found the best to be close combat.

Wind and flame clashed endlessly as the minutes ticked by. In that timeframe, Noel's greatest flaw revealed itself. He was young, too young. His demonic energy had no time to grow and as a result, he was losing the battle of attrition.

"It seems you've grown tired young master. Perhaps it's time for a break?"

"Don't patronize me, Cyrus. This isn't over till I win."

Perhaps it was his instincts or it may have been the feral grin on Noel's face, but Cyrus found himself incapable of stopping the grimace from crossing his face. As a devil more than five centuries of age, he had fought many people. And yet he was intimidated by a child. There was no greater honor.

"Yes, my apologies."

Taking a moment to bow deeply toward the boy Cyrus rose into position once more, flames crackling all around his body as the ground itself lit ablaze, quickly melting into a mass of pure lava.

Wind surged all around Noel's form as the two prepared themselves to clash once more, this time for perhaps the final time. Raising his staff into the air Noel gathered the turbulent winds into a single large sphere, a magic circle covering the sky as a tornado formed at his command.

Shooting forward at the same instant, the two forces of nature clashed together spreading a wave of pure destruction all around. Dust and ash rose into the sky as the fierce winds calmed and the crackle of flames died out. Tranquility alone remained.

But it was only a second later that that serenity was destroyed, the cloud of debris cut in twain as yet another blade of wind dropped from the sky like a guillotine. An explosion occurred once more, completely disintegrating the cloud and revealing the combatants.

Blood dripped from a small gash in Noel's forehead while his previously untarnished apparel had been dirtied and destroyed yet his wide grin betrayed none of the exhaustion he surely experienced. 

Cyrus was in a much better shape than Noel but his wounds were obvious. A long yet surface level wound covered the man's chest, his impeccable garments destroyed beyond repair. Yet flames danced around his wounds as they appeared to be healing.

Flashing all around the battlefield wounds grew on their forms as though their defenses were paper. The battle was fierce and the battlefield grew more unrecognizable by the second but neither paid it any mind.

Ferocious grins spread their faces as they clashed, a torrent of wind and flame marring their every step. However, their battle of fists and magic came to an end as Noel flew up into the sky once again.

A magic circle manifested into existence above him—its size eclipsing the very arena they inhabited—all while barriers blocked every strike. Demonic energy seeped from the magic circle, the unmistakable emotion of fear crossing all those who saw it.

"Try not to die Cyrus."

"Of course young master."

In reaction to the promise of Cyrus, the temperature shot into the skies as another sun was formed high above him. The two promised one another a final clash, one that would determine the fate of the battle.

"...!"

Yet that promise was broken as the earth wall shielding Cyrus from Noel's eyes was crumbled into dust. The flames above his palm immediately fizzled out of existence as Cryus was locked in place once again and the magic circle atop Noel vanished.

"Looks like even you aren't great with illusions."

Dropping down from the sky a smug grin split Noel's face as he walked toward the older man who had a face of resignation on his face. Before this face was fake— a distraction— but this time there was no backup plan. Cyrus had lost.

"How idiotic. To waste so much demonic energy on a magic circle without purpose. What a shocking turn of events."

Without special methods such as Sun Wukong's Fiery Golden Eyes, seeing the flow of energy was impossible and people of the supernatural world were forced to rely on instinct and their senses to gauge the threat of a magic circle.

It was this inability that made Cyrus miss the uselessness of the magic circle as well as the spell Noel used to destroy his cover. It was a foolish plan in which Noel abandoned all but a drop of his energy for nothing more than a fancy light show. And it was because it was foolish that it worked at all.

"I submit. You've truly bested me, young master."

"Killing is my specialty after all."

Shooting Cyrus a mocking grin the man simple stood up as he was freed from his magical restraints. Truthfully, the very idea that Noel won against a devil like Cyrus was absurd. The difference in age was often believed to be an insurmountable gap after all.

With age came experience, knowledge, and most importantly demonic energy would only grow as a devil aged. Not all devils had traits like Morgan's, their reserves could only be increased with painstaking effort over long periods of time.

With that being said, with enough talent the gap formed by age could be broken just as Noel had done. It was a concept that most devils would never accept but it was the truth. Talent could bridge any gap.

"Wow~!"

Bouncing in joy Morgan cheerfully approached the pair with stars in her eyes. She hadn't seen most of it— it would be shocking if she saw much at all really— but that didn't serve to dampen her excitement and pride.

"You're so strong! I didn't see most of it but it was amazing!"

"That he is, young miss. The young master is the most talented person I've seen in centuries."

"Really?!"

"Indeed. I would never lie to you."

Smiling politely to her the expression on Cyrus' face was once more a mask of elegance as the high of bloodshed expired. With starry eyes filled to the brim with awe Morgan looked at Noel with a newfound respect— if such a thing was even possible.

"Let's go. I've gotta get patched up."

"Oh right! See you later mister!"

Waving goodbye to the man with a wide smile Morgan's smile only grew as he waved back without a change in expression. Wandering through the halls of the Purson estate— her new home— the silence was quickly broken.

"Don't trust him too much. He's the type to kill you with a smile on his face."

It was a grim warning, one that she struggled to match with what she had seen of Cyrus. He seemed enigmatic to be sure but he didn't seem that bad. However, to anybody aware of who he was it was almost impossible to understand why he was hired at all.

"Really? He didn't seem like that to me."

"He is Cyrus Phenex, the younger brother of Lord Phenex. He acted in the Civil War where he personally destroyed his army, joined the Fleurety clan, and then killed the head when the chance arose. Do you get it now?"

From a larger perspective, the actions of Cyrus weren't actually that bad. At the cost of a modestly sized army they killed the leader of one of the largest issues in the war. That was undoubtedly a good trade.

However devils were a long life's species and they knew how to hold a grudge. His willingness to kill all his allies and then betray the people that took him in made it impossible for any devil to trust him. If it weren't for any remnant affection of Lord Phenex and the fact he made an important accomplishment in killing the Fleurety head he'd be long dead.

"It's fine! You'll protect me right?"

In her eyes was a mix of optimism and deep worry, one that made Noel hesitant to reply. He had defeated Cyrus and while it wasn't exactly easy—and neither had been trying fully— that didn't make it a simple issue. Assasination was seldom a predictable recurrence after all.

"I'd prefer it if you protected yourself."

Placing a hand on her head he made a vague reply, one that gave no answer to his sincere hope. It was an honest answer that would normally not abate her worry in the slightest yet for some reason she seemed to appreciate it, her eyes brightening just a tad.

"Okay!"

Smiling brightly she happily hummed as they walked, her previous worry was replaced as though it had never existed in the first place. The following hours were a blur of boring yet unavoidable events. 

"Your mom was nice."

"I guess so." 

The most important of those events was the meeting between Morgan and the current leaders of the Purson clan. In other words, she met Noel's parents. It had been a tense dinner—as it always was— but in the end it had turned out quite well.

Now the day had come to an end and the two found themselves in their shared room. There was more than enough room for both to do whatever they pleased without even a chance of seeing one another but the two still decided to share a single bed— it was mostly Morgan's choice though.

"Are you sure you don't want your own bed? We've got plenty."

Stripping himself of the garments covering his upper body Noel didn't pay any attention to her gasps of a mix of surprise and pity. His body was covered in scars both large and small and though he personally didn't care for them others certainly did.

"I don't want to be a bother…"

"You're going to be my wife, you'd never be a bother."

Despite the sheer inaccuracies of his words, the confidence he exuded effortlessly convinced her. It wasn't going to change anything— she'd still stay away from being a bother— but it was still pleasant to the ear.

"Hehe."

Happily giggling with her hands on her bright red cheeks Morgan dropped onto the bed, happily rolling over the large mattress that felt softer than even clouds. The Forneus clan was respectable but even they couldn't compare to the luxury of the Purson clan.

"You're going to sleep in that?"

Cocking an eyebrow at her odd choice of sleepwear Noel was more amused than anything. It was certainly unique but wearing an ocean onesie was far from the most outlandish things he'd seen or heard a devil do before.

"Mhm! Isn't it nice? Eels are so cute aren't they?"

"It's unique at least."

Crawling into bed he laid beside his betrothed without a hint of embarrassment, effortlessly getting comfortable in the soft prison of bedding. It was slightly odd considering they were sharing a bed but measures had been taken.

Originally the plan had been to get an artifact inscribed with a localized portal that would contain her tail within but Noel refused. While he wouldn't know personally, it was well known that the additional limbs of the supernatural races were no different from a normal arm or leg.

It would be the same as Noel trapping his arm in an alternate space. It was something he could grow accustomed to but there was no need to go through such an experience when more options were available.

"How is it?"

"It's perfect! I have so much space!"

Rather than some expensive artifact or overhauling their room, the pair had chosen a much simpler approach. The two would simply sleep facing one another, their bodies pressed together tightly to ensure her tail had enough room to remain on the bed.

"We'll get a new bed within two days at the latest so endure it if it's uncomfortable."

Noel's bed was big but it wasn't made for a growing boy and a girl with a tail the size of an adult devil that would only grow as they aged. Unfortunately, a bed with enough room for both to be comfortable would take quite a while since it was a custom order.

"It's not uncomfortable at all! I kind of like it!"

Without a single trace of falsehood in her eyes Morgan spoke cheerfully, a wide grin splitting her face as she unabashedly cuddled up against his chest. Noel wasn't overly tall himself but Morgan was short even for her age.

"Alright then."

For quite some time, silence reigned supreme in the room as both individuals seemingly fell asleep. However, that wasn't quite the truth. As he always was, Noel was focusing on something inside himself.

In his mindscape, a realm of mind alone where nothing but himself existed, he floated throughout the seemingly endless space. This was the space where his development truly occurred, where his true strength could finally be shown. In this space, Noel was king.

"So which eyes should I go for this time?"

Reverberating throughout the realm Noel's words would instill confusion in any Purson who heard them—if such a thing was even possible. All descendants of Purson were born with one of the twelve Evil Eyes without exception, there was no possibility to change their eyes.

But Noel was an exception. Perhaps due to his origin as a reincarnator— a person not originally born in Draconic Deus— he possessed the ability to gain any of the twelve eyes of his clan. It was a powerful ability that made him a monster in the making.

"That kid Gasper is about to die right? I guess I should go for this one then."

Making his decision quickly Noel began his practice. To gain one of the Evil Eyes he must first understand their abilities and the best way to do that was in his mindscape where the only limit was his imagination. 

Soon enough, the eyes that controlled time and the soul of an Evil God would fall into his hands and there was nothing that could stop it.

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Hey there, Express_007 here. Hope you liked the chapter.

Just a heads up, right now I plan to release 5k word chapters each week though I have no idea how this may change in the future. These little segments are here to talk about the chapter briefly and to have a spot for any questions you may have at the end so feel free to ask. 

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