Young Hatchlings I

The Underworld, Gremory Territory, Gremory Household.

A luxury mansion shrouded with riches, red embroidery and golden details; such was the mansion belonging to the Gremory Family. One of the key families supporting the devil conservative faction and hence, a rather peaceful lush land bereft of strife, unlike the devil supremacy territories.

Inside this mansion, a meeting was taking place, most specifically in the crimson ruin princess' room. The whole peerage was assembled as unsurprisingly, Rias Gremory was the only one that had a family to say her farewells to aside from someone else, Hyodou Issei.

This wasn't their usual supernatural club room, the boy's life had been a whirlwind ever since the catastrophe in their school took place, and for the first time, he was looking forward to something. Unlike his usual happy-go-lucky self, this time the boy was sitting on a couch with a serious expression that called for the attention of the rest of his companions.

'Why is he so serious?' They asked themselves.

Little did they know what really was in the boy's mind.

'R-Richter-sama has a huge harem filled with busty beauties, i-if he teaches me the ways of a dragon... does that mean I can really become the Harem King?!'

[...] Dgraig didn't want to comment on the matter.

"Ise, if you want I can have one of our maids escort you back just so you can say your farewells to your parents" Rias was none the wiser about her pawn's thoughts and believed he was concerned about leaving without his parents knowing what happened.

From the moment he died in the school during the fight between Annette and Ares, he was taken to the underworld and hasn't seen his parents ever since. She thought it was only fair that he spoke to them again before entering the Eternal Heaven Pearl.

With an actual concern being raised, Issei took his mind out of the harem and back into 'family', recalling his parents which he hadn't seen ever since the incident due to devils being unable to leave the underworld. They were no longer welcomed in Japan, at least until the war against the Fallen God Faction ended and he was a devil.

"Thanks buchou, t-that... I'd like to do that, frankly, it is unbelievable that I can be allowed to do this, I can't even think how many ten years are, let alone two thousand... I don't know if I am ready".

[Even if with my support you were still able to stand up in front of his pressure, partner. You surpassed his test, you're more than ready for this. Going into such a secluded space to train is an opportunity none of the previous Red Dragon Emperors ever had, in these circumstances where the supernatural world is in such disarray... we can't let it pass. The White One might be preparing himself as well for what's to come].

It was a conversation the dragon intended to have later. For now, he didn't even know who the 'White One' was.

"But how can we get him to Kuoh without being detected by the Onmyouji, Rias?" Akeno served tea to everyone present in the room and raised a point of concern for the pawn and the king.

"We have no way to do so, but I will ask Layla-onee-sama for this favour... this much she wouldn't decline".

'At least, I hope she doesn't...'

...

Having finished their tea in a sombre atmosphere filled with consideration, Rias stood up in front of her peerage with a broad smile. They seemed to sense something and raised to their feet as well, facing her.

"You all should sleep early, from tomorrow onwards and for the next few or thousands of years, our days won't be easy. I will remain as your king but you will not depend on me anymore. This training is individual, you're going to be fighting together and against the strongest individuals we have ever met. Richter-sama will be there, Grayfia-sama will be there as well, the four Nephilim-".

"Yuan-sama, Yasaka-sama and Amaterasu-sama too..." Akeno mumbled.

Rias nodded, "Even my mother will be there fighting alongside us... there is no longer a hierarchy. We're all challenged to defeat someone that is way above us, if we want to get through, the least we can do is become strong enough not to be a hindrance".

"I feel so thrilled I don't think I will be able to sleep, buchou" Kiba clenched his fist with a broad smile, thinking about Annette Andrealphus and Benneth Bune, the strongest swordswomen he had ever seen. At first, he fought against them and thought the difference was so abysmal it was insurmountable but now to know he was going to fight alongside them -against even stronger opponents- was like a dream come true.

'I don't want to be left behind! this is beyond the Excalibur... if I manage to surpass this, I will finally be free'.

Rias could more or less know what her knight was thinking and for her, it was much the same. All she could do was think about Riser, how they were in the same camp and would have to inevitably bout heads.

'This is also my chance to be free'.

Koneko's feelings were complex. She looked at herself and realised that she wasn't strong enough the way she was. The power inside her which she didn't want to touch upon seemed to shine brighter than ever, she felt it when she stood up against the Dragon's will, and even more so now.

Akeno for her part could only think with sadness how things would be different if she could go back to the past and be given this opportunity earlier, 'Perhaps then I could have saved you, okasan'.

...

"There won't be another chance for us to become stronger like this one, by the time we come out we will have to face the Fallen God Faction, there won't be a single resting day for us, but at least I know this, my beloved peerage".

"..." They all waited for her next words in suspense. Only for Rias to reveal an overwhelming truth.

"The foes we will face inside this Eternal Heaven Pearl shall be way... way more difficult than whoever we're going to face from the Fallen God Faction".

"Fighting against Richter-sama... it sounds sort of terrifying, as a vampire I can tell, he's not someone to be trifled with" Gasper stuttered.

[The boy is right, but fighting against such an opponent will also give all of you the backbone you need, trust the process] Dgraig said loudly when he felt even Issei's doubts.

"It sounds worse than fighting Nyx or even the infamous Azrael, I can't wait to see how strong I will become~" Akeno was thrilled as well, so much so that light sparks were coursing around her.

Seeing her peerage so thrilled instead of backing off, Rias smiled in pride.

"I believe in you all... we're are not worse than anyone else in there. Not worse than Sona or Sairaorg... definitely not worse than Riser!".

"Hai!"

"Let's show them what we have!".

"Hai!"

"So you all go and sleep first! then wake up tomorrow with all the energy we need to face the first day!"

"Hai!"

**

**

After departing Rias' room, the peerage members all converged in the hallways with different degrees of reactions. Thrill, a little fear, and expectations.

"It feels as if we have the expectations of the whole underworld on our shoulders".

"But at least now we have the capacity to meet those expectations, so long as we work hard and don't give up".

"Hai!"

While they conversed a lady in a beautiful white dress approached them, it was the mistress of the household.

"Venelana-sama!"

"Good work you all~ has Rias dozed off? That girl hasn't spoken to her father yet".

"No, we just finished our meeting and we're heading to our rooms" Akeno answered in everyone's stead.

"Uhm~ then have a wonderful evening. Be sure to sleep well, we're leaving for the Lucifuge Territory first thing in the morning. This is your last day of rest so be sure to rest and enjoy yourselves plentily. All the facilities of the Gremory Household are available for you. If you want to have dinner again you're free to do so, ask for the maids for whatever you want, and I mean whatever, Issei-kun~".

"Eh? Whatever? So I can ask for Takoyaki!?" The boy was utterly confused as he saw Venelana wink at him and then enter her daughter's room.

[So much for wanting to be the harem king].

"Fufufu~ there is still a long way for you to go, Issei-kun" Akeno joked and started walking towards her room together with a laughing Kiba and a stoic Koneko who didn't stop calling him a pervert.

"Eh? What did I do!?"

**

**

Venelana entered my daughter's room and found her in a position that she didn't know if it was to be expected or not. She was kneeling on the floor, hugging her knees and shivering.

"Rias".

"Okaa-sama..."

"Are you afraid?"

"Y-Yes... it is a lot of pressure".

It was then that the mother did something, instead of carrying Rias to her bed to talk, she fixed her dress and sat down next to her in the corner of the room, on the floor. Rias gasped in silence.

"A-Are you nervous as well, Okaa-sama?"

"Nervous? not, I'm afraid..."

"You are?!" Rias' eyebrows twitched, 'If you're afraid then what should I feel?'

"Of course, you're still young and not wise enough, but the higher-ups among us devils in the council know that the way we are now we have less than a ten per cent chance of winning this war. No, I'd say less than five per cent?" Venelana mumbled as if it made any difference.

Her daughter's lips shivered, she never thought the odds were so low, for her the might of the devils was great and their armies more so.

"Why? Are we that weak?"

"Not really... they're just too strong, Rias. Your brother and Ajuka are the only ones that can effectively defeat any of those gods. We have assistance from the angels and from the fallen angels. Which means that Michael and Azazel are going to assist us. Your brother is heavily injured now after what Aphrodite did. That leaves only Ajuka... him, Michael and Azazel against more than two dozen gods... the rest of us are just cannon fodder, even an Ultimate Class Devil wouldn't make a difference in this war, the fact that they are rating games and not a full-blown skirmish also means we don't have a territorial advantage, everything is reduced to the individual strength of our generals, but we don't have many generals that can contend against those gods"

"..." Rias considered her mother's words, trying to place herself in the general perspective. Rating games are played in teams, different from wars that are fought with infantry. By transforming the war into a rating game competition, Richter had given them time and had also excluded innocent devils from the immediate onslaught, but in change had given the Fallen God Faction the advantage of not having to fight in foreign territory, the duels would be fought in the underworld, but with equal ground arenas in which only the stronger would prevail.

"Do you see where we stand now?" Venelana hugged her knees and asked with a warm smile, placing her arm around her daughter's shoulder and pulling her in, sharing grievances.