8

The next day, I woke to the sound of giggling. I groaned, opening my eyes to see… Shirone kissing a blushing Gil full on the lips. I sighed, closing my eyes. 'It's too early for this shit.'

Unfortunately, Ruby didn't seem too inclined to let me sleep. {Good morning, love. I seem to have discovered that one of our bondmates has multiple Sins.}

'…Damn it, now I'm curious.' I sighed quietly, then grudgingly sent {All right, I'll bite. What do you mean?}

I could feel Ruby smirking. {The little bird takes Pride in being your Piece. The King takes Pride in your strength, and in that she was able to fight you as equals. It's a byproduct of Gilgamesh's Pride as a King. She would never consider having another friend except Enkidu… but you're a lover worthy of a King, no?}

I sighed. 'Yeah, that makes sense.' {…And the kiss?}

{Shirone's pointing that it's possible to have more than one lover. We feel everything you feel, you know, and it's impossible to ignore your growing affection for us. It doesn't help that your Greed combined with your Distortion makes you place our personal values above your own.}

I groaned. {Yeah, yeah, you think I like hoarding princesses or whatever. I know. I'm really just in it for the snuggles. And why would Shirone be interested in girls?}

{First, I'm pretty sure she was bi to begin with. Second, your influence made her notice me as more than just another girl, and one thing led to another. She's decided to kiss every girl in your harem at least once.}

{Including you?}

She flushed. {The first morning, after you Claimed me. You left to get dressed, and Shirone got curious why anyone would want multiple lovers. I explained how it worked in the Dragon culture, and how the more powerful Dragons were known to Claim many Mates to satisfy their urges.}

She paused, her blush deepening. {…And how the Claimed party has been known to… experiment… with other members of the same gender. After that, she decided to try kissing me to see if she felt anything.}

I sighed. {So, if you had Claimed me…}

{I-if I had been the one to Claim you, t-then y-you would start to notice guys.} Ruby stuttered, now resembling her namesake.

Shirone finally broke off the kiss, radiating satisfaction over the link. Gil seems to be pure embarrassment at this point… and if I remember Ravel's Canon personality correctly… "Y-y-you mongrel! You dare besmirch me with your lips? I, the King of Heroes? K-know your place, knave!"

I blinked. That… was not what I expected. I opened my mouth to comment, but Shirone cut me off. "You enjoyed it!" She crowed, looking remarkably pleased with herself.

"A-as if I would enjoy such a sub-par kiss!" She spluttered, bright red. 'Aaand there's the tsundere I was waiting for.'

Shirone pouted, turning to Ruby. "Does this mean I don't get another one?"

Ruby sighed. "Ask Millicas."

She turned to me, eyes glistening. "Can you please tell her to let me kiss her?"

I grimaced, before remembering a little fact about Gilgamesh that had caused her to become friends with Enkidu in the first place. "She loves a good competition. Try challenging her to a game."

Ruby smiled. "Winner gets to demand something of the loser?"

I nodded. Gil grinned. "Very well. If I win, you must not bother me again… a-and you must acknowledge me as Millicas-sama's First Wife."

Shirone gave the tiniest of smirks. "If I win, I can do anything I want with you, whenever I want. And, I get to choose the design of your new Guardian configuration."

Gil twitched, but didn't back down. I doubted her Pride as King would let her. She stood and tossed her straight, blonde hair over her shoulder. "V-very well. Choose the competition, mongrel, so that I can prove myself superior!"

Her opponent held out a Geas Scroll. "Sign." Gil did so without question.

Shirone's smirk intensified. "All right. We'll do something simple. So simple even a 'mongrel' like me can do it."

Gil nodded imperiously. "Very well. Speak."

Shirone held up her arm. "Arm-wrestling. No restrictions."

Gil, not knowing of the Nekoshou's strength, immediately agreed.

'But my desk…'

I winced. 'My poor, poor desk…'

The girls went over to my desk, positioning themselves for the 'epic showdown'. They turned to me, waiting for something. I sighed. "Begin."

The two immediately began straining, pushing themselves to the limit. Shirone with her )Rook( strength, and Gil with her Servant Parameters. They were about evenly matched, until Shirone started using Touki. Gil, not expecting the sudden increase in strength, had her hand slammed against the desk in less than a second.

Seeing the pile of kindling my desk I had become, I said my prayers to the desk gods. 'Rest in peace, my faithful desk. You will be remembered.'

Ruby snorted. {Look on the bright side. Now you can guilt snuggles out of Shirone.}

I perked up. I was prevented from replying by Shirone swiveling to face me. "She'll be having a slave collar. A thick golden one, complete with a chain and obedience runes."

I choked on my own spit. "E-excuse me!" Gil exclaimed, "What?"

Shirone smirked. "Your new Guardian configuration. It's going to be a slave collar."

"I never agreed to make that." I said flatly, ignoring my Greed for the moment.

Gil coughed, flushing a brilliant red. "V-very well. Let it not be said that the King does not uphold her vows."

"Is anyone listening to me?" I asked rhetorically. "There's no way I'm making something like that. I don't even know how you managed to convince me to make those." I pointed to their configurations, a red choker for Ruby and an honest-to-Satan pet collar for Shirone.

Shirone turned to me, smirking. "If you don't, we'll revoke snuggle time." Ruby nodded in amused agreement.

I froze. 'Now I remember. That's how they got me last time, too. Damn it.' I sighed. "Fine. I'll do it. But remember, I'm only doing this because Gil is okay with it."

Ruby smiled softly. "We know. You would never make us do anything that we don't want to, unless it's for our own good."

I smiled back at her, before sighing again and turning to Gil and eyeing her torn 'orphan' garb. "All right. Since I'm using Denial anyway, I might as well make you some new clothes. What do you want?"

She looked confused. "Denial? What's that?"

I blinked in surprise. 'That's right, I haven't explained how I got my Distortion, yet.' I smirked. "Oh, nothing. Just the Creation branch of the First Sorcery."

She froze. "Bullshit."

Ruby snickered. "Kingly bullshit?"

I shot the little Dragon a look, and explained. "No, I actually did master the First Sorcery. I just can't use it easily, or often."

Gil unconsciously checked the link, verifying my sincerity. She blinked, then sighed, her forehead creasing in thought. "I do not feel comfortable dressing like Gilgamesh, so I will wear…"

She sent me a memory of Ravel wearing her typical garb, a light purple dress with dark purple accents and a blue bow at the front. At the back, three feather-like extensions mimicking a bird's tail protruded from the dress.

I nodded. "Got it. Now, stay still."

I closed my eyes and connected to the Dream. Turning to Creation, I recalled how I had first seen and understood it, all those years ago. I took a deep breath, creating the necessary blueprints for the dress and the… slave collar.

I grimaced. Forming the gems, I encoded half with the spell matrices, and stuffed the other half with enough raw mana to power the spells. I connected them into a circle the size of Gil's neck and covered them with a thick ring of gold. I made sure to inscribe the inside of the ring with comfort runes and adjustment runes that would allow the collar to grow with her, so as to not choke her.

And now for the embarrassing part. Shirone had asked for the collar to have 'a chain and obedience runes', so I would deliver. I thought for a moment, before finally deciding to use Fate's Command Spells as the base, so the collar would actually have some function besides embarrassment.

I formed three links of a chain on the front of the collar, and encoded one each to Ruby, Shirone, and myself. I then created golden chain bracelets with links of the same size and shape as the ones on the collar, to act as the 'Command Seals'. The only difference was that these would allow you to Command as many times as you had mana to support.

After a moment of thought, I made sure that I could veto any Commands given, in case one of the girls went too far.

Then, with the structures in mind, I pushed them into reality, Denying that there was Nothing and substituting Something. I heard Gil squeak in embarrassment, and opened my eyes to see her clutching the golden collar on her neck.

The collar was engraved with an elaborate labyrinthine design of black lines that snaked around the entire thing. I had based the design off of the lines on Ea, and they would glow red when one of us Commanded her. I had also made sure that the collar could be hidden at a word.

I sighed and began to explain. "That collar is based off of Command Spells. It allows for absolute Commands, even at the expense of the laws of reality."

I raised my Command bracelet, pulling back the sleeve of my heavy white cloak. I intoned, "By order of Command Seal, appear by my side!"

The black lines on the collar glowed red, and she vanished. An instant later, she appeared by my left arm in a flash of golden light. I adopted a serious look, staring my bondmates each in the eyes for a few seconds.

"This is NOT a toy, do you hear me? This is a dangerous magical device that is coded only to us, and with very good reason. This collar could be used to Command her to end her own life, and she would be forced to do so. You must both promise me that you will never Command Gil to do something that she wouldn't normally do, barring unique circumstances."

Both of my girls nodded solemnly. Seeing this, I became cheerful once more. "Good! Now, let's get ready for breakfast!"

I turned and left for the bathroom. Thankfully, Ruby noticed that I was headed in the wrong way and caught me, turning me the other direction. I managed to get to the (men's) bathroom without incident, and did my daily ritual of getting ready for the day, brushing my teeth and washing my multicolored hair.

As I did, I began to think.

'The way I see it, there are several possibilities.

First, Galeili might've been acting on his own. Believe it or not, this was the most positive option. If Kobabiel was only interested in the 'Excaliburs', then I didn't have to worry. Issei solved this issue without casualty.

The second is assuming that the Fallen are the ones who are behind this. Assuming that the Fallen had ulterior motives for helping Galeli, they quite possibly delivered that Piece to Kokabiel, who handed it to Azazel. The Fallen are the smallest Faction, especially since the Angels are creating the Brave Saints. Azazel would have little problem justifying the means used, especially after he had the Piece in hand. There's a chance that he would choose the more noble option and alert Sirzechs, but I doubt it.

Finally, the church isn't as innocent as it claimed to be in Canon. After all, the Brave Saints had to come from somewhere, and I doubt that Michael would hesitate if given the chance to expand heaven's ranks. Especially if he wasn't told how the Piece was obtained. Speculation varies on how well he got along with Sirzechs, but he could range from full knowledge of the Piece to being completely oblivious.'

I returned to reality and frowned. Due to having forgotten to change before bed last night (this morning?) I was still in my day clothes. I straightened out the wrinkles as best I could, then returned to my room.

I opened the door, only to see Shirone kissing Gil again. I sighed. "Try not to do that in front of my family."

A vibrantly blushing Gil pulled away from the Nekoshou, and coughed into her hand. "Ahem. A-after due consideration, I have come to a conclusion. If I am to appear before your family as your Claimed, I must do so properly, so as to not shame you. It is my duty as King to teach you how to properly appear, especially if I am to become your lover."

I snorted. "You… don't know who my family is, do you?"

She nodded. "You are Millicas Gremory, are you not? I assume you are a branch member of the Gremory family in low standing, or at least judging by your secondhand items and clothes."

Ruby and Shirone deadpanned at me. "What?" I whined, "There's no way I'm living in one of those echo chambers, and if I asked Mother for a lamp, she's probably buy me some millennia-old masterpiece I'm terrified to touch lest I break it. I'll keep my stuff, thanks."

Gil just looked confused. "Am I missing something?"

I smirked. "Just wait. You'll get the joke eventually. Now, how would you like to be presented?"

She frowned. "Call me Ravel Phenex. If you explain the circumstances in which I was captured, as well as how you used logic to pinpoint my location, we could—"

"I'm gonna have to stop you there. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a guy who got lost." I interrupted, raising a hand to halt her words.

She looked irritated. "What do you mean, you don't know what I'm talking about? You just spent the past five minutes thinking about it!"

I shrugged. "My Dad lost track of me, so I got lost, and just so happened to find where you were. Right, Gil?"

She blinked. "I see. How unfortunate. I take it you are quite talented at 'getting lost'?"

I nodded. "All of my Peerage members so far have been found by me when I 'got lost'. Sometimes I even wind up in the middle of an active battlefield when I 'get lost'."

She smiled. "Of course. So, you got lost, found me in some strange building, somehow resurrected me with no knowledge of my heritage, and wandered back home?"

I smiled. "I'm glad you remember." Walking over to the circle, I extended my elbow to Gil. "Well, we might as well."

She gracefully walked over and wound one arm through crook of my elbow, ballroom style. Shirone jumped onto my shoulders, her legs dangling in front of my chest. Ruby just grabbed my right hand, giggling.

I activated the circle.

We arrived at the dining hall, and I quickly scanned the room. Fortunately, it was just my parents this time. I walked over to where my father sat and presented my newest Claim.

"Hey, Dad, look! I got lost again last night, and got a new )Knight(!"

He lowered the newspaper to look up. He promptly dropped the paper after recognizing 'Ravel'. "Where did you find her?!" He demanded, rushing over to check her for injuries.

I shrugged. "Some island in the Pacific. I found her on this cross thingie and when I took her down, she looked dead. I thought she might need a bit of a boost for the Evil Piece to work, so I poured mana into it until it glowed."

My father looked confused. "You used a Piece on her? A )Knight(? But that's not possible." He blinked. "Unless… that cross that she was on, was it under moonlight?"

I nodded dumbly. "A full moon. Why?"

He stood up from his impromptu inspection. "I need to make some calls. I'll be back later tonight. Would you mind talking to some friends of mine about how you revived her? This could be important."

I smiled. 'Jackpot. Now I get a free trip to meet people I can cackle evilly with.' "Sure, Dad! Just as long as I can keep her, I'm fine!"

He winced. "Actually… her name is Ravel Phenex, and she has a family to get back to."

I gasped. "She's Riser's sister! Does that mean that Riser and I will be brothers if I marry her?"

My father froze. "…Yes?"

I cheered. From my shoulders, Shirone had to hold in laughter. {Her face!} She choked, {She's blushing brighter than Ruby during the Condom Incident!}

{Sh-shut up! I-it's not my fault this Fool keeps talking about marriage, and 'keeping me'!} Gil squeaked adorably.

{We do not talk about the Condom Incident.} Ruby growled, less adorably.

I just ignored them, watching as my father made a 'strategic retreat', so as to not have to explain why it would be a bad idea to marry 'Ravel'. I smirked as my mother followed Dad out of the room for reasons I had no desire to discover. Now, we were all alone. I turned to the still-blushing Gil, asking her "Would you like to eat here, or in my room?"

She coughed. "I-I can eat anywhere. I'm not too picky. Just as long as the food is the finest you can offer."

I sighed in relief. 'Thank Satan she's more like Ravel in that way. I hate overly fancy shit.'

Out loud, I said, "In my room, then."

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a platter of pastries, before walking back to the magic circle, where Ruby was waiting. I stepped onto the circle and fed it a pulse of mana, sending us back to my room.

Once there, I set the pastries on my bed and grabbed a Danish, munching happily. Shirone got down from my shoulders and grabbed a Danish as well, handing a jelly doughnut to Ruby. Gil grabbed a glazed doughnut and began eating.

Once we were finished, I began to explain my plan. "All right, so the only allies we have as of right now are under ten years old. While Thought Acceleration and special circumstances have made us mentally triple our age, the fact remains that no one listens to us. You'd have to be batshit crazy to listen to a bunch of little kids when they tell you that the world is ending…"

"…So, we find someone who's batshit crazy." Ruby finished, catching on.

I grinned. "Exactly. In this case, Ajuka Beelzebub and possibly Azazel. We have three options when we go to them. First, we can explain to them how we've been training in secret, and show them what we can do. Second, we could appear in disguise and offer to work with them. Third, we could offer to work for them and then show them our disguises."

Gil looked confused. "Why would they care about our disguises?"

I pointed to Ruby. "She disguises herself as 'Ddraig's human form'." I pointed to Shirone. "She disguises herself as a full-grown Nekoshou." I pointed at Gil. "You disguise yourself as Gilgamesh of Uruk, who's still alive because she found eternal youth."

"And you?" Gil asked.

Ruby began to grin. "Yeah, Millicas, who will you be?"

I froze, glaring at Ruby. "He does not exist."

Gil just looked even more confused. "Who doesn't exist?"

"No one." I replied quickly.

Shirone began smirking. "Oh? Will we have to tell her, then, Master?"

I winced. "No. Please. He's dead to me."

Gil sighed. "Just tell me, already."

"…I'm… The Red Man." I admitted grudgingly.

She blinked. "What? You are?"

I nodded grudgingly. She gaped for a moment, and then burst into giggles. I sighed, waiting for the inevitable mocking.

"Y-you actually punched Falbium Asmodeus in the face for being too lazy!" She said through peals of laughter, "And stole Serafall Leviathan out from under the noses of the Old Satan Faction! A-and t-then—" She stopped talking as the giggles intensified.

"'I AM NOT A GOD, JUST A MAN TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD!'" Ruby shouted, laughing.

I groaned. "Stop…"

Shirone smirked. "'I am not a crook!'"

"In my defense, I did just get done accidentally breaking half a million dollars' worth of glass windows." I pointed out, sighing.

"You drop-kicked Tannin the Dragon King through a mountain!" Ruby called through giggles.

"WELL HE FUCKING DESERVED IT!" I shouted in irritation.

After the giggles died down, my girls considered the options. Finally, Gil spoke up. "I think we should do a reverse option three. We shall walk in with our disguises, introduce ourselves, and then drop them. By allowing them to see our power before our weakness, we'll be 'putting our best foot forward', as they say."

I nodded slowly. "That would make sense… but we'd need more than just our group. I'd like at least eight people, minimum. We could recruit Issei and Riser, but they should stay in disguise and wear masks. If this goes south, we don't want to drag their families in, too."

Shirone looked mildly confused. "Aren't the bird and the pervert already in disguises? You showed them how to cast illusions in order to hide the results of their training, remember?"

I nodded. "Issei makes himself look like a skinny brunette, and Riser makes himself look like a sleazy blonde playboy. In their case, their real faces are their disguises. They just drop their normal disguises, make themselves look older, and presto! Instant disguise."

She nodded in understanding. "Like I'm doing."

Ruby interrupted. "Wait, what does 'Ddraig's human form' even look like? I never bothered with one before."

Gil sighed. "Can someone please explain what she means by 'I' and 'before'?"

I sighed and sent her the relevant memories. As I did so, Shirone spoke up. "Try looking like this." She sent an image of a woman with large breasts and a curvy figure. She had long, bright red hair, and green eyes with slitted pupils. Her ears were large, pointy and scaled, and she had fangs poking out from her smile. Her cheeks had small scales on them, and she wore a yellow 'D' clip on each side of her head.

I winced. 'She must've found her in my memories.' "Are you trying to get Azazel killed? He'd perv on her in a heartbeat."

Shirone grinned. "Not if her big, scary Dragon fiancé is there to keep him away."

My grin mirrored hers as Ruby began to blush. "I see. And I take it you'd like to have her 'big, scary Dragon fiancé' cop a feel himself, just so that you can feel it through the bond?"

She nodded. "I would indeed."

I leaned over and whispered, "I'll do it… but only if the fiancé has a pet cat, too." I sent an image of a young woman with blue eyes and straight silver hair that went well past her waist. She was clad in silver armor, and wore a purple-striped dress underneath. The image also featured the pet collar that I had made for Shirone, with a purple leash fastened to the clip.

Shirone promptly turned a bright red and buried her face in my chest. "Pervert." She muttered, her voice muffled.

I grinned. "Only for my girls."

I heard Gil cough into her hand from behind me. "I-if you two are finished, can you please return to topic? Your embarrassment is making me blush."

"Yes!" Shirone shouted unexpectedly, stepping around me to point at Gil. "That's how it feels!"

I snickered at the gobsmacked expressions on the girl's faces at seeing Shirone's uncharacteristic behavior. "All right, sure. I believe we still need two more people for the plan to work, and I know just where to find them."

Gil raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?"

I shrugged. "I'm actually planning to Summon Iskandar and Minato, and use Denial of Nothingness on each of them in an attempt to simulate incarnation."

She blinked. "And you could've done this to Gilgamesh, too?"

I nodded. "I would've, if you hadn't needed her soul."

She opened and closed her mouth a few times at that, apparently lost for words. Eventually, she spoke. "I can honestly say that I'm glad I died this morning. Any later, and I would've been out of luck."

I sighed. "Pretty much. I don't think I could've found another willing, compatible soul before the time window for the Evil Piece closed."

She smiled, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Millicas-sama. You saved my life."

I smiled back, and then turned to Ruby. "Well?"

She scowled and smacked me. "Don't push your luck, asshole."

I laid out my Traced copies of Iskandar's mantle and Minato's Evoker several feet away from each other, each inside of a complex magic circle.

We were currently located inside the Forest world, where we wouldn't be disturbed. Issei and Riser watched from afar, having been filled in on the situation. They had been sparring in the Gravity world for the past hour, and had entered the Forest world for a break. We walked in a few minutes after they had.

I stood several feet outside of the circles, watching to make sure nothing disturbed them. Then, when I was ready, I held out two energy gems out and chanted,

"Let silver and steel be the essence.

Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation

Let Silver and Crimson be the colors I pay tribute to

Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall

Let the four cardinal gates close.

Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.

I hereby declare.

Your body shall serve under me.

My fate shall be your sword.

Submit to the beckoning of the 'Dreams' of illusions!

If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!

An oath shall be sworn here!

I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.

I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!

Come forth from the ring of restraints,

Protectors of the Balance!"

The circles glowed to life, and I grunted in exertion as they began draining me of mana.

Since I had no Holy Grail to do the heavy lifting for me, I had to do everything myself. Because there was no 'Throne of Heroes' here, if I didn't have my Reality Marble, then this wouldn't be possible.

Slowly, the forms of Iskandar and Minato materialized. As the glow of the circles died down, I connected to the Dream and turned my eyes to the Cosmos, comprehending Creation once more.

'DENIAL OF NOTHINGNESS.'

I stumbled over to Iskandar, taking out my last )Rook( and holding it out to him. I chanted, "In the name of Millicas Gremory, rise and serve me. I name you Iskandar Gremory, for you are now a part of my family. Conquer in my name!"

The Piece melted into his chest, and immediately the strain of his Summoning lifted. I sighed in relief. 'Thank Satan I was right. He really did get his own Magical Core.'

I walked over to Minato as Iskandar began to inspect his enormous wings. I held out my )Bishop( and chanted, "In the name of Millicas Gremory, rise and serve me. I name you Minato Gremory, for you are now a part of my family. Live once more and prosper, oh Messiah!"

Drained, I stumbled over to a nearby tree root and sat down. Issei ran over, stopping in front of me. "That was so cool!" The mini-Izayoi yelled in excitement, "Teach me!"

I shook my head, panting. "Even if it were possible, the mana drain would kill you."

He groaned, shoulders slumping. My two new Pieces approached, stopping next to Issei. I turned to them, and began to speak. "Iskandar, you're too well-known. I need to call you something else."

The large man shrugged. "A new name? I see. I don't care, just pick something. I trust your judgement."

I paused. "…How about Rider?"

He considered this, then gave a booming laugh. "I love it! Simple, yet so descriptive of my abilities! Many thanks, King Millicas!"

I sighed and turned to the user of the Third Sorcery. "Minato, you're fine. The Dark Hour went unnoticed in the supernatural world, and the common folk never even knew enough to guess. Your friends are all grown up and married now, with lives of their own."

Minato smiled slightly. "Thank you for telling me."

I nodded. As my girls walked up beside me, I cleared my throat and began. "Everyone, this is Iskandar, also known as Alexander the Great. When he lived, he was known as the King of Conquerors. Call him Rider."

Next, I gestured to Minato. "This is Minato. He lived about ten years ago, and died saving humanity from themselves. His body is currently the Seal of Erebus."

Finally, I gestured to Gil. She stepped forward, and curtseyed. "Hello. I am Gilgamesh Phenex, the King of Heroes. I am the younger sister of Riser, and I was resurrected as Millicas-sama's )Knight( after my )Bishop( Piece was extracted. My dream is to become Millicas-sama's First Wife."

Riser froze. "Wait, what? What was that last part?" He turned on me, his white hair catching fire. "Sensei, you asshole! What did you do to my sister!"

I held up my hands placatingly. "I just did what I had to in order to save her life. When they took out her Piece, they ripped out most of her soul. The cost of saving her life was that I had to Claim her."

He growled at me for a second more, then backed down when his common sense reminded him I could kick his ass in a straight fight. I grinned. 'It seems that my efforts in keeping his Pride in check are working. Even if he seems to be picking up Wrath, instead. I'm just glad that I turned Gil's collar invisible.'

{You make a point to kick his ass at least once a week.} Ruby pointed out with some amusement.

I frowned. {Is that not a valid tactic?}

She just laughed. {Spoken like a true Dragon.}

I returned to the conversation, where Riser was trying to dissuade Gil from seeking my hand in marriage. Gil quickly retorted with, "Is he not a good person? What is your issue with him?"

Riser paused, considering for a moment. "On second thought… I know for a fact that Sensei will never hurt you, and he's better than the other trash. All right, you have my blessing."

I sighed. 'I'm better than trash, apparently. High praise indeed.'

I turned to Riser and spoke up. "She's going to need less help now, since she's easily a mental adult. All you have to do is prevent your parents from noticing her personality differences."

Riser nodded. "Hai, Sensei. Since she's been gone for a month, they'll be happy enough to see her that they won't notice her changes right away. And when they do notice, they'll probably just pass it off as a result of her captivity. As for her 'dream', our entire family has known of her crush on you for—gurk."

Suddenly, Riser was sprouting seven different swords at once. He coughed up some blood, wincing.

"Even if you are my brother, such accusations will not stand." Gil announced, her face bright red, several dozen weapons hovering in the air behind her. "Do recall that I am a King, and I make the laws. I will put you down if need be."

'Oh, shit.' I realized as the weapons vanished into golden motes of light, letting Riser's body collapse to the ground. 'I accidentally gave a tsundere the Gate of Babylon. God-ow- help us all.'

I watched as flames covered Riser's form, healing his puncture wounds and allowing him to stand again. He turned to me and deadpanned. "Thanks Sensei, that's just what I needed. My sister with infinite weapons. Great."

I grinned. "You're welcome. Now, let's go meet someone batshit crazy!"

My Peerage, Issei, Riser and I settled in the dining room, waiting for Ajuka. I glanced around the room. I was guarded on either side by lookalikes of Roy Mustang and Sakamaki Izayoi, who had personalities to match. On my lap was Eucliwood Hellscythe with a purple leash, sitting to my right was a Miia with human legs, sitting to my left was Gilgamesh… wearing a golden slave collar.

I sighed. {I was joking about the leash, you know. And I don't think it was very nice of you to make Gil show her collar, as well.} I sent.

Shirone sent me the mental version of a smirk. {I'm a cat. I don't have to be nice. And you promised to grope Ruby if I did this.}

{And Gil?}

The 'smirk' intensified. {She did promise to let me do anything I wanted to her, and I wanted some eye candy before the show begins.}

I sighed, my breath tickling the back of her neck. {…Are you a Lust?}

{Hell no! I'm a Glutton!}

{…Of what?}

She flushed bright red. {…My bondmates' attention…}

{…Huh. I wasn't expecting that. When did that start?}

She sent me several memories. The first was of the day I added her to my Peerage. I watched as I picked her up and set her on my lap. There was a sensation of… filling, almost, with something warm and comfortable. Something that she had been missing all her life, suddenly given to her.

Then, the memory changed. Ruby was holding her, explaining how Dragons were known to take multiple Mates in order to sate their urges. Shirone was mostly ignoring her, instead focusing on the warmth that filled her as Ruby spoke. She leaned over to kiss her, hoping that the feeling would get better… and it did, swelling inside and making her feel utter bliss. Like the world could end, right then, and she would have no regrets. Then the kiss broke, and the feeling faded, leaving her empty.

Then the scene changed once more, and she was looking Gil's sleeping form. Gil woke up, yawning and stretching. She felt the singing in her mind, the desperation to experience that feeling again… and she moved. The next moment, she was kissing Gil, and the feeling was back, lighting up her mind with beautiful lights, making her feel wonderfully content. It sang through her soul, promising that everything would be okay.

She would do anything for that feeling, she decided, absolutely anything.

I snapped back to reality as the memory ended. {I see.}

I turned her sideways on my lap, lifting her chin to raise her lips to mine. I kissed her, feeling her relax and her mind turn to mush. I broke off a moment later, noticing the glazed look in her eyes. She began to purr softly.

'That's going to be dangerous once she hits puberty. Though, I really should've seen this one coming. I gave an emotionally unstable, attention-starved girl an emotional link to someone with a Reality Marble based on granting his people their Dreams.

But still… I swear, that damn Law… She literally gets high off of our attention. But then again… isn't that how Gluttony works? It makes you a slave to your desires and then ruins your life as you chase your next 'meal', your next high.

…Holy shit, that's so much worse than Lust.

…I'm scared to think of what she'll do in the bedroom once she discovers sex.'

She slowly came back into focus, smiling glassily and returning to her original position in my lap, still purring.

'I wonder… Does she get the munchies from an attention high?'

{W-what the hell did you just do!} Ruby squeaked out.

I frowned, turning my attention away from my thoughts. {I kissed Shirone. Why?}

{Because we just felt it!}

I glanced up, noticing the luminescent blushes of my two other bondmates. 'Roy' was glaring a hole in my skull from where he stood a few feet away, absently rubbing his glove-covered hands together as they smoldered with white flames. 'Izayoi's' smirk trembled slightly like he was about to burst out laughing, and Rider was already filling the room with his guffaws. Minato sent me a sympathetic look.

I sighed, waiting for the guffaws to die down. As Rider slowly began to calm, Shirone's purring became audible in the silence.

So, of course, that's the exact moment Ajuka Beelzebub walked in, closing the door behind him.

I froze, before assuming a large smile. "Oh, hello, there! Lovely weather we've been having lately, no?"

To his credit, Ajuka took only a split second to respond. Magic circles spun to life all around us, caging us in. "Where is Millicas Gremory, Red Man? What have you done with him?"

I smiled, petting my cat. She didn't appear to care about our company, leaning into my hand and purring louder. I would've felt like a Bond villain, but the cat in question was actually a cute girl. 'A DxD villain, then.'

I spoke up, answering the green-haired man. "Oh, nothing. I merely wish to introduce myself. I am The Red Man. This here is my )Queen(, Ddraig." I reached over to where she sat and gave her a big hug. I cupped one illusionary breast in my hand, and kissed her on the cheek. 'If that had been real, I would've gotten slapped for that.' I thought ruefully.

"Here on my lap, is Eucliwood. She's my )Rook(. As you can see, she's slightly distracted at the moment. Over to my left is my )Knight(, Gilgamesh of Uruk. The large man is Rider, my other )Rook(, and the blue-haired boy is Minato, my )Bishop(. The nice gentlemen guarding us are Izayoi and Roy, close friends of mine."

Ajuka smiled pleasantly and bowed. "I am Ajuka Beelzebub. Now, please do explain what you are doing in my friend's house?"

I returned the smile in kind and replied easily. "I live here, of course. Now, on to business. I and my associates would like to aid you in your battle against evil, and give you vital knowledge, in exchange for a favor."

He raised an eyebrow. "A favor, you say? You sneak into the house of the Crimson Maou and want a favor? What audacity. May I ask what the favor is?"

I smirked. "Absolutely. See, we need someone who can tell us where to go, in order to strike the greatest of blows against our foe. In addition, we wish for our identities to not be revealed, should we choose to show them."

He cocked his head to the side. "And… why should I do that?"

"Promise you won't divulge our identities, first." I insisted.

He nodded. "Very well. I will not tell anyone of your true identities, but keep in mind that corpses can be identified rather easily. Now, convince me why I should help you."

I clicked my tongue, the signal to drop the illusion. And so, with a purring Nekoshou on my lap and a little red reaper at my side, I grinned. "Hey, Uncle Ajuka!"

He froze, checking for as many illusion spells as he could. 'Not that it would help. If I wanted him under an illusion, I'd use my Kyoka Suigetsu re-creation.'

Once he had established that I was, indeed, Millicas, he dropped the offensive circles. "I take it this 'vital information' has something to do with how you used an Evil Piece to resurrect a Devil?"

I nodded. "It does."

He sighed, casting a privacy spell and Projecting a chair to sit on. "All right then, talk to me."

'…Well, it worked once. Might as well try it again.'

I took a deep breath. "Holy Sword Project, Excaliburs, Kokabiel, Three Factions Meeting, The Azazel Cup, Trihexa, Khaos Brigade, and the Great Seal."

Ajuka blinked. "Pardon?"

"Events. Not current events, but possible futures. See, I have a limited ability to look into someone's past when I see them for the first time. But, for some reason, when I used it on this generation's Red Dragon Emporer, I saw the future rather than the past. It wasn't much, just quick snapshots of his life. Kind of like an anime, really."

Ajuka frowned. "I… see… there is a butterfly effect, I presume?"

I nodded. "Don't worry about it, though. I've already blown the original timeline to merry sam hell."

"All right, then. What can you tell me?"

I deadpanned. "Excalibur is actually Caliburn. Ophis started a Faction to destroy Great Red by releasing Trihexa. The leader of the Khaos Brigade has the True Longinus. Is that enough for you?"

Ajuka sighed. "I take it those are important in the future? Because most of those make no sense to me right now."

I nodded. "Exactly. I can only tell you the highlights, and only the stuff that you can help with. For the most part, we just need an ally who can help us find where to shoot."

He sighed. "Very well. I can help you, so long as you prove to me that you can fight. Now, about that Piece?"

I grimaced. "Valper Galeili hooked her up to a Sacred Gear Extractor and pulled out her )Bishop( Piece to use it as a base for a Light Container. He plans to take the Light Attribute from a dozen orphans and use the Attribute to create artificial Caliburn wielders."

Ajuca nodded. "I'm with you so far. We know about the Project, but our hands are tied. Sirzechs actually plans to give any survivors to his little sister to help complete her Peerage."

I shrugged. "Makes sense. That's what happened in the original timeline. Now, to explain the rest, I have to ask you. Do you know what a Reality Marble is?"

Ajuka froze. "Where did you hear those words?" He demanded, glancing over his shoulder suspiciously and tightening his security spells.

I sighed. "Bear with me here. I assume you know what they are, judging by your reaction?"

He nodded. "In ancient texts, from before the Great War."

I smiled. "Good! Well then, that makes this easier."

I inhaled, gathering my magic, then began.

"))I know Nothing.((

))Yet, I understand Everything.((

))And so, I shall chase the Dream.(("

This place, where all experiences of the many are catalogued and remembered, is the one true gift allowed the dead.

Ajuka paused. "…Is that?"

I ignored him and continued.

"))I soothe the restless((

))And console the weary(("

This place, tied to both Creation and Void, was realized through Eternal 'Dreams' and Infinite 'Memories'.

Ajuka gasped softly. "Incredible. I can actually see the magic around us becoming indistinct, blurring out of focus."

"))A fading memory,((

))A living memorial, ((

))The lost ones take form.(("

This place, created by the realization of Balance, was incarnated through destruction, formed through heroism, and perfected through hope.

Flickering specters formed around us, dancing in and out of sight.

"))Exiting afterlife's bastion,((

))They are reborn in their wonderland.(("

This place, born at the end of time, manifests a million memories, weapons, and legends, with which the fallen overwhelm and crush all who dare intrude this realm of selfish wishes.

The world around us was no longer visible, only seen as blurry shapes and colors. While I could still feel the bench beneath me, it could no longer be seen as anything but a smoky brown blob.

"""""))We stand with the Infinite,((

))As We weep for the Dream.(("""""

This place, isolated from time and causality, will inevitably fall should it fail to serve the role of 'bastion' of protection from the hatred and despair of the outside realms.

The voices of the specters whispered the words in unison with me, becoming more and more solid.

"))Fight with me, Oh ye lost ones.((

))Free the broken ones,((

))Create peace between giants.(("

However, so long as it stood to protect another, its' people would fight ten thousand armies, die ten thousand deaths.

The last of the world blurred out of focus, and the colors drifted freely.

"""""))For which we fight,((

))This Eternal freedom,(("""""

The voices were no longer just whispers, they were recognizable as individual voices as they roared the words in unison. The drifting colors had formed separate shapes, and were becoming more defined.

I paused, gathering the mana necessary to finish the Marble. I breathed in once more, and deployed my Marble.

So long as but a single person defied fate and stood up for their dreams…

"))Dreams of the Fallen.(("

This kingdom would stand forever.

The shapes snapped into focus. The bench beneath me had become the crystal throne, only this time, all the other thrones weren't there. Instead, my throne was on a raised dais, with a staircase leading to the floor. To my right, Ruby stood in Ddraig form, her red scales flashing. To my left, Gilgamesh's graceful form sat on the arm of my throne, sipping from a glass of fine wine.

Standing on the steps, Rider smacked Minato on the back, gesturing to the throne. "See, boy? This is how a King makes an entrance. You should learn from his example!"

At the base of the steps, Issei and Riser stood as guards, Riser as a white-haired Roy Mustang, and Issei as Sakamaki Izayoi. They wore matching smirks.

The doors of the patio were open, revealing the gleaming marble of the city, and the dark metropolis in the distance. The floating city of light lazily drifted by.

I looked down to Ajuka, who was on the ground in front of the dais. I gestured to the world around me. "Welcome, O great Maou, to my kingdom. Welcome, to the Kingdom of Dreams."

He stumbled slightly, turning to see the beautiful sights all around him. "…This… is your soul?"

He turned to me, excitement making his voice jump slightly. "This… do you even realize what you've done? To create a world such as this, with only your soul and some magic? A realm of your own, in which you are God? This could overturn the balance of power, and turn entire battlefields on their head! Let alone a world such as this, which defies the natural order simply to grant the smallest Dreams of the Fallen!"

He stopped, then shook his head. "The things that could be learned here… the forgotten knowledge, just waiting to be rediscovered… I could spend years here, decades even."

I shrugged. "Okay. Here."

I tossed him a ring with a Soul Gem as the centerpiece. This particular piece was something I had been working on for just this purpose—to transport a person's mind and soul into my Reality Marble without me having to deploy it. He caught it, staring at it for a moment. "To use it, make a fist with the ring hand, and gather mana in the other. Then, smash the fist into the palm of your other hand. Just make sure that you're sitting down when you do it, or you'll wake up with a bruised skull."

He looked up at me, having finished his inspection of the ring. "I take it that this is the same kind of gem configuration as the one you gave Miss Ravel? I couldn't understand that one, either."

I nodded. "Same method, different purpose."

He nodded. "I see. And… where is Miss Ravel? I don't recall you introducing her."

Gil smirked. "I am here, old Maou. I am merely different within my home."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to explain that one for me."

I sighed. "Having your Evil Piece extracted removes a large part of your soul. Even if I could have recovered the Piece, I lack both the knowledge to reconstruct her soul, and the authority to command another )King('s Piece in order to place it back into her."

He nodded. "So…"

I gestured to my Marble around us. "This place holds souls. An Evil Piece changes them. I couldn't repair her soul… so I changed it. I placed the soul of King Gilgamesh inside my )Knight( Piece and used the Piece to resurrect her. The result was a complete merging of their personalities. The original Gilgamesh would insist on a throne of her own, but Gil here is content to sit on mine."

Gil huffed. "Only because you are the one sitting upon it. I would obliterate any other mongrel who tries the same."

I smiled. "Thanks, Gil."

She blushed. "D-don't think anything of it! I-it's only because of your Claim! I would do the same for Shirone or Ruby!"

'I-it's not like I care about you, b-baka!' I finished, mentally chuckling. Behind me, Ruby let out a booming laugh. {The tsundere is strong in this one.}

Ajuka raised an eyebrow, ignoring Gil's brief bout of tsundere. "I suppose that would work, provided both souls were compatible and willing. You say their personalities merged? How much of each personality would you say there is now?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Fifty-fifty? There's enough that you can recognize the difference between the two, at least. I mean, she has two kinds of Pride, and she still indulges both."

He nodded thoughtfully. "That means that the two personalities still haven't fully merged. You said that she has two kinds of Pride?"

I nodded. "Pride as a King, and Pride for being my Piece."

He smiled. "Well, then, it should speed the process tremendously if you were to find some way to merge the two, yes?"

I smirked. {Hey, Ruby, Gil said that I was a lover worthy of a King, right?}

She grinned, exposing her sharp teeth. {She did indeed. Are you suggesting what I think you are?}

I shrugged. {It fits, doesn't it?}

Gil promptly turned a vibrant red. "W-what? A-as if I could take Pride in something so insignificant!"

Shirone, finally looking up from her perch on my lap, smirked. "Oh? And if it's so insignificant, then why were you using the bond to listen in on their conversation? Were you jealous of Ruby for being the first person Master spoke to?"

"O-of course not!"

"Oh? Then what about your dream? Is not the First Wife the one who Millicas turns to first?"

Gil paused, and then coughed. "Well, yes…"

"And don't you have to be a lover before a wife?" Shirone continued, her smirk widening.

Gil considered this, then, blushing bright red, exclaimed "Very well! I shall become the best lover Millicas-sama can have!"

"And the rest of your bondmates?" Shirone pushed.

The poor blonde King now resembled a tomato. "E-eh? I-I s-suppose…"

"Then, would you allow us to belong to anyone else?"

She paused, then burst out "O-of course not! As King, I cannot trust another with the care of my lovers!"

I sighed, watching the spectacle unfold. 'Sneaky kitty… you just want her to want to kiss you.'

She flushed slightly, snuggling into my chest. {Attention feels better when they're willing…}

I coughed, trying to ignore her burgeoning addiction in favor of observing Gil's red face.

Shirone put the final nail in the coffin. "…Then what's the problem? You wish to keep us safe and unharmed, as well as to be our lover. All you need to do now is to take Pride in it."

Ajuka, all but forgotten, sighed. "I feel as if I missed part of that conversation."

I turned to him, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, you did. We have a Soul-Bond. It was the cost of reviving her."

He nodded in understanding. "I see. Well then, I suppose you should return us to the real world once more. Miss Ravel, are you in need of a cover story?"

She shrugged, her blush fading. "I suppose. I don't know enough about the Pieces to make a convincing lie."

He smiled. "Well, then, why don't you tell the truth? After all, Millicas did use his soul to bring you back to life, did he not? And, as a result of this, you are in a Soul-Bond with him."

Gil nodded seriously. "I see. That is indeed what happened, and it would be dishonorable for a King to lie. My thanks, old Maou."

He nodded once, then turned to look out over my Marble once more. "The Kingdom of Dreams, hmm? So, you would be the King of Dreams?"

I nodded, not that he could see me. "So I have been called by my subjects."

He turned back to me, and bowed. "Well, then, the Lord of the Flies greets the King of Dreams. I do hope that our alliance will be a productive one. But now I wonder…" He smirked slightly. "Does any soul count, or only human souls?"

I grinned. "Lucifer is a bitch, Beelzebub is a prick, Asmodeus is really annoying, and Leviathan is a baby. Oh, and God is totally a troll, he just prefers to make suggestions and let others troll themselves."

He paused. "…Excuse me?"

I gestured to his Soul Ring. "You'll find out eventually. Just use that."

He sighed. "Very well. Now, how do you plan to bring us back?"

I smiled. "Like this."

Colors shifted, blurring and moving positions. And then, the Marble vanished, like it had never been there in the first place. I was no longer a King on his throne, I was just a six-year-old boy with a white-haired Nekoshou on his lap.

Ajuka blinked. "Huh."

I just smirked. "Thanks, Uncle Ajuka! Later!"

I lifted Shirone onto my back and raced out of the room, holding Gil and Ruby by the hand. Rider barreled after me, laughing and dragging poor Minato along with.

The door slammed shut behind us, leaving the shell-shocked Ajuka behind.

'I finally found someone I can science with! Commence the evil cackling!'

Five minutes later, we were in Norway without the slightest clue how we got there.

OMAKE—as requested by Ravenext, and inspired by other reviewers.

HOW TO FAIL A SKILL ROLL

Both of my girls nodded solemnly. Seeing this, I became cheerful once more. "Good! Now, let's get ready for breakfast!"

I turned and left for the bathroom. I yawned, and turned a nearby corner. I kept walking, idly wondering why it was taking so long. I walked… and walked… and walked…

'…I think I'm lost.' I thought to myself, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. I passed a large building, and decided to scale it to get a good look at my surroundings. Once I was at the top, I looked around. Nothing looked familiar… oh hey, a taco stand!

I happily began my trek towards the tacos, climbing back down the building and walking in its' general direction. I walked… and walked… and walked… and I stepped into soft sand. I looked down, confused. I found my foot in a sand dune, and when I looked up, there was sand as far as the eye could see.

I sighed. A quick check behind me confirmed that I had been walking this way for a while. "Hello?" I called, trying to see if there was anyone around.

"Hello!" Another voice called in relief. "Thank God, I thought I was a goner!"

I winced at the name of the Almighty, calling back, "I'm over here!"

A boy stumbled over a dune. He wore a yellow, long-sleeved tunic with pale yellow collar and folded sleeves, as well as black trousers with yellow leg bands around the ankles. He wore a yellow and black speckled bandana around his head, and completed the look with black Chinese shoes and pale-yellow socks. On his back, he carried a black backpack and a red bamboo umbrella.

I blinked. '…Is that Ryoga? I mean I know I'm lost, but I'm not that lost… right?'

I sighed. "What happens when you touch cold water?"

He looked confused. "I dunno. You get wet?"

'Looks like he's not a part of the storyline, yet.'

"Did you get lost, too?" I asked, glancing at the desert in the background.

Ryoga nodded. "I was on my way to fight my rival. Someone gave me bad directions."

I snorted. "I was going to the bathroom."

He winced. "I did that once. It didn't end well."

"OI! ANYONE HERE?" A voice boomed. A green haired man ran over a nearby dune, stopping just in front of Ryoga and I. He wore black trousers tucked inside black boots, a plain white shirt with three undone buttons at the collar, and a green haramaki.

He leaned over, panting and sweating. "How many deserts does this damn island have?" He gasped, wiping the sweat from his brow.

I sighed. "I take it you're lost, too?"

He nodded, still panting. "I'm trying to find my Captain. Any idea where he might be?"

I laughed. "I dunno. By the way, the tree is numbered forty-one, not one. Remember that."

He raised an eyebrow. "Forty-one? Tree? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I shrugged. "You'll find out."

He sighed. "Whatever. So, you guys are lost?"

I nodded. "I was going to the bathroom, and he was going to fight his rival."

He groaned. "Damn."

I nodded. "At least there are no emus here."

He froze. "We don't talk about the emus. They steal your soul."

Ryoga looked confused. "What's an emu?"

Zoro and I turned slowly to look at him. "I pity him. He's still so young and innocent." I whispered to Zoro.

He nodded. "He'll learn. He'll learn the evils of emus."

Ryoga held up his umbrella. "Whatever these 'emus' are, I'll fight them off! Just you wait!"

Zoro and I shook our heads. "There is no fighting." I told him solemnly.

"Only running." Zoro agreed.

Ryoga started to look scared. "What kind of evil creature are these 'emus'?"

I spoke up, eager to spare another my fate. "They are small birds who cannot fly, and yet outrun the most terrifying beasts. Their sharp beaks seek to stab out your eyes. And their eyes…" I shuddered.

Zoro spoke up, a haunted look on his face. "They seek to steal your soul and feast on your still-beating heart."

Ryoga froze. "How do I avoid them?"

I shook my head. "You can't. It begins with being lost, and then one day you become too lost… and there they are."

Zoro shuddered. "Stop. You're scaring me."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, my mint-haired friend, but I must warn the young one of what he faces. Of the horrors…"

Ryoga looked confused. "But you're younger than I am. What are you, five?"

I shrugged. "Six, actually. But getting lost as often as I do, you tend to grow up fast."

Zoro nodded. "I was only a boy when I met my first politician. That meeting alone made me run for the Grand Line."

I sighed. Then I had a thought. "Hey, guys, I know where we are!"

Zoro perked up. "Really? Where?"

I smiled proudly. "We're lost!"

The two stared blankly at me, the dry wind pulling at their hair. I sighed. "Bear with me, here. So, since we're all lost, and we're all in the same place, then 'lost' must count as a place! Now all we have to do is leave!"

Zoro sighed. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

I grinned, pulling a large, flamboyant orange hat and a pair of banana-yellow boxers out of my bag. "Each of you take one."

They shook their heads, stepping back in unison. "Not a chance in hell, crazy hair." Zoro said, looking nervous.

I turned to Ryoga and held out the hat. "I'll give you this instead of the boxers if you help me put these on him."

He nodded, beginning to smirk. "Deal."

Five minutes later, I was smiling triumphantly at the sulking swordsman. He was wearing the banana-yellow boxers… and nothing else. I tossed him his swords.

"Now, all you have to do is to try avoid your friends, and you'll somehow meet every single one of them!" I said, grinning from ear to ear.

Ryoga put on the hat. It drooped over his field of vision, making his sense of direction even worse and scorching the retinas of anyone who looked at it. "Makes perfect sense!"

Zoro grumbled something about a shirt and nodded grudgingly.

I nodded. "Good luck! Now, just go north past the red car to your left, then sneeze."

They both stumbled off… in completely opposite directions.

Once they were gone, I began to cackle. 'I just trolled both Zoro and Ryoga at once! Suckers!'

I walked away over the dunes, cackling. Now… if only I could get to breakfast on time…

In another universe, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg began to laugh. The inhabitants of the Clock Tower wisely fled in terror.

"I feel a disturbance in the Trollforce…"

The whisper echoed through the multiverse, causing many a sleepless night.

END

A/N :

Denial of Nothingness is indeed capable of resurrections, and I actually used that here. That was my original plan, but then Millicas got lost and Ravel ended up dead. As previously noted, Millicas has no means to fix Ravel's soul, or the authority to use someone else's )Bishop( Piece.

Repairing her soul would lie under the domain of the Third Sorcery. Minato unfortunately only controls one of the aspects of the Third, Persona. Persona is the 'manifestation of one's soul', and he would need the 'modification of one's soul' in order to be of any help. The Sephiroth Graal controls another aspect, the 'retrieval of souls'. Minato also can do this to an extent, as all of the aspects of a Sorcery are interconnected, but he cannot do true resurrections like the Graal can. As for why Millicas didn't try the Graal, was because Ravel's soul was fragmented and imprisoned, not dead. In fact, if she were dead, then he could utilize his Marble to bring her back. Heck, since he is 'saving someone he cares for', his Marble would let him do it for cheap.