143Chapter 1
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"It isn't good to hold on too hard to the past. You can't spend your whole life looking back. Not even when you can't see what lies ahead. All you can do is keep on keeping on, and try to believe that tomorrow will be what it should be—even if it isn't what you expected."
Jim Butcher
Gremory mansion, Underworld
Two hundred years after Harry's self-exile
Venelana Gremory let out a sigh of relief as she left the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her body protecting her modesty. No matter how many centuries passed, a long warm bath always helped relax her after a stressful day.
Venelana hummed to herself as she dressed herself in her night gown, being careful to put on her husband's favorite so as to better seduce him tonight. She knew that he'd had a long, hard day today and that there would be no better way to relax him than a long round of lovemaking.
Despite being over 500 years old, she knew she was still attractive enough to turn even a teenage Devil's head thanks to her Devil physiology and magic. She had long brown hair that fell in waves and blue-green eyes that her husband said captivated the soul. She had a large bust and curves in all the right places to seduce even the most stalwart of men. Her husband had often joked that the reason Angels fell was because they had caught the sight of her bathing.
Venelana smiled to herself as she finished putting on her nightgown and had opened her underwear drawer, undecided about whether or not to put on underwear, when she froze. Moving her underwear aside, Venelana pulled out a small pendant hidden deep inside her underwear drawer. The pendant was a red stone that had flickering black flames trapped inside.
It had been given to her by her adopted son Harry for her birthday a little after the Civil War started to ease her worries. He'd said it would burn for as long as he was alive, therefore assuring her he was fine. Even now, two hundred years later, it still burned, proving that her wayward son was still alive.
It had been the last gift he'd given her. Afterwards the Civil War had taken up both her sons time and they had to concentrate on the war. And after the war...
Venelana sighed as she remembered the events that led to her adopted son/nephew's self-exile.
The first time Venelana met Grayfia, she had thought she was the perfect match for Harry. Harry had always been loving, even for a Gremory. He was brave, selfless and possessed an extreme strength of character even as a child. When the other children picked on him for being a 'half-breed', he had been unafraid to stand up for himself even if their jibes hurt him. Despite that, he had always been hot-headed as shown in the way he declared war against the Satans not a week after turning twenty and gaining full control of his Nephalem powers. Grayfia's patient and calm demeanor had seemed like a wonderful contrast and she thought they fit well together.
When she'd found out about Sirzechs and Grayfia's affair and betrayal, she had been torn. To be frank, Sirzechs and Grayfia had obviously been in the wrong. She was horrified by the way Sirzechs betrayed his own brother in such a way, adopted or not. The two had always been close and the fact that Sirzechs betrayed him in such a manner made her want to smack her son stupid for his actions. Grayfia had also been on her shit list for her actions and Venelana had been distant to her for decades afterwards. Her making her a maid instead of an official member of the household had been punishment for her betrayal of her adopted son. Regardless of their feelings, there was no excuse for their sneaking behind his back.
Yet on the other hand, Sirzechs had been determined to marry Grayfia. He loved her and simply couldn't stand aside and let the woman he loved and who loved him be with someone else. It would be living a lie for both of them and neither could live like that. Being a Devil as well, he was selfish enough to not be able to live with seeing her with his brother of all people. He wanted to marry her himself and shout to the world his love for her even if it hurt his brother.
This put Venelana in a tight spot. If she had refused to give them her blessing and they married anyway, she would have been forced to disinherit him as her son as well as any children they might have had. It was the law in order to prevent heirs from marrying people not approved by the Lord of their House. She would, in short, be disinheriting her own son and placing a divide between them that would probably never fully heal.
In the end, Venelana had been forced to choose between hurting her adopted son's feelings by giving her blessing for their union or losing the other completely.
Venelana's eyes closed as she tried to fight the tears threatening to escape. Even two centuries afterwards she still wondered if she had made the right decision. The day the maid had come to her saying that Harry's mansion was empty and that he had left a letter proclaiming he had no family still haunted her to this day. The pain of losing her son, adopted or not, left a hole that had yet to heal. She'd never thought he would be so hurt by her actions as to completely abandon them. She'd thought that his friendship to the other Satans at least would keep him there and they could make up over time.
Instead he'd left completely, cutting all ties to the Underworld and since he was not officially a part of any noble House there was no way they could force him to remain. They barely managed to keep him from being marked a Stray Devil and that was only because he wasn't a pure Devil in the first place and they technically had no authority over him.
Venelana sniffed as she held the pendant close to her chest.
As a mother, she knew she shouldn't have favorites. However, in truth Harry had always been her favorite. When they were small, Harry would often joke that they should always take each other's side due to both having darker hair compared to Sirzechs and her husband's crimson red hair. Harry had always been closer to her than to her husband and she had doted on him.
Courageous and loyal were the traits that defined Harry. So was thoughtful and intelligent. He was fearless when it came to his own safety and fiercely protective of his family, especially her and Sirzechs who was younger than him by two months. He valued loyalty above all else and would go to great lengths and effort to protect those he gave his loyalty and love to.
As a child, Harry had possessed an instinctual, intuitive intelligence that allowed him to make intellectual leaps as opposed to the logical intelligence of Sirzechs or Ajuka. The simple way of explaining it was that while Sirzechs used his mind to make plans, Harry used his understanding of people to see connections that others couldn't. This ability allowed him to correctly predict how the enemy would act during the Civil War and plan counter to their actions, which was the reason for many of their victories during the war.
However, of all of Harry's personality traits, it was his loyalty that defined him. He often refused to leave a man behind on the battlefield, regardless of their rank at great personal risk. This earned him the love of many of the common soldiers and high ranking officers alike as he showed he valued each soldier regardless of position. This loyalty went to extreme lengths for his family and friends as shown when he once charged an entire battalion of High-class Devils to rescue a surrounded Sirzechs.
Because of this it was little wonder he'd left as he had. He must have seen her giving them her blessing as a betrayal and with both her, Grayfia and Sirzechs, the people he was closest to, betraying him he must have felt he no longer had any family in the Underworld. He had always felt like an outsider due to his heritage and their actions only made sure to cut any ties he might have had to the Underworld.
Venelana couldn't hold back her tears anymore as she cried over her lost son. Her beloved little Harry who used to follow her everywhere when he was a child and constantly tried to impress her with his successes. She had adored him and his self-exile had cut deeply and left scars on everyone.
Sirzechs hid his pain by acting even more of a fool and was fiercely protective of Rias, Grayfia became even more distant and refused to address anyone familiarly when she was 'working', Ajuka became an anti-social recluse, and Falbium became a lazy bastard with no motivation for anything besides sleeping.
However, it had been Serafall who took it worse. She had always been close to Harry. When they were kids, Venelana would often see them playing in the garden or playing pranks on the servants and staff.
When Serafall caught wind of what she did, it caused her to cut all ties of friendship to the Gremory family. She only talked to them when forced to and never attended any of their social functions. In fact, it had only been at Lady Sitri's insistence that she allowed her younger sister, Sona, to even associate with Rias and it took her a long time not to treat Rias badly due to her relation to Sirzechs. It had only been Lady Sitri pointing out that she was also Harry's baby sister that caused her to eventually warm up to the youngest Gremory.
As for Venelana, she obviously couldn't hate her own son no matter how angry she was or how much she disapproved of his actions. She had tried to be distant to Grayfia and treat her like any other maid but two hundred years was a long time to hold a grudge, especially when the betrayal was not against her personally. Over time, she had reluctantly found herself slowly warming up to the silver-haired woman. Her giving birth to her first grandchild erased any lingering animosity between them. She couldn't in good conscience hate the mother of her grandchild.
Yet despite this the pain of Harry's absence still ate at her. She had tried many times to find him but no sign of him had ever been found. Many thought he had died by now but she refused to believe it. His pendant's black flames still burned which meant he was still alive somewhere, though it didn't mean that he couldn't be in pain or trapped somewhere. And if he did die, she was quite convinced she'd go insane from the guilt and sorrow.
Venelana was so lost in her sorrow and guilt that she didn't sense her husband entering the room. It wasn't until he laid a hand on her shoulder that she realized he was there.
"Hey," said Lord Gremory softly. He looked at the pendant in her hands and his eyes softened with guilt and remorse as well as understanding before he gently took it from her hand and placed it on the bedside table. "Are you okay?"
Venelana started to nod her head before stopping and shaking her head in the negative. "No. His birthday was a few months ago, you know? He would be 234 by now. An old man by humans standards but barely an adult by Devil standards. I'd be nagging him to get settled down and he'd proclaim I'm the only woman he needs in his life and we'd laugh. He used to say stuff like that before the war, you know?"
Lord Gremory sighed as he hugged his wife to him as he let her cry into his shirt. While he may not show it as much, his adopted son's absence also hurt him. While not as close to him as he was to Sirzechs, he had been his son in all but blood. He'd loved him and being forced to choose between Sirzechs and him had been the hardest decision he'd ever had to make.
However, unlike his wife, he'd long come to terms with his choice. While it may have hurt his feelings, it was better to have hurt Harry than to lose Sirzechs as his son forever. At the time, he'd thought it was for the best. Harry would eventually get over it and come back and he wouldn't have lost either son.
Yet two hundred years had passed and there had been no sign of his wayward son. Even he was starting to lose hope that he would ever return. By now he must have either forgotten them or settled down somewhere where they couldn't find him. Despite what many thought, the Underworld didn't have spies everywhere and there were many ways to stay hidden from them. His son had always been smart, a genius many would say, and it would be simple for him to stay hidden from them amongst the billions of humans.
If he wanted to return he would have by now so either he was incapable of returning or did not wish to. Despite his son's loving nature, he was one to hold a grudge, as shown in how ruthlessly he hunted down and destroyed the Lucifer clan for their hand in killing a friend of his during the war. He had a long memory and didn't forgive easily.
While the circumstances around his departure were hidden from many of the low-class Devils, it was impossible to hide it from the Pillars or the soldiers who fought with him and knew about his relationship with Grayfia. It only took hearing about her upcoming marriage to Sirzechs for them to figure it out and it had caused much discontent to say the least. They kept it secret but the soldiers had abandoned the army en masse in disgust and defiance while many other nobles called Grayfia "The Whore Queen" behind her back. Needless to say, support for the Gremory had fallen greatly and it had taken centuries to reclaim it.
"All we can do is hope he comes home so we can make explain our actions and hope he forgives us," said Lord Gremory reasonably. "No matter what, he's our son and we'll always be his family."
A trembling smile crossed Venelana's face at her husband's words and she nodded in agreement. "Always. Our son forever."
The couple held each other as they both hoped their missing son was safe and happy.
Grayfia sighed as she looked over the mess that was her and her husband's room before she began to pick it up. Really, even after two hundred years together Sirzechs still hadn't learned to pick up after himself. It drove her insane sometimes.
At the same time, his little eccentricities was one of the reasons she loved him.
Grayfia smiled to herself as she picked up her husband's clothes before gently folding them and placing them in the laundry basket. She blushed when she found a pair of panties belonging to her amongst the clothing and quickly threw them in the laundry in embarrassment. It seemed like her husband had rubbed off on her.
Grayfia finished quickly and went to her drawer to grab a change of clothes for a bath. Sirzechs was out on Satan business (for once!) and wouldn't be back till later. She had already tucked Millicas into bed after telling him his favorite bedtime story so she had time to herself while waiting for his return.
Grayfia's smile dropped and a sad look came to her face as she remembered what the subject of Millicas favorite bedtime stories currently was.
Millicas loved to hear stories about his parents exploits. As he grew older, the stories went further and further back into their pasts, becoming more and more grim as time passed.
The other day, they finally told him about his Uncle Harry. Millicas had been enraptured with the story of Harry's defeat of the Rizevim Livan Lucifer and how he ended the war. He was even more enraptured when he was told he was his uncle.
When he asked why he had never met him, they told him Harry had left for personal reason around two hundred years ago. When he asked why, they lied and said they didn't know.
However, they knew and knew well why he left. To this day, Grayfia still remembered the look of hurt and betrayal on his face when he caught her and Sirzechs in bed together. It tore at her even now, two hundred years later.
While Grayfia didn't regret choosing Sirzechs or the years she spent with him, she DID regret how things ended with her and Harry. She had never wanted things to end that way. She had never planned her affair with Sirzechs. It had just... happened. She long knew she had feelings for Sirzechs but she had never wanted to hurt Harry that way. She just couldn't stop what she felt.
At the time, Grayfia had felt horrible for her feelings for Sirzechs. Harry had never been anything but the perfect boyfriend; passionate, loyal and loving. They had fit well together and she had truly loved him. The day he caught them, Grayfia felt her heart break at the look of sheer heartbreak in his eyes. To be betrayed was one thing but the ones who betrayed him had been the two people he trusted most in the world. Much less that he caught them in the very bed she shared with him every night.
It was yet another betrayal. Not only had she cheated on him but on the very bed she shared with him. It still filled her with shame and self-disgust that she actually did that there of all places.
When he forced her to choose, she had spent the entire week wrapped in indecision. She loved Harry... but she was in love with Sirzechs. In the end, she had gone with her heart, knowing that even if she said she chose Harry she would just be lying and that it wouldn't be fair to either of them.
The last conversation she had with Harry still haunted her. His accusations of her cheating behind his back for years and never truly loving him hit her right in the core but nothing she said convinced him that she had loved him. He believed she had used him from the start and never truly loved him. She had destroyed any trust he had in her with her betrayal and his final words had truly hurt her. She understood that he was lashing out but they had still hurt to hear.
Grayfia walked over to her dresser and pulled out something she kept safe there. A smile crossed her face as she took in the portrait before her even as tears gathered around her eyes.
The portrait was a painting since photos didn't exist back then. It showed Harry in the center with a wide smile and his right arm thrown over Grayfia's shoulder who also had a small smile on her face. On Harry's other side was Sirzechs with a goofy grin on his face as he had an arm over Harry's shoulder as well. Next to Grayfia was Serafall with a happy smile and even the still portrait showed how she was barely holding herself still. On Sirzechs' other side was Ajuka who for once wasn't researching something but smiling softly as he posed for the portrait. Finally, Falbium, wide awake for once, was next to Serafall and had a half-smile on his face.
The portrait was made during the fifth year of the civil war during a rest period between battles. Harry had insisted they pose for it, saying it would be a good way to immortalize one of the few times they were all gathered together. Grayfia had kept her copy to this day and she knew Sirzechs still had his hidden in his sock drawer.
The smile faded from her face as she remembered what happened to the people shown in the portrait two hundred years later.
Sirzechs had become even more eccentric and protective of his loved ones, the guilt for what happened eating away at him to this day. It was for this reason he acted so childishly at times, in order to mask the guilt he sometimes felt when he looked at Rias or their son, the former due to remembering his other sibling and how things ended with them and Millicas due to him reminding him of his own childhood of which Harry was a large part of.
Serafall had become even more childish, for some reason refusing to grow up as if acting like a little girl would somehow bring back the happy times when Harry was with them. While she was a little less cold to them now that she had been when Harry first left, the relationship between them and her still wasn't what it had been before Harry's departure.
Ajuka was a shut-in, working day after day on his experiments and listening to no one's attempts to get him to go out. He would only be seen to give an Evil Piece set in person or to announce a new creation. It wouldn't be so bad if his inventions were useful but he tended to waste money on inventions that had no practical use such as a bath tub that could walk on its own or a spell to scratch your back where you usually couldn't reach.
Falbium had become even more unmotivated if that was possible and outright refused to do any work. This affected the Underworld's military in a big way as new recruits basically did nothing but chores all day instead of actually training. This meant that despite the new blood in form of resurrected Devils introduced by the Evil Piece system, the Underworld was still as bad a state as it was two hundred years ago in terms of military strength.
That wasn't even counting the Low-class. It seemed they got angrier and less content with their rule every year and they'd already had to quell three riots this past decade alone. How Harry had managed to keep them happy even during a civil war she'd never know.
The truth was that without Harry, the Underworld was like a ship without its captain. It worked and could run but no progress was made in any direction and the crew constantly fought over who got the captain position. Sirzechs may be the official leader but even he accepted he wasn't made for it. He simply didn't have the charisma and political know-how to do it without bending someone's arm. Most of the time he had to rely on intimidation to get things done and even then it was done reluctantly.
Harry, on the other hand, was made for the position. Serious, motivated and capable of persuading even the most stubborn of people to his way of thinking, Harry was made for the position of Lucifer. He was capable of gaining people's loyalty and keeping it. During the civil war he managed to get the common people to support them despite the war destroying their livelihood. He didn't do it through speeches or making promises but by connecting with them and make them sympathize with them. It was his most powerful skill and invaluable for them during the war.
But most importantly, they all missed their friend. Harry had been the central piece of their lives and it hadn't been until they left that they realize how much their lives revolved around him. It was like he was the sun and they were planets that orbited him. Without him they were simply drifting through space aimlessly, nothing keeping them tethered together.
Grayfia sat down on the bed, looking at the portrait, lost in bitter regrets and wondering where her first love and old friend was and whether or not he had or would ever forgive her.
Peverell Castle
Near the base of Higashiyama mountain outside of Kyoto
Closed eyelids flickered slightly before opening, revealing the emerald green eyes of one Harry Peverell as he had taken to calling himself now. He had forsaken his Bael surname as a way to finally cut ties with his past. Taking a deep breath to push away the remaining cobwebs, Harry got up, being careful not to awaken his bed companion as he did so. Said companion muttered sleepy complaints at the loss of her bed warmer but did little else, still too sleepy to get up.
Smiling lovingly at his bed mate, Harry got off the bed and starting doing his morning stretches to get the blood flowing. It helped wake him up fully and was good for the body so it was a habit he hadn't gotten around to breaking yet, despite his bed mate's complaints of it causing him to be too energetic in the mornings.
Harry hadn't changed much in two hundred years. His hair was still a midnight black with a lustrous sheen to it. His eyes were still emerald green but now seemed to glow with an inner light similar to an Angel's. His body was muscular but not overtly so, built for both speed and strength equally. He stood at a respectable 5'11", taller than most Japanese natives but not a giant.
The only difference was the addition of a light scar over his right eye. It hadn't cut deep enough to damage the eyelid or eye but enough to leave a permanent mark as a sign of Caliburn's power.
All in all, Harry looked like a more mature version of himself.
Once done with his exercises, Harry walked over to the window to look over the lands of what he now called his home.
Peverell castle was located in one of the many forests surrounding Higashiyama mountain. In the two centuries of traveling Harry had done he had seen many countries but Japan always held a special place in his heart. Which is why when he decided to settle down and build a home, he had decided on Japan for the country location. Wanting privacy, he had chosen to build the castle close enough to civilization to drive there but far enough so one can't reach there by accidentally walking across it. There was only one road leading to the castle and it could only be found if one knew where it was.
The forest surrounding the castle was large enough so that it would take over four hours to cross it on foot at a normal human pace. While Knights moved faster than that, he doubted they'd have the stamina to use their speed continuously to cross the forest and still have energy to fight on the other side. Since the trees extend themselves to cover the sunlight coming from above, it was impossible to see more than 10 meters ahead inside the forest. The forest also had other, nastier surprises for people with hostile intentions crossing it.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts when two slender arms wrapped around his waist and two large mounds pressed against his back.
"Harry-kuuuun! Come back to bed, it's too early!"
Harry turned around to look into the sleepy red eyes of his wife, Irisviel Peverell von Einzbern.
After saving Irisviel all those years ago, she had decided to stay with him, having nowhere else to go. Irisviel then told him about the circumstance around her creation and her own uniqueness as a homunculus.
Irisviel had been created by rogue mage trying to create the perfect companion to protect him from the ones hunting him. Homunculi weren't considered true living beings since they were creatures given birth through Alchemy by combining of human genetic material with several special substances and making the resulting embryo develop without the use of a womb. Though Harry wasn't sure, given that he didn't delve too deeply into Alchemy, he assumed that their body is made out of pure magic given form. The term used to process of making a homunculus is "coining".
The creation of humunculus was strictly forbidden amongst mages which is why her creator had been forced to flee when evidence of his research into homunculus was found. His theory was that it was possible to recreate previous powerful mages as homunculus in order to help them combat Ultimate-class Devils and other such supernatural creatures.
Wanting to use the genetic material of someone noteworthy, the mage had used the leftover genetic material of a powerful witch named Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern (thus explaining Irisviel's surname). Justeaze had been the most powerful witch of her time with magical power akin to an Ultimate-class Devil. Since he wanted to prove that he could create a witch as powerful as her through a homunculus, she was the perfect candidate as the donor.
However, the price of being given life through such artificial means was that the homunculus will invariably have some sort of physical defect. These 'defects' vary from short stature to short lifespan to lower intellect or even the inability to reproduce.
Irisviel's 'defect' was her naive and innocent nature. While she looked to be a female adult from 'birth', she was still a child in mind. Despite having downloaded the accumulated knowledge the mage saw fit to give her, it didn't come with experience which was how one grew and matured. Because of this, Irisviel was very unemotional and naive when she came into being and was easily tricked.
This became a flaw in battle as proved when the mage's hunters caught up to them and defeated her despite her superior power. They considered her an abomination due to both her status as a homunculus and due to her looking like someone they admired and viciously tried to cut her down, her being too naive in regards to emotions to understand the reason for their anger. She had fled though and the chase after her eventually led them to where Harry found her.
Irisviel's naive and innocent nature touched a long dormant part of himself that Harry thought he lost and he found himself growing fond of her. As time passed, Harry taught her about emotions and the joy of living, slowly changing the naive and unemotional woman into a optimistic and upbeat woman who captured his heart.
She was still pretty naive to certain things though.
Slowly, feelings grew between the two which eventually turned into love. After so long, Harry finally moved past his feelings for Grayfia and fell for Irisviel. Finally, the two married about eight years ago and had been truly happy ever since.
Irisviel was a beautiful woman with long silver hair and crimson eyes. The first time he'd seen her fully, he'd thought it was a cruel trick that she had silver hair like her and eyes the same color as his hair. However, he'd since learned to ignore that and didn't let his feelings for them color his perception of her.
Irisviel would be a considered a beauty by anyone who saw her. She gave off an air of classical beauty seen in high-class ladies which combined with her short stature of 5'2", modestly sized breasts, long legs, curves in all the right places and tendency to wear ballroom dresses, made her seem like she stepped right out of a novel of the Victorian era.
Harry always found it funny how she looked like a high-class lady but acted more akin to an innocent and naive child. Truly, even after ten years Irisviel was still as innocent and full of life as when he met her. She was a breath of fresh air to the then disillusioned Harry and it was small wonder he fell in love with her so quickly.
The years since they'd married had been the happiest years of his life.
"Early?" asked Harry playfully. "It's almost 8:00 a.m., Iri. You should be getting up by now."
Irisviel puffed up her cheeks cutely at his words. "I don't wanna!" A seductive look then came to Iri's face as she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and pressed her not-inconsiderable bust to his chest. "I think I know how to convince you to come to bed~."
Harry hid a smile at her words as he felt himself start to react to his beautiful wife's body being pressed against him. "Oh, do you now? And just how are you going to do that?"
Smiling impishly, Irisviel dragged him back until they reached the edge of the bed and she fell back onto the bed, dragging Harry down with her.
Giggling cutely, the naked nymph in his arms wrapped her arms and legs around him before putting her mouth next to his ear. "Still want to get up early?" breathed Iri in his ear.
Smiling playfully with a hint of lust, Harry nipped at her neck, drawing a moan from his wife. "Well, if this is what I get every morning to drag me back... then yes."
Giggling, Irisviel kissed her husband lovingly, pouring all her love into the kiss. Harry returned it with equal fervor and started to grind against her drawing a deeper moan from his wife. The two continued this for a few minutes before they were forced to stop when they heard the bedroom door opened.
Neither turned at the sound of the door opening, already knowing who it was since only one person in the castle would open the door without knocking.
"You know, this is your fault," mumbled Iri into Harry's mouth. "You encourage her."
Harry groaned softly, low enough so the person 'sneaking' up on them wouldn't hear him. "Yes and its times like this that I regret that."
Suddenly the person 'sneaking up' on them jumped onto the bed with a joyful cry right on top of the married couple.
"Wake up, mommy, daddy!" cried the young Illyasviel Peverell von Einzbern. "It's time to get up! Come on, daddy! You promised to play in the forest with me today!"
During all this, the young sprite was jumping up and down on Harry's back which didn't really help with pushing down his erection considering it was still pressed up against his wife's core. While Irisviel enjoyed the effect, it really wasn't appropriate to act on it with her daughter in the room which meant it was more of a cruel tease than anything.
"We're up, we're up," said Irisviel quickly before she got too excited... well, more than she already was anyway. Wrapping the sheets around her naked form and thankful that Harry still had his boxers on, at least, Irisviel grabbed her energetic daughter and dragged her down on the bed between Harry and her.
Letting out a musical laugh when her mother tickled her slightly, Illya shrieked as her mother's tickles intensified. "Stop, mommy! Daddy, save me! Hahahahaha!"
Chuckling fondly at the mother-daughter moment, Harry grabbed the two most important women in his life and started tickling them both. "There, Illya. Now mommy's no longer tickling you."
Both shrieked at his tickles and tried to escape to no avail. After a while both females screamed for mercy and he gave it. Tired from laughing, both females curled up against him, Iri curling up against his side while Illya simply flopped on top of his chest.
Chuckling slightly, Harry gazed down lovingly at his six year old daughter whose birth made his life and family complete. Both Iri and him were surprised when she ended up pregnant seven years ago. Due to all the experimentation to her genes and being a homunculus, neither were sure she could get pregnant until that moment.
However, neither were unhappy with the development and had in fact been ecstatic with the coming member of their family. It had been Iri's pregnancy that had convinced Harry to finally settle down and build a permanent home instead of constantly traveling. Calling on a few favors, he had managed to get this castle built within a month thanks to magic before transferring it wholesale from where it had been built in Germany to its current location in Japan. His friendship with the kitsune clan leader, Yasaka, meant he was easily given permission to live anonymously within kitsune territory.
Young Illya looked almost exactly like her mother with silver hair and crimson eyes. Both guessed she would favor her mother more in regards to magical alignment for that reason but would still have some traits from Harry though neither knew which traits she'd develop. With her cute face and tendency to dress in expensive and fashionable clothing like her mother, she was so adorable that she basically had her father wrapped around her pinky finger.
A fact she knew and ruthlessly exploited to her benefit proving she at least got the Devil trait of taking advantage of favorable situations.
Harry's attention was brought to the door when it opened once more, revealing one of the castle's several maids and one of Illya's personal maid/bodyguard, Hilda Beelzebub.
Yes, Hilda was, in fact, a descendant of the original Beelzebub. However, she had been abandoned at birth due to being half-human. Worse yet was that she was abandoned in the Underworld, forcing young Hilda to fight to survive in the poor districts of the Underworld.
Eventually, she'd made her way to the Human world a little over six years ago where she'd met Irisviel. At the time they'd been searching for more maids to work at their new home since, despite them not shirking cleaning themselves, it was too big to do alone. While Hilda hadn't had much experience as a maid at the time, she was very eager and willing to learn. She also swore eternal loyalty to them and their family if they took her in which they eventually did.
Harry had been wary of letting someone descending from that family into his home but had eventually relented after seeing how sincere the blonde was. He'd yet to regret the decision and had even assigned her as Illya's personal bodyguard once he saw how loyal she was as well as how well-trained and strong she was. Then again, managing to grow up in some of the worst places of the Underworld with her beauty and still be a virgin said much about her strength and skill.
Hilda was an attractive young woman with blonde hair that covered the left side of her face and was usually tied in a bun. She was green-eyed like Harry, though hers were a shade lighter than his, and was well-endowed with a large bust. Her usual clothing was mostly elegant and black with frills and white quillings, thus resembling elegant gothic lolita fashion. Since it fit with her maid position he never told her to change it and let her continue to wear what she wished.
Hilda walked into the room and bowed to the family of three. "Good morning, Master, Mistress. I'm sorry for letting Illya wake you so early, Master, but you did insist that you be woken early so you could spend the day with her."
Harry just waved her off. "It's no problem, we were awake anyway. Plus, it's best we get up now anyway, so we can actually eat breakfast at a normal time for once." The last part was said while looking at Irisviel who always woke up later than his usual time.
Huffing at his words, Irisviel got off the bed while using the sheets to protect her modesty. "Fine. But tomorrow I'm sleeping till noon and you better not wake me up before then."
With that, Irisviel walked into the bathroom to the chuckles of her husband and daughter.
"Okay! I won't lose today!" declared Illya as she walked across the snow-covered grounds of the forest with a determined look on her face.
She was currently wearing her winter ensemble which consisted of a collared, purple long-sleeved shirt with a purple jacket over it and a light purple scarf to match, a long white skirt and purple boots. She was also wearing white gloves and one of those purple hats that looked similar to Russian papkhas.
She looked so adorable that it took all of Harry's manliness to stop himself from hugging the stuffing out of her and screaming 'kawaii!'.
….yeah, he had definitely spent too much time in Japan.
They were currently playing what they creatively called 'the walnut game'. Not very creative but it explained the point of the game well enough.
Said game was created by Harry last year during winter in order to amuse the then bored Illya. The game consisted of both walking through the many walnut trees they'd planted in the forest looking for walnut buds. For each one found, the person would get one 'point' and the one who got the most points by dinnertime won. They would stop only for lunch and would have great fun just exploring the forest together. The most dangerous thing there were wolves and Harry could easily scare them off just by stretching his aura at them so it wasn't dangerous.
Illya had a cute look of concentration on her face as she looked around for any signs of walnut buds. Considering her heritage, she obviously had higher than average eyesight and observation ability, making a normally difficult endeavor much easier. Her eyesight was even better than his, much to his embarrassment.
Harry followed behind her at a more sedate pace wearing black jeans and a black shirt with a black trench coat over it. Iri always complained that he wore too much black but he insisted that black went with everything.
...Plus it made him look badass.
So he still had some childish tendencies, so sue him.
Harry smirked as he caught sight of a walnut bud near the top of a tree. "Found one!"
"Ehh?!" yelled Illya in confusion before running back to him. "No way! Where?! I'm pretty sure I didn't miss any!"
Chuckling, Harry pointed at the walnut bud which was so high up on the tree that the shorter Illya probably missed it. "Right there. See it at the top of the tree? That's today's first walnut bud. One point for me!"
Ilya deflated as she saw he was right before huffing childishly and running ahead screaming, "I won't lose!"
Chuckling at his daughter's actions, Harry followed at his normal sedate pace while keeping his other senses alert for any danger. While the wards protecting the property extending all the way to the edge of the forest on the other side and told him there was nothing dangerous around, he knew there were ways to fool even the best of wards. He doubted anyone in the supernatural world (except for Yasaka, of course) even knew about Ilya's existence but it never hurt to be careful.
He would never take risks with his daughter's safety.
Father and daughter continued their game with Ilya desperate to find a walnut bud to match her father. Eventually, Ilya succeeded, finding a walnut bud at eye level (for her) in a nearby tree.
"I found one, too!" yelled Ilya happily.
"Really? But I'm at two already!" came her father's amused voice.
"Eh!" Ilya quickly ran back to her father who was staring at her in amusement. "Where's your second?!"
"Right there," said Harry pointing at a nearby branch.
Ilya blinked when she saw the branch which... looked nothing at all like a walnut branch.
"That's not a walnut branch," said Ilya with puffed cheeks to express her annoyance.
Harry chuckled and kneeled so he was at her level. "No, Ilya. That's called a wingnut. It's similar to a walnut. So that makes it a walnut bud."
Ilya froze before waving her arms around in annoyance. "No fair! No fair, no fair, no fair! You're cheating! You've been cheating this whole time haven't you, daddy?!"
Harry chuckled nervously. "But daddy has no chance of winning otherwise. You have better eyes than me, remember?"
Ilya huffed and turned her back on him. "I won't play with you if you keep cheating!"
"Oh no! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" said an amused Harry in response. Really, she was just too easy to rile up sometimes.
Ilya looked at him from the corner of her eye as she tried to see whether he was being sincere. Luckily, Harry had a very good poker face and she believed him. "Do you promise not to continue cheating?"
"I promise," said Harry with a smile.
Ilya sniffed disdainfully but turned back to him. "Very well. I accept your challenge. A champion takes on all challengers!"
"Indeed, I am honored..." a mischievous look came to Harry's face. "... my princess!"
Ilya squealed as Harry lifted her up and sat her on his shoulders. Ilya had a wide smile on her face as she looked around from her new viewpoint. "I'm so high up! Daddy, will I be this high up when I grow my wings too?"
Harry chuckled at his daughter's question. She'd been asking when she'd grow her own wings ever since he showed her his a few months ago. "Even higher. You'll be soaring above the trees."
Ilya's eyes widened at his words and she squirmed in excitement. "I can't wait! Teach me, daddy!"
Harry laughed at his daughter's impatience. "You have to grow your wings first. But I promise that once you do I'll teach you first thing."
Ilya deflated at being reminded that she'd still to grow her wings. If one followed normal Devil maturity, she'd grow her wings when she was around eight at the earliest. Even then, she wouldn't be able to fly very much or far until they grew stronger and her magic core grew enough to use magic to support her weight when she was around ten.
"Awwww!" pouted Ilya cutely. "Okay! Are you going to teach me?"
"You bet," promised Harry.
"Did your daddy teach you?" asked Ilya innocently.
Harry froze at the question, not knowing how to answer before forcing himself to continue walking. "Y-Yes... yes, he did."
"And how old were you?" asked Ilya, wanting to know at what age she could expect to learn how to fly.
"... around ten," said Harry quietly, memories of his flying lessons with his adopted father and Sirzechs coming to mind.
Ilya pouted at having to wait so long to learn to fly but instantly thought of something else. "Daddy? Why haven't I met your daddy or mommy? Did they die and go to Heaven?"
"Yes, they're dead." 'Though I doubt they're in Heaven.' thought Harry bitterly.
"So who raised you?" asked Ilya innocently.
Harry froze for a second at her question before continuing to walk. "My Aunt and Uncle, the Lord and Lady Gremory. They raised me like I was their son."
"Are they in Heaven too?" asked Ilya with a confused look on her face.
Harry had to hold in a guffaw at the idea of Lord and Lady Gremory going to Heaven. Heaven to them would be more like Hell to everyone else. "No... they're still alive."
Ilya frowned at his words. "Then why haven't I met them? Mommy says she doesn't have a mommy or a daddy so that's why I can't meet them, but what about yours?"
Harry sighed at his daughter's insistence."It's... complicated. I'll explain later. Right now, I have a game to win!"
Ilya gasped but pulled on his hair with puffed up cheeks. "You're not going to win! I am! Onward!"
With Ilya successfully distracted, Harry thought over why she asked about his parents when she hadn't before.
It was obvious that the reason was because she was lonely. She basically grew up in the castle with only her parents, Hilda and the other maids as company. There was no one her own age to play with and she obviously wanted a friend her own age or at least someone new to talk to and possibly spoil her.
He had kept Ilya hidden due to fear of what would happen if the supernatural world caught wind of her existence. A hybrid between him, a Nephalem, and a powerful homunculus would attract attention from all Three Factions. Attention he didn't want. It was bad enough that both Heaven and the Fallen Angels were wary of him due to his Nephalem status and the history all Three Factions have with Nephalem. At least with him they know he has no intention of following in his predecessors' footsteps. But if word got out he had a child with a chance to become a Nephalem herself...
Needless to say, all three factions would try to influence or outright kidnap her for their own benefits. He would not allow that to happen which would prompt him to react violently and things would only escalate from there.
Still... maybe it was time Ilya had a few friends her own age. Yasaka had a daughter around Ilya's age, didn't she? Maybe they could meet each other and become friends.
His plan decided, Harry turned his attention to the game with Ilya.
After all, it was moments like these that he treasured.
Unknown location
"You have your mission, Kuroka. Find your target and report his whereabouts to us. Once located, we will send a team to convince him to join us."
Kuroka bowed to the faceless person who gave her her mission. It was entrusted to her since only she could hide her presence completely thanks to her Senjutsu and considering who she was tracking, a confrontation was the last thing she wanted.
She may be strong but this person was on a whole different level.
"As you say, nya. Any clue as to his last known location, nya?" asked Kuroka curiously. It would help to at least have a starting point, after all.
"None. Though there are reports of strange activity in Kyoto. Start your search there."
"Okay, nya," agreed Kuroka easily. "I will locate and observe one Harry Bael at once and report my findings as soon as possible, nya."
"Very good. Once located we will convince him to join us... one way or another."
AN: And there's chapter 1!
As always, Read and Review!