was very well focused on taking him out, attacking in close range where future Lucifer was weak. Only when Grayfia joined the battle against her sister was Lucia defeated and presumably killed. However, even in supposed death, she managed to aid her older brothers, Rizevim and Euclid, giving them time to escape and regroup themselves. She became known later on as a proud member of Lucifer family, the last casualty of the civil war, one woman that didn`t fight for ideals or power, but simply for her family.

And now, it was finally revealed to the general public that she didn`t die back then, but was taken as a prisoner by new Lucifer and handed over to Phenex family for whatever reason he found. There she became a fiancée to Rias` now deceased future husband, but also a slave, who had lost all of her powers after the leaders defeated her and couldn`t even count on anyone for help in that hell. There were rumors before that Lucia had survived, but all of them were quickly silenced by the authority, as the name of Lucifer still held great deal of power in and outside of Underworld, even to the doorsteps of Heaven itself. And one of the last remaining direct children of Lucifer ended up as a slave in House of Phenex, one that was infamous for their treatment of Devils and creatures below their own level, seeing them as insignificant and utterly disgusting. And Riser had managed to tarnish his and his family name further than ever, through dishonorable acts, arrogance, complete disregard for traditions of honor and dignity and simply being a man who thought himself to be a King of everyone and everything. Needless to say, that earned him many enemies, especially from Houses of Sitri and Bael, who had life-long feuds with Phenexes for very long even before Riser was born, but he managed to disgrace both of Houses and gain hatred from Serafall Leviathan and even Zekram Bael himself, which could already count as death penalty. And the reveal of Lucia`s real fate and existence of her son in mere hours caused an uproar in highest echelons of power in Underworld, as he was not just a son of a Stray Devil, but a son of Lucia Lucifer and a grandson of Lucifer himself.

Now, in Occult Research Club, current Lucifer, Leviathan and heiresses of Gremory and Sitri houses, along with their Peerages, were deciding what to do with Alexander, who was knocked out by Sirzechs himself at the end of Rating Game, after he killed Riser Phenex. Right now, Alexander was locked up below the club`s building, most powerful seals holding him.

Rias was the first to talk up.

"Brother, can you tell, how`s the situation in Underworld about all of this?" Rias asked her older brother.

"Believe me, Rias, it doesn`t look pretty and I have all the reasons to fear the worse." Sirzechs sighed. "The single fact of Alexander`s existence has thrown our entire society into chaos, as he is not just Lucifer`s direct descendant, but also son of Lucia Lucifuge, who was supposed to be dead for centuries. That, along with the reveal of Lucia`s real fate and Alexander looking like a Lucifer himself, has sent our higher society into a full scale debacle, trying to decide his fate and, possibly, the fate of entire Lucifer line."

"Really? Is that guy that important?" Issei asked curiously, scratching his head. "And, what`s up with looking like Lucifer himself?"

"Because he does look identical to Lucifer." Rias said sighing. "Believe it or not, Issei, but in Alex`s veins runs the blood of the First Devil himself and he even holds his power in his possession. Of course he is important, not only because of his powers, but also because of the legacy his mother and grandfather had left behind. I can imagine that there are those that would love to have his head on a pike, or as their own ally."

"Correct." Leviathan spoke in serious voice. "At first, we`ve heard many voices of the heads, calling for his life, House of Phenex was the loudest out of them all, as he did kill Riser, be it in a Rating Game and after being provoked. However, two of the most powerful Houses have voiced their opinions about Alexander`s fate. Those two houses were Bael and Belial."

"Then Alex has gained the attention of Zekram Bael and Diehauser Belial." Sona stated firmly.

"Yes." Serafall confirmed. "Both of them had responded on this matter with sudden support to Alexander and his situation, stating their opinions as he is not at fault at here, but a victim of misfortunes that were laid out by House of Phenex, who took his mother as a slave and seemingly broke her. Zekram alone managed to turn the fury of many old clans against Phenex family, while Diehauser has been acting as a public advocate of Alexander. Right now, they are practically control the crowd`s opinion, but the ultimate decision still lies with Four Satans. Ajuka and Falbium had left this matter to us to resolve, while they suppress the unrest."

"Just why would those two support him?" Kiba asked. "They most surely hadn`t met him and mustn`t have anything to do with him."

"It`s not the matter of whether they know him or not, Kiba." Rias spoke. "Both Bael and Belial Houses were the most powerful supporters of Lucifer at the time and it was no secret that Lucia Lucifer had made powerful allies in both clans, specifically in Zekram Bael, the founder Bael clan and first supporter of Lucifer, and Diehauser Belial, second head of Belial family. Lucia must`ve been very close with both, because now they`ve decided to help out her only child. They owe her that, even now. At least we Rizevim didn`t get involved into this mess, or we may be facing another civil war right now."

"Wait, who is that guy? Is he some kind of powerhouse among Devils like those two?" Saji asked incredulous.

"Rizevim Livan Lucifer is the firstborn son of Lucifer himself, Saji." Sona informed her servant. "He is Alexander`s uncle and is one of the strongest Devils that had ever existed, standing in the same league as all Four Satans. Currently, it`s unknown if he is even informed of Alex or his sister`s fate, but if he does know, it`s safe to assume that there will be hell to pay from him."

"True, he may be driven only by his own desires, but one thing is clear as day." Crimson Satan spoke. "Once he finds out about Lucia`s fate, he`ll use all of his influence and power to make those who have her blood on their hands pay a thousand fold. She was his youngest sister and the one that saved him, by sacrificing herself in the process. It`s a well-known fact that out of all his relatives, Rizevim was the closest with Lucia, as he did love her as his sister. And now, if he does know that she was killed by Riser Phenex and was a slave in House of Phenex, we can be sure that this house will soon cease to exist, especially with so many enemies it had gained with the reveals their children made in a Rating Game."

"Pardon my question, but how did it happen that Lucia ended up as a slave of Phenex household?" Tsubaki asked a very important question.

"When we`ve managed to defeat her, we`ve managed to subdue Lucia and drain her of her powers." Sirzechs began to tell. "Only a handful of most trusted people were aware that she was placed in Gremory`s stronghold as a hostage. We believed that she would reveal the location of Old Satan Faction leaders and her brother`s plans and where he was. We`ve learned nothing, but then House of Phenex learned about Lucia and proposed us a deal: we would hand over Lucia to them as a bride to one of their sons in exchange for an blood oath of loyalty to House of Gremory and us, Four Devil Kings, along with all their information regarding the renegade houses that were still a threat to us. I`ve accepted this deal, but I didn`t realize until it was too late that I basically sold Grayfia`s sister as a slave to be exploited as they pleased. It was a wonder that she managed to survive so long and even escape."

"I take it, Grayfia had no idea about her sister`s true fate?" Rias guessed right, as Sirzechs looked down. "That`s why she isn`t here then."

"Yes, she has... left the household." Sirzechs simply stated. "Her reaction to learning about Lucia`s fate was.. very powerful. They may`ve ended up as enemies in the end, but Grayfia had never held no ill against Lucia and only joined the forces when Ajuka and I promised her that we would make our best to spare her, but in the end, I was forced to break that promise. Now, it would seem that Grayfia is looking over our entire marriage and is probably considering what to do, now that she found out the truth."

"Still, the problem remains and we have to deal with it." Serafall stated, turning to Rias. "As you were the one to reincarnate him, Rias, we`ve decided to put this in your hands. I hope that for all our sakes, you`ll find a suitable solution to this, as his King. We would be probably better off killing him, but.. I personally would like to avoid it, as he did save my dignity and is a wielder of Frostmourne. And.. well, he is simply an amazing person and I can`t help but admire."

"That`s a complete true." Sona spoke up. "Alexander, aside of his heritage, is easily one of the most promising young Devils. He has proven that he is not only powerful, but also intellectual and mindful. Losing him will not bode well with us."

"Not to mention that almost all of us here consider him to be a very close friend and someone we are proud to know." Akeno supported. "Without him, I would`ve never had accepted myself and I owe him more than I can repay."

"Senpai helped me too." Koneko supported Alex as well. "He is not bad. He is a great person."

"He is nothing but a walking trouble if you ask me." Kiba suddenly spoke against. "Throughout all the time he was with us, all he did was trying to break away from the President and he most certainly didn`t care for any of us. All he ever wanted was to follow his own path and the only reason he even considered helping us was because he had a grudge to settle with Riser. Alex is nothing but trouble, as he has zero respect for Rias and Devils as a general."

"Hey, I may not be in your group, but Alex is nothing short of awesome in all terms!" Saji spoke up for Alex, surprising Sona and everyone else. "If it wasn`t for this guy, I wouldn`t even pass the last tests, because he offered his help just because I was Sona`s friend like he was. Also, don`t forget how he even was resurrected and what part in it played your King."

"Saji.." Sona was amazed.

"Well, I may`ve never not liked the guy very much, but Alex is a pretty cool guy." Issei spoke up. "I mean, he never skipped the contract, always worked his ass out to get money and he even helped out Asia greatly."

"Yes, if it wasn`t for Alexander, I wouldn`t be even alive and here right now." Asia voiced her opinion.

"And that`s not to mention the fact that he is also an exceptionally good diplomat." Tsubaki spoke up as well.

All this time, Rias was simply hearing everyone out here. However, she had made up her mind long ago.

Now was the time to voice it.

Special Prison Cell. Under Occult Research Club.

Just when he had hoped that life wouldn`t fuck him anymore, he was yet again proven wrong. Alex sat in his cell, guarded by the seals that drained him of his powers and ability to use Forsaken Regalia, left alone, without food and with bare minimal water to keep him going. He honestly had been in far worse conditions, that`s for sure, without water and food all together for a week. And he was no stranger to people around him selling him out.

Just like with Rias and the rest of the group at the end of Rating Game, when he was knocked out by her big loving brother of all people. And after that, he woke up in here, without anyone to tell him of what the hell happened and being left to guess all by himself. By the end of the first day, he did receive a visitor in form of Rias, who informed him of his situation. And, as he knew it, he was pretty much in very deep shit because:

1. He was a son of a Stray Devil.

2. He was a direct descendant of Lucifer.

3. His mother was supposed to have died long ago.

4. He killed Riser and practically made the entire Phenex family a target for people to kill.

5. He simply didn`t follow Rias` commands and was generally the worst Servant she could wish for.

At least that crimson haired bitch didn`t get Raynare, as Alex instructed her to go to Azazel as soon as he gets into trouble. If anything, at least she would be safe and sound with them. But he was worried about his father`s reaction to all of that. Especially considering that his father was Azazel, head of the Grigori. And that man sure as hell loved his wife and loves his children.

As Alex was contemplating about all that had happened, he noticed a white magical circle appear and a familiar person teleporting from it. Now, there was someone he did expect to see in the near future.

"Didn`t expect you to come so late." Alex spoke, looking at the person on the other side of bars. "What is it that your damned husband wants with me now, Grayfia?" Alex didn`t care for the manners.

Said Devil was looking very closely at Alexander, as if looking something in him. And after a minute of observing she finally spoke.

"You have a lot of your mother in you." She spoke in soft voice, no ill in it. "You clearly are Lucia`s son. Only her child would have the same characteristics as hers."

"Trust me, I`m far from my mother in terms of personality." Alex simply sighed. "Did you stop by just to see your dead sister`s bastard? Or did you come here to finally put me down for good, like any other child of a Stray Devil?"

Grayfia stifled a little, but remained calm, despite the fact that Alex was clearly provoking her. No, she didn`t come here to laugh at him or kill. Her goal was far from it. She needed to see with her own eyes Lucia`s son, last remaining piece of her dead younger sister. And now, she couldn`t help but notice just how much Alexander looked not only like her sister, but also like her father. A complete copy of him, just one look at him makes Grayfia sad, sad with everything that had happened and feeling guilty for what she herself did. She went out of her way trying to stop a war, sided with Anti-Satan Faction in hopes of finally resolving the conflict. And by doing so, she became an enemy to her own family. She was told that if Lucia were to be captured, she would be spared, but in the end Grayfia was told that she died in the last battle. She managed to get over that loss, but it was very hard, especially with the deaths of her father and mother that Lucia was protecting. And now, after centuries of believing that her younger sister was dead, she found out the horrible truth. The truth, that while Grayfia was married happily to the man she believed to know, Lucia was subjugated, broken and turned into a slave for Phenex family. And that happened all because her own husband, Sirzechs Gremory, practically sold her out to those scums. Out of all the people and treacheries, Grayfia had never expected that she would be dealing with this kind. After the Rating Game, she had a very serious discussion with Sirzechs and his father, questioning both of them and getting all the answers.

And in the next day, Grayfia left the Gremory household, unable to look at her husband without anger and fury. She only hopped that her little Millicas was alright, as she did visit her son, but she didn`t stay in home, spending her time in her own household. Only now, she decided to confront her sister`s son. She had to do it, as she was guilty for not protecting her, for betraying her and basically leaving her to die slowly.

After some time of silence, Grayfia spoke again.

"Would actually believe me if I told that I didn`t know about my sister`s fate?" Grayfia asked her nephew. "Unlike the general belief, Queens and wives don`t know all of their husbands secrets. Especially not the worst kinds of them."

Alex actually rose up and looked directly in Grayfia`s eyes. She could feel the coldness and steel in them, with hints of hatred and rage burning inside of him. It was understandable and she couldn't falter him for it. In fact, Alexander had every right to feel hatred towards her. What kind of an older sister she was if she had allowed to sell her own flesh and blood. She was guilty, guilty of so many things that she must be hated by him. However, after looking at her, Alex simply sighed and sat onto the bunk.

"Sorry for being rude." He suddenly apologized to her, surprising Grayfia. "I`ve learned to read people and their true thoughts when I was in orphanage. I know that you are not lying and that you were lied to."

"I`m actually surprised that you are being so polite with me right now." Grayfia admitted. "With all that has happened with you, I was expecting you to be.."

"I don`t harbor any ill feelings towards you, Grayfia." Alex assured her. "And I know that my mother didn`t harbor them as well."

"How so?"

"Otherwise, why would she name my younger sister after you, Grayfia Lucina Lucifuge?" Alex said the full name of Grayfia, surprising and startling her. "Although, my sister likes to be called by her middle name instead of the first one, just as a side note."

"Wait.. You have a sister?" Alex nodded. "But.. that would mean.."

"Before you even consider on saying something, she is fine and well is under the direct protection of Grigoris." Alex informed Grayfia. "Governor General himself protects Lucina and provides her home. I myself was once with him, but I`ve decided to build my own life on my own, so he allowed me to come in Kuoh to study abroad, but he did warn me that if anything were to happen with me or would there be an immediate danger to my life, he wouldn`t hesitate sending a couple of my friends here to help."

"Just how close are you with Azazel, anyway? And.. was he somehow connected with Lucia?" Grayfia wished to know. "I want to know more about her and you, not for the sake of Sirzechs and others, but.. because I wish to at least make amends to you for my own mistakes I`ve made by trusting to Sirzechs."

"Hm, you really are alike, you and Lucina." Alex chuckled. "Very well. Azazel is my and Lucina`s father. My mother married him soon after she escaped the Underworld."

Grayfia`s mask of calmness shattered and she looked with wide eyes at her nephew. Not only a grandson of Lucifer, but also Azazel`s own son?! Then, if Azazel finds out that his son is here.. Sirzechs will have not just a civil war, but a whole new one with every Fallen Angel in Grigori.

"Understandable, this information isn`t a public knowledge." Alex continued. "I myself don`t want to cause my father and Fallen Angels trouble with my heritage, so the official story is that I was simply taken in when I was saved from a Stray Devil, which was truth. Father didn`t actually believe at first that I was alive, believing that I didn`t survive from the attack of Riser on mother and Lucina, but I did, when I managed to escape the burning house and hid in the forest. From there, my story is already history and we all know it, only the difference is that Azazel was my dad and he helped me a great deal to recover and to help me build my own path. Without him or Grigori, I wouldn`t be who I am right now, so I don`t want to cause trouble to them, but pay them back for the good they did to me."

"I understand and I`ll keep this a secret as well." Grayfia promised, looking over Alex. "You seem like you haven`t eaten in a long time. Are they feeding you at all?"

"No, or the food simply didn`t get to me." Alex chuckled grimly. "Rias must be having a time of her life: got away from an engagement and finally making me suffer for all my insubordination and insults in her address. The crimson bitch must be voting for killing me right now."

"Serafall told me, that Rias actually allowed Riser to kill you, while being aware of your special case as a son of a Stray." Grayfia noted, completely ignoring her nephew`s attitude towards Rias. "If anything, she`ll also receive a suitable punishment, if her crimes were to be confirmed. As for you.. Even with all of the sudden support you`ve gained from Belial and Bael Houses, your future doesn`t look too brightly."

"I`m prepared to deal with the consequences of my actions any time." Alex admitted, surprising Grayfia once again. "I don`t give a damn for my own life, but when it comes down to those closest to me, I`ll fight tooth and nail, give up all I`ve got, but make sure that they are safe and sound."

Grayfia actually smiled to that. Alex really was Lucia`s son.

"Those are actually the very same words my sister once said to me." Grayfia confessed to Alexander.

Alexander smiled to that one, but then noticed a familiar red magic circle and in the next second, two persons stepped out of there. Alex even rose up for those two, after all, he owed these crimson haired Gremory for putting him into cage in the first place. Grayfia a bit angrily looked at both Rias and Sirzechs, who were surprised to see her. Sirzechs spoke first with his wife.

"Grayfia, I didn`t expect to find you here." Sirzechs wished to reconnect with his wife.

"Were you not expecting me to visit my own nephew, Sirzechs?" She asked coldly. "After all, he is all that I have left of my dead sister, even though she died not from your hand, but in flames of Phenex, whom you sold her."

"Grayfia, I won`t tolerate your disrespectful tone towards my brother." Rias stepped in. "You may be my sister-in-law, but no one has the right to judge the actions made in the past to protect our society."

"Then how would you, Rias, react if you had learned that your brother or sister was sold out as a slave by the man you trusted and loved the most?" Grayfia`s white aura started to resonate. "Believe me, girl, I have all the right to judge here. And I still have a couple of questions to you, regarding your involvement in all of this."

"And what do you expect would happen to me?" Rias`s aura also started to glow. "All I did was resurrecting a person I had no information about, that`s all."

"Lie all you want, but it`s already a well-known fact that you`ve manipulated both Riser and Alex, to get your hands on Alex and put his Sacred Gear against Riser. And it worked, only now you are here, playing a victim, when in reality you were a manipulator."

"Why you.." Rias was about to snap.

"Hey, if you two don`t mind, I would like to finally get to know my sentence." Alex interjected. "I`ve got an appointment in 6, so let`s wrap this up already. I take you`ve made up your mind, Crimson Satan?"

Sirzechs turned his attention to Alexander and walked closer to him, looking him directly in the eyes. Alex did only the same, showing no fear or even a trace of it. And then, current Lucifer stated his sentence.

"Alexander Lucifer, son of Lucia Lucifer- Lucifuge, as a child of an infamous rebel and a Stray Devil, you represent a danger to Devil`s society and fragile peace we have right now, not to mention you being a grandson of Lucifer. Your own actions are also a proof that the best course of actions for us is to kill you right here and now." Sirzechs explained.

Alex could see Grayfia scoffing on Sirzechs and her expression becoming angrier. He himself had no such feeling, but he did sense that something wasn`t right at the moment. Like, why the hell is that crimson bitch smiling at him, just like Riser did?

"However, given your circumstances and the fact that you possess a very rare and powerful abilities even among the strongest Devils, along with your King being considerate of you, we`ve decided to be merciful." Sirzechs spoke. "You shall live, Alexander, but, from this moment and until the very end of your days, you will live only as slave, serving directly to Rias and House of Gremory, as payment for sins committed by you and your mother. All that was once yours, now belongs to Rias and will be handled by her discretion. You are hereby forbidden of promotion through the ranks of Devil society and you are now below even Low-Ranking Devils. And if you ever think to rebel or raise your voice or hand against your Master.."

Sirzechs placed his palm on Alex`s chest and then suddenly Alex felt the most excruciating pain in his life, but it was coming from inside of him. As if his entire organism was getting a dose of the freaking Power of Destruction all at once. Fortunately, the pain went away in the next few seconds, but then Alex understood what that son of a bitch did to him.

'My Pawn piece.. He must`ve used his powers to make my piece into a.. collar..'

"Now, from this point on, you`ll live to serve my sister and household. Nothing else must hold a meaning to you, for it`s irrelevant. Enjoy the gift she gave you, young Devil." Sirzechs turned around and went outside the magical circle.

Alex rose up once again, completely shocked and destroyed with what just happened. In all of his thoughts and worst case scenarios.. he never expected to end up like that. He was now not even a free person, not even a person to begin with. He was turned into a slave, the thing he despised the most. They made him into what they molded his own mother and now he was paying up for her crimes, along with the crime of simply being in this world. Once again, the life proven to him that she wasn`t done with him suffering just yet. Now.. it was even far worse then he could even imagine.

Alex could clearly see the shock on Grayfia`s face and horror, as she just realized that her husband turned her nephew into same thing he made her sister. But that wasn`t the reaction Alex was focused on right now.

His eyes were fixated on smirking victoriously Rias Gremory, who was now not hiding her true self, cruel, manipulative bitch that she was. She now had Alexander on the leash and could do all that she wished. And the very best part, he wouldn`t even resist.

Or so that little whore believes..

"Tell me that you are not done for yet?"?Spoke spirit of his long-deceased grandfather, Lucifer.

'No, I am not done yet.' Alex answered. 'Rias, enjoy this little victory of yours while it lasts. But, mark my words, for I won`t repeat them. One day, one of these day, I WILL get my liberation. And once that day comes, I`ll make you regret the day you were born