Elias walked up the stone steps to the shrine.
He let out a long breath, trying to shake off the annoyance from the library.
As soon as he opened the front gate, two familiar faces greeted him.
"Welcome home, Eli!"
Dee cheered from the porch. She skipped over and gave him a quick, happy hug.
Right behind her was Akeno. She smiled brightly and handed him a cold glass of tea.
"Welcome home, Elias onii-chan. How were your classes today?"
"They were fine,"
Elias smiled, taking a sip of the tea.
"Just a little weird at the end."
Akeno looked at him closely. She had wanted to talk to him as soon as he got home.
She really needed his help to save her best friend, Rias, from the arranged marriage.
But Akeno was very observant. She saw the serious look in Elias's eyes. He had something on his mind.
"I'll wait,"
Akeno thought to herself.
"I will tell him about Rias after he talks to Mama."
Elias patted Akeno's head gently.
"Is Shuri-kaa san inside? And Baraqiel-tou san?"
"Mama is in the kitchen,"
Akeno answered.
"But Father isn't home today. He had to go to the Grigori headquarters for a long meeting."
Elias nodded.
"Okay. I need to ask Shuri-kaa san something."
Elias walked into the kitchen. Shuri was wiping down the counters.
When she saw him, her face lit up with a warm, motherly smile.
"Elias-kun,"
She said,
"Are you hungry? Dinner will be ready soon."
"I can wait,"
Elias said, sitting down at the small kitchen table.
"Shuri-kaa san, can I ask you a question about the magic world?"
Shuri stopped cleaning and sat across from him. She gave him her full attention.
"Of course. What do you want to know?"
"Today at the university, a girl stopped me,"
Elias explained.
"She used a binding spell on me. I broke it easily, but she was very proud. She said her name was Tohsaka Rin. Do you know about the Tohsaka family?"
Shuri's eyes widened slightly. Her gentle smile faded into a look of serious caution.
"Tohsaka,"
Shuri repeated softly.
"Yes, I know of them. They are not Devils, Angels, or Fallen Angels. They are human magi."
"Like the magicians I fought in the forest?"
Elias asked.
"Yes, but much older and much more traditional,"
Shuri explained, folding her hands on the table.
"The Tohsaka family is one of the ancient founding families of a very secret, very dangerous ritual."
Elias leaned forward.
"What kind of ritual?"
"It is called the Holy Grail War,"
Shuri said, lowering her voice.
"The Holy Grail is a magical cup that is said to grant any wish. To win this cup, these magus families summon powerful spirits to fight for them."
"Spirits?"
"They are called Servants,"
Shuri nodded.
"They are the ghosts of great heroes, kings, and warriors from human history. The magi become their Masters, and they fight until only one is left alive."
Elias sat back in his chair. His brain was working very fast.
Tohsaka Rin. The Holy Grail. Heroic Servants.
Suddenly, it clicked. The blurry memory in his head became perfectly clear.
He remembered being in his friend's bedroom back in Ohio.
His friend had a huge poster on the wall showing a girl in a red sweater standing next to a warrior in red armor.
His friends used to argue all the time about the rules of the "Holy Grail War" anime.
"Fate,"
Elias whispered to himself.
"Excuse me?"
Shuri asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing, Shuri-kaa san,"
Elias smiled slightly, shaking his head.
"I just realized something."
He looked down at his hands. When he first woke up in this world, he thought he was just in a world filled with Devils and Angels.
But if Tohsaka Rin was here... and the Holy Grail existed... then this world was much bigger and crazier than he originally thought.
It was a mixed world.
If this universe had the Devils of Kuoh Academy and the Magi of the Fate universe living side by side, what else was out there?
Were there heroes with crazy quirks? Were there soul reapers hiding in the shadows? Were there alien gods?
Elias let out a small chuckle.
"Is something funny?"
Shuri asked, smiling a little bit at his laughter.
"No, it's just... I think life here is never going to be boring,"
Elias said.
He felt a new spark of excitement.
He had the power of Adaptivity. He could learn and survive anything. If this world was full of different stories, heroes, and villains, he was ready to face them all.
Just then, Akeno peeked her head into the kitchen.
"Onii-chan?"
Akeno asked softly.
"Are you done talking? I... I really need to ask you a big favor. It's about my friend, Rias."
Elias turned his attention to his little sister. He gave her an encouraging nod.
"Come sit down, Akeno,"
Elias said, pulling out a chair next to him.
"What is going on with Rias?"
Akeno sat down. She looked very worried.
"Rias is being forced into an arranged marriage by her family. The man is a high-class Devil named Riser Phenex. He is cruel, and Rias doesn't want to marry him. The only way she can stop it is to beat him in a Rating Game—a big Devil battle. But Riser's team is too strong. She is going to lose."
Akeno looked up at Elias with pleading eyes.
"Onii-chan, can you help her? Can you fight for her?"
Elias sat quietly, tapping his finger on the table.
Back in his old world, he knew his friends watched a show about a red-haired Devil girl.
This had to be the main plot of that story.
But honestly, Elias didn't know anything about the plot, and he didn't care.
He didn't care about "canon events" or the main story. He just lived his life.
Rias was Akeno's best friend. If Akeno was sad, then Elias was going to fix it.
That was the only reason he needed.
"I want to help her,"
Elias said honestly.
"But I don't know the rules of these Devil games. I'm just a human who knows a little magic. If I just walk in and punch this Riser guy, won't her family just get mad and force the marriage anyway?"
"He makes a good point,"
A cheerful voice said from the doorway.
Dee walked into the kitchen, holding an apple. She took a loud bite and smiled at them.
"Devil society is all about old traditions and strict rules. You can't just beat him up in an alley. You have to beat him at his own game."
"How?"
Elias asked, looking at his girlfriend.
Dee swallowed her bite of apple and pointed at him.
"Simple. You challenge Riser for her hand in marriage. In ancient Devil traditions, if two males want the same bride, they can fight for the right to claim her. If you win, you can just cancel the marriage."
Akeno's eyes widened.
"But Dee-nee chan... normal humans aren't allowed to challenge high-class Devils for a pureblood bride! The Devil Kings would never allow it."
"Exactly,"
Dee grinned, her dark eyes sparkling with a mischievous light.
"Which means Eli just has to become a Devil first."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"Become a Devil? How do I do that?"
Shuri, who was listening quietly, finally spoke up.
"High-class Devils have special items called Evil Pieces,"
Shuri explained.
"They look like chess pieces. If a Devil puts one inside a human's chest, the human turns into a reincarnated Devil and becomes their servant."
"But I don't want to be anyone's servant,"
Elias frowned.
"Don't worry, you won't be,"
Dee laughed.
"You aren't going to let them put it in your chest with a magic ritual. You are just going to swallow it. You are going to eat the Evil Piece."
Elias and Akeno both stared at Dee in shock.
"Eat it?"
Elias asked.
"Think about your Adaptivity power, Eli,"
Dee smiled, walking over to wrap her arms around his shoulders.
"If you eat a magical object that is meant to change your DNA, your body will treat it like an attack. Your stomach will break it down. You will absorb the pure Devil energy without the servant contract!"
Elias's eyes went wide as he realized what she meant.
"So... I will gain all the strengths of a Devil. The magic, the strength, the wings."
"Yes,"
Dee nodded excitedly.
"And here is the best part. Devils are naturally weak to holy magic and light. It burns them. But the moment your body turns into a Devil and feels that weakness... your Adaptivity will kick in."
Elias started to smile. It was a very dangerous, confident smile.
"My body will adapt to the holy weakness instantly,"
Elias finished her thought.
"I will be a Devil, but light and holy weapons won't hurt me at all."
"Exactly,"
Dee kissed his cheek.
"You will be the ultimate Devil. No weaknesses. Then, you can walk right up to this Riser guy, challenge him to a fight for Rias, and legally beat him into the ground."
Akeno clapped her hands together, feeling a huge wave of relief.
"That is brilliant!"
Akeno cheered. She looked at her big brother.
"But where do we get an Evil Piece?"
Elias stood up from the table. He cracked his knuckles.
"You said Rias is a high-class Devil, right? She must have some Evil Pieces lying around. Let's go talk to your friend, Akeno. I think it is time I met the famous Rias Gremory."