DxD: The Pale Puppeteer

The grand meeting chamber within Lucifer's castle was bathed in a warm yet imposing atmosphere, the blend of Sirzechs' composed aura and Serafall's ever-present playful energy filling the space.

At the center, a silver tray rested on a polished ebony table, freshly poured tea gently steaming in porcelain cups.

Grayfia Lucifuge, ever the diligent maid, stood nearby, ensuring everything was in place.

"Ahh~ Grayfia-chan, you always make the best tea!"

Serafall sang as she took a sip, swinging her legs beneath the chair.

"Maybe I should steal you away and make you my personal maid~"

Grayfia, ever composed, responded in her usual even tone.

"That would be impossible, Lady Leviathan."

Sirzechs chuckled, setting his own cup down.

"I'd rather avoid a diplomatic incident over tea, Serafall."

Serafall pouted.

"Boo~ No fun, Zechs-tan."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the light mood shifted subtly as Sirzechs reached for a sealed document.

With a careful motion, he slid it toward her.

"Serafall, I need you to look into this."

Serafall's mischievous expression faded as she picked up the file, flipping through its contents.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned the report.

"An explosion in the Underworld… and the energy signature is… weird."

She tapped her fingers against the table. "This isn't normal magic."

Sirzechs nodded.

"We had our experts analyze the site, and their findings were… unsettling."

Grayfia spoke next, stepping forward slightly.

"They detected an energy that shares properties with the Sacred Factor found in the Holy Sword Project."

Serafall's eyes widened slightly.

"Wait, you're telling me this has traces of the same stuff that made Durandal and Excalibur?"

"Yes"

Sirzechs confirmed, his expression unreadable.

"However, that's not all. The other half of the energy signature is… difficult to classify. It doesn't match any recorded elemental magic, demonic power, or even divine energy."

Serafall flipped back to the recorded energy readings.

The numbers and descriptions felt off—the kind of off that made your instincts scream even when your mind couldn't explain why.

"So what you're saying is," she began, "someone out there is playing with Sacred Factors, but they mixed it with something unknown?"

Grayfia nodded. "The clash of energies was what caused the explosion. The two forces are fundamentally incompatible."

Serafall leaned back, twirling a strand of her hair.

"That's worrying. The Church wouldn't mess with Sacred Factors outside their control, and the Fallen ditched that project ages ago."

Her playful demeanor faded slightly. "That means we're looking at someone else… someone experimenting with something new."

Sirzechs exhaled.

"I suspect a rogue faction. Whether it's a scientist, a secret project, or a group trying to create their own Sacred Gear-like weapons, we need answers."

Serafall let out a dramatic sigh.

"Great. So I'm dealing with either a mad scientist, a black-market Sacred Gear dealer, or some cult that has no idea what they're messing with."

She clicked her tongue.

"Fun times."

Sirzechs allowed a small smile.

"I trust you'll handle this well."

Grayfia gave a slight nod.

"We will arrange for additional support should you require it, Lady Leviathan."

Serafall waved a hand dismissively.

"Nah, I got this. But Zechs-tan…" she narrowed her eyes, her tone dropping to something far more serious than usual.

"If someone's messing around with Sacred Factors and an unknown energy, we might have a really big problem on our hands."

Sirzechs' expression darkened slightly.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Serafall exhaled before standing up.

"Alrighty! Levi-tan, off to save the day~"

With a flash of bright magical energy, she disappeared from the room.

The chamber fell silent.

Sirzechs took a slow sip of his tea, his gaze lingering on the spot where she once stood.

Grayfia observed him before speaking.

"If this turns out to be a deliberate experiment… what will you do?"

Sirzechs closed his eyes briefly, then set his cup down with deliberate calm.

"Then we find out who's behind it… and we make sure they never try again."