(A/N: I thank all of you for reading this series on wattpad! It's thanks to your support I made it this far!)

(Your POV)
Some time after the interviews, we all headed home. The moment I got home, I needed to grab some things, and for the sake of the surprises, I'll cut this short. I came back home around nighttime, covered in dirt and with the faint smell of death. Natalia noticed this rather quickly and ordered that I must take a bath right away, so I decided to try out the new hot springs we installed when my house became a mansion, but never had the time to test out. Out of everyone, I think Rias is the only person to use it, so I decided now would be a good time to try it out. There was nothing wrong with working while taking a bath, so I figured I would do so. I grabbed a spare robe and walked down the hallway to a door that lead to the hot springs. I opened it and saw it was a large stairwell that lead to a room that was installed inside the cliff. The rock was carved to make stone stairs that spiraled down towards a kind of room that had a working fridge, some seats, a couple massage chairs, several shelves, some changing rooms, and a ping pong table. The stone floor was replaced with wood, the stone walls displayed the great waves of kanagawa. It was made as a kind of resting area that led to the actual hot springs. We only had one, but it was quite large. I grabbed a towel from the shelf and walked to the changing room to change into a robe. I neatly folded my dirty clothes and put them aside, I already decided I'll wash them after I bathe. I walked out wearing a towel around my waist, since the room was empty, I assumed no one was here. I parted the tarp that acted as the door between the room and the hot spring, and it looked pretty. The floor of the hot spring was made of stone, and there were basic things needed for a hotsprings against the wall. The water was roughly twice the size of a pool, but my attention was focused on the far wall on the other side of the spring. This place used to be a cave, so it kept some of it's cave-like aesthetic, including dips made of rock on the ceiling, as well as a massive hole on the ceiling that allowed steam to escape and allowed us to see the night sky. Keep in mind, due to the position of the hole, it was impossible to look inside unless you're flying, and even then it would be obvious you're peeking.

So that's why we never told Issei about this place or the giant hole in the cliff.

"Hey (Y/N), glad to see I'm not the only one who uses this place." Much to my surprise, Rias was here, already in the baths with her hair in a bun and her towel folded on her head. "Come on in, the water's great."

"Let me clean myself off first." I walked over to a stool that had the shower hose with some soap on the side. "I don't want to get in when I'm covered in dirt and all."

"Why are you covered in dirt anyways, we came back from the studio a couple hours ago, and you left the moment we came back?" Rias questioned, and I shrugged.

"Just has an idea for a new magic to use as a last resort, bad news is that it's very illegal and morally ambiguous." I answered honestly, I'm a terrible liar, so I just gave up on lying long ago. "It's necrobotany."

"Necrobotany...you mean where you combine Druidic magic with necromancy?" Rias questioned, and I nodded to confirm this. "To be honest, it's not the worst kind of magic out there, since necrobotany just uses the body and doesn't bother their soul. So I take it you went to get bodies?"

"Yeah, I only have a couple bodies, all of which are people I've killed." I decided to be very picky about their bodies, since I still have a mildly decent respect for the dead. "Quick question; are you the reason why there's a hot spring at your family's palace?"

"Not only me, but my brother as well." Rias appeared to be passionate about Japanese culture, so I decided to talk about something she's interested in. "He's obsessed with Japanese culture."

"Didn't you get into an argument with my step mother about what kind of milk is the best after bathing in a hot spring?"  I asked while rinsing myself off with the shower hose after applying the soap.

"Hey, it's not my fault fruit milk is the best after a relaxing bath." Rias justified whilst pouting, and I finished rinsing off to join her in the water. "So what kind of milk do you like to drink after visiting hot springs?"

"An oddly specific question, but I like chocolate milk." I answered whilst slipping into the bath, the water was warm, so it was relaxing. "I guess you're right, hot springs are relaxing."

"Have you ever relaxed in a hot spring before (Y/N)?" Rias questioned, and I was about to answer that, but she stopped me. "Last time doesn't count, I could hear you taking care of everyone and dealing with everyone's nonsense."

"I guess not." I wanted to practice my water manipulation magic a bit, but with Rias here, it might not go too smoothly.

"Well this is your opportunity to relax, and don't worry, I won't get too flirtatious with you like last time." Rias informed me, and that was a good sign. "Sorry about that time though, I was just scared I would lose you to Akeno."

"I am flattered you think that way, but you don't need to worry about me picking favorites, I like everyone equally." I didn't know how to respond, but Rias seemed to blush at my words. "Besides, if I loved someone because of how their bodies were, then I'd be a disappointment in my eyes."

"Speaking of your view of yourself, how is it nowadays?" Rias questioned, most likely concerned with my mental health. "When I first met you, you thought pretty low of yourself."

"I haven't had thoughts like I used to in a while." I guess I haven't thought those kinds of thoughts in a while, and this put Rias in a better mood.

"That's good, you're without a doubt, one of the greatest people I've ever met, so I don't want you thinking lowly of yourself." Rias closed the distance between us, and I felt something soft touching my hand, given the shape, it was Rias' hand. "So no talking bad about yourself, okay?"

"I'll try not to." I laid my head on the stone ground, which I suppose was better than nothing. "I'm kind of glad my father wanted to move to Japan. My mother would have left no matter what, and my father would have gone through all he has no matter where we were. But if I was anywhere else, I never would have learned to accept myself, and I would have died back at the island."

"I'm glad you've learned to accept yourself, you insulting yourself was like watching an artist burn their greatest work in my eyes." Rias commented whilst letting a smile be known on her face. "Whenever you thought bad about yourself, I wanted to tell you all the great things you are to everyone, so I'm happy you aren't having those thoughts anymore. If they come back however, let me know, and I'll try to help you."

"Thank you, for giving me a place to belong." I was grateful, and the two of us decided to soak together in silence.

Some time later though, the two of us decided to get out of the baths, and I had to not look at Rias due to her wearing nothing but a towel. There were some robes hanging up, so Rias and I put some on before leaving the hot spring. The robes were a bit small on me, but still covered the important parts. However, it left some of my torso exposed, allowing Rias to see my chest and stomach. As for Rias, the robe managed to fit her pretty well, just a bit on the loose end. Rias walked over to the fridge and pulled out two containers of milk, one being banana flavored and the other being vanilla. Rias insisted I try vanilla milk, and this was honestly never heard of either of those flavors, but Rias kept on insisting I try it. This was an entirely different version of Rias compared to what I was used to. Normal Rias was refined, calm, and almost like a big sister to us, but this Rias was passionate, excited, and overflowing with positivity. I honestly liked seeing his side of Rias, so I decided to roll with what she wants. I decided to drink the vanilla milk, and it was surprisingly good. "So, what do you think?" Rias asked in an excited manner. "Drinking milk is the best after a dip in the hot springs."

"It's quite good, but my main focus is you, since you seem quite passionate about this." I pointed out, and Rias looked kind of flustered. "Are you a fan of Japanese culture?"

"Yeah, I'm something of a Japanophile." Riss rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I'm pretty obsessed with Japanese culture, I even moved from Europe here."

"I guess I'm not the only one." I commented, and Rias looked confused. "Even though my father is from (country name), my mother was from Ireland, so I was born there. My father wanted to move to Japan because the pay was better, and he decided to live in a lighthouse. The rest is history."

"That seems like an oddly detailed past." Rias commented before shrugging. "I'm also willing to bet your father just came to Japan because he likes samurai."

"Samurai?" Well that was random, I wonder what she meant by that. "What makes you think that?"

"I passed by your father's room while he had the door open, and he had a full set of samurai armor in there." Rias answered, and I guess that proves it. "I think he'll let you borrow it if you ask."

"No need, I can enhance my body to be more durable, and I don't want to break something special to my father." I took another drink of the milk. "Another thing that might help, my sacred gear now has a physical form I can work with, but it's incomplete and more of a last resort than an actual tool, I have to modify my body to be more robotic to even be able to withstand it."

"Considering this your body we're talking about here, I'd advise you don't use it at all." Rias pokes me in the chest. "So what does it do anyways?"

"My goal is to have it be a shield that can change forms, either to suit whatever talent I'm using or to become whatever's needed to protect everyone." I explained, but my limited resources were making that hard. "Right now however, it uses elemancy like mine, alongside some sun magic thanks to Huitzilopochtli."

"Wild elemancy...if you do end up using it, I'd recommend finding a way to trap all that wild elemancy magic inside a certain area and fighting in there." Rias suggested, and I nodded, earth magic will make that task easy. "Should I take Asia? I feel as though she should stay here with Dagda, Irina, Azazel, and those three friends of yours."

"Unlike with Sona, all of us pieces are expected to be at this rating game, so we can't leave Asia behind." I reminded my master, who looked somewhat down. "Don't worry, I have a plan should Diodora decide to pull anything. I already have several magic disabling EMP's, poisons, and gadgets ready. By the way, Tojuro, Sarah, and Yozakura are coming with us."

"Really?" Rias sounded pretty surprised, to which I nodded to confirm this. "Why is that?"

"I hacked into the rating game's system to label them as Issei's newly recruited pawns." I had to use the talent of Ultimate Programmer, Inventor, Gamer, Lucky Student, and Robot for that, but it was worth it. Now that I think about it, using multiple talents at once is hard. "I don't like lying or deceiving people, but Diodora gives me a feeling that I must hold nothing back."

"I don't exactly approve of your methods, but against an opponent like Diodora, use them." Rias ordered, and I nodded. "Before that though, let's get some rest before the big day tomorrow."

"Alright, just let me put my clothes in the washer, don't want to make more work for everyone." I walked towards my pile of dirty clothes and the two of us walked up the stairs.

Rias and I reached the top of the flight of stairs, where we went our separate ways, I assumed she went to her room and I went to the room that had the washing machine. I put my clothes in along with some other dirty clothes that were in a pile in the corner of the room. After that, I turned on the machine and walked towards my room. To my surprise, or not to my surprise, I can't tell at this point, Rias was in the room with Asia. Rias I could understand, but Asia being here was a bit random. "Hey Asia, is everything alright?" I asked whilst walking towards the girl, who looked kind of scared.

"(Y/N)..." Asia noticed me and hugged me tightly and I responded to the hug by returning it gently. "I don't want to go with Diodora, I want to stay with you forever."

"Don't worry Asia, Diodora won't touch you, I'll do everything within my power to ensure that." I hugged Asia slightly tighter, I refused to let her into the hands of someone like Diodora, or anyone else. "We'll be together no matter, I swear it."

"How rude of you two to leave me out of this." Rias joked while joining the hug. "Either way, I'm with (Y/N), Diodora won't lay a finger on you, Asia. We're not the only people who can guarantee that, everyone in the peerage can promise you that."

"Not just the people in the peerage, everyone here cares about you Asia." I reassured the blonde girl.

"Thank you, (Y/N), Rias." Asia's scared expression slowly melted away and was replaced by a smile. "Do you promise we'll be together?"

"I promise." I promised the girl, who let out a yawn. "Let's go to bed, we have a big day tomorrow."

With that said, all three of us got into bed, with Rias taking off the robe and me just changing into pajamas. Asia was wearing a nightgown, and both Rias and I agreed to let Asia sleep in the middle of the bed. While Asia lied down on the bed, Rias got on her right side while I got on her left. Asia seemed confused by this, so she spoke up. "This is different from how we normally sleep together, is today a special occasion?" Asia asked, wondering why we're on either side of her.

"(Y/N) and I wanted to make you feel more secure, so we're sleeping on either side of you to protect you better." Rias answered while smiling at me, and I avoided eye contact since I can't look naked women in the eye.

"Besides, Diodora can teleport anywhere, so this is tactically the best way to do things." I just came up with an excuse to sleep like this, and I could tell Asia knew this, but she played along.

"Thank you (Y/N), Rias."

(Scene change, brought to you by several crows blocking the screen before quickly dispersing)

(Odin POV)

That (Y/N) kid...he was something else.

Looking at him up close didn't even compare to the stories that were told of him, staring at him up close was like looking at a hungry dog who would devour anything that harms his master. No, that'd be an insult, it was like he was a King of Wolves. In terms of raw power, he doesn't have much, but he more than makes up for it in his wide arsenal of skills, tools, weapons, and unique magic. He's not only strong, he's also caught the interest of not only my retainer, Rossweisse, but also someone else. A neighbor of mine if you will. In fact, he was so interested in that boy he wrote him a letter, and insisted on coming with me to see this kid for himself. I was sitting in a lounge room, almost completely alone, the only people here were me, and the stowaway who hid in my walking cane. "So neighbor, what do you think about that (Y/N)?" I asked, causing the mysterious person to slowly come out of my cane.

It was like the piece of wood was slowly growing a massive tumor made of wood, and the tumor slowly took the form of a large man whose main features are obscured thanks to a brown cloak, and even the details I can see don't help much. I could tell his feet were brown fired goat legs like a Satyr from Greece, he had both deer horns and goat horns protruding from holes in his brown hood over his head, and his face was covered with a wooden mask that had holes to display glowing emerald eyes. In his hands, from what I could see, was a torc. The mask itself had no features other than Celtic runes and etchings, from what I've heard, it's to remind him that he is Cernunnos, not the Satan that many people associate him with these days. "He is...is an interesting person." Cernunnos' speech was off, it was like two people were talking at once, one being a gentle yet wild soul, and the other being the personification of evil. "He is truly of tuatha de danann...albeit the human variety..."

"I wasn't asking about his blood, if anything his blood is the least impressive thing about him, I was asking what you thought of him, since you came all this way to see him." I corrected, this guy was an odd one, but that's to be expected when he's constantly fighting himself.

"He is the hope that this world needs..." Cernunnos' hoofed feet began making their way to the door. "I want to nurture that hope and help it grow before I become forgotten and become Satan..."

"You know, you'll only become Satan if you're forgotten, maybe make yourself known as Cernunnos, the man who helped the King of Hope." I suggested, and Cernunnos looked at me. Thanks to his mask, even I can't read his emotions.

"I am a god of nature and wild things, people will forget me soon enough..." Cernunnos was kind of a downer, and I watched as he left the room, followed by Rossweisse entering the room with my tea.

"Hey Rossweisse, did you see that hooded guy?" I asked the Valkyrie, who looked confused for a moment before nodding. "I'll give you a choice, stay here and do nothing, or you can go with him."

"Why?" Rossweisse was usually a bright girl, but without context, she doesn't have a clue as to what's going on.

"That Guy, Cernunnos, knows more than he lets on, and he thinks something is going to happen involving (Y/N)." I explained, and Rossweisse looked shocked. "So I'll say this again; go with Cernunnos to help (Y/N), or you can stay here."

It went without saying Rossweisse went to go help (Y/N), to be honest, she clearly fell for the kid when she met him face to face. At first, it was just respecting a fellow warrior, now I'm fairly certain she's head over heels for him. How do I know this, aside from the obvious, she tends to turn pink whenever his name is mentioned. Well, I approve of the kid anyways, so it should be fine.

(Y/N) (L/N), you better live up to your name, King of Hope.

(A/N: As a kind of celebration for getting to the 50th chapter, I figured I should start introducing the Major Arcana pieces, even though you won't be getting the peerage until later. My goal is to give each member a motive, make them similar to their original source (without entering dangerous territory), and to make each member memorable. Well, that only applies to members who aren't canonical characters from the series or are canon but are rarely touched upon. Anyhow, while I won't tell you the pieces until they're introduced, I can tell you where they're from. Keep in mind these are only the Major Arcana, and the Minor Arcana have a crap ton of empty spots.
Fool: Shield of the Waves
The Magician: Mayan, along with various other Central American Civilizations
The High Priestess: Slash Dog *faces away from camera* Hey does it count as a crossover if I add her?
The Empress: DxD
The Emperor: The Congo
The Hierophant: West African Region
The Lovers: British
The Chariot: Various Native American tribes
The Strength: India
The Hermit: DxD
The Wheel of Fortune: Greece
The Justice: Indonesia
The Hanged Man: Ireland+Other Celtic regions?
The Death: DxD
The Temperance: Germany
The Devil: Various Fairy Tales
The Tower: American/Canadian(?)
The Star: Journey to the West
The Moon: Inuit
The Sun: Hawaii
The Judgement: Sweden
The World: France
Don't see your region or culture up there? You're free to give me ideas for the Minor Arcana Pieces, like folk heroes or heroes from your culture.