Ravel left the training room a few minutes later.
Not abruptly.
Not dramatically.
Just… casually.
Like she hadn't just stood there and watched her older brother struggle through something he'd never taken seriously before.
Like she hadn't helped him.
Like it didn't matter.
But it did.
Riser knew it did.
The moment the door closed behind her, the room felt quieter.
Not empty.
Just… missing something.
"…Huh."
He let the flame in his hand fade out slowly.
This time, it didn't sputter.
It didn't lash out.
It just… disappeared.
Cleaner than before.
Better.
"…I'm improving."
That was dangerous.
Not because it wasn't true.
Because it was.
And progress had a way of making people careless.
Riser rolled his shoulders once, then exhaled slowly and walked toward the side table where his notes were stacked.
Messy.
Unorganized.
Half thoughts written like they might run away if he didn't trap them on paper.
He picked one up.
Looked at it.
Then grabbed a pen.
"…Alright. Enough reacting."
He sat down.
Straightened the paper.
And started writing.
The Problem
Rias Gremory.
Engagement.
Canon outcome: humiliation.
Outcome now?
Unknown.
Riser tapped the pen lightly against the page.
"…No."
That wasn't how he wanted to frame it.
He crossed it out.
The Reality
Rias does not want this engagement.Canon Riser made it worse.I cannot act like him.
He leaned back slightly.
Thinking.
Not rushing.
That was new too.
Old Riser would've barged in.
Declared things.
Expected things.
Lost.
"…So what do I not do?"
He flipped the page.
Do NOT: Act arrogant Treat Rias like property Ignore her opinion Push the engagement aggressively Show off like an idiot
Riser stared at the list.
Then added one more.
Underestimate her
"…Yeah."
That one mattered more than the rest.
Because Rias wasn't weak.
Not emotionally.
Not mentally.
And definitely not in power.
She just didn't like being trapped.
Which—
"…Fair."
He tapped the pen again.
Then started a new section.
Do: Stay calm Be respectful Don't push Let her choose interaction pace Be… normal
He paused.
Stared at the last line.
"…That might be the hardest one."
Because "normal" wasn't something he'd practiced.
Not in this life.
Not in the last one either, if he was being honest.
Still—
He added one more.
Be someone worth choosing
Riser stopped writing.
The room was quiet again.
Firelight flickered faintly across the walls.
And for a moment—
He just looked at what he'd written.
"…This won't guarantee anything."
Of course it wouldn't.
Nothing did.
Not in this world.
Not in any world.
But—
It gave him direction.
And right now—
That mattered more than certainty.
He set the pen down.
Then stood up slowly.
His body still felt heavy from training.
Not painful.
Just… worked.
"…Alright."
He walked toward the window.
Looked out over the Phenex estate.
Flames.
Stone.
Structure.
Power.
Everything canon Riser relied on.
Everything that still wasn't enough.
"…One week."
That's all he had before meeting the Gremory family.
Before meeting Rias.
Before—
Everything started moving.
Faster.
More dangerously.
He exhaled slowly.
Then turned away from the window.
"…Then I use it properly."
Training.
Control.
Preparation.
Not just strength.
Not just plans.
But—
Execution.
Riser glanced back at the table.
At the list.
At the version of himself trying to exist there.
Then smirked slightly.
"…Let's see if this works."
Somewhere behind him—
The system flickered.
Quiet.
Observing.
Waiting.
And for once—
It didn't interrupt.
Because for the first time—
Riser wasn't reacting.
He was choosing.