High School DxD
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12932225/1/A-legend-among-Devils
Cast from his time and into a world beyond his understanding, a man with mysteriously acquired powers finds himself immersed into a world of conflict; but soon he will learn that there is more to this world then what is written on the surface... as beyond the curtain lies the truth of his arrival. (Civil war timeline/OP OC/Harem/Slight AU/ Canon timeline in later chapters)
Rated: Fiction M - English - Supernatural/Adventure - OC, Sirzechs L., Serafall L. - Chapters: 30 - Words: 738,440 - Reviews: 577 - Favs: 1,260 - Follows: 1,382 - Updated: Dec 6, 2020 - Published: May 11, 2018 - id: 12932225
Chapter-1
ARRIVAL
-XxXxXxX-
Life...
A series of events uncoordinated or coordinated in seemingly good or bad instances'... while others consider it to be beautiful, others consider it evil and unforgiving...
...Both are wrong
There is no defining term for the word... 'Life'
Life is like a coach, constantly throwing shit at you with only mild pauses in between so it can rest its arm or simply continue with the other, what it throws at you is random, some are tests while others gifts and in the worst case scenario?
Sudden. Unexplained. Bullshit
Like the good ol Gump once said
"You never know what your gonna get"
And I sure as hell didn't...
I remember my last days in my original world, cold and snowy like the good all frozen north with just me, my sister and my parents, one simple life unnoticed by the numbering millions around us, those were easier times
However I didn't notice at the time life was winding up
How it happened I can only remember small bits, another mildly warm day in the snow, bright light and then...
FALLING
I was falling
Like a comet in the sky I fell...
And when one falls... You tend to land
-XxXxX-
[Sometime in the future]
"General Gremory, all forces have converged on the castle and have engaged at will while the caster brigades await further instruction" a young Devil was seen kneeling respectfully before a crimson and gold encampment tent. briefly a sudden gust of wind rolled through the area, forcing the tents loose ends to flutter open before the entrance way parted suddenly, revealing a finely dressed man wearing ornate gold and crimson armor along with a blackened cape; an intrinsic design of a crimson rose embroidered on its center. the Devils face was handsome in appearance; his blood red hair - shortly cut into messy spikes - flowed gently paused before eyeing the messenger briefly with serious teal eyes.
"Relay commands to the caster brigades to focus fire on the central most portions of the castle, keep the ground forces away and secure the outer most walls of all stragglers, I want this castle striped of Old-Satan extremists" commanded the man coldly. the messenger, worn in simple armor with no sign of a crest, nodded firmly at the larger mans words and dipped his head low before responding.
"Yes my Lord" with a brief flash of azure light the man quickly vanished from view, intent on doing as instructed.
The Lord didn't even acknowledge the stiffened salute of his elite guard as he strode to the hills peak after speaking with the messenger, the hill in which he now stood before over looked the castle in the far distance. Fire and smoke billowed from within its black stoned walls while multicolored arcs of energy were seen flying from both inside and outside the castle in tandem, evidently showing him the firing lines of both his men and his enemies.
A meager defense for such a massive castle
The man watched as volleys of magic attacks suddenly shift inward towards the larger towers and walls within, which garnered a number of harshly issued orders and a number of detonations as well. The change seemed to bring a small modicum of a smirk to the devils handsome face before it was masked behind a serious scowl quickly after; his resolve hardening as he watched the castle's massive gated walls topple inward; crushing a healthy number of black armored knights within.
It won't be long now
the castle in question was known as Castle Halphes - simply named for convenience sake - and had been owned by the devil family Halphes once upon a time. however now it acted as a strong hold for Old-Satan loyalist's and resent reports of mysterious activity in the area had landed on the crimson devils lap sometime ago After multiple reports regarding a meteor being seen landing in the Malphes territory a few dozen miles from here, bringing him to this very location. after further reports were sent in, the red haired devil had learned of large troop movements in the territory of Halphes, yet what he saw only seemed falsify the reports.
Just before the assault on the castle itself, the crimson Devil had noted the sudden decline in numbers on the opposing forces as even now his advisers were flooding him with information regarding the resistance his men were currently facing. Most of the resistance force within the castle were mere interrogator-class inquisitors linked to the Marax family and a small contingent of higher ranking inquisitors numbering in the small hundreds while his force of 3,000 converged on the front gate while a good number of his caster brigades held slightly elevated positions and rained down heavy artillery fire. normally a castle this size would be protected by a larger contingent of infantry.
for whatever reason, the castle was mostly maned by officer class inquisitors and a large number of interrogator specialists, which baffled him to no end. even if castle Halphes was miles from any kind of known civilization, it did however sit upon a resource bed good enough to help the Old-Satan forces for a number of months.
however, even with the slightly confusing lack of defenses, the resistance was noticed but ultimately ignored a moment later. The only thing that seemed to catch his eye more then that was the sheer number of interrogators within the castle, reminding him that the report had numbered them in the hundreds and while the number was normal for a castle this large it was still a sign to be looked into further.
Interrogators usually meant POW's
lips thinning, the crimson devil frowned at the thought before he made a simple hand gesture to the small number of Elite guards behind him. upon his gesture, a devil fully outfitted in black matted armor and adored in a crimson fur cape strolled forward and kneeled.
"Your orders, general" the knight prostrated, voice oddly morphed and deep due to the imposing helmet worn over his head.
"Join the main assault force and scour the main castle for any dungeons, reports has listed the majority of those inside to be interrogators which means some of my men and woman are in there... break them free; no exceptions, dead or alive" commanded the crimson haired devil as he eyed the castle with furrowed eyes.
Like the messenger before him, the heavily armored elite guard merely dipped his head before vanishing in a crimson magic circle; his fellow brothers - 12 of them - following soon after in a similar fashion, leaving the highly decorated devil alone on the plateau over looking the large scale invasion. For a moment the man stood there watching from the hills peak, his eyes following the sudden shift in artillery fire towards the inner sanctum and the subsequent return fire of those within before a sigh escaped him...
even now he could let them fight alone... and even now he couldn't sit back and wait...
immediately after that thought, the crimson devil known as Sirzechs Gremory vanished from where he stood... intent on joining the fray, and eagerly seeing to the operation's end.
there was more to this operation then what let on after all...
Within the castle, a great battle occurred between two opposing forces, a battle that weighted heavily in the odds of the attacking force. On one side was the anti-Satan faction, whose numbers far exceed their adversaries – the Old-Satan faction - who could only cull the downfall of the castle to a mere slumbering pace but each side knew the outcome of this battle was inevitable. While the main forces of the Anti-Satan faction closed in on the central plaza - killing all who opposed them - the Old-Satan faction mustered all defenses as possible in order to buy enough time for those inside. Even as the fires raised high before billowing out - fuel running dry to continue burning - the fighting spirit of the defenders remained forever tenacious; their quickly casted spells of demonic destruction only adding more pillars of flame and lightning to the countless pyres dotting the court yard, but even then it was still hopeless.
While the remaining defenders died off - protecting their ideals to their dying breath - the Anti-Satan forces trekked onward, never ceasing in their advance.
Among the large number of able body attackers, twelve red magic circles - bearing the insignia of a Gothic rose - suddenly appeared just before the main line of Attacking knight's; halting the advance momentarily with the appearance of the twelve massive pillars of vermilion light. Soon after the appearance, the imposing forms of Sirzechs Gremory's elite fighting force - the Praetorian's - soon stepping forward into perfect view. hefting a variety of weapons in their hands that ranged from spears, to long swords and finally, a war hammer, The 12 Praetorian knights stood stock still before their lord's army; their mighty backs towering over their more common allies while the lead praetorians large fur cape billowed in the soft wind. to many among the Anti-Satan forces, the sight of a praetorian was nothing short of awe inspiring, as their heavily detailed armor - crafted by the finest of smiths and forged out of the finest materials, and graphed to cover the majority of the whole body - only created an imposing image of the most dangerous fighting force within the Anti-Satan's infantry ranks.
silence only followed their arrival...
...The sound of a proverbial nail being hammered down echoing out in the distance.
None moved in the face of the elite knights as only fear encompassed the Old-Satan inquisitors, leaving them completely frozen in terror...
After a moment of eerie silence, the twelve praetorians surged forward with control grace; the deep crimson glow coming from within the eye slits on their helmets visor only accentuating the sheer might they produce upon their charge, further scaring the remaining inquisitors down to their cores.
all was lost now...
Like a scalpel they cut away the feeble defenses of the Old-Satan faction like a knife through air. No resistance met their charge for non could match the praetorians strength and speed which allowed the fur caped praetorian the first blood. With a powerful swing of his large double sided hammer, the lead praetorian sent 2 men flying back, their bodies broken by the sheer force applied while the others tallied a fearsome number of kills within seconds; their magic resistant armor protected them from the hastily casted spells with but no sign of damage. An encampment of casters was uprooted by one praetorian wielding a long sword. Rushing with trained speed and precision, the knight vanished into the hastily built trench which was soon followed by the wailing screams of surprise and pain before the sound of tearing flesh trailed behind. within a moment the knight re-emerged from the other side of the trench, blood dotting his once clean armor and finely polished sword before joining his brothers and sisters in a final push towards a bunker just in between a set of forked marbled steps; the bodies of dozens of inquisitors lay dead behind them. soon after and the last remnants of the Old-Satan's defenses was squashed away within seconds, leaving the entire plaza baron of Inquisitors.
"Resistance destroyed, scour the castle" with barely a moment of pause, the twelve elite knights continued on, leaving behind a large number of stupefied devils in their wake.
The vanguard units watched as the twelve black armored figures vanished into the castles main entrance way; the faint sounds of surprise and conflict soon echoing out before it was silence again. Before the vanguard could continued on, they froze in place before dropping to kneel in a seemingly robotic fashion however a moment later and a larger red magic seal appeared in front of them, bearing the same insignia as the praetorian knights which revealed their commanding general - Sirzechs Gremory - the man's Crimson red cape swaying gently behind him.
Once the light died down a ranking officer approached sirzechs from behind and then dropped to a kneel. glancing behind himself momentarily, sirzechs eyed the man casually before returning his gaze back onto the castle in front of him.
"Report" he commanded calmly.
"All resistances has been quelled my lord, the Praetorian guard has neutralized the remaining resistance and has continued on inside" the man's report was quick and fluid, which only caused the General to nod meagerly at the mans reply before turning to eye the officer.
"Good, have the bulk of our forces retreat and bring the rear guard in to help secure the prisoners and then secure the rest of the outer perimeter; no one goes inside" Sirzechs said before he noted the fatigue on the officer.
It was expected considering the lengthy campaign they had just run to get to the targeted castle. It angered him mildly that his advisers had requested him remain behind during the last attack in case of a possible ambush, but it wasn't needed after all as not a single report had said the possible presents of a high-class or Ultimate-class adversary which meant his advisers had worried over nothing. In any case, he could give the vanguard a small break before their return; it was the least he could do.
"What about you my Lord?" questioned the officer.
"I will continue, my guard is still present and im afraid some of them might feel lonely without me" the officer dipped his head - either not getting his humor or simply ignoring it - before standing tall and following his orders. A few barked orders and the bulk of the vanguard retreated, leaving him nearly alone in the vastly destroyed courtyard. with that done with, he eyed his surroundings briefly; taking not of the demolished fountains and cobble stoned roads while mildly cringing at the burnt gardens along the large stone walls.
'such a waste' he thought casually before trudging forward towards the main entrance, his hold on his power slowly releasing as he did so...
Deep within the massive castle Halphes, dozens of noble devils and inquisitors scurried around rapidly, nearly avoiding falling debris from distant artillery fire impacting the castle's inner sanctum, while many higher ranking inquisitors issued orders to the numbering units in the area; hastily commanding a full escort of the nobles deeper inside. However before the officers could distribute their orders, a massive signature of demonic energy sprung up outside; carrying with it a dense pressure that weighed down on all inside, effectively giving those inside a deep sense of dread into the hearts of all present. Those to cowardice voiced their terror while the inquisitors guarding the few more important ones only stood by calmly, already resigning themselves to their inevitable end.
"Ruina Nex is here!" yelled a heavily dressed man, his aristocratic attire utterly ruined by smoke and debris
"All is lost!" another yelled just as vehemently
At the proclamation of their end, many began to cry out their despair however it was dispelled by a wave of wrathful demonic energy that staunched the descending inner sanctum. From within the large cathedral-like room, the massive doors at the entrance were blasted open by an unseen force while two beings strode in casually, exuding a form of confidence and power that seemed to ease the loyal back into the relaxed state, however their nervousness only remained present from the cold expression on one of the new arrivals... her eyes boring holes in all those present.
A young looking man was seen walking to the front most portion of the Massive room, his silver hair held in a long braid down his back swayed with each step, his finely crafted shoes echoed off the walls while his colleges lighter taps echoed behind him; her equally silver hair dancing with a feminine grace non present had even seen before, while her sharp eyes scanned the room like a hawk, eyeing each one present with a very cold glare.
As they approached so too did a third nobleman; the man's appearance was elderly but he carried himself with a nobleman's pride, back straight and stride poised before they both stopped just before the podium area, the silver haired devils red eyes boring into the slightly shorter nobleman's blue.
"Have the evacuation seals been stabilized?" asked the silver haired man, as he lightly scanned the room.
"They will be within a few minutes, you'd have to understand the flow of energy within the territory is incredibly unstable, we have no idea why but it won't stand as a permanent issue, I can assure you Lord Lucifuge" replied the third nobleman as he shakily eyed the devil know identified as 'lord lucifuge'
Lord Lucifuge merely smirked at the news before replying. "Very good, and I'm aware your backing of our cause has been assured today? I'm sure you've seen the barbaric savagery the traitors at our door step have shown, such behavior is... a sign of desperation... wouldn't you agree?" Lord Lucifuge said, his eyes shining with an odd light that seemed to trigger an immediate reaction from the Elder noble.
"Y-yes, you and all your allies will have the full backing of the Valefor clan" replied the nobleman nervously
From behind the two devils, the silver haired woman's similarly crimson eyes locked onto the back of lord Lucifuge; a scolding glint laden within. "I'd advise you little brother, to not underestimate them... the fall of this castle is a clear sign of their abilities so it'd be wise to acknowledge the danger they possess" the icy tone the women spoke caused many present to slightly shiver, yet the expression on the younger silverette merely took the words lightly, almost considering them yet ultimately ignoring the advise a moment later.
"Of course... anyway I was gonna ask you later but how goes the issue with our prisoner? Is he secure for transport?"
The woman's eyes narrowed briefly at the man before she nodded briskly, forgoing the devils dismissal for the moment. "He is" she replied firmly before glancing off to the side.
Lord lucifuge smiled brightly at the news before his eyes regarded the woman closely. "And what about the other rabble?"
"... Disposed of" came the moderately delayed reply.
"excellent! The new Lucifer would be pleased to have a new pet, I'd say his abilities are something of a trump card of ours, how long would it take to bend him to our cause?" Lord Lucifuge's tone sounded almost giddy at the topic while the elder noble standing behind him actually directed a deeply disturbed gaze towards him; obviously taken off guard by the devils question.
At the silver haired devils question, the women's head instead shook negatively at the question, a slightly annoyed glint shining in her crimson eyes. "I cannot say... He's lasted far longer than any that have come before him, breaking him would take more than a year and even then that's not taking into account his particular abilities, physical abuse is near useless, starving him seems pointless, sleep deprivation has no effect on him the only thing that did was isolation but that's not nearly as useful, then to make matters even more problematic we have no records of him, no birth date, no territory origin nor a house"
Lord Lucifuge blinked at his sisters words "Oh? I'd never thought I'd hear the day a low born would actually outlast your specialty, let alone a phantom commoner" his grin slightly widened at his sisters sharpened glare
"Know your place Euclid, or I'll remind you"
"Heh" Euclid chuckled before slapping his sister's shoulder playfully. "You are so easy to tease" he blatantly ignored the low growl from his sister before he turned back to the unnamed nobleman. "Anyhow, will you be remaining here or –"
"Lord Lucifer has a few errands he wishes for me to complete upon delivering the child to him; so no, I'm not remaining here... that much should be obvious" interrupted the silver haired women, Euclid made to reply but stopped when he felt a new presence make itself known...
"Leaving so soon? Good thing I got here in time then" echoed a voice within the cathedrals walls
Before anyone could start searching, a hooded figure fell from the support beams from above; landing low amidst the many pews within the cathedrals hall before rising up, eyeing the two with a playful smirk...
"Hello there"
Within seconds the remaining inquisitors within the room sprung to action and placed themselves between the lone figure and the lucifuge siblings. As this was happening, the Lordess Lucifuge quickly placed on a faceless visor over the upper portion of her face - covering her identity completely - while her younger brother refrained from placing his on. Euclid Lucifuge instead stepped toward the intruder confidently, a small smirk playing on his features as he eyed the man with a degree of arrogance that it slightly annoyed Sirzechs completely.
"My aren't you a Bold one" Euclid stated calmly, an air of arrogance erected from the man as he eyed the figure, and seeing as the figure had covered himself almost completely all the man could see was the man's returning smirk
Without replying the figure reached over to his left hip and unsheathed a crimson red long sword, the blades shape was elegant and blood red which seemed to glow with a suppressed excitement, the man eyed the blade for a second before lowering it lazily to his side, Euclid hummed at the gesture before he nodded his head to one of the knights
"Kill him and be done with it"
As one, the Inquisitors stiffened before launching themselves towards the hooded figure, three were intent on taking him low while the remaining two aimed for the neck and torso. Within seconds they were upon him, blades poised to take while the figure simply stood by, blade held at his side lazily.
That was until a good portion of the ceiling collapsed onto the five attacking knights, crushing all but one who was lazily killed with a small flick of sirzechs' wrist, decapitating the lone survivor with a single ounce of effort.
!?
Many of those present hadn't expected the outcome; the only two who were only slightly surprised was the lucifuge siblings, the now masked female only stiffened at the turn of events while Euclid's smirk dropped almost instantly. Stepping away from the pile of rubble and blood, sirzechs casually whipped the blood from his blade with a piece of cloth found on one of the flag poles in the pile before dropping it at his feet
"Well that was...I don't even have a comment on that" he humored, a small snicker escaped his lips. "guess that's what happens when you underestimate what stands before you, Euclid Lucifuge" the mentioned devil's eyes widened briefly at the casualness the figure spoke his name but unfortunately Euclid had no idea who the figure could be; a mistake soon realized.
Instead of waiting for a reply, sirzechs raised his hand and pushed the hood off of his head, revealing his short Crimson hair and piercing gaze
"General Sirzechs Gremory" he breathed out, the man sighed before smirking again "I should have known it was you, I'd have been surprised if word of our Guest's didn't reach your ears"
The now identified Sirzechs only frowned at his words "Torturing those who disagree with your ideals isn't something we devils should be doing"
Euclid's eyes brightened at his words "I agree, what we should be doing is uniting and finish what our lords started those hundred years ago"
Sirzechs shook his head "Still a slave to your master, if Rizevim ordered you to kill yourself you'd do so laughing, what he wants is not glory, its extinction" Sirzechs made no move when Euclid's feature contorted in rage
"Be silent Gremory" growled the silver haired devil
All Sirzechs did was make a mock show of terror "Ooohh... scary, if the forces of heaven didn't terrify me Euclid, then the bark of a small dog won't, you should quit while your ahead"
At that point the silver haired devil was far beyond words but before he could do what Sirzechs was obviously trying to do the youngest Lucifuge was stopped by his sister's hand on his shoulder
"It seems brother, you are also very easy to tease" she said calmly before squeezing her brothers shoulders "Calm yourself before you get yourself killed" Euclid made to retort but paused when he met her features, though masked she was it wasn't hard for a sibling to see the tell tale signs of seriousness in his sisters features and chose to wisely refrain from his previous choice of action
Not without words though
"Be sure to watch your back Gremory"
Sirzechs only smiled brightly at his words "Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to do that" the red haired devil had to suppress a chuckle at the man's continued growl before he turned to regard the mask female with a more serious gaze "I don't think we've met" he started before stabbing his sword to the marble floor and leaning on its pommel "from the looks of things I'd say you're the eldest lucifuge here, tell me... where can I find this child you spoke of before?"
The women only shook her head at his words "your arrogance has reached newer heights –"
"You didn't answer the question, Where is the boy?" pressed Sirzechs, barely moved by the women's cold condensation he bore into her visor with a deep frown
"- he is in our care, I wouldn't worry about the life of a small child general Gremory as he is unimportant, worthless and weak" Sirzechs' frown only deepened at her words before he shut his eyes and sighed
"You can drop the act Lucifuge, I already know of his particular abilities due to someone having a loose set of lips" he paused to glance at Euclid who slightly flinched at the implication, if the women was at all surprised by his reveal then she showed it in her silence, seeing as the two were forced silent
"Tell me, why is it you think I came to this territory? Why I brought such a large force for a strategically unimportant castle so far from the main battle?" his questions were met with silence but he pressed on anyway
"Six months ago a phenomenon occurred... a fallen star nothing like any fallen angel I'd have ever seen, burned through the sky like a white orb of light" he paused before jutting a thumb behind him "I do believe there is a new canyon some miles behind me to hint as to where that phenomenon landed and to why the magical level in that zone is so it high its practically white hot to even approach, so lady Lucifuge, if the child is so useless and weak" he pointed directly at them both "Why are you here?"
He paused, hand landing back onto his swords pommel "the Child isn't weak, nothing weak can leave that much destruction with that much fall out to last nearly half a year, and considering the last time something fell from Demonic skies was named Lucifer really contradicts the term 'worthless' as you put it, letting you walk away is off the table, either you give me what I want-" his raised his sword and released his power, flooding the blade with a menacing crimson glow "- or I start redecorating this room"
At the implication both devils tensed, ready to defend themselves at any giving movement and for a stiff minute the three stood ridged still, eyeing the other with in-human accuracy, however before they could attack, a small penny sized magic circle appeared over Sirzechs' ear, halting his planned advance
"My lord, we've have located a prisoner, it appears to be a young boy in the dungeons below you" the voice of the captain forced a small smile to the generals lips
He replied by tapping the magic circle, activating the reply function "Very good, defend the cell and wait for me" he said while sheathing his sword, the crimson light within the blade faded as it entered the scabbard, he then addressed the two devils before him, a mock bow for added insult
"I do believe that's my queue to leave, while I do wish to punish you for torturing and killing my men, I will allow mercy to halt my blade" he paused before looking back to the devils, eyes glowing red with intent "But next time there won't be a conversation"
His tone was low and dearly threatening as the small flinches from the two indicated the message was crystal clear to both, standing and turning the general of the Anti-Satan factions crimson legion walked out the massive room's door, barely showing any hint or care at his leisure's pace or the fact he'd turned his back to two arguably powerful devils, yet the two made no attempt at the obvious bait
As the devil left the two other devils made two very different reactions to the turn of events, one of them voiced her findings "He played us for fools, he was the diversion this whole time"
Euclid, meanwhile was trying very hard to destroy the door way with his glare alone, but stopped to look at his sister "when'd you figure that out?"
The women sighed at her mistake "The moment he asked us why he'd come here, more importantly why he'd come to a unimportant territory deep within our lines, this castle is miles from any form of trade route or other clan house, the Halphes clan was always so secluded from the other's, the only reasons we have it is based on quick action, poor choice it may have been"
Euclid only hummed disapprovingly at his sisters words before she continued "we expected Sirzechs to be a hotheaded general, had we'd considered him more intelligent we might have been able to avoid this assault entirely but we were reckless, the boy should have been transported the moment we caught him"
"I heard that didn't go as planned, something about a blast of power, vaporized the capture team completely" Euclid had heard the rumors about the targeted child; he'd never seen him considering he was just another prisoner, why waste his time looking? But now he wished he did, his sister had jumped at the moment the phenomenon landed, which was normally, the lucifuge house was extremely loyal to Lucifer, what Sirzechs had said was correct, no fallen angel other then Lucifer had ever fallen from hell's skies. Ever, which hinted to the possibility of the Fallen star of God to be still alive, wounded yes but alive none the less
The rest was history, the boy was eventually captured and Euclid let his sister (the professional in persuasion) do her job, which led all the way up to this point
"Should have expected his target to be this obvious, he may be hotheaded but he isn't a war hero for nothing" continued the women; Euclid popped an eyebrow at his sister questioningly
"You know a bit about him?"
"You were too young to truly live in a time of war brother, during that time not a single devil, angel or fallen would live a day without hearing his name, so yes brother – I do know of him – it would be foolish to ignore the devil before us, he wasn't nicknamed "Ruina Nex" for nothing" upon finishing her words she turned towards the alter where the mass teleportation seal was, its function having fully charged, the large mass of Noble's passed through them, far too eager to leave the castle with the enemy closing in
Euclid stood by and watched his sister vanished in neon blue light for a second, his mind running a few thoughts on the red haired devil they had nearly fought but moments ago, while most of his thoughts were running wild, a mild fearful thought crept up his spine at the prospect of facing that devil in combat and just how close they had almost done just that, he'd seen his sister battle before, seen her clear a room full of stuck up cowards with a look alone, face large numbers of opponents at neither hesitation or fear, she was a beauty among her peers not only in looks but in lethal elegance, not a moment or situation had gone by where she'd tense up like she did just moments ago, then the fact that she'd just upped and left, no pursuit or anything
If he had not known the danger the devil posed then chasing him would have been his choice, they had spent too much time here for the target to just be handed to the Rebel's without question but then he'd thought that idea through, how his sister must have seen things rather than his, powerful child or not, he was but one man, both his sister and himself held more importance in the long run then a potential pet
No, they could have the brat for all he cared, as long as his lord had him and his sister they'd do just as fine
With a smirk and a renewed confident gait, Euclid Lucifuge joined his sister on the other side of the portal, already forgetting of today's loss to look towards tomorrow's victory
Sirzechs' nose crinkled as he descending the castle stairs leading to the dungeon his elite knights had converged on. He'd gotten the directions from his praetorians on where the child was, so he'd followed their signatures towards the lower level of the castle, down to the inner most portion of the basement which was mostly a decrepit dungeon that bleed off into stable area. The cobblestone walls were old – visibly so – due to the large build up of mildew and undergrowth; the caretakers had most likely been done away with since the execution of this castle's lord months ago and the flooring was horrendous, the once pristine purple rug was caked in small traces of blood, dirt and mud.
However the worst was the smell
Most common traits dungeons possessed was that most didn't have bathrooms to speak of, so he could only guess what the smell was which was also mixed in with drying blood and decay. Month old corpses of his men and women lied within individual cells framing the dungeons hall - only adding to the wretched smell within the dungeon - which then led down towards an open side room filled with various items meant specifically for cleaning wild animals while other item's were of the obvious 'torture' variety. The sight was easy to read, as anyone could image the terrible events that had occurred within the walls of castle halphes' dungeon and if Sirzechs had to guess, then this was a Familiar stable retrofitted to house Prisoners and subsequently torture them. in the end, his men had died in extremely poor conditions, most likely being seen as nothing more then garbage.
His fist clenched tightly
Ignoring his sudden regret at letting the lucifuge duo go, he pressed towards the light source at the end of the hall; passing by more bodies as he went. Even if one was still alive he'd have been happy, but no, not a single one looked capable of surviving the wounds that had been inflicted upon them and it angered him even more as he pressed on. by now he'd passed the older bodies, leaving the ones seen now to be sporting fresh wounds to the neck and spine with only seconds - maybe minutes of death. Some had died quick while others not so much and it only further pressed his growing fury. however he sighed as he approached the loading section of the Dungeon, sensing his elite guard just around the corner. once he turned the corner however he spotted a single carriage – one that his guard would not approach – within the single bay loading dock.
His vision was taken momentarily by surprise however at what he saw around the single carriage. Surrounding the carriage was a massive build up of energy which looked transparent in nature that fit over the carriage in a Dome. The sheer level of rage oozing off of the carriage was a dead giveaway as to why his praetorian guard – men who stood in his proximity daily – stood so far from it; meaning it was nothing to ignore, nor underestimate.
"What is this?" he asked, garnering the firmed attention of one of the knights close by
"My lord, the energy is not like anything we've seen before; no one can approach without suffering its wrath" spoke the praetorian as he lifted his left hand to show the Crimson devil the damage it had done.
Sirzechs' eyes slowly rose at the sight of the Praetorian's severed hand. by the look of it alone, it appeared as if it had been practically erased off, which only solidified the danger currently present. sirzechs had to handle this solo it seemed. "Get to a medical tent and see if you can acquire a prosthetic... I'll handle this" the knight in question did a hardened salute at his words - obviously thankful for his consideration - before the squad of praetorian's left, knowing perfectly well their lord was much more powerful than they were.
For a moment Sirzechs stood still all the while masking his power as a sign or show of submission, it may have been unheard of for a devil to submit to a lesser power or submit in general but a raging unknown power wasn't to be trifled with or further enraged, any devil who'd do so was a fool in his eyes. So instead he dropped his power, hoping the child within the carriage understood his motives
For a painful minute the power surrounding the carriage remained, until a second minute passed and it started to lower ever slowly
For now, sirzechs had to play this slow and calmly as patience was needed and time was going to be his most important resource. The power that was cooling down was very potent and if the fact one of his knights had lost a hand by merely trying to touch it only thus further proved the importance of caution. Any sudden moves or words could cause the unknown force to suddenly spike and he knew what it was like to hold power in his hands; if the child suddenly recast the powerful barrier just moments after lowering it, then it could possibly sling shot out into a massive explosion.
He should know, he'd down it before...
With trained grace, the Powerful devil strode calmly towards the right side of the carriage, making sure his footing was soft and not forceful. Once he'd made it to a small bench at the side of the room, he paused as the energy slowly declined in pressure. he hadn't noticed it before, but the room was oddly dense; the air felt heavy and his movements felt sluggish. It was an interesting discovery – one he'd probably look into later – but right now he only dashed the thought to the side before he sat down at the bench.
"I can still sense you Devil, there is no place you can hide" came a voice that sparked sirzechs attention. It originated within the carriage but it boomed off the walls all around him, and it surprised him momentarily at the sheer authority the voice carried. Had this been the child speaking? It sounded much older than one and it seemed calmer then he had expected.
Obviously the "Child" could sense him easily, so seeing as how his slow approach was not needed any more, he stood up calmly and walked towards the carriage and paused just a few feet from the carriage door. A small open glass window by the door of the carriage was slightly tinted so he couldn't see who he was now conversing with, but regardless of the setback, sirzechs kept his eyes on the blackened window.
He shrugged at an idea before replying. "I like to make it clear that I'm not like the ones before...the ones who I believe are the source of your anger" it was a long shot of a statement, he'd sounded forceful in his tone due to his haste to explain his relations so his voice was mildly rushed, his idea was to make sure the occupant of the carriage knew who he was talking to and that he wasn't an enemy.
"Ah, so your one of those 'Rebel's' these guys have been talking about" the 'child' replied, mild interest in his voice
Sirzechs ignored the tone he spoke and pressed on. "My name is Sirzechs Gremory, I'm a general in the Anti-Satan army" Sirzechs revealed, tone more polite then before
"A big shot huh? My, don't I feel privileged... what's a General doing all the way out here anyway?" his voice cracked mildly throughout his comment and Sirzechs noticed his voice was incredibly hoarse. he'd over heard the mysterious female mention they'd forced Starvation on the Child and sirzechs could only imagine what other despicable acts the old-Satan's had done... regardless, he'd find a way to meld that into the conversation.
"We'd gotten word of a castle that was housing my men and women here, so I did what was best and rallied an invasion force to take the castle, which is why I stand here now" at his words Sirzechs heard a small grunt and hum
"Your late..." grumbled the 'child'. There was humor in his tone, but it was said in an empty voice so he'd found no reason to laugh. "Those Bastards killed your men general, fortunately for you though they learned nothing of your little marry band of misfits while they gutted them, the broken ones they killed quickly but the more resilient ones though? Well, safe to say they learned what pain was"
sirzechs' hands clenched into fists at his words; he'd ignored most of the cells on his way down here in order to stay calm, but now he felt like he'd insulted the dead because of it. His men had been butchered without relenting anything - a duty truly fulfilled in the hands of prison - but the pain was still there, and he'd walked right passed them, as if their suffering didn't even move him. His other hand clenched at that thought before he dropped it in favor of a new question, a calmly sigh escaping as he did so.
"What about you? What did they do to you?" he asked, clearly searching for some kind of positive note
"Me? Well..." he trailed off, bad memories were obviously invading the Child's mind, memories he'd wanted to not reminisce. "... what didn't they do" he said, his voice distant and empty, the red haired devil's nose crinkled at his words. "But I'm more of the lucky ones I guess" at his last comment Sirzechs looked up to the carriage with surprise.
"One of the Lucky ones? What makes you say that?"
There was a silence, a long one that seemed to span minutes but Sirzechs knew it wasn't hesitation that kept the child's tongue, but rather his focus on another task... a moment later and his answer was clearly visible before him, any loose material within the room, be it rope, chains or small gravel rock on the dirty floor began to raise up into the air, slow and controlled but he could here small grunts and breathes of exertion within the carriage.
"I don't know where it came from or why I have it but... whatever I want, it just happens" to further his words a pair of keys on the far end of the room lifted off the small hook holding it before it floated over towards Sirzechs who sat up straight upon its slow approach, the keys chimed mildly before they halted just within the devils reach, who in return reach out to them. "whatever pain they wished to inflict... i was left unharmed due to this power, quite a convenience no?" the 'child' revealed casually while the keys continued to float in mid air before sirzechs.
"You wish for me to free you?" asked the General hesitantly, the reason he asked such an obviously answerable question was more for permission to approach him; he didn't want to frighten the most likely traumatized boy and even he couldn't trust the rationality of one either.
The boy chuckled slightly before answering "It is why you are here, is it not?" without warning the keys fell into the devils hands who stared at the keys for but a moment before standing and approaching the carriage with a control approach
As he approached the child continued speaking, it seemed to the devil that talking was what was keeping the boy calm "I heard your conversation with the older devil, the prissy one... before those knights of yours showed up"
"Why did you attack them?" questioned Sirzechs, he wanted to make small talk at this point, keep the kids mind occupied
"I didn't like them; they were to...err... what's the word?" he paused before he clicked his tongue "forceful... the Devils before had rigged a magic circle thingy on the door before they left, the knight of yours jumped to open it without hesitation... tried to warn him but he didn't listen and I really didn't want to find out what those guys put on the door so I kinda pushed... I guess I pushed too much, took his hand for his trouble and sent the others sprawling all over the room, kinda funny if I didn't accidentally amputate one of your guys"
For a moment Sirzechs stood still before the door to the carriage. He'd began running inspection of the door upon the child's mention of a possible seal. Funny enough, there was one – or what was left of it... the seal was shattered completely, even know the remnants of a detonation seal was crumbling at his fingers; he guessed the seals power supply was linked to the individual within the carriage which explained the wild unknown energy emitted before.
He nodded at the kids subtle apology before he flexed his muscles and focused a jolt of power at the seals weak points, it didn't need much to shattered what remained...
"What about me?" he asked as he searched for the right key, one was already discarded
"When you arrived here I had felt your power... lower... drop almost completely off the map" the boy said, sirzechs heard a shift within the carriage, most likely a shrug before the boy continued. "I can still feel most of it though; rather horrifying at first since I thought you were an enemy, but you changed that... unlike your knight friends you seemed... calmer than them, reassured even...heh, not gonna lie, I'm slightly insulted"
By that time sirzechs had found the correct key and had made to unlock the carriage door; however, just before he could use it, the key was suddenly frozen in place just inches from the key slot. Like a unseen force, the key was practically held there solidly; sirzechs made to push it in but his hands only shuddered and vibrated while the small metal key groaned at the pressure that held it. narrowing his eyes at the development, sirzechs merely glanced up to the carriage window only to see a set of glowing blue eyes staring back at him, the power held within denoted that the child inside was the very person holding him in place.
"while I have given you a modicum of trust Devil, I do not fully understand your position..." the boys voice was hard and very serious "my time here was long, but I did not remain ignorant of my predicament for long. I've heard your friends speak of a Great war – a battle between three fractions – a war that has ended, twin dragons of crimson and white now dead... the death of a god, and the fall of four great demons... all this and now I hear of a civil war"
It didn't take Sirzechs long to realize the force that had a hold of his his hand. At first he'd thought the power was keeping him from using the key but now he noticed the force hand now gripped his hand with a strength he had never believed possible. his eyes slowly widened into a more readied position while his senses quickly noted the seriousness in the room...
the child had him... and he knew the grip wasn't going to let go
He remained silent, enticing the child to press on...
"I may ask you one thing... whose side do you dwell on general? what motive do you really possess?" the pressure on sirzechs' limb was growing with every second, and he knew the power that could vaporize a high-class devils limb wasn't something he was comfortable in trying to overcome or test, so his answer was instant.
"Its true what they had said about a Great War... i was there... however after the great war, we devils have lost many – so many that extinction is upon the horizon. After the war ended in no ones victory, a divide in our species rose up... two factions have Risen to accommodate the power vacuum left behind by the Four kings that were killed. One is the Old-Satan's; they want to continue the war while the Anti-Satan faction wishes for a time of Peace... I have allied myself with the Anti-Satan faction as I see no more need of bloodshed" he shook his head at the final sentence, eyes dropping low.
"But you understand the need of bloodshed, if your desire for peace is strong then war will be needed to achieve it"
sirzechs eyes flashed briefly at the question. "Of course it is, I have told myself this long ago"
He heard a shrug again from within the carriage. "Sorry for questioning your drive general, but I'm not so easily moved to loyalty..." Sirzechs eyes widened at the implication, an action the child within the carriage must have felt it as the atmosphere within the room lightened moderately. "If the cost for my freedom is to fight those who have given me a reason to fight them, then it's a simple choice to make... I'd insult those who had died here if I simply ran away rather than fight... something I'd never consider"
The conviction within the boys voice was surprising; Sirzechs had been trying to come to terms on just how unaffected the boy was to being imprisoned the whole time he was here. He'd had thought he was trying to get a reclusive boy to open up and calm down when in fact it was not the case at all. by all rights the kid should sound despaired, and sure for a moment he'd heard weakness within the boy before but it was quickly replace with anger and a small tinge of fury
Within a second the force holding his hand relented "I guess I can trust you – however you devils define 'trust' that is"
The key slid into the lock and he gave it a light twist before the carriage door was opened to reveal the one within...
For a minute Sirzechs stared at the owner of the voice he'd been speaking to, his eyes almost coming across as dumbfounded. The rumor's and whispers of what the Phenomenon was had lead to the confirmed Gender yet the age was always random. it was only until his spies had confirmed that it was a 'child' but now he was dashing their reports right this moment because what sat before him was a man who looked very close to his own age...
The man had crimson red hair; surprising close to his own and a set of a striking blue eyes that seemed to glow in the darkened canvas of the seat less carriage, his build was toned and rather muscular for a prisoner and his attire consisted of a few rags that fit over his upper torso and his waist
The man was eyeing him closely before he raised his chained hands and waved at him lazily
"Nice hair" he commented off handily...
For a minute Sirzechs was filing this day as one of the most odd Rescue campaigns he'd ever led, before he reached in and shattered the cuffs holding the man where he was with a simple pulse of his power. with a mild shake of his head after destroying the mans chains, sirzechs stepped back to give the red head enough room to step out from the carriage and stretch his limbs. after a moment of silence - and a few audible pops of stiff joints - the nameless man glanced over to a calmly staring sirzechs.
"Where you expecting a damsel in distress?" he asked jokingly after seeing the mans confused expression. "I could jump into your arms if you'd like" he continued, forcing sirzechs' eyes and expression to slightly shift into a disturbed complexion.
Before Sirzechs could press the issue of leaving, the red head merely grunted to himself upon seeing his lacking attire and merely strolled over to one of the dead inquisitors within the room. silently, the man inspected the corpse before nodding to himself. "Hm... seems about my size" he commented casually.
As the man stripped the deceased inquisitors clothes before placing them on, Sirzechs stared slightly shocked at his disregard to the dead, a mild look of disgust withholding his expression. However he didn't say anything about it, as not many devils in his army could survive torture at the hands of the New-Satan faction and walk away from it as healthy as the man before him. The rare few who did walk away from it barely held any respect or honor regarding those who had tortured them, because in their eyes, the tortured saw the torturers as walking corpses...
It was understandable in a morbid way
After a few minutes the man finally approached him in a set of 'new' clothes. The nameless man had discarded the majority of the deceased knights armor and had even scavenged a set of noble attire from some where else. he'd used only the knights metal plated greaves, gauntlets and chest plate as protective features that were worn over top the nobles black long overcoat, red undershirt and black slacks. The unnamed man stopped to pop the collar of his undershirt before he creased it down over the coats collar and then moderately glared at the set of nobleman shoes he'd merely slipped on.
'Rather roguish appeal if anything, but at least he's not naked' thought Sirzechs as he dismissed his own disgust
"Been a while since I wore some clothes..." he said as his flexed his gauntlet-ed hands "...don't know what you had till it's gone" his smirk grew for a moment before he dropped a hand and held out his right, in a manner similar to a hand shake that sirzechs obliged almost the second the man offered it.
"I would have given proper introductions before but first impressions is important" his hand dropped to his side as he shrugged again "and I'd rather the occasion to be remembered while I was actually wearing clothing... you'd understand"
Sirzechs nodded his head in agreement before replying "I think I'd have made an exception, not many prisoners have proper conversations with their saviors while still within their prison"
At this the man slightly smirked "I guess I can see your point" he said before he did his best bow. It was a rather crude one to be precise in sirzechs' opinion; his right leg stepped forward before crossing in front of his left leg while this happened, his left hand crossed behind his back as his right crossed over his chest... rather extravagant if he had to say.
"My name is Ryden Vale, eldest son of the Vale family" he said this as he rose, a small smile befitting benevolence adoring his dirtied features
At the name, Sirzechs' eye brow rose slightly. "House of vale?" he questioned with a small frown. "...I never heard of it, you are a part of the Ars Geotia are you not?" upon asking the simple question; the room suddenly felt heavy again and Sirzechs immediately questioned if he'd angered Ryden somehow.
Ryden's smirk remained on his lips but sirzechs could tell the threatening nature behind it. "I do not know what the Ars Geotia is..." he stated calmly "...But it rings a bell, the Ars Geotia is related to King Solomon is it not?"
Sirzechs nodded, confused on the change of mood
"I learnt that in religion class way back in school, around four years ago... on earth" it became perfectly clear what the man was implying, he hadn't noticed how the man always referred to devils independently from himself, his lack of noble understanding and also his name, no devil – be they a part of the 72 pillars or not - had ever been called 'Vale', which meant only another thing...
"Are you an archangel?" asked the devil, a normal angel would have been burnt to ash from fallen from hells skies
The man smirked at the question before shaking his head gently. "That's a nice compliment, but no I'm not"
"Then you are a fallen angel of the Grigori" the devil accused
Again the man shook his head dismissively. "Again, I appreciate the compliments but I'm not that good looking" he smirked to himself before his hand brushed over his face. "I'd never been told I had an angelic face before... and what the hell's a Grigori?"
This had stumped Sirzechs; the man was neither angel nor fallen-angel but it was impossible to think otherwise. The powers the man possessed was nothing anything other than an Archangel could possible achieve and the boy was neither? He couldn't be a mystical creature as they had a natural pheromone that practically gave them away if they were within arm's reach and he'd smelt nothing like one, even then considering that most, if not all, of the most powerful mystical creatures had died in the great war exactly one hundred years ago.
"Then what species do you hail from? Is it Dragons? Kitsune? Vampire? Elves? Nekomata?" as Sirzechs rattled off the options, Ryden stood by blinking at the man like it was a complete shock that he hadn't found the answer which slightly miffed Sirzechs to an extent, how could none of the species he'd mentioned not be the one?
"Then what are you?" he asked finally, his frustration was only just slightly visible to Ryden
smirking at the devils frustration, ryden merely asked his own. "I'll ask you a few questions... what did god consider his most valued creation? The one he'd ordered his angels to follow and protect? And what does Lucifer himself hate the most?" to Ryden the answers seemed extremely obvious; as most of what he said was far to simple to speculate on, yet to a devil... the answer was far more elusive.
"What's gods most valued creation?" sirzechs asked in return, repeating the question to see if it sounded right on his tongue
Ryden nodded in confirmation. "That's right"
For a minute it was silence, as Sirzechs delved deep into his memory about why the devils fell to war with the forces of heaven. It was long ago; back when he was just growing up with war looming over his head. A military position had already been open for him due to his family status and power, and all he to do was reach an age requirement and complete his training. once that was met, he went in from the frying pan and into the fire and in that time he'd only known the single reason most devils fought.
it was simply required of them...
the dictatorship of Lucifer himself had all but ordered all able devils to join the war and fight, and there was no other supplied reason to the forced drafting and no other reason was given from then on; minus the clear and obvious propaganda that constantly drove in the fear of falling at the hands of an 'unforgiving angel'. so from that point on, the war was full swing, and sirzechs had found himself neck deep in bodies, blood and suffering... despair and confusion was all that anyone truly knew in those times, and far be it from any of them to try and comprehend the meaning of it.
Among the death and the killing no one had time to explain why they were fighting, why they were tearing apart angels, why fallen angels hunted them like game and why he'd chosen to raise his blade and kill millions of lives all because it was expected of him...
But then he froze when a memory breaching through the cloud of his mind...
A long trailed thought, one that was supposedly lost in his long life of war. he'd remembered the day well now, when he was promoted by Lucifer himself to command a legion larger then what the Gremory family was allowed, all because he'd defeated an Archangel in mortal combat - a high honor and legendary feat considered by all worthy of full praise. he didn't remember the name of the Archangel that had fallen at his blade, but he remembered him asking Lucifer why the war raged on... what the main cause was that sparked everything.
Sirzechs was mildly surprised at that fact that Lucifer hadn't killed him for speaking, but he guessed the Fallen Archangel liked the look in his eye because he answered anyway...
"My father is perfect and Creation incarnate, an existence mighty enough to create beings like me-constructs forged from celestial light given form and mind... yet... YET HE FAVORS THOSE THINGS! THOSE FILTHY HUMANS!" he remembered being horrified by the Demons sure rage within its tone, he was young and weaker than he was now at the time so all he did was stare in awe at his king "He ordered us to kneel to them, to love them more than him... the murderous, hairless apes... I chose different and now here I stand, and when we win... we'll kill every last one of them, this I vow"
The sheer venom within Lucifer's tone was impossible to define in its severity, and Sirzechs at the time didn't press the issue because Lucifer had already spoken enough...
And it was in that memory that he'd gotten his answer... an answer that still to this day, caused a bitter taste in his mouth.
sirzechs glanced up to the gaze of Ryden Vale soon after realizing what was standing in front of him. Ryden had been silent for the time being; most likely to let him think on his cryptic questions. but now that sirzechs had his answer, his mildly awed expression clearly expressed the gravity of his realization.
"You are... Human?" he asked in disbelief only to receive a casual nodded - a rather light one actually - however the man's eyes bore into sirzechs with something reminding him of a judging dragon, like he was contemplating his retaliation if Sirzechs became hostile.
"Yes..." he began "...So I ask you, Sirzechs Gremory..." the rooms pressure grew more thick as the mans words reverberated against the walls, and Ryden's posture quickly displayed a fierce readiness that honestly too sirzechs off guard momentarily. Sirzechs was confident in his power as he'd mastered it years ago and perfected his form to a level only one other had reached, but Ryden was an anomaly that had created a Great canyon with a messily landing, vaporized a high-class devil's hand wearing anti-energy armor and stood before him with a level of confidence no other high-class devil had showed without feinting a few seconds later... and his gaze didn't at all possess mercy. Ryden's left leg slightly shifted back before both of his legs bent just slightly into a concealed position while his eyes sharpened to something Sirzechs had only seen in the glare of a cornered beast."...will that be a problem?" finally questioned the human.
the warning question was obvious and for a moment Sirzechs didn't know why it was an issue, but that wasn't until he remembered where they were standing. If the defensiveness in Ryden was any indication, a devil learning of his species was usually followed by some kind of torture, so much so that Ryden was now instinctively preparing himself to defend against the torturer. it was clear now that Ryden wasn't completely unharmed from the torture, physically he may be perfect, no scars, no burns and most of his skin was still on his body; however the same couldn't be said of his mental state. Being tortured – regardless of physical immunity – could still leave scar's, and most of them were not always visible.
Sirzechs held up his hands in surrender quickly upon noticing the slowly escalating situation, and action that Ryden read as his sign to calm himself, seeing as how the devil didn't appear as quick tempered as the others had been. His posture loosened slightly but his position still screamed 'cornered' before a moderately confused expression appeared on Ryden's features upon noticing sirzechs 'retreat'. "I had learned long ago that the cause of the great war wasn't due to an important reason, but rather a petty one" at this, Ryden's arms suddenly crossed and a sour expression appeared on his face before he continued. "I've heard of the story of Lucifer... daddy got annoyed – kicked the spoiled brat out – brat has a tantrum, yada, yada, yada... case in point? Great War was started because of Daddy issues, but that doesn't exactly explain why all of the sudden i meet a devil that doesn't lose his shit the moment my humanity is mentioned... why the concede General? does my freedom spark hesitation in you?" questioned Ryden, the indifference in Ryden's tone had made Sirzechs pause (yet again) but ignored the question looming in his mind for later in order to answer the more present questions.
his hands lowered to their sides gently before his calm gaze met Ryden's own. "I had believed that Lucifer was a necessary leader for devils for a time, but he truly wasn't. I learned young that the Morning Star was simply using us as cannon fodder just so he could get back at his father, so it is as you so elegantly put it... daddy issue's" replied sirzechs before his own expression slightly shifted into a pained and angered glare. The thought so many had died for such a pathetic reason was... he couldn't quite explain the feeling. Many devils back then had willing thrown themselves into war with rabid smiles on their faces, while others did so out of fear of their leader's; many good devils died due to a cause they'd probably be disgusted to have fought for, and it enraged him that many more will continue to parish so long as the civil war carries on.
"Many Devils understand that war is not a way of life for us anymore... our numbers have dropped far too low for us to even consider it. others may try to fight it, but change is necessary" he paused before he looked to Ryden, his eyes studying his for a moment before Sirzechs nodded "to answer your question, i concede from engaging in pointless conflict when its possible as i loath the idea of becoming enraged with someone who clearly possesses the right to feel defensive just because their species differs from my own... i leave short tempers to the fools at the point of my blade"
ryden smirked at the reply, a small genuine show of respect reflecting in his gaze. "hehe... a respectable and opened minded devil? my luck isn't as abysmal as i thought it was" he muttered jokingly
Sirzechs smirked softly at the humor before his expression grew slightly remorseful. "however I cannot promise your life here will be better then what you've been through. though i may not possess a loathing towards you, many devils however do believe in peace, but it's largely Bias to only Devils... a single human among them would still cause anger and disgust" warned sirzechs.
Ryden looked to him and smirked, his posture relaxing before he shrugged at the devils word of warning. "I'm human, always will be no matter the trials, but the thing with us humans is that..." his smirk grew into a large smile "...we can adapted pretty well"
Sirzechs nodded at the logic in the humans words, a small ounce of his own respect slowly rising towards the man's steadfast integrity. however, at the mention of 'adapting', a thought struck him like a bolt of Arc energy. with a moderate snap of his fingers, sirzechs quickly studied Ryden's features closely - breaking into the humans space bubble completely - and leaving the man completely confused at the sudden action.
Ryden's eyes began to shift from left to right before his eyebrows narrowed into confusion at the devils actions. "Uh bud... Personal space please" he stated hesitantly but Sirzechs didn't move at all, or even hear him for that matter and instead he stared at the man's hair and eyes; fixated at the similarities.
"Your hair is pretty close to that of a Gremory... its density is just as thick too and your eyes are also similar, though they're not teal like mine and my father's, but I could always say it's a side effect of your abilities" at that point Ryden knew the devil wasn't talking at him, but rather muttering to himself about something...
For a minute the Powerful devil remained in Ryden's personal space; studying his facial features with rapt attention while Ryden himself stood by in slowly growing confusion and annoyance
Finally sirzechs backed off after a couple minutes of studying, a smile working up his face. "It's settled then, if you are sure fighting is what you desire, then I shall grant you that desire... come with me... little brother" the last part was said under the devils breathe but Ryden had heard it, but before he could say anything the devil strode to the door, a determined stride in his steps...
Ryden shook his head for a second before he processed the devils words. "Wait what!" he asked suddenly, but the devil was already leaving. "Hey wait a minute! What did you call me?!" he called out hastily yet no answer came. Ryden silently cursed at the turn of events before he chased after the devil. however, before he left, he froze at the door before turning back to the cells that lined the majority of the stable area.
His eyes lingered on the room briefly, a shimmer of emotion lining his features as every memory he had of it invaded his mind. this was a room he'd spent a better part of nearly a year in, a room that held many nightmares and tragedies within its walls, a place in which he had understood despair and had witness countless people come and go like a light breeze in the wind.
all through that time, he knew he'd find a way to get out; and now was that exact time... but yet... even if he was free...
The cries of those that endured his Pain would remain...
The anguish and the tears... would still persist...
...Their were many that had suffered only to never see a glimmer of hope...
ryden eyes clenched shut briefly - his mind invaded by those that he'd watched die - before his fists clenched tightly in rage, a new resolve forming in a matter of seconds at the thought of all of them. his freedom had come at a heavy price... and he'd be damned if he didn't repay it...
A/N: Rather short chapter to start with but I think it hit my target number... nearly 10,000 words in total seems like a reasonable range but seeing my track record they might get longer
Anyway I think it's time I explain my motivation for this story
A couple months ago (a year now actually) I had come up with an idea pertaining to a civil war story within the DxD universe which was encouraged by one of my reviews on my other story. Not a new one but the already existing one that for some reason NO ONE writes about. I do enjoy writing military stories to a curtain degree (my new story DxD: human power can attest to that) but this one has been on my mind for as long as the other story.
Not much to really explain, just that I've almost planned out the entire story completely, the only hard part of this story will be its civil war aspect as there is literally ZERO information pertaining to the events, what devil families supported the Anti-Satan faction, what devils betrayed or who was the heads of the family houses at the time
Again, I'm expecting too much detail from an Ecchi anime (But considering its length it's practically a soft-core porn shounen anime at this point)
But this lacking of information can also benefit me in a way
Since there is such a large lacking of information of culture, military structure, political structure and ecosystem in the underworld during this time, I can almost create my own world using already existing characters... and by existing characters I mean the slight handful present during this time
I'm not one to reveal story information during A/N's as I feel that breaks immersion and mystery within the story, so if things are confusing do still point them out but most of the stuff I'm writing WILL come to light and most of your questions will become answered, however asking them anyway is a great way for me to remember what to point out at some point.
I'm a relatively new writer with only a modicum of writing experience under my belt, mistakes are expected (I do try to fix them as I write my stories) so do take it easy
[Further note: this chapter had been heavily edited on march 1st, 2019]
So to sum up my motivation: I had never seen a story taken place during the civil war, I like older characters rather than the teenage ones because... well... I'm not a teenager, and because I'm a lunatic for a unique setting and story...
Like come on! No DxD: Doom stories? All you edge lords out there would have a hell of a time (no pun intended) writing one of those slaughter fests, there's halo: DxD stories but most of them are just Master Chief and Issei body swaps which makes me want to have a pulmonary embolism at that stupid idea and absolutely ZERO alien vs. Predator stories?!
Like off the top of my head I already have an idea for that, instead of Akeno's mom being killed in the past they are instead witness to a Yautja killing their would-be killers, and instead of her being pissed off at her dad, she'd instead be the most informed of the new threat that's killing a lot of major key characters...
See I have these ideas but I have the attention span of a moth in a fireworks convention and the grammar control of a epileptic 3rd grader... and the minute my fingers hit a keyboard I develop Parkinson's for some damn reason... annoys the shit outta me.
DxD has a horrible writing community (As what I've seen recently) most stories are either Way to edgy (as mentioned) to get behind or the story is just a simple rewrite with mild changes throughout in a severe case of SSDA (Same Shit Different Anus) or the writer is so incredibly horny the story is just full of hormonally triggered teens spamming the reviews with Harem Idea's to the point I'm just wondering if there would be an actual orgy scene later on...
(Points to a writer who actually has the balls to do that ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I haven't seen one yet but I feel like I'll probably find one soon... and now that I've mentioned it, I probably will a lot sooner (bullocks)
The only other story I had come to find true motivation from is "the Fifth hero of the great war" which tells only a single chapter of the civil war (which was enough to motivate me) before the story goes on a Roller coaster of emotional feels and political hurricanes
Great read honestly (though you'll really not like Sirzechs or Grayfia for a couple weeks, it's still pretty damn good)
Anyways that's enough ranting and raving, I do hope this small taste of what's to come was enough to hook you all to continue reading
Please leave your thought's in a review or don't if you didn't
R&R
And I'll see you next time