Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Welcome to my newest story! Chapters will be longer and posted once a week for now. Check out my other current story on my profile if you haven't read it yet! It's called The Fallen Gamer.
Chapter 1:
Marcus walked down the streets of Gotham, heading towards school. "Yes, mom, he's fine! And yes, he's eating enough," he said into his phone with a sigh. This was the 10th time she'd called him this week just to ask the same questions over and over.
He knew that his mother could be a little bit (very) overprotective of him. After all, he was her first and only child. She was reluctant to let him move to Gotham and attend school on his own—sort of. He did have a 'roommate' of sorts….
"Yes, Grandfather is fine too, and he's also recovering at a steady rate. We think that it will only be a few months longer that we're stuck together, and he couldn't be more grateful. He'd like to live his life without him always seeing everything he does," Marcus said as he passed by a group of girls dressed in the same uniform as him. He ignored their blushes and giggles as he walked past them. He'd grown used to a lot of girls acting that way when they saw him. He was well aware that he was supernaturally handsome and his appearance drew eyes pretty much wherever he went.
Eighteen years ago, he died. He didn't really remember much about his own past life though, just minor fragments. His mother claimed it was because his soul had somehow ended up drifting in the void and was on the verge of being whittled away by the endless nothingness.
And wasn't that a terrifying concept?
By the time she rescued him, most of his personal memories had already been erased. That was probably for the best. It allowed him to truly embrace this new life as his own.
He wasn't sure why his mom was drifting out in the void at the time, but he was incredibly thankful that she was. From what he understood, she took his soul into herself to protect it and then left the void. Because his soul was that of a human, she couldn't just reincarnate him into a member of her own race. Nor could she make him a full human again, because she wasn't one either. So she found a middle ground. His mother told him that she found a "donor" who was more than happy to give a bit of his essence to his mother, in order for him to be reborn.
That was the nice way of saying his mom banged some random human and used his sperm to create a half-human hybrid vessel for his soul…
Seventeen years later, he was reborn as a baby and raised by his mother and the other members of her "faction." It was a very interesting childhood to say the least.
But eventually, all kids grow up—or regrow up in his case.
Marcus wanted to get out and see the world! He wanted to explore the stars themselves because that was actually possible here!
This world also had much more advanced science and technology than his last one, so he wanted to go to an advanced school where he could get a good education. Hence, he ended up attending Gotham City Academy. He was able to get in as a Wayne Foundation scholarship student as well!
His mother claimed that his father in this life was "Really-Really-Smart!!" That's why she chose him out of the other 4 billion men on the planet. He didn't entirely believe that, though, since she'd yet to tell him who the guy even is.
He kept walking and eventually neared the academy. "OK, mom. Yes, he'll be safe. Gotham isn't even that dangerous for him, but he'll be on the lookout anyway. He's well aware how crazy this city and the people in it can be. That's part of the reason he's here, after all. To help its recovery. OK, mom. He's almost at school. He's got to go now. He loves her, bye." He ended the call, with another sigh, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He was almost at his school gates.
'Stop, Marcus!' The voice of his grandfather echoed in his head. He paused on the sidewalk. Students and other pedestrians passed him by as he stood still.
'What's wrong?' Marcus asked in his head. His grandfather usually remained silent unless it was important. He had been a bit more vocal lately though. He had been regaining more and more of his power.
'I sensed a stray hidden in the busy crowds nearby. Unfortunately, it has vanished.'
Marcus frowned as he eyed everyone walking nearby. No one particularly stood out to him. He was also surprised that a stray, of all things, would actually be in Gotham City. With all the heroes patrolling the city every single night, it wouldn't be able to lie low for long. 'I'll keep an eye out,' he replied. 'It could have just been passing through.'
'Doubtful. This one radiated…hunger.'
Marcus grimaced. Hunger didn't mean that it was looking for a breakfast burrito or something. It meant that the stray had completely fallen to its baser instincts and started feeding on humans. He would have to be on the lookout for the abomination. Unfortunately, he couldn't go searching now. He was a scholarship student at Gotham Academy, and truancy was not tolerated without a legitimate excuse. He could lose his scholarship if he intentionally missed classes. With one last gaze at the crowds walking by, he turned and headed through the academy gates.
Gotham Academy was enormous, bigger than some universities even. The most elite Middle School and High School students in the city, and even the country, attended here. For a lot of students, it doubled as their homes. It was also a boarding school. For students like him who lived in the city, though, he just commuted here.
"Good morning, Marcus!" A preppy voice called out to him from across the quad. A younger girl skipped up to him with a bright smile on her face.
Marcus let out a subtle sigh. He now totally understood how Sasuke Uchiha and Kiba Yuuto felt. Especially when the fangirls never seemed to take a hint. This particular fangirl had been hounding him for almost 2 months now! That was almost the entire time he'd been attending the academy…
Following behind her, as always, were her two 'friends.' Although they were less of friends and more of this girl's followers.
The younger girl who approached him was Alice Winston. A cute girl with blonde hair and green eyes. She was arguably the most popular girl in the Academy because her family was filthy rich and a big name in Gotham. Not as big as Bruce Wayne, of course, but pretty close.
Marcus honestly wouldn't have minded going on a date with Alice, but she was just too young for him and always gave him strange vibes. Also, for some reason, no other girls have ever openly approached him on school grounds after Alice had "staked her claim on him."
"Good morning, Alice," he said while putting on a practiced smile that didn't look as strained as it really was. The girl might give him weird vibes, but she had never outright antagonized him. His mother had also raised him to always be cordial with people. "You seem to be in a good mood." He noted.
Alice smiled and looked up. "It's bright and sunny today! That's rare for this dreary town, you know. In fact, I feel like ever since you arrived here, the days have gotten brighter!" Alice declared with a small blush on her cheeks.
'They have…' Marcus thought in his head. The presence of himself and his grandfather in Gotham had helped purify some of the City's evil taint. The longer he stayed, the more sunny days the city would start to have as the lingering miasma ebbed away. "It must just be a coincidence," he said with a small laugh. "I heard Gotham was actually a beautiful city when it was founded. I'm sure it just had a few bad years of weather."
That was an understatement. When he had first arrived in Gotham a few months ago, the evil taint in the city had become so potent that it formed an almost permanent fog that darkened the sky itself over the city. It was not natural at all. Metropolis was only a hundred miles away, and it was always bright and sunny there. The idiots who built this city, over a hundred years ago, decided to do so over a cursed Native American Burial ground. The land was cheap, he supposed–or free since they probably just stole it anyway.
"You're right! But you make MY day brighter at least!" Alice said to him with a small blush.
Okay… He had to admit to himself that that line was pretty good. If it was coming from any girl but this one, it probably would have worked on him if he was being honest.
"Woah! Did she actually just say that line out loud!? How corny!" A young boy's voice called from nearby on the campus lawn.
A red-faced Alice turned and frowned at the kid who just shouted at her. "Shut it, Dick! Can't you see I'm having a nice conversation with Marcus here!"
"Maybe try being less thirsty, then, Winston! Since the second he enrolled here, you've been all over him! Give the guy a break! Your obsession is creepy!" Dick Grayson replied to her loudly. Their argument was starting to draw a small crowd of students.
That was another reason Marcus was hesitant when it came to this girl. If Dick Grayson–who was his favorite Robin in his past life–didn't trust her, then he was even more hesitant to do so himself. Whenever Dick and Alice were in the same vicinity, they would always fight.
"Piss off, Dick!" She shouted one last time.
Dick flipped Alice 'the bird' and snickered again before he walked off. Marcus laughed at the kid's audacity. He could see Alice hatefully glaring at the kid's back until he left.
"Hmph!" Alice turned back towards him after he left.
Her two groupies looked like they were about to follow after him and throttle the kid, but Alice waved them off. She turned back to Marcus with a pout. "Dick is always so annoying and never knows how to behave!" Alice pouted. "He's nothing like you Marcus! You're so much more mature than him!"
Marcus hoped so… He was 5 years older than the kid after all.
"I can't believe Bruce Wayne adopted a rude kid like that!" Alice's first female lackey commented.
"Yeah! He's like, so totes annoying!" The second one added.
Marcus actually found the interactions between Dick and Alice to be funny. Dick was 13, and Alice was 15. Compared to him, who was almost 18, they were closer in age and maturity.
"So, Alice? Did you want to ask me something?" He was going to be late for class unless they got to the topic of why she stopped him.
"Oh, r-right." Alice replied with a small stutter. "There's going to be a small party at my mansion later tonight. I was wondering if you would be going? …Please? It would mean the world to me if you came!"
"Everyone who's anyone will be there!" Her first friend added.
"Yeah. You need to come! Alice is going out of her way to invite you! You should be grateful!" The other one said judgmentally.
Marcus knew that she'd never stop hounding him unless he agreed. "Alright, I'll go." He said. Although he wasn't planning on going alone. He considered bringing a date to the party so that Alice would finally understand he wasn't into her. Now he just had to find one in time…
"Awesome!" Alice smiled brightly at him. "I'll text you the time and address. See you tonight!" She said as she spun around and headed towards her first class with a skip in her step.
He watched her go before he headed towards his own morning physics class.
…
"Morning, partner," Marcus said as he plopped himself down in his seat. The physics teacher liked to pair up all the students for classwork, and the girl next to him was his.
"Mornin'…" His cute blonde-haired partner said with a yawn. "Sorry. I was up kind of late."
He frowned. "That's three nights in a row, Artemis. Are you okay?" She looked exhausted. "You should take a nap later."
Artemis was a fellow scholarship student, and her missing so much sleep wasn't good. If her grades slipped because of her lack of sleep, she could get kicked out.
"It's... it's nothing." Artemis said. She did her best to avoid his eyes.
"If you say so…" Marcus couldn't help unless she opened up. He reached into his school bag and pulled out an energy drink he was saving for lunchtime, passing it to her. He could always get another one later.
She thanked him and took a big gulp. "That helps a lot!" She turned back to him and set the can on her desk. "So I heard you and the bratty Queen Bee of the Academy are going out now?" Artemis asked him with a smirk.
He raised an eyebrow. How had she heard that news already? "All I agreed to was to go to a party at her house. We're not dating. How'd you even hear that news already? She only asked me like 15 minutes ago."
Artemis waved her hand flippantly. "Gotham Academy is a den of snakes and future snakes! Gossip is everywhere, and rumors spread fast. Especially when it has to do with the 'popular kids.' News about them always travels the fastest," she explained.
"Well, in this case, the news is wrong. I'm never going to date that girl. Something about her kind of gives me the creeps, and she's barely 15 while I'm almost 18," he replied.
Artemis leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. "You're new to Gotham, so you don't know, but the Winston family is a big deal. Alice Winston being the sole heiress is an even bigger deal. She's basically a future billionaire. You should be careful around her. You might be really handsome, but you're just some poor boy who can't even afford tuition from her perspective. There's no reason she should have been hounding you this long..." Artemis finished with a frown. He agreed with her on that part at least. Alice had been extremely persistent.
He took her words into consideration before a small thing she skipped over registered in his head. He smirked at her. "You think I'm really handsome?"
Artemis sputtered. "Wah–that's what you took from my warning!?" She said loudly with indignation.
Other nearby students turned and looked at her oddly for her outburst. Artemis covered her face with her hands in embarrassment for making a scene.
He laughed. "Yes."
Artemis playfully punched his arm. "Don't pretend you don't know. You're tall, have wavy blond hair, and you clearly work out. And then there's your stupid perfect face. You're almost supernaturally handsome if I'm being honest. It's a bit unnerving…" She trailed off.
He nodded. Yep, he knew all of that. Also, this was the most Artemis had ever actually spoken to him! She was usually a lot more reserved and only talked when necessary for classwork. It was definitely a nice change of pace. He found her to be intriguing. The fact that she was moonlighting as a vigilante every night was also pretty interesting…
"I think you're really beautiful as well, Artemis," he said back to her. Watching her face turn red at his compliment was adorable. Artemis also was very good-looking. Female superheroes pretty much always were. Especially considering he'd been reborn in the blend of a comic book / ecchi anime Universe.
'Will you be adding this girl to your non-existent harem?' His grandfather teasingly asked him.
'Don't start that again…' he whined internally.
When he had first realized he had been reborn into DxD, he, of course, immediately fantasized about getting his own harem. His grandfather had heard those thoughts, thought they were hilarious, and immediately told his mother. They both had a good laugh at his expense. They jokingly told him to go for it if he thought he could pull it off. His mother even playfully told him that she would do her best to help her "darling boy" fulfill his dream…
Artemis had another cute reaction to his comment. "You! You can't just say that to a girl out of nowhere like that!" Her face was now bright red, and she avoided looking him in the eye. He thought that was pretty cute. She spent her nights beating up criminals on the streets, and yet she could still get embarrassed like this.
"Here's an idea?" He decided to ask her. "Why don't you go with me to Alice's party?" he suggested. "I wanted to go to the party with a date to finally show Alice that I wasn't interested in her." He said. "I am interested in you though." He added.
…
–Artemis–
"A date?" Artemis asked Marcus and he nodded back to her. She pondered for a moment. She'd never been on an actual date before…
The fact that the date would double as a way to piss off the bratty rich girl was enticing though. The first time Artemis had ever spoken to Artemis, the rich girl had called her a "jumped up peasant who was lucky to even be allowed to attend their prestigious academy."
Needless to say, Artemis hated the little bitch…
Artemis glanced back at Marcus, who was looking at her with that perfect smile of his.
'Damn, he really is unfairly handsome…' She thought to herself. She supposed it couldn't hurt just going out with him on a date…just one though…two times tops. She nodded to herself with her decision made.
"Ok. I'll go with you. That doesn't mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend though. I'm a bit busy in my life for a full-time relationship right now." Artemis added. She didn't want to give up her vigilante life that she had just started out on. She also didn't want to drag Marcus into her insane family drama either. Her dad was a psychopath and her Sister had lost her mind under the man's brutal training regiment.
Marcus gave her his sinful smile again and they exchanged contact information. Artemis was actually excited that she now had a second number in her contact list that wasn't just her mom!
The physics teacher came into the classroom shortly after that, and they had to focus on the class. Artemis sighed when the teacher started writing on the whiteboard. She knew they were in for a long lecture. The energy drink helped, but she was still exhausted. She was going to take a nap before her date with Marcus later.
…
At lunchtime, Marcus found a quiet spot for himself outside in the grass. He munched on his sandwich as he contemplated what had happened today so far. Somehow, he had managed to get a date with an actual superheroine. Not that she was a particularly big name at the moment, considering she was just starting out her career, but still. It was pretty awesome.
'You made the better choice. The soul of Alice Winston is almost black. She's borderlining on becoming pure evil.'
He blanched at his grandfather's words. 'You couldn't have told me earlier!? What the hell!? I've never run into anyone with a black soul before!' He exclaimed internally.
Marcus wasn't able to see souls himself…yet. Black souls, though…not even any of the Fallen Angels he'd ever met had black souls. Black souls belonged to people who loved inflicting pain and misery on others and did so frequently. Basically, deranged serial killers!
'You need to learn how to judge people on your own. It was an important lesson. I will be leaving you soon after all as I have almost recovered completely inside your Sacred Gear.'
And Marcus was glad for that.
It wasn't that Marcus didn't appreciate the constant voice echoing in his head. It was fine when he was younger and didn't have a libido. Now, though? He'd just gotten his first date, and it was with a really hot girl as well! He wanted to enjoy his own life without constant scrutiny.
'Am I cramping your style…?' Grandfather asked him with actual trepidation in his voice.
'Kind of…' Marcus replied in his head.
'So many of my followers would say the very thought of such a thing is blasphemous…'
He shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich. Those followers probably wouldn't think that if they had HIM in their heads 24/7. 'Watching them poop…'
'I do not watch you poop!'
He snickered at his indignation. Obviously, he didn't watch him poop. He wasn't a creep like Santa Claus…
'Santa Claus doesn't watch people poop either!'
"Hey there, Marcus!" A voice he'd heard this morning called out to him. He looked over and saw Dick Grayson walking.
Marcus wondered what he wanted. "Hey Dick. What's up?"
Dick sat himself down on the grass. "Just checking in and things. How are you liking Gotham and the academy?"
"The academy is great, and the teachers are top-notch. Gotham itself isn't so bad. When I moved here two months ago, I was under the impression the city would be a lot more… dangerous? Haven't really seen much crime though, and I've never seen Batman either. The media made it seem like that guy popped up everywhere." Marcus said. He intentionally brought up Batman just to see Dick's reaction. To his surprise, though, Dick didn't so much as flinch when he mentioned the Dark Knight of Gotham. This kid's acting was superb.
Dick was instead concerned by his comment. "You probably shouldn't be going to the places Batman goes anyway. He goes after criminals and supervillains, so he'll mostly show up in the seedier parts of town. Everyone knows that." Dick added.
"Dang. Wanted to see if I could get his autograph. They're really rare, you know." Marcus said. The caped crusader was actually one of his favorite heroes. In both his old life and this one.
'If I was at my full power again, I'd offer the man a Sainthood. Then again, he would probably reject it knowing who he is…' His grandfather added. 'All of the lives he's managed to save while not ever taking a single one himself…No one else has ever done what he does.'
Marcus agreed. He knew Batman would immediately reject the offer though. Even if it came from his Grandfather himself. That was just the kind of man he was.
'And that's why he would deserve it…'
Dick laughed at his inquiry about getting Batman's autograph. "So," Dick said, changing the subject. "I heard you finally caved to Alice and are going to her party?" He asked with some concern. "You should be careful around Alice. Something about her and her family never sat right with me. Bruce–er–dad also tells me to avoid them."
"Yeah, I'm going." Marcus said. And then he laughingly added. "But not with her! I'm going with a girl called Artemis. She's my physics partner, and she's way hotter than Alice!"
Dick sputtered hearing that. "Y-you agreed to go to Alice's party. Personally invited by the girl herself in front of the whole school…and you're taking another girl!?" Dick asked dumbfounded.
"Yes. That's pretty much it. Something about Alice just weirds me out like you said." Marcus said with a shrug. He wasn't sure what to do with the knowledge that she might also be a serial killer either. Her family was incredibly wealthy and probably owned Gotham's police. Maybe he could find a way to mention it subtly to Dick so it got back to Batman? That was something for him to think about.
Dick stared at him in shock. "Dayuuuuum. Respect, Marcus! So much respect! I wish I could go to the party now to see Alice's face, but unfortunately, it's for High Schooler's only." Dick was still in the middle school division of the academy. "I can't wait to see her face on Monday though! The whole school is going to laugh at her. You know she's currently going around telling everyone that you finally agreed to go out with her?"
He didn't like hearing that. "I did not know that… Thanks for telling me. As for the party itself, you probably won't miss out on much by not going. Just some good ol' High Schooler underage drinking and whatnot." Marcus said casually.
…
Passing by the small crowd of students rushing home to enjoy the weekend, Marcus observed many gossiping about Alice Winston's party later. She, along with most of the other elite students, had already left campus via limousines.
After school ended, Marcus had a few hours to kill before he'd meet up with Artemis. He decided to take a walk around the city. He wanted to see if he could find that stray from this morning before it racked up a noticeable body count. This city was currently his home, and he wasn't going to permit one of those monsters living here. The only annoying thing was that low-class Stray Devils were hard to search for. Because their demonic powers were so minuscule without their kings to supplement them, strays couldn't be sensed unless they were very close by.
Walking down the street, he decided to head towards the seedier sections of town. If the stray was still in the city, he had no doubt it would be there. Every block he walked, he would release a pulse of magic that acted similar to short-range echolocation. It was less of a spell and more of a learned skill. It was also useful because the small pulses didn't use that much of his own magical reserves.
He'd done this for around 20 minutes and 20 blocks so far, yet he had yet to find anything.
Walking another block and letting out another magic pulse, this time his senses picked up another magic signature nearby!
Although, it didn't feel like a Stray Devil. It felt purely human. Magical humans were rare, but he supposed there had to be a couple in a city the size of Gotham.
A magical human, or homo-magi as they referred to themselves, wasn't what he was looking for. He shrugged and kept walking. Each additional street he walked down, he kept up his 'pinging.' He eventually searched all of the areas around his academy and found nothing. He decided to search the 'seedier' areas of Gotham next. Strays tended to hang around areas like that more often than not anyway.
When Marcus sent out another pulse, he was surprised to find the homo-magi he'd sensed earlier was following behind him. His senses told him they were on a nearby rooftop.
He acted casual and walked into a nearby alley. He added a bit of magical power into his legs and jumped upwards. He easily cleared the second story and landed on the rooftop. The same one that his little magical stalker was on.
"Eeeep!" The voice of a girl came from behind a nearby chimney. They clearly knew they'd been caught following him.
"Any reason you're following me?" He asked out loud.
After a moment of awkward silence, the girl hiding behind the chimney answered him. "I was just curious is all. I've never met another magical person besides my dad. I wondered what you were doing and what spell you were casting every block?" She said as she stepped out from behind the chimney.
Marcus noted that she was young. Probably in Middle School and around Dick's age. She looked vaguely familiar to him. "What's your name? I'm Marcus. And you shouldn't follow magical people unless you're sure that they're good people." He scolded her. "This is Gotham City! A young girl like you shouldn't be going around following someone she doesn't know just because I can also use magic…"
"Just you saying that means you're a good guy. I'm Zatanna, by the way. Zatanna Zatara! So how come you're going around using that spell over and over?" He now realized why she looked so familiar. She was a future member of the justice league. Although, that seemed to be a long ways off because she didn't look older than 14 right now.
He wasn't exactly sure which iteration of the DCU he was in. Judging by the fact that it was combined with DxD, it was probably an AU of some kind anyway. The ages of Dick and the other well-known sidekicks made him suspect he lived in an offshoot of Young Justice, though. Although, Artemis was a bit older here than she should have been for that universe.
There were lots of similarities and discrepancies at the same time.
He focused back on the young Zatanna. "I'm searching for a Stray Devil I sensed earlier in the city this morning. It's dangerous and not a task for kids. You should go home."
The girl pouted at him. "Hey! I've helped my dad with magic before. I've even fought a few bad spirits that haunt people!" She said proudly. "...What's a Stray Devil?" She added.
Marcus facepalmed. The supernatural community was impressively hidden in this world… Or maybe her dad just never mentioned it to her. He didn't know how much the Justice League actually knew about the Supernatural. They mostly fought mundane villains…or aliens.
"A Stray Devil is a dangerous being for a kid your age. Just go home and let me continue my search."
Zatanna shook her head vehemently. "Nuh uh! Not happening! My dad's the 'magic guy' of the Justice League and just the term 'Stray Devil' sounds magical. As his daughter, I, therefore, have to help!" She explained while looking proud of herself.
Sighing, she had no idea what she was in for. He wasn't her parent though; he supposed she could come along if she wanted. He'd make sure to at least keep her safe when she inevitably freezes up.
He shrugged at Zatanna. "Whatever. Follow me, and I'll explain. We'll stick to the rooftops from now on since this is the more dangerous part of town. We don't need some stupid gang members on the streets to try and mug us." He said before he turned and hopped across the alley to the next building.
"etativel em teL!" Marcus heard Zatanna chant behind him. He watched her hover across the alleyway and land next to him. She gave him a grin as she did so.
"Your magic is you saying words backward?" He asked her. He vaguely remembered that being a thing.
She smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Yep! Are you jealous of how awesome it is?"
He shook his head. "Not really. In battle, it's pretty much useless…" It was incredibly gimmicky and slow to cast, after all.
"What? Why!?" She asked with a pout. Her dad told her that their magic was awesome because it was so diverse!
Marcus leapt to the next rooftop before he explained. Zatanna followed after him. "It's too slow. I know of a lot of creatures out there that can move so fast that you won't even be able to say a single word before they're on you. Unless you have a way to make yourself talk and move faster, you'll be instantly defeated." He explained.
Zatanna frowned. "You discovered my magic's main weakness so easily! Not fair." She pouted at him. "It doesn't matter though! My dad joined the Justice League for a reason. He covers their weaknesses and they cover his. He turned his disadvantage into an advantage…at least that's what he told me." She explained.
"I'd still try to learn some other magic at least. Even if it's just a few quick casting combat spells." Marcus replied.
"That might be a good idea." Zatanna admitted. "So what's a Stray Devil? You didn't answer me before." She asked again.
Marcus sent out another magic pulse. He didn't get any hits on his senses besides Zatanna standing next to him. "Stray Devils are reincarnated Devils that have gone rogue from their masters. Usually, it's because they didn't read the fine print and realize that they were signing away their freedom for immortality and power. Most reincarnated Devils are fine with that trade-off, but some aren't." He explained as he hopped to the next roof over. He was getting a pretty good workout doing this over and over.
Zatanna frowned. "Reincarnated? What does that mean?"
He explained it to her. "Modern Devils created a system where they can turn humans or other creatures into Devils. Granting them the same magic and near infinite lifespan. The price for this? Eternal servitude towards their high-ranking Devil masters. It's not even as bad as it sounds. Most of the new-age high-class Devils aren't even evil. Most of them anyway… They mainly use the system as a way to make their mortal friends or lovers immortal as well." He explained.
He could get behind that concept at least. He had a couple of friends that he grew up with, and he would be sad to lose them due to aging. Luckily, he knew the Brave Saints System was going to be completed soon.
'An interesting concept. The Heavenly System will need to be redesigned to make it harder for humans to fall, though. Let's be honest, most reincarnated Angelic humans would fall within a year otherwise…'
Marcus couldn't disagree with that statement. It's a good thing he couldn't fall because he had found himself thinking about girls a lot lately…
'Ah…puberty…' His grandfather added with a laugh.
Zatanna furrowed her brows. "I've heard of demons, but not Devils. Unless you're talking about THE Devil?" She asked. She was clearly asking about Lucifer himself.
"Yes and no. Devils were created by him and Lilith to be foot soldiers in his war against heaven." Marcus said.
"I wondered if my dad knows any of this?" She asked skeptically. "I'm finding it hard to believe that Angels and Devils are a real thing. People would know."
He smirked at her adorable ignorance. Either Geovanni didn't explain anything to his daughter properly, or the man just plain didn't know either. If it was the latter, then that would make the man one of the most sheltered mages in the world…
'It's possible he, and therefore the Justice League, really know nothing. Devils also aren't very active in America because of the church's influence here.'
Marcus supposed that was possible. He was even surprised that a stray was in Gotham of all places. Most Devils, in the human world, preferred to be in countries where the church's influence was minimal. That's why Rias and Sona went to Japan after all–or maybe that was just because Rias was an Otaku.
He sent out another magic pulse. He got a hit this time. He felt a dark and vile magical presence. A nearby dilapidated warehouse was housing the Stray Devil he'd spent the past hour searching for. "You're about to find out whether Devils are real or not." He said to the girl. "Although, I still recommend you leave. Stray Devils eat…humans." Marcus said somberly.
"You couldn't have mentioned that sooner!?" She exclaimed. "Now I absolutely can't leave!"
Marcus jumped off the rooftop and landed a few stories below. He landed in front of the warehouse Superhero style–it was rough on the knees. He saw a dried trail of blood on the ground that started from outside and led inwards. The stray had already claimed at least one victim…
"nwod taolF!" Zatanna landed next to him a moment later. "T-they eat humans?" She asked him again. "Isn't that really bad? We should call my dad!" Zatanna said as she looked at the warehouse with trepidation. "It's in there?"
"Don't worry." He said. "This one is weak. I'll be able to handle it, no problem." He could feel that this one was truly the low of Low Class. The bottom of the barrel in the supernatural world.
"Handle it?" Zatanna asked. "Are you going to kill it?" She asked him worriedly. He remembered that the Justice League had a no killing rule. He thought it was stupid, but she had been raised with it.
Marcus spoke softly and carefully. "Killing is wrong, but it's the only way to handle most strays. Once they go feral and mutate into monsters, they will never be able to return to their old selves. Believe me, the church and Heaven have tried. There were some Stray Devils who were turned against their will and escaped their masters. The church willingly takes them all in. The best they can do, though, is put them out of their misery and cleanse their souls if the Strays lose control of themselves."
Not all Strays do. Some are skilled or lucky enough to remain perfectly fine after running from their masters. Others…are not so lucky.
"Do you work for the church or something?" Zatanna asked. "Like a magical exorcist?"
"I work for the church on occasion." He said cryptically as he walked towards the warehouse. "Are you coming in or staying?"
Zatanna squirmed with indecision. "Ok…I'll go with you. I want to see this so-called Stray Devil for myself." She told Marcus that she didn't believe that killing was the correct answer, but if what he said was true, then she supposed death would be better than becoming an evil flesh-eating monster.
He didn't bother knocking. He lifted his leg up before kicking forward. The large metal warehouse door caved in under the force of his kick and ripped off its hinges. With a loud wrenching noise, it was sent careening inside.
It didn't take long for the stray inside to notice his presence. "Fuck! I knew I shouldn't have come to America! It's known as fucking Angel territory for a reason!" A rough voice called out from inside.
"thgil eb ereht tel!" Zatanna chanted, and an orb of light flew from her hands and illuminated the room.
'Hah! She just said let there be light backward and all that came out was a small lamp spell…' Marcus snickered in his head.
'...' His grandfather didn't say anything. He was so embarrassed that his most well-known words were used like that…
"How the hell did an exorcist find me so quickly!? I can feel that filthy Light energy radiating off you! I won't go quietly! I earned this power myself!" The Stray Devil inside angrily spat out. "I'll kill you first!"
The Stray Devil was incredibly ugly. It had a body that resembled a werewolf, and the head of a praying mantis. It was also surrounded by multiple mutilated human corpses.
"Gasp!" Zatanna froze at the sight in front of her. She latched onto Marcus's arm while trembling. She looked like she was about to hurl.
It looked like the stray was in the middle of snacking on a few homeless people when they barged in. His dinner looked to be half-eaten. Marcus frowned at the sight.
Zatanna failed in holding back her lunch. She put her hands on her knees and wretched all over the floor.
"You're alright Zatanna." Marcus said gently as he patted her back. "The first time seeing one of these monsters is always the worst…"
He turned his gaze to the stray who was raring for some long drawn-out fight or something. "Listen man, to be honest I wasn't expecting the tag-along." He said as he gestured to the vomiting and crying Zatanna. "And because she's here I'm afraid I'm going to have to make this quick…"
"You think I'll go down so easily! I was able to escape from my master and the underworld on my own! I'll be able to kill you and escape as well!" The stray yelled out as it crouched its wolf body down to all fours. Its insectoid head locked all of its beady eyes on Marcus. He could tell it wanted to make him its next meal.
He raised his right hand outward. "I'll make this quick, my guy. Sacred Gear: True Longinus!" A golden spear that radiated more light than any other weapon in existence materialized in his right hand. He pointed it towards the stray.
The stray's eyes widened in fear!
Marcus put on a calm facade as he stared the monster down. Internally, he grimaced at the strain of using his Sacred Gear. It used up ridiculous amounts of his own power just to make it manifest. Every second it was out cost him more power as well. He wasn't quite strong enough to use the spear freely as he wanted.
That's why he said he would be making it quick.
"The Tr–True Longinus! Oh FUCK NO!" The stray completely gave up on all chances of fighting and spun around as fast as it could to flee. There was no way he could fight against the weapon all Devils naturally feared! The concrete cracked underneath the stray's powerful wolf legs as he put everything he had into fleeing! He shot off like a rocket in the opposite direction! It wasn't enough though…
SQUELCH!
"Graaaahhhh!" The stray screamed in pain. He looked down in horror. Sticking out of his chest, from his back, was the most feared Sacred Gear in the world! "I guess I'm dead huh…?" Those were his last words before the spear's light energy tore through his very existence and purged him. The stray exploded in a shower of golden dust.
The True Longinus flew back towards Marcus's outstretched hand. A second later, it vanished in molts of golden light. He let out a sigh of relief and turned back towards Zatanna. She was staring at him with wide eyes.
"See." He said nonchalantly, like he didn't just burn through 75% of his magical reserves with a single attack. "I told you that it was no problem. Why don't I walk you home? I know the first time seeing a Stray Devil's nest can be pretty terrifying."
Zatanna shakily nodded as he led her out of the warehouse. He'd call in a clean-up crew from the church later to hide the mess. Although, he might not even need to bother. This was Gotham, and people turn up dead all the time…
He still believed those victims deserved a proper burial though. No one deserved to go out like that. As some monster's meal…
He took another hour walking the still shocked Zatanna back to her home neighborhood. Once he was sure she was relatively fine, he headed back to his own apartment to get changed for the party later that night.
XXX
And that was the first chapter! Thanks for reading it! As I said at the top, chapters will be released around once a week for now.
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