Chapitre 27: Chapter 22: Similar Pasts, Ascalon & Not What He Seems?
A/N:
" " : Dialogue,
' ' : Thought,
"Italicized text" : Telepathy,
[ ] : Spells, Techniques and Sacred Gear Casts,
"Bold text" : Ddraig & Albion.
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Narrator POV
Two days had passed since Gasper was unsealed, and so far, he's been feeling miserable. Due to the fact that Haruki had engraved a forceful teleportation spell on him, he could never avoid the training sessions. And for someone like him, who had never gone through any proper training in his life, the amount of training that he was put through daily was debilitating.
But due to the fact that Haruki had found a way to use Issei's blood as something of a potion to reenergize him, Gasper wasn't spared from training in the slightest. It didn't help that he was put into Koneko's class, and she had found some entertainment in bothering him, much like a cat.
While Gasper was welcomed with much pleasantry, many boys in the first and second years cursed reality when they found out he was a boy, while some said that they either didn't care that he is male, or found it even more pleasant that he is, which brought up a bit of alarm for Gasper, but that's a talk for another time.
Haruki and the devils noticed that all this was putting pressure on Gasper, given his past and how he was treated as a dhampir with Forbidden Balor View, and so they had decided to talk with him about it.
Despite the fact that Gasper was just a child, especially by vampire standards, the vampire high-ups feared that he'd perform unsavory acts to anyone caught under the effect of Forbidden Balor View and so began ostracizing and mistreating him.
The general prejudice towards halfbreeds compounded by his out of control Sacred Gear and his true form, which was a mass of darkness, led to the more extreme level of isolation and abuse. Haruki had taken it upon himself to try and hel him through this.
Rias had protested, assuming that Haruki would be stern, and dismissive of Gasper's plight, but much to her and everyone else's surprise, Haruki had told her that while he might be strict in his instruction, he wasn't oblivious to other underlying problems.
"If I chose to be dismissive of all of your issues, then Koneko wouldn't have learned senjutsu, and I wouldn't have helped Kiba with his issues regarding Valper. Hell, look at Issei. It might not seem like it, but Raynare doing what she did affected him mentally. And if I hadn't talked to him about it and advised him to try and trust in himself a bit more, we know for sure that he'd still be playing around on first base with Asia and Xenovia." Haruki said to Rias, showing proofs of his attention to their problems.
"Don't worry about it. If I can't help him out of this entirely, I'll at least get him beyond where he is now." Haruki said, his seemingly nonchalant tone contrasting his serious, and caring gaze.
Rias knew that Haruki truly was caring for those that he had taken as his own, after all, he does that already for them, Sona and her peerage. But she didn't see any true reason for him to care for Gasper.
"I told you from the day that I gave you that contract, Rias. The instant you signed it, you and all that you are and own was mine. That includes even the problematic parts of it all." He said, holding onto her gently.
"Okay. Just, don't be harsh with him. He's been through a lot." Rias asked, and he nodded, showing that he'd grant her request, then walked into the room.
As Gasper always left it, the room was dark, considerably so, but Haruki didn't create any lighting so as not to spook him. He then created a bounded field that covered the interior of the room and kept sound from leaving it.
"Hey, Gasper. Don't worry, you don't have to come out. I'm just here to talk." Haruki said as he felt Gasper shift within the cardboard box he normally hides away in.
"I know that I'm not the one you'd expect to be telling you this, Gasper. But, I understand you." He said, much to Gasper's surprise. "I understand how it feels to be afraid of people because of your past experiences." Haruki said, digging into memories of his past life.
"Did you know that it's possible for humans to reincarnate after death? It's not all that common, but it does happen. And at times, those that reincarnate happen to possess memories of their past lives." He said, speaking of a secret he had only told his girlfriends.
"I reincarnated, Gasper. And my past life wasn't a pleasant one. My own parents were my tormentors. My pleas for the slightest bit of consideration for me were seen as rebellious disobedience. My attempts to be a child were met with scathing and scornful remarks and beatings. The little time I used to entertain myself with whatever I could get my hands on was my own escape." He said, causing Gasper to open the top of his cardboard box.
Gasper was already surprised to hear that he had reincarnated, but hearing that he had experienced something similar to what he did back in the Tepes clan was mind boggling to Gasper.
"My parents suddenly abandoned me one day, leaving a twelve year old kid that had been abused to the point that I no longer even left my room without their permission or outright order to do so." Gasper had crawled out of his cardboard box.
"For almost a week, I was stuck in the room without eating or drinking anything. And one day, in my debilitated state, I heard people break the doors down, and came face to face with some men." Gasper had stepped closer to Haruki.
"I couldn't see their faces properly on account of the damage to my eyes from the beatings. But all I knew was that after I lost consciousness in the room once again, I awoke on a hospital bed." Gasper was now sitting on the bed behind Haruki.
"I was out of it, but I was quickly processed into the foster system and adopted by a new family. They cared for me with love and tried to help me recover from the life I had before, but the damage had been done. I could no longer trust any adults after what I had experienced." Gasper was now seated beside Haruki, tears dropping from his eyes.
"I continued to be suspicious of them, despite the care they had given me. They even helped me get more of the novels that I used to read for comfort, back when I was with my birth parents. They eventually succeeded in making me trust them, but I could never bring myself to trust anyone other than them." The dropping had increased to a steady trickle.
"I lived life like that until my untimely death. Untrusting of those around me, fearful of what they could do to me, even when they just wanted to be kind to me. Thinking back to it now, I hurt them because I didn't want to get hurt, and they didn't deserve such a thing." Haruki said, then gently patted Gasper's head, soothing him through the tears.
"Now, I'm not saying that you should trust everyone you come in contact with, but at least, try and trust us. If you're scared of anyone around, trust that we'd protect you. And if you feel that you aren't good enough, trust that we'll help you become even better. Okay?" Haruki said, and Gasper nodded while wiping his eyes with his sleeves.
"Good. Now come on, let's go. Tonight's training session is still happening." Haruki said, then carried Gasper out of the room. But unlike before, Gasper didn't protest or try escaping. He simply gritted his teeth and powered through the training.
...
Haruki POV
I didn't know exactly how to feel after telling Gasper about my past life. When I told it to Rias, Akeno, Koneko and Sona, they looked at me with pain in their eyes, as well as a thinly veiled hatred for my birth parents in my past life.
They seemed like my foster parents from my past life; someone who hadn't truly experienced the pain of such a life, but would readily jump forward to get someone else out of it.
But Gasper felt like a college colleague of mine, Jamie. He also came from an extremely abusive household and was taken from it by social services, then put into the foster care system as well, where he found actual familial love.
I guess I just empathized more with Gasper on this than with the girls, even with their own stuff they've gone through. And it seems that in that empathy, he started to see me as a big brother. I'm not exactly sure how to take that, but I'll just roll with the punches.
But that's not as important as what I'm attending to now. Right now, Issei and I are heading to a shrine on the outskirts of Kuoh. All he knew was that Rias sent him here to meet Akeno, but I knew that he was heading there to get what will be one of the more pivotal aids in his battle against Vali, the Dragon Slaying Sword, Ascalon.
We eventually reach the stone steps leading up to the shrine's front door, and standing there waiting for us was Akeno, dressed in a shrine maiden's garb. "Oh? Rias didn't tell me you were coming." She says to me.
"Yeah, I didn't tell her I was coming here, so she didn't know either. And I was also curious about what your old place looked like, so I just followed Issei here." I say, pointing at Issei.
"Wait. Old place? I thought you were living in the old school building with Buchou before, Akeno-senpai." Issei says in surprise. "I did live there for quite a while, but when I learned about this shrine, whose priest had passed away, I asked Rias for it, and she helped me get it." Akeno explains with a smile.
"It reminded me of my time with my mother, so until Haru-chan came to Kuoh Academy, I'd mostly lived here, only going back to the old school building during the school day or when we have meetings." Akeno says, and Issei nods in understanding.
"Is this the Sekiryuutei?" The owner of the holy aura that I had felt approaching made themselves known. A handsome face, blond hair, green eyes, twelve dazzling golden wings and a halo above their head, finished with an exquisite robe over his body. This is none other than Michael, the defacto leader of Heaven and most powerful of the remaining Seraphim.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei-kun. And I'm glad to finally place a face to the name, Natsuhiko Haruki-kun." He greeted with a warm smile. I return a greeting, while still keeping a comfortable distance from him.
"I am Michael, leader of the angels. And this aura's quality, it's surely Ddraig. It really brings back memories." He says, keeping his smile. "Well, since we're all here, shall we?" Akeno says, and begins walking towards the main shrine, with the three of us following behind her in silence.
As we moved up, we felt an intense holy aura coming from within the main shrine, and Issei felt uncomfortable, moreso than when he faced Durandal for the first time. But I didn't feel any discomfort from the presence of the aura, which intrigued me.
"The truth is, Hyoudou Issei-kun, I planned to give you this." Michael says, pointing to the source of the holy aura. And there it was, a blade with a handguard reminiscent of dragon claws, a purple and gold fuller with a crest near the handguard, and three notches on both sides of the blade that are situated near the bottom of the blade and fuller. The holy, dragon slaying sword, Ascalon.
"This is Georges... I guess saying Saint George would be a better introduction. This is the dragon slayer's holy sword, Ascalon, that he possessed." Michael introduces the sword to Issei.
Issei looks at me with a questioning gaze. "It's a sword that has dragon slaying qualities. And the words dragon slayer have received multiple connotations through the years. Apart from people who had some form of magic that could kill dragons, items that had the capability to kill dragons were also called dragon slayers. The same goes for those that used said items to kill dragons. I guess in a way, they're dragon assassins." I explain to him.
"Wait. Then wouldn't that be harmful to me? You know, with all this?" Issei says, moving his arm over his chest. He's definitely referring to his dragonification that's still underway.
"Ehem. While it is a dragon slayer, it has been worked on so that it doesn't bring any harm to its user. And I have chosen to give this to you as a special courtesy." Michael says, pulling our attention to him.
"And for a devil such as yourself, I believe that you should be able to handle it. But before you can take it for yourself, could you try and assimilate it into the Boosted Gear?" He asks Issei, and Issei wonders out loud, if such a thing is possible.
"That's all up to you, Ise. The Sacred Gear responds to your will. So if you wish for such a thing, then it should be possible" Ddraig says from Issei's left arm. "Is that right?" Issei says, then looks at Michael.
"Why give this to me?" He asks Michael, who smiles wryly. "This time. This time, there really is a chance for us to put away our differences and previous hostilities and cooperate to better each of our factions." He says, his voice soft, yet his tone carried an intensity he's shown for the first time in this meeting.
"I believe that you already know that our creator, God, perished in the last war. The devils lost many of their leaders in Satan and many of the pillar heads. And the fallen angels' leaders are reticent, with Azazel keeping his stand of not wanting to create wars." Michael says, a sad expression creeping onto his face.
"So now, we have a chance. A chance to get rid of the useless battles and skirmishes. A chance to properly avoid extinction. Because if we continue to battle against ourselves, we will all be destroyed. And if we don't in some way unite, other powers may invade and destroy us. That sword is more than just a gift, Hyoudou Issei-kun. It's a symbol of my and Heaven's resolve to move beyond the unpleasant past we've had with the devils and fallen angels, and move forward for a better future for us all." Issei looks at the sword differently, as if feeling the weight of Michael's words on the blade itself.
"Ehem. My apologies. I didn't plan on going on a tirade, but I wanted to help you understand the significance of this sword." Michael says, clearing his throat with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.
"It's mainly my present to the Satans' side. I've also sent some presents to the fallen angels' side. And I've received the rumored holy demonic dragon swords from the Satans' side as well, so we're quite grateful." He says, referring to Kiba's Sword of the Heretic.
"I see." Issei says, then grabs Ascalon. As he grabs it, he narrows his eyes. "You said it was tweaked so that it wouldn't harm its user, but wasn't that meant to apply to only humans?" He turns to Michael.
"Well, since you're a devil, and have been undergoing dragonification, we all came together to make a few adjustments the sword a bit so that it wasn't harmful to you." Well, that explains why he can use it, but that still doesn't explain why I don't feel any aversion to the sword.
"Okay, then." Issei says, then closes his eyes, focusing on assimilating the blade into the Boosted Gear. A few moments pass by, and soon, the flow of energy between his arm and Ascalon begins to meld together.
He manifests the Boosted Gear, and right above the knuckles of his left hand is Ascalon's blade, just like in the canon timeline. Only this time, it won't be too much of a crutch in his battle against dragon-related beings.
"Hmm. Not bad." I walk in front of him, inspecting the blade. I alter my right hand to be more draconic, then raise it with the palm facing Iseei. "Attack me." I say, shocking Michael and confusing Issei.
"Why?" He asks me, while getting into an attack stance. "There's something I want to test out before we go to the conference." Issei understands that I won't be saying much else on the matter, then slashes at my hand with full force.
The attack hits, and much to everyone's surprise, including mine, the blade seems to glide on my hand, leaving no damage whatsoever. "What the? Didn't you say that this thing's a dragon slayer? How come it didn't hurt him?" Issue asks, rightfully confused.
"I... I don't know." Michael says as he looks at my hand. "Again. This time, after six Boosts, all of them sent to the blade's dragon slayer aspect." I tell Issei, and he nods, after gulping nervously.
A minute and six Boosts later, Issei uses Transfer to boost the dragon slayer aspect of the blade and slashes at my hand once again, and lo and behold, the same thing happened, causing a stronger reaction similar to what happened before.
"Hey, kid. What the hell are you?" Ddraig says from the jewel on the gauntlet. "What's that supposed to mean, Ddraig?" I ask him with a raised brow.
"I've come across a number of dragon slayers like you in my time, but none of them were wholly immune to the power of dragon slaying weapons. Especially when they were going through dragonification. So, I'll ask you again, kid. What the hell are you?" Ddraig says, his tone far graver than I've ever heard him.
I look at my hand, wondering what changes were made to my dragon slayer magic. What Ddraig said made sense, because I still remember that Irene Belserion, the first dragon slayer, was actually susceptible to the effects of dragon slayer magic when she eventually fully dragonified.
Even Acnologia, the Dragon of Apocalypse, was susceptible to dragon slayer magic. After all, that is how he died. So why? Why the hell was I seemingly immune to it?
Could it be that the ROB altered it? Or is it the very nature of it that has done such a thing? But that couldn't be, right?
I mean, dragon slayers aren't naturally occuring, as even the progeny of dragon slayers don't possess dragon slayer magic. And the concept of dragon slaying itself was purely brought about by other beings trying to topple the established rule of nature that made dragons the most powerful beings in the world.
"I honestly have no idea how this is even happening, Ddraig. From what I can tell, I've been different from those dragon slayers of old since the day I awakened my power as the Nature Dragon Slayer." I say, after running through those thoughts at the speed of light.
"Awakened? That doesn't sound right. Every dragon slayer I had come across either had to learn dragon slayer magic, have something implanted into their bodies or they consumed dragon flesh. And those that consumed flesh were limited only to the element of the dragon they ate." Ddraig says, unknowingly referring to the first, second and fifth generations of Fairy Tail's dragon slayers.
"Hmm. I don't know what to tell you, Ddraig. That's just how things are. I awakened my dragon slayer magic, almost as if it was dormant. And that's something you just haven't seen before, not something that's fundamentally impossible." I say, clearly showing that I don't want to continue this conversation at this time.
"Ah." I hear Michael exclaim softly, then look at him, to see a disappointed expression on his face. I guess anyone would be curious about this. "W-Well, since we're done, I believe we should all begin moving to visit the conference. I hope to see you all well." He says, then teleports away in a flash of holy light.
"Hold up." Iseei says, trying to reach out to Michael, but he had teleported away by the time Iseei finished speaking. "Damn it!" He said, then returned the gauntlet, all with a frustrated expression.
"What's up?" I ask him. "I wanted to talk to him about Asia and Xenovia. You know, see if he could help them out with how prayers and reading the Bible is affecting them." He says with worry for his girlfriends.
"O, I see. Well, I'm sure you can tell him about that after the conference. But for now, we've got to get back home." I say, then snap my fingers, teleporting us to our street, dismissing any more conversations about what had happened in the shrine.
All the while, thoughts about the true nature of my power plagued me, even through the training session. But I just pushed through, keeping my mind ready for the conference tomorrow.
Chapter End.
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Word Count: 3,566
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L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Bored_Archlich
Bored_Archlich Next chapter is the end of the volume. So feel free to throw some power stones my way.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
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