Bab 43: Adaptation
"Hey, Vahn, check this out...!" exclaimed Issei, showing off a distinctly different gauntlet than he typically wore. Now, it covered the entirety of his forearm, his fingers, and the horns that previously flanked the sides of his fist now projected from the back like a pair of yellow-hued blades. All in all...
"That looks awesome. But how did you change its appearance...?" asked Vahn, tilting his head slightly from his position behind Koneko around the campfire/rest area, allowing him to brush her hair.
"It's not just its appearance that changed," stated Issei, looking almost smug as he explained, "Now, instead of doubling my power once, it can activate multiple times. And check this out..."
Pumping his fist, Issei caused a silvery, spear-like blade to emerge from the front section of his gauntlet. Vahn immediately recognized it as the blade of the spear he had given Issei to deal with monsters that were resistant to striking, so he wasn't too surprised when the latter explained, "I can now absorb other items and boost their power and effects, similar to your spear, but better in every way."
"That's really amazing, Issei," affirmed Vahn, taking a bit of wind out of Issei's sails with his nonchalance. To everyone else, it was obvious that Issei was showing off comparatively, but Vahn just interpreted it as him being excited to show off his new toy.
Throwing Issei a bone, Rias smilingly explained, "It's actually beyond amazing, Vahn. Issei-kun's new gauntlet, the Boosted Gear, is one of the thirteen original Longinus created by the God of the Bible and is regarded as the fifth-most powerful Sacred Gear alongside its counterpart, Divine Dividing. And this is the first time it's ever been in the hands of a long-lived species like Devil, so if he trains hard, Issei-kun could become one of the most powerful beings in existence."
Feeling his ego inflate like a balloon, Issei rubbed the underside of his nose with his Boosted Gear, causing it to rather abruptly state, "Do not get your snot on me, boy," in a distinct, masculine voice.
Startled by the sudden yet familiar voice, Issei stared at the large green gem embedded in the Boosted Gear's fist plating, asking, "Ddraig, is that you? You can speak outside of my dreams?"
"More importantly, this boy you're trying to pick a fight with carries the scent of the Chaos Karma Dragon and the lingering odor of Heaven. You should not antagonize him," advised the voice, ostensibly belonging to an entity named Ddraig, who, according to Sis, was the Red Dragon Emperor, one of two Heavenly Dragons.
"Vahn-sama has been to Heaven...?" questioned Asia, tilting her head to the side from her position next to him, nursing a cup of hot cocoa as she awaited her turn to have her hair brushed.
"I have," confirmed Vahn, causing even the usually stoic Grayfia to be surprised as he casually revealed, "When I first appeared in this world, it was in a place called the Seventh Heaven. There, I met a bunch of eyes calling itself Throne. It invited me to stay in Heaven, but it had been one of my dreams to attend school, so I left and came to Kuoh."
"If you were in Heaven, does that mean you got to meet God...!?' asked Asia, her voice raised, hands clasped, and her green eyes wide, twinkling with excitement.
"I wasn't there that long..." responded Vahn, shaking his head. At the same time, he felt a sense of foreboding as he distinctly remembered Throne mentioning that someone like him was prophesied to appear in God's absence. Based on that, it wasn't particularly difficult to conclude that God wasn't in Heaven...
'I probably shouldn't mention that...' realized Vahn, smiling as he added, "After my conversation with Throne, I stepped through a portal shaped like a door and was already in Kuoh. The following day, I received a tour of the Academy, met Sona and her Peerage, and was introduced to Rias. The rest is history."
"And we're glad to have you with us," said Rias, prompting affirmations from nearly everyone present, the exceptions being Issei, Saji, and the blue-haired Tsubasa.
"You're no mere human..." remarked Ddraig, drawing everyone's gazes to Issei's gauntlet as the green gem pulsed, stating, "The more I attempt to make sense of your aura, the less sense it makes. You appear human, but the energy within your body is like a mix of everything. I can even sense a faint but profound Dragon's Aura lurking within you, but you are not one of my kin..."
"A Dragon's Aura...?" repeated Vahn, tilting his head as he asked Sis for an explanation. According to her, Source, which comprised his body, was the template from which other energy systems were derived. As a result, any entity capable of sensing through his [Veil of the Traveler] would perceive his energy as something familiar but simultaneously incomprehensible, as it was simply beyond their ability to perceive.
"Indeed," responded Ddraig, surprising everyone by stating, "In a way, it is similar to Ophis and the Great Red, who occupies the Dimensional Gap. If you didn't smell and feel human, I would think you were one or both of their offspring. That's why you shouldn't antagonize him, partner. This boy is an anomaly even I can't make sense of..."
"I mean...it's not like I was trying to pick a fight..." lied Issei, his cramped smile suggesting otherwise. In reality, he had been planning to joke that Vahn was lucky to have met Rias first because now that he had a Sacred Gear as powerful as the Boosted Gear, he was confident he could become her greatest pillar of support.
Causing Issei to feel even guiltier, Vahn smiled and affirmed, "Issei and I are friends. We might fight every now and then, but it's to help each other improve and get stronger. As for me being a Dragon...I could become one if I wanted to, but I'll most likely remain human or become a Devil to fit in when I move to the Underworld."
"You can change your species, Vahn...?" asked Rias, brows raised slightly as various thoughts crossed her mind.
"It's like I explained before," responded Vahn, clarifying, "The Corridor is an extension of my power. It's able to change and adapt because I'm able to."
"In other words, if you wanted to become a Devil, Dragon, or what have you, you could. It would just take time..." affirmed Rias, crossing her arms and her left leg over her right.
"That's right," confirmed Vahn, supplanting, "The only meaningful limiting factor is my understanding of what I want to become. I've never actually been anything other than human, but I'm pretty confident I could become a Devil after spending so much time with everyone."
"As in, right now...?" asked Rias, her blue eyes twinkling with intrigue as she pictured Vahn with a pair of Devil wings.
"Hmm..."
Closing his eyes and balling his right hand into a fist, Vahn did his best to picture himself as a Devil. He had never actively attempted to change his species before, but as he had experimented with changing things like his height, face, and proportions in front of a bathroom mirror, he believed he could at least emulate one.
Thinking of the Demonic Energy he was most familiar with, Vahn caused the eyes of nearly everyone present to widen as his typically dark brown, nearly black hair abruptly shifted to an almost luminous shade of crimson from his roots. Then, as it was what he was aiming for from the beginning, a pair of bat-like wings erupted from his back, prompting him to open his eyes and find everyone staring at him.
"What's wrong...?" asked Vahn, unaware that even his eyes had changed color, emulating Rias's deep blue, gem-quality orbs.
"It's your hair and eyes," replied Rias, modeling an especially affectionate look as she pointed out, "They've become the same shade of red and blue as mine. And that's not all. If this was our first meeting, I could have been convinced you were my cousin or a nephew."
"It's uncanny..." appended Grayfia, experiencing a rare bout of genuine astonishment as Vahn's aura, while incomparably weak, was identical to the descendants of House Gremory. With careful training and guidance, he may even be able to utilize the Power of Destruction...
Pulling out a hand mirror to check his reflection, Vahn was surprised by the rather drastic change in his appearance. He knew the person staring back at him was him, but in response to the feeling of incongruency he was experiencing, his hair and eye color promptly returned to their usual hue. Luckily, his aura and wings remained.
"Aww, you actually looked good as a redhead," remarked Rias, adopting a playful expression and nearly laughing out loud when Vahn's hair abruptly shifted back to crimson. His eagerness to please her filled her chest with an indescribably fluttery sensation, so since he had long finished brushing Koneko's hair, Rias got up, made her way around him, and embraced Vahn from behind, kissing his cheek and whispering, "You are beyond adorable sometimes..." with her arms wrapped around the front of his body.
"Haaaa...I'm going farming..." groaned Saji, getting up from where he was seated, prompting Ruruko to rise and hurry to catch up with him. Issei's expression visibly cramped when he saw Rias being affectionate toward Vahn, but he felt considerably better when he turned to look at Tsubasa, seated to his right with crossed arms. She exhaled faintly from her nose when he did, but as the two of them had agreed to begin dating for real a few days into their exploration, she rolled her eyes, adopted a smile, and playfully remarked, "You're hopeless..." before getting up and leading him by his hand to their shared tent...
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"Focus your mind..." whispered Rias, sitting naked behind Vahn with Akeno and Koneko lying nearby, observing as she supported his right arm with her hand, her voice low and sensual as she explained, "The Magic used by Devils is heavily influenced by the user's imagination and desires. Picture what you want to happen, and so long as your desire and power are great enough, your Demonic Power will give it form..."
"What should I imagine...?" asked Vahn, prompting Rias to hum as she linked her arms around his body, caressing his chest as she suggested, "For now, imagine a light...deep and crimson in hue, just like my—"
Before Rias could finish, a vibrant sphere of crimson materialized a short distance from Vahn's index finger, its hue perfectly matching her hair. At the same time, a prominent warmth permeated the air, making everyone present feel pleasant and warm.
Realizing the pleasant sensation was likely a manifestation of what Vahn was feeling at that exact moment, a loving smile developed across Rias's face as she squeezed him and sincerely asserted, "Everything about you is exceptional, Vahn...you choosing to love me and giving me the chance to love you back may well be the greatest thing that ever happens to me in this life..."
"I feel the same way..." responded Vahn, opening his eyes, which, due to the use of his Demonic Energy, had temporarily turned a luminous shade of deep, shimmering crimson. Rias noticed this when he looked at her, the smile on her face becoming especially sensual as she remarked, "We have to, but I can't wait to bear your children..."
Though he was a little taken aback by the sudden admission, Vahn gained a smile of his own as he dismissed the glowing sphere and turned to face the loveable Devil, causing her to cry out in feigned surprise as he pushed her onto the bed. It hadn't been long since they stopped, but perhaps as a result of his Devilish nature, Vahn couldn't restrain himself as he pinned Rias beneath him, causing her to moan, writhe, and cling to him as she readily accepted everything he was prepared to give with a similar amount of passion and hunger...
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone