HAPPY FUCKING NEW YEAR!
WHOO!
It was on this day, the 8th of January (your time zone may vary), exactly one year ago, that I joined Fan Fiction and started writing. So, yeah, it's the one year anniversary of my fucking ascension on this glorious site.
AND LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE FUCKING COME! WHOO!
Ah, how time flies.
Enjoy, as always, dark works from your friendly neigborhood edgelord.
Kuoh
Central Municipal Police Station
"Thank you very much for the opportunity."
Officer Hayate was aware that there was something wrong with his city. Kuoh, more than any other town in the country possessed the largest number of oddities and crime which seemed to often be swept underneath the rug. There were rumors and hushed whispers that this town hosted itself to unspeakable forces of evil, and though he was not entirely a religious man, Hayate often found himself agreeing. Too many odd things kept happening, and the lack of media presence or government agents in black suits and sunglasses coming to investigate clearly paranormal events just made things even worse.
Today's oddity was the duo that had come with a strange request. Almost as strange as they were dressed, in form-fitting, body-covering leather that forced him to avert his eyes and think about his wife. The one with blue hair give an intimidating aura that made Hayate wonder if she was a gangster, or a Mafioso. White cloaks covered their body-hugging outfits, and he'd wondered if they were cosplayers, but he knew in his heart that they weren't.
"There isn't really much to thank me for." He said simply. "Nasty business, what happened to the woman. I doubt you'll be able to get a word out of her…"
"I'd still like to try."
He rose his hands. Okay. It's not like you didn't have the connections to make it anyway. He gave a sidelong look at the second girl. Her brown hair styled into pigtails, she had the look and feel of a Japanese woman, and she was no doubt from the land of the rising sun. Foreign influences seemed to have taken it's hold on her, as her Japanese was spoken with trace amounts of an English Accent… British huh?
"So…" they walked through the corridors as he grabbed his keys "Who did you say you were to the woman again?"
Pigtails smiled. "A… family friend."
"Ah." Hayate grimaced, turning his gaze away. "A friend of the boy eh?"
He took her silence as confirmation.
"You've probably been gone from Japan for a long time. People… they change."
They walked in silence until they reached a large metal door.
"Why is she still here?"
The officer shrugged.
"Ongoing investigation. That, and some people with some real power are making it so she doesn't get to trial immediately."
"Why?"
"To avoid media attention – naming names," Hayate responded succinctly. "The boy – he went to Kuoh Academy. Y'know – one of the top institutions in the entire country… filled with rich kids, spoiled kids, and kids of some really powerful people. Considering the family was middle-class… it makes me wonder how they afforded it. Must have been scraping bottom barrel just to send the kid to the place… and look what that cost her."
Hayate sighed, opening the doors to the cell.
"This isn't normally allowed, but you know people in the right places so…" he checked his watch. "I'm giving you ten minutes. Don't mention names, don't mention the event, and if she starts losing it, I'm pulling the plug."
"Thank you."
He stood a bit at the door, watching as Pigtails moved into the cell, before kneeling in front of a woman with scattered red hair and frantic, insane looking eyes.
"Mrs. Hyoudou." Pigtails said. "It's me… Irina."
The woman simply stared on blankly. Hayate wanted to swear. I knew this was a waste of time…
"Do… do you remember me? I – I used to play with Issei when we were little –"
Oh no, now she's done it –
The woman's eyes went wide, fearful, panicking as she began screaming
"Issei? Issei – Issei! ISSEI! ISSEI!" she yelled. "STOP! ISSEI! ISSEI! ISSEI! STOP! STOP! STOP!"
The woman grabbed Pigtails by the neck, forcing her down as she began screaming while choking her. "ISSEI! ISSEI! ISSEI!"
Oh shit – "I told you not to mention names damn it!"
Hayate grabbed his tool, prying insane woman off the girl before jabbing it in the side of her neck, watching as the woman went stiff from the electric current, before collapsing to the ground, out cold. He sighed, shaking his head at the scene, and at the pigtailed girl who was slowly rubbing her throat, mere seconds away from being choked out.
"Did you get what you wanted?
"…no." she croaked. "No, I didn't."
XXXXX
Kuoh
Dead Man's Drink
It was the most comfortable sleep she had in years.
She rolled a bit on the bed some more, her nostrils tickling as she drank in the scent of the sheets, and of her savior. Showing her more kindness than she'd deserved, he'd offered her the bed all to herself and slept elsewhere, and now, a small amount of guilt bubbled in her stomach at the realization that she'd inconvenienced him.
She set her feet on the cool floor, and almost paused at something odd. Her nightgown… had it always been this short? She was certain it was supposed to extend past her knees – Father Amos and Sister Beatrice had always been exceedingly clear about proper lengths. Was this the one she'd always worn? Now, it seemed to rest just above her knees, rather than far below them. She looked at herself and felt her cheeks flush a bit.
Had the material always been so transparent?
It wasn't… was it? She could see straight through it, her nipples poked out clearly on the silky fabric, and heat rushed to her cheeks even more at the realization that her Savior had no doubt seen her in such a state. What was she to do?
She bit her lip as doubts began to swim in her mind. Her Savior had rescued her, yes, but where did they go from here? What were his intentions? She knew no one in Japan, she could barely speak the language and could not read or write it, she lacked a formal education, and she didn't know how to do housework or menial labor.
Would he just let her stay here? Doing nothing but benefiting from his kindness? Until she grew older and older and decided to leave? Could she do such a thing?
"I can see you're awake."
Her heart nearly ripped out from its chest when she heard the voice. He was standing there, right in front of her. How long had he been there? When did he get there?
"Did you sleep well?"
"A-ah, I did… it was, very nice." She bowed a bit. "T-thank you."
"What would you like to have for breakfast?" his red eyes shone brightly. "I have Apple Pie, Potato Stew, Boiled Crème Treats –"
"U-um, a-anything… would be nice."
He waved his hand, and Asia couldn't believe her eyes as a tray appeared from nowhere, along with several meals put on it. With a gesture, the tray floated in the air and softly landed on the bed.
"A-ah – t-thank you."
She ate in silence. The meal was delicious, better than anything she'd ever tasted, it had a rich, homey feel to it and she couldn't help but mumble and hum as she ate.
"I-it's really good!"
"Thank you."
The silence was beginning to bother her. He stood, just staring at her, as she ate, not saying a word, not moving a muscle, like a statue. All his warmth, his kindness, that compassion and smile she'd seen on his face – it was there… but… something was off about it. Something was bothering her Savior, and she knew it.
Had… had she done something wrong? Was… was he having second thoughts about helping her? Did she do something to offend him? Why – why wasn't he talking to her? She fidgeted nervously and bit away at her lip as she watched him stand there in silence. The lack of communication burning deep away at something in her.
"A-ah… Seth-san… is – is something wrong?"
He seemed to think it over. "Well no. Not really, it's just –" there was a conflicted look on his face. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't – it's not proper."
"Um… w-what is it?"
He looked at her, a lopsided smile on his face. "I wanted to… pat your head. But I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable with me touching you."
That… that was it? Asia felt her cheeks burn at the realization that he was looking so serious over something like that. Pat my head? It sounded… funny. He'd done so much for her, could she really refuse such a minor request?
"Ah – I – I don't mind." She said, feeling heat on her cheeks.
"Really?"
He moved closer, and his rich… scent completely overwhelmed her. She blinked a bit, unable to comprehend why he smelt so… good – so… nice. Warm. Safe.
"I – I don't mind…"
He reached out with his palm, and she felt that scent overwhelm her again. Then, slowly, a soft, gentle hand, reached out and landed on her forehead.
Warm! So warm! So warm!
Warmth spread through her body from the light action. A burning warmth that almost made her giddy, excited. She felt all forms of fatigue vanish, she felt energy rush through her, she felt comfortable from the single touch, and more than just comfortable, she felt the warmth spread through her body and send shudders running down her spine. The warmth, the thick, beautiful scent –
She rubbed her thighs together –
His hand left her head.
Clarity shot through her, and the departure of the warmth left her entire body feel cold. Freezing. Frosty. Whereas the warmth was comforting, the cold was alone, solitary, terrifying, and with it came fear, doubt and worry.
"Thank you for indulging me Asia-chan."
He turned around, the feeling of warmth vanishing, and she felt unbelievably cold, her fingers numb, her body and teeth on the verge of chattering.
He – he felt so warm –
"S-Seth-san – you – um. You can –" heat filled her cheeks. "Pat… me… whenever you want."
A large smile that evaporated the warmth in the room appeared on his face.
"Thank you, Asia-chan."
Pat – he's not going to –
"I'll be downstairs working on something. Why don't you take a shower, and when you're done, come join me?"
He left the room, leaving it feeling far colder than she would have liked.
Pat me…
XXXXX
"So… ah, experiment fucking success."
I chuckled to myself as I descended down the stairs, marveling at the beautiful power that was my Boost ability. I'd broken ground and barrier with it, and although I still couldn't reduce it from the initial [Boostx100] I'd taken it to newer applications.
The first was simple enough, boosting my natural pheromones. Considering I was part-dragon, part-vampire, two species known for exquisite amount of charm considered desirable by women, it made well and damn sure that Asia would find my smell absolutely alluring. For someone with an absurd sense of smell however, like Koneko, I'd be a giant neon sign for all her instincts, all telling them to mate with me like a frantic, sex-starved beast in heat.
I got the idea after realizing that she was tracking me by the scent of blood all over my form. Now, if Koneko tried to sniff me out, she'd be too aroused to properly think straight. The effect of the boosted pheromones were more effective on supernatural women, although they wouldn't be able to tell what was at play, and I'd just smell really really good.
I reached the bar, watching as Viser expertly flipped and balanced bottles on top each other in front of the bar. This was where I used my other brilliant idea –
Boosting Temperature.
I could make places and/or objects as hot as a sauna in seconds, by boosting its inherent heat, or focusing on the lack of heat, I could boost it to make it feel freezing. It was aided by my Fire and Ice Destruction magic as a foundation, channeling a drop of it to my finger provided the necessary effects.
As it stood, Asia was currently unaware that the temperature changes she felt had not been her imagination, and she would come to associate 'warmth' with me. Coupled with the pheromones, and the fact that I'd 'adjusted' all of her outfits to be a bit shorter, a bit tighter, and a bit more revealing – I estimated two days before results of my work showed.
And that was the pessimistic number.
"Whoa – what the –" Viser's eyes bulged as I walked past. "Why do you smell so… damn musky – it's kinda…"
"Stimulating?" I provided.
"Well… I wouldn't say that exactly… but…" she bit her lip. "Whoa – okay, I really, really want to rip off your clothes and fucking mount you right now –"
"Easy there," I said, shaking my head. "As much as I'd love to spend the whole day doing nothing but having sex – I've got shit to do."
"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "Me."
"Cheeky." I reached over the counter, pinching her cheeks. "No, not you. Other things. I can hear the stirrings of life deep beneath water…"
She quirked an eyebrow.
"Civilization VI quote, which… you don't know. Of course." I patted her lightly on her cheeks. "Never mind. Asia's going to take a shower and it'll probably be a long one. I want you to go up there… and… be yourself."
"…what?"
"Wash her hair, chat with her, do… whatever." I said simply. "Make sure you toss in tons of embellishment about how I'm the greatest person in the world, and make several not-so-obvious sexual comments about my cock and basically tease her until she either gets too uncomfortable with it and screams at you to stop, or passes out from the attention."
"Why would I –" she stopped once she realized her body was moving. "I'm guessing that's an order?"
"You guessed right."
Viser mumbled underneath her breath before stripping down to her undies and making her way up the stairs. "Can I at least know why?"
"Asia's nice." I said. "She's cute, innocent. Like a perfect adorable cinnamon roll. But… she's too nice. I doubt if she even realizes that her savior is a blood-sucking vampire. There should be a line drawn when kindness and niceness crosses over into stupid docility, and she needs to know the line. Otherwise, she's just going to keep getting used and thrown away like a spent tissue by the assholes of the world."
I hummed. "So she doesn't try to physically stop you after pushing her boundaries, go all the way and force yourself on her. Use your fingers, eat her pussy – whatever it takes." I rubbed my palms. "If she comes to hate you and resent you for it, we'll play that angle up. You'll be bad cop, I'll be good cop. You'll be the stick, I'll be the carrot."
There was a look in Viser's eyes, and I watched as she shuddered a little bit. "I can't tell if you're helping her or if you're just doing it for your satisfaction."
"Both." I replied easily. "I like my women with a bit of a personality, and I can't stand people who are essentially doormats that allow themselves to be walked all over without saying a word in complaint." I waved my hand. "Now, off you go. I'd like to see the outcome of this."
I watched her ascend the stairs, listening to the sound of her footsteps until, I knew for certain, that she'd reached the bathroom and opened the door.
"TIID."
[Boostx100]
Movement stopped. Motion. Sound. Everything had come to a stop as I froze time. Leisurely, I walked up the stairs, reaching the room, and then the bathroom, where a naked Viser stood at the door, and Asia, in the shower, turned to stare at her, her face frozen in embarrassment and mortification.
I drank in her naked body, glistening with water droplets, her soft, succulent looking breasts and nipples that clearly stood erect. A small patch of blonde hair stood above her crotch, and with her legs closed I couldn't see what lay beneath, but that wasn't going to be a problem for much longer.
I crouched, and casted [Invisibility] watching as my form vanished.
Then, I waited.
…
About thirty full minutes passed before I realized that I'd not only massively Boosted the effects of the [Slow Time] shout to stop time, I'd also boosted the duration.
"Well fuck."
…
"Cancel shout? Cancel? End effect?"
Except, you couldn't manually override the effects of a Shout after immediately using it.
…
"This is going to be a long fucking day… isn't it?"
XXXXXX
Kuoh
Kuoh Academy
Occult Research Club
7:24 AM
"You did what?!"
Sona Sitri's palms slammed against the coffee table, rattling the tea prepared by Rias' Queen, as the girl's gaze bore straight into that of her best friend with clear disbelief.
"You heard me." Rias responded, childishly, Sona might add.
"Despite all the warnings I gave you, despite everything I told you about the high possibility of our 'mysterious visitor' being a Heavenly Dragon, you decided, on a whim, to approach him in an open area in the middle of the night, without any back-up?!"
"I had my peerage –"
"That is not nearly enough!" Sona practically yelled. "Rias, this is not a game. Dragons are not like you or me – they cannot be reasoned with! Bargained with! Bought! Bribed! They are the more unpalatable members of devil society and the casual egocentrism of godly beings combined into one vessel! Dragons take whatever they want however they want, and care little about any consequences!"
The sound of a kettle whistling echoed through the room. No one moved, as stillness personified itself.
Sona let out a breath of air as she composed herself, sitting back down. Across from her, her friend, Rias, did not meet her gaze. Koneko lay in Rias' lap, the red-headed heiress slowly and gingerly trailing her hands over the smaller girl's head and body.
"It doesn't matter. We didn't meet him there. Koneko-chan fell ill because of his scent, so we came back."
No one else would have noticed how the smaller girl seem to stiffen slightly at that comment. Sona noted it. She noticed it and she recognized it. Her gaze locked unto the eyes of the nekoshou, and the nekoshou turned to avoid facing her.
She's hiding something. Something to do with falling ill? Sona contemplated it, but pursed her lips. No matter.
"Rias, you still seem to be missing the point. What if you had been killed?" Sona said, her voice dark. "No, death is the least troublesome of all outcomes. What if you had been captured and enslaved? Stripped down and used as a disposal bucket for this being's sexual gratification? What if Akeno had endured that? Or Koneko?"
Rias stiffened. "That would never happen."
Sona closed her eyes, slowly, doing her best to count to ten. "Statistically speaking, the odds of such an event are lower for you than for most, if only because people are aware you are the Lucifer's sister."
"Then I don't see what the problem is."
"The problem is," Sona hissed. "Had anything happened to you, Sirzechs would enter a blood-frenzy and decide to annihilate anything in his path in order to get you back, or to seek vengeance. That means war, that means unnecessary violence and setbacks that further hinder the progress of devil society!"
"Ara, ara, your overwhelming concern for buchou's life is touching, Sona-kaichou."
Sona turned her attention to Rias' Queen. The Student Council President rubbed her brows with her index and middle fingers. "Rias is my friend, yes, but it would be hard to mourn for her if the reason for she died was as a result of her own bullheaded stubbornness and obfuscating recklessness."
"Be that as it may," Rias said, a deep frown on her face as she turned to her friend, "I'm not dead. I didn't meet the Heavenly Dragon – so there isn't really any need for us to dwell on this issue."
Sona opened her mouth, but, slowly, she shook her head and stopped herself.
"At times I wonder, Rias." Sona said, exasperated. "For now, the best course of action is to look the other way with this issue."
"Look the other way?"
"This is the equivalent of waking up to see a man-eating tiger lounging in your backyard. You can attempt to chase it off, possibly dying from the attempt, try to domesticate it, undoubtedly dying from that attempt, or secure your doors and windows and carry on your life as though it is but a mere figment of your imagination."
Rias' nose furrowed. "You want us to pretend as though we don't know he's here? Just… let him do as he wants?"
"Yes." Sona said bluntly. "We were willing to look the other way for the few stray Fallen Angels and Exorcists that holed up in the abandoned church – I do not see any reason why we cannot do the same in this situation."
"Unless, of course, he sees our actions as cowardice and launches an unprovoked attack at us."
"Should that happen, we immediately call our siblings to settle the matter."
"You're joking."
"No, Rias, I am not." Sona said. "Due to rumors about the White Dragon Emperor being under the employ of the Fallen, we are most likely dealing with the Red Dragon Emperor, a being that can continuously boost his power beyond and above what should be feasible. A power that can effortlessly slay gods. We do not have nearly anything close to that level of fire-power on our hands, and if he attacks us with intent to kill – we have zero chance of survival."
"I don't think I've ever known you to be so cowardly, Sona."
The room was tense.
"I would prefer to be alive and be called a coward, than to be dead and remembered for bravery."
Rias locked her gaze on her friend. "That is where you and I differ."
Sona rose to her feet. "Is it?"
"You rely on your intellect and resources because you have nothing else to rely on." Rias' words came out soft, almost… pitying. "And because you're lacking in strength and conviction, you've come to rely on caution, planning, thinking, strategizing – that you've forgotten that devils, first and foremost – are beings of emotion and instinct."
"How dare you –" Sona was shaking.
"I sat down and listened to you call me lazy, bullheaded, stubborn, reckless, and all manner of things in front of my peerage without uttering a word." Rias countered, not backing down, her gaze like icicles. "Perhaps I am all of those things, or perhaps not. But if I can listen to you point out what you feel are my flaws without uttering a word to defend myself… don't you think too much of yourself to feel you can't do the same?"
Sona's glare was sharp. "Is that what this is? A verbal dressing down?"
Rias shook her head. "The problem with you Sona, is that you're unable to acknowledge the possibility that you might be wrong. It's always your way, your plans, your strategy – there are no other solutions but the one you have worked out. No other answers. No other ways of doing things."
Rias' had a smile on her face. "That manner of thinking is often attributed to the Einstellung effect."
Sona's glare vanished. Her heated gaze gone as she stared at her friend in surprise at the use of the technical term. Rias rolled her eyes at the blatant disbelief.
"I'm not an aspiring Nobel laurate like you, but it doesn't mean I don't read. This is exactly what I'm talking about. I'm not an idiot, Sona. You need to stop treating me like one."
"I never –"
"You're doing it again."
Sona's mouth clamped shut. A deep frown formed on her face. She sat down, as a girl of her stature and upbringing was supposed to, before taking a deep breath.
"You… you're right. I apologize…"
Somewhere along the line, Sona realized how true that was. She'd become accustomed to being the smartest person in the room at any given moment. She'd become accustomed to believing that whereas Rias was gifted physically, genetically, aesthetically, she was gifted intellectually. Viewing their relationship as a constant dichotomy of good looks versus intelligence, she'd let herself believe that Rias was a dumb idiotic child. Intellect was where she would shine and where Rias would barely flicker, because, no matter how much she hated to admit it, if Rias were her intellectual equal –
If Rias Gremory were as smart as she was –
Rias would be superior to her in every conceivable way.
Her only redeeming feature she utilized as a bargaining chip in this world was her brainpower. But even she knew the fact that smarts were often disregarded in females, across both devil society and human ones. If one were to approach a random stranger on the street and ask them to list ten beautiful female individuals in history, their list would go on and on without question. If one were asked to list ten intelligent female individuals in history, their response would be to stop, stutter, scratch their heads and make haphazard guesses.
It irked her, enraged her, that all her accomplishments and successes would be reduced to nothing more than a number rating of how sexually appealing she was. Of course, if she was powerful, then it would be a different matter. If she possessed an intimidating peerage and a special power that could increase the cards on her deck to play –
But she didn't have that, did she?
No, no – it went to Rias. Someone who was already beautiful – someone who didn't need any more potential bargaining chips!
Even worse, Rias just… let them stagnate!
If she possessed even half of what Rias had –
"Sona."
The devil heiress calmly collected herself, she let none of the turbulent emotions hiding deep within her to express themselves on her face. Calm, impeccable, a face as stony and emotionless as a statue. She'd been told that she'd be more attractive if she 'smiled more' so many times that she practiced a hundred different smiles in the mirror, each one faker than the former, until, at a point, she'd forgotten what it was like to smile naturally.
"I take it you have a plan of approach to deal with the dragon in our backyard?"
Rias nodded, slowly.
"It's also a plan that will end my marriage contract with Riser at the same time."
Sona let that information sink into her head, and she tilted it, disbelievingly.
"How?"
Rias' smile grew.
"I'm going to make Riser fight him for me."
There was a shiver that ran down her spine at the smile that prompted itself on the face of the Gremory heiress. Sona knew, at that moment, that despite her lazy, lackadaisical, somewhat careless manner in which she approached things, the true genius of Rias Gremory lay hidden behind murky depths.
She was a devil, after all.
"Now, the first thing I'm going to do is –"
The door burst open.
"I'LL FUCKING MURDER ALL OF YOU SHITTY DEVIL SCUM!"
Sona Sitri could only stare on in disbelief, shock, and confustion, as a white haired man stormed into the room, and the holy weapon that was an Exorcist's gun, lined up directly with her forehead.
XXXXX
Earlier…
"Motherfucking carrot dicks up Bugs Bunny's fucking furry asshole." I cursed. "FUCK."
I paced around the room, my Invisibilty having worn off as I did a mental count of the time, and checked my stolen iPhone to ensure it was still working. I wagered that because it'd been inside my Inventory when I used the shout, it wasn't affected by the time stop as everything else had been.
It's been three fucking hours.
The scene remained exactly as it was, with Asia's embarrassed, scandalous face, and Viser, opening the door, her naked body still standing, as she was one foot into the bathroom. For the past three hours, this had been the exact scene I found myself staring at.
My enhanced hearing couldn't pick up any sound. Any. For miles upon miles upon miles, not the sound of hearts beating or even the sounds of crickets or birds or insects. Time had stopped indiscriminately for every single fucking person and thing on the planet –
Except me.
Droplets of water remained suspended in the air over Asia, and the rivulets falling down her naked body didn't move in the slightest. I walked closer to the water, pushing my hand up unto some drops, and watched as they shifted upwards, but remained otherwise frozen in air.
So I can touch stuff and interact with the world while it's frozen.
A thought came to me, and I instinctively cast the [Flames] spell, watching as fire came to life in my palm, and I let out a breathe of relief as I realized that the fire was flickering and moving, rather than being frozen in time like everything else.
At least my fucking magic still works…
I ran my hand through my hair in irritation. "Fuck. Powerful? Yes. Uber-bullshitingly broken? Yes. Downside – I have no fucking idea as to when time is going to continue."
It could be hours. It could be days. Fuck, for all I knew it could be months – with me frozen in this one fucking moment of time just because I wanted to eavesdrop a bit. Not my fucking brightest idea.
Shit, I knew Boosting stuff would make it powerful, but come fucking on! This was more of a hindrance than a fucking benefit.
"So… time's frozen. What do I do now?" I hummed as I walked over to Viser's frozen form, waving my hand in front of her face, to no effect. I wondered if she'd see the action as something blurring in front of her when time resumed, or, if she'd fail to even notice it all.
I left the bathroom, moving downstairs and then taking to Kuoh's streets.
Your Vampire Blood Boils in the Sunlight
Cars, frozen exactly in time, pedestrians, people, birds – it was a little bit discomforting, the absolute silence. It felt like I was in a ghost-town filled with lifelike mannequins that didn't move or speak or touch. Humans, and living creatures in general, were incapable of absolute stillness – there would be some form of movement, even if it was just their chest expanding and contracting from breathing.
With time frozen, everyone and everything looked unnatural, like they were all ornaments instead of people.
I walked in front of a TV store, and, unsurprisingly, the television channels were frozen in time as well, along with most of the TVs. In front of a taiyaki stand, I noticed that even the distortions of heat in the atmosphere remained in place, frozen in time. Water vapor, steam, and smoke – it was odd seeing these things static and unmoving.
I reached a Supermarket, and tried to walk in, only to frown as I realized that the automatic doors were frozen as well. With a sigh, I pried them open, and made my way to get a can of orange soda and some chocolate bars.
Except…
"Come on!"
I opened the Soda, but it didn't pour out. The liquid was frozen in time.
"Making me use a fucking straw like I'm some kindergartner –"
Slurrrrrrp.
I threw the can in the trash, or rather, I meant to, only for it to hover in the air after leaving my palm.
…
Stopping time was surprisingly fucking underwhelming and seriously overhyped.
I mean for fuck's sakes I couldn't even open Google or use the internet with time stopped! Why was this considered so cool again? Like… what the fuck made people so excited about the ability to stop time?
"ZA WARUDO!"
…
Memes. Probably the fucking memes.
I sighed. "Let's see… what are the top things to do when time is stopped?"
Number one, rob a bank and get mad amounts of money without ever getting caught.
"Already have money – don't really need to rob a bank."
Number two, get back at all your enemies by messing with them and causing all sorts of mischief.
"Don't really have any enemies."
Number three, rape people.
…
What? There wasn't a whole fucking genre of hentai dedicated to time-stop-sex for no reason. I'm pretty sure that any average joe who's ever fucking thought about gaining the power to stop time would feel it would be the damn perfect chance to use it and fuck women senseless, especially women waayyyy out of his league and women he'd never be able to bang otherwise.
Problem is…
"I don't need to stop time to rape people."
…
It sounded fucking creepy when I put it like that –
"I don't need to stop time to have sex with people, I could have sex with either way."
There. Better.
I mean, I could brainwash people – so, if I really wanted to go around fucking women for fun, I'd just have sauntered into Kuoh Academy, used the [Bend Will] shout on Rias and Akeno, and then sit back leisurely and watched as they both got on their knees and kissed each other with my cock right in the middle of their tongues.
Going around fucking women with time-stopped was somehow significantly more pathetic than brainwashing. I mean, it'd essentially be using people as sex toys. No reaction, no screaming out in pleasure, no contorting or moaning or doing things that'd make the sex far far sweeter, like, you know, sweating, getting wet/hard, and basic physiological reactions that were the telltale signs of a job well-fucking-done.
Instead, all you'd do would be to pump in, pump out, ejaculate and evacuate, blow your load and hit the road, jizz in and jazz out.
Nah.
Where's the fucking challenge?
It's like playing Pokémon with a level 100 Arceus in your first slot.
"So… what else?"
Number four, use it as a Hyperbolic Time Chamber to get uber-strong, uber-fast ala Ichigo-power-creep.
"…Hmm… I can do that."
Considering I had a fight coming up with Vali, and I did need to kill really powerful dragons later on….
"Might as well get started."
XXXXX
Day One of Frozen Time
A car rose up into the air, spinning, faster and faster until it appeared as though it were a ceiling fan. The speed continued at maintained at a steady rate, before, abruptly, it stopped. Then, it began to crumble and fold into itself, as though it were being crushed by the pressure of the bottom of the sea, until, all that was left of it, was a round, perfectly smooth, aluminum ball.
I reached for a pencil and paper, before ticking down an item.
[Telekinesis] check.
Power = Can crush cars with relative ease and send them soaring through the air like bullets.
Range = Six Feet in all directions from myself.
Power When Boosted = Can make Mob Psycho look like a hack.
Range When Boosted = See Above.
XXXX
Day Three of Frozen Time
A thick, powerful crackling sound of electricity echoed in the air, before a small metal can was propelled forward, vanishing with a crackling boom off into the horizon. Lightning danced along the trail the object followed, the item having vaporized itself from the sheer heat and energy it was emitting, and crashing into a still lake.
[Chain Lightning] check.
Power = can obliterate targets instantly.
Range = Anywhere within my line of sight.
Power When Boosted = Portable Railgun.
Range When Boosted = Gilthunder when he was cool.
XXXX
Day Seven of Frozen Time
Fire crashed upon a river, the entire horizon flashing with burning red and orange light momentarily.
[Fireball] check.
Power = Madara's balls.
Range = Line of Sight.
Power When Boosted = Hiroshima.
Range When Boosted = Nagasaki.
XXXXX
Day Ten of Frozen Time
A thick, long line of trees crackled with ice. One of them, frozen solid completely, shattered like brittle glass, causing a chain reaction that caused more and more trees to shatter as though Tom, Jerry and Daffy Duck ran into a china shop.
[Blizzard] check.
Power = Iceman.
Range = Iceman when angry in Russia.
Power When Boosted = Esdeath.
Range When Boosted = See above.
XXXXXX
Day Eighteen of Frozen Time
Dead Man's Drink
I stood over a table, wiping the nonexistent sweat from my brow in sweet, sweet satisfaction as I looked down upon my completed work. In the Basement of my bar, the table hummed with an eerie light, as a skull stood in the center of the piece, along with numerous sharp runes and engravings that would be lost on those unfamiliar with the lore of Tamriel, and the written language of the Dovah. Although it took some "days" to complete, rather than instantaneously, I was rather quite fucking glad I was able to complete it. All of the material needed was in my inventory, and I thanked the Divines for my hoarding habit.
I also thanked the devs for the Heartfire DLC.
The Arcane Enchanter seemed to add a new element to the room, and I contemplated putting in some humans slaves here and there just to really bring out the room's color. Like the slaves that I'd had in the Dark Brotherhood's Dawnstar Sanctuary. There was some moral quandary about that, so I'd enslave non-human beings instead. Eventually, when I got to it.
I dusted my palms and turned to another corner of the room that was still unoccupied.
"Time to add the Alchemy Lab."
XXXXX
Day 21
I drank a cup of tea from a straw, idly turning the pages of today's newspaper. Well, it'd been today's newspaper for three straight weeks, but I'd never actually had the chance to go through it and all that.
"Let's see here… some news about tremors… yadda yadda, people talking about earthquake warnings… politics… more politics… sports… oh? An article on the rise of odd supernatural occurrences in Kuoh… and it's given the 'crazy tabloid' treatment… no surprise there."
I took another sip of my tea with the straw.
"Huh. Gomorrah Constructions is making some huge renovations in the city… buying property, and what not… oh… and of course, they're the ones who built Kuoh Academy… huh. So that's the name of the Gremory Family's megacorporation here. Gomorrah Industries. A little bit on the nose there… but then again, there aren't that many Japanese Christians to call them out on it."
I shifted the newspaper upwards, watching as it remained in the air.
"Should I build my own super rich industry and compete…?"
I snorted.
"Fuck that. Too much fucking work."
I stared out into the bar of the Dead Man's Drink. Not even a single speck of dust existed in the room despite three weeks having passed – well, at least, three weeks having past from my perspective.
"Maybe I ought to do some redecorating?"
…
It wasn't like I had anything else doing anyway, grinding and experimenting with my powers could only take me so far before it started to get repetitive and boring.
"Yeah… just a tiny bit of some redecoration couldn't hurt…"
XXXXXX
Day 26
"…a tiny bit. Yeah, this is real fucking tiny."
In the span of a few days, the Dead Man's Drink looked less of a bar, and more of a nightclub. I didn't even know what possessed me to put that fucking stripper pole right in the middle – or bring in such fancy furniture, or even add more tables, chairs, expand the room a little bit, put a runway and center stage –
And then I realized I'd subconsciously modeled it exactly like the Strip Club in Los Santos, in GTA V, purchased by Trevor-fucking-Phillips later in the game. The only difference was in the color scheme. Mine was dark and grey, and there were far too fucking many skulls and images of blood and sex.
"How did I go from being a bartender to being the owner of a nightclub…? I never even sold one fucking bottle goddamn it…"
I sighed.
"Might as well add a secret lair and all that… like in those mafia movies. Damn I miss those mafia movies. Haven't watched anything in a while… and… why am I talking to myself? Fuck, I'm still talking to myself."
Maybe I was beginning to lose it after not having anyone to talk to for so long? I'd pushed aside the realization that my mind was fraying from the solitude by throwing myself headfirst into activity after activity, but…
I'd masturbated to the frozen Asia more times than I could fucking count.
"I really hope time continues soon." I sighed and shook my head. "Now… do I go for Bond Movie villain lair, or comic book villain lair?"
XXXXXXX
Day 31
Several aching hours were spent, digging and creating a large hideout underneath the bar. It was easy to know how with [Clairvoyance] and most of the manual work was done effortlessly with [Telekinesis]. I eventually went for the Bond-Villain-esque themes, complete with another stocked bar of drinks that could only be served shaken, not stirred, and a room with a portrait of dogs playing poker.
A nice swiveling chair completed the look.
"Oh ho ho, I see you have found my secret lair, Mr. Bond –"
I spun around on the chair, before frowning.
"No, that's not it."
I spun back.
"Well, well, well – a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Bond – "
I spun slowly, but stopped halfway.
"Close, but no fucking cigar. Maybe I shouldn't bother with the repetition?"
I spun back around.
"I've been expecting you, Mr. Bond."
I spun even slower.
"Ah, that's it. Now, all I need is a pet to rub slowly like a real douchebag and I'm set. Should it be a Chihuahua or a fat, grouchy cat?"
I stood from the swiveling chair, making my way to a large metal door I installed, and dragging it open. The hidden stairwell revealed itself, and it was a few quick steps to the top, pushing a loose plank of wood, I climbed out of the lair and found myself back in the Basement of the Dead Man's Drink. The Arcane Enchanter stood at the side, its ominous glow lighting up the room. To another corner, a shelf stood behind the Alchemy Lab, though it was empty, I figured I'd fill it up later on.
All that was missing was a Forge… but that was what my hidden lair was for – other than roleplaying Bond villains of course. Building a nice, comfortable forge for my Blacksmithing skill.
Several construction sites, shops, malls and places were going to just see their tools and products mysteriously vanish, but I didn't care too much about that. Hey, this was the town where a teenage boy could be murdered in the evening and no one noticed. Or… a giant fucking barrier could be put over a school and no one noticed the spectacular light shows.
Seriously, either the people of Kuoh were the dumbest in the world, or they were willingly playing ignorant to the stuff that happened in this city. There's no way that not one person failed to notice the barrier Sona would have put up in the school when Kokabiel attacked, or not one person noticed the swarms of magicians and devils and angels in the sky when the Three Factions came together for their peace treaty.
"…Oh… yeah… that's… that's still a thing. Kokabiel's still out there… planning to frame the devils and the exorcists for killing each other… isn't he?"
It'd skipped my mind over the past month. Then again, it'd been a really eventful month.
"This would usually be the point in which the protagonist decides to rush in and save the day and prevent the bad guys from winning, and stopping the war from happening… but…"
I wasn't the fucking protagonist.
I'd killed the fucking protagonist.
"…So… I guess it's time for me to help the bad guys get their way for once." I murmured. "Three Hoorays for evil! Hip Hip – Hurray!"
I… was probably losing my mind.
Probably.
"But first… need to work on that forge."
XXXXX
Day 35
It was kinda hard to keep track of time when the sun didn't set.
No visual clues to count the hours passing, so I could only hope it'd been thirty five days. It could have been more, but I wasn't entirely sure. My iPhone had long since died, and I couldn't charge it because electricity was not flowing from sockets through the charger, and into the device.
Attempting to use some Lightning Destruction Magic only proved why the magic was appropriately named, and completely fried the device. So… I had no way exact way of knowing how long it'd been.
I made my way to the Fallen Angel's 'hideout' with the aid of [Clairvoyance]. 'Hideout' was a generous term for a slightly beat-up motel at the far, far end of the city. Considering I'd chased them off from the Church, I supposed I couldn't really blame them for having such a shitty new place.
I found them in varying different states. Raynare was in the bath, relaxed and confident, a small smirk on her lips. I wondered what she'd been thinking about before I'd stopped time. Mittelt was dressed in fetish bondage gear, and almost made me wonder about the legality of getting so fucking turned on by the sight of such a flat-chested girl that could pass for a middle-schooler.
Ah, there was a guy tied to the bed, blindfolded.
By the look on his face, he was certainly not here on his own free will.
"Ah, the small mercies I do for people. [Telekinesis]."
His heart tore out of his chest and extended to my outstretched hand. Flecks of blood stood still in the air, and the organ was still warm to the touch. I pocketed the organ into my inventory, and licked the few flecks of blood from my hand, my vampiric instincts agreeing with the taste.
In the next room, Kalawarner was reading a Harlequin erotica novel. Her expression, and the position of her fingers also told me she had been enjoying it a little too much. Ah, poor, poor Kalawarner. She had a maiden's heart, but not so much of a maiden's appearance.
The room after that had Dohnaseek, a woman with a paper-bag over her head and a picture of Raynare stapled on the bag.
I left that room almost as quickly as I entered it.
That guy needs some fucking professional help.
The final room, all the way at the end of the corridor, was the one I was leery about entering, and, of course, I came upon the sight of Freed Selzen's naked butt cheeks staring straight at me.
"Fuck! My eyes! Fuck! FUCK! Get the bleach! Get the motherfucking bleach!"
I averted my gaze away from that, and realized that there was something in front of him –
"Wow… That's just… damn."
Face contorted into disgust and agony, make-up utterly ruined, tears streaming down her face, and her lips wrapped around a cock, I glanced over the girl, and then turned to look at Selzen's face, which was stuck in one of delight.
"Hmm…"
What was the difference between someone like Freed Selzen and someone like me?
We both took what we wanted.
We both swore (though I'm cutting down on it) a whole fucking lot.
We weren't afraid to get our hands dirty if it came to it.
Though most of what I did was a means to an end, whilst Selzen's goals were an end of their own. Or was it because I felt I was above them all by being from a world where they're just fucking characters in a shitty ecchi rom-com? Probably the main reason. Freed didn't know that though, so he was just shitty by default.
I used my [Telekinesis] to detatch the woman sucking on his cock, before clothing both of them with nothing but a casual flex of my finger. Then, I levitated them both into the air, along with Freed's weapons, and I took them all out of the room.
With the woman, I gave her some money and a note telling her to flee.
And with Freed…
"Someone's going to make history…"
XXXX
Day 36
So, I found myself walking through the halls of Kuoh Academy, with Freed floating comfortably in the air behind me, being dragged by my [Telekinesis]. Early in the morning as it was, students weren't entirely in class yet, and it was easy enough to sift through the corridor without jostling or bumping anyone.
The length of the school uniforms were surprisingly not the tantalizingly short lengths I'd expected. Rather, they were moderate, ending on the knees, but it seemed that most girls dragged the skirts up to go above their thighs.
I stopped in front of the female toilet, blinking a bit when I noticed something odd going on there. Two girls stood at the entrance, seemingly preventing other girls from going in, which meant something was happening inside. I telekinetically pushed aside the girls obstructing the doorway, and entered into the restroom to see… an unusual scene.
Three girls, ganging up on one girl. They were in the midst of completely stripping her naked, apparently – and – wait –
Is that…
Aika?
Although her hair was frazzled, her glasses lay broken on the floor, and her face was twisted into one of desperation, yeah, that was definitely Aika. Possible waifu material. She was…
She was being bullied, wasn't she?
Damn that felt like such a long time ago.
The girls stripping her, I recognized one as Murayama, the other as Katase, but the third was an extra.
"…hmm… I'd been looking for slaves for my dungeon, hadn't I?"
I pickpocketed their clothes, well, Murayama, Katase and the Extra's clothes anyway. Then, I hit them both with [Paralysis]. The effect would take place after time resumed. Then, I searched my inventory for some Leather Strips and blindfolded them both. I tied their hands together, though that was probably overkill on my part, but meh, fuck it.
I grabbed the three girls with [Telekinesis] and moved them along with Freed to the outside. I did pause when my Eagle Eye caught something, one of the girls on the outside had their phone out, and was grinning into it.
Messages. Chat?
It was in Japanese, but thankfully, Ddraig could read Japanese.
Sender: Lol. They've locked her in the girl's bathroom.
Receiver: Really? They've started it already?
Sender: Hurry and get here or you'll miss the show!
Sender: I heard Katase's paid off the teachers. They'll let us do whatever we want as long as we wrap it up before first period.
Receiver: Omw.
Receiver: You know what they've got planned?
Sender: I think they're going to make her streak through the school.
Receiver: OMG. That's so fucking mean.
Sender [Unsent]: Murayama handed markers to everyone. We're gonna write on her and make sure –
The message stopped there. I looked at the teenage girl, and then turned my attention back to the girls that I'd gagged and was holding in the air with [Telekinesis].
"…Tut. Tut. Tut. Naughty. Naughty."
Ah… I'm going to have so much with these three.
I looked at the gathered girls, before raising my hand into the air.
[Fear]
[Boostx100]
Sana said it'd made her see her worst nightmares, and that was without any boosts. With it, however…
I sauntered my way through the school until I eventually reached the Occult Research Club. Sona was inside there, for some reason, probably having a meeting of some sorts with Rias. I also spotted Koneko, resting on Rias' lap, Akeno, always the tea lover, and Kiba, standing there and trying to play the role of the perfect knight.
"Ah… here we go."
I kicked the door off its hinges, and placed Freed right there, erection and all. Then – I cast my spell.
[Frenzy]
Like he even needed it. Of course, it'd take effect once time resumed, so, I put his exorcist gun in his right hand, and his sword in his left.
Then, I sauntered out of the room, with only the girls in tow.
On my way out of the school, I ensured to hit every single fire alarm I could find. Then, for good measure –
[Fireball]
[Fireball]
[Fireball]
Fuck the cliché high school rom com. I'm changing the fucking genre.
Can't be a high school rom com without a high school, now can it?
Also, I really wanted to burn down a school, at least just once.
I made my way back to the bathroom where Aika was, and I grabbed her with me, out of the bathroom, and straight in front of the doors. I kept a note in her pocket, before walking out the doors and feeling satisfaction at a job well done.
"Huh, scheming behind the scenes certainly works up an appetite. Looks like I'm eating Chinese this night."
Or… day, because, you know, time was frozen.
But on the upside, all the foods in the restaurants were frozen as well, and still perfectly piping hot.
It's the little things that make this nightmare just a little bit more bearable.
XXXXXXXX
Day 40
I stretched a bit as I woke up. The Well Rested trait hit me and I craned my neck as I looked up at the number of books, pencils, jottings, corrections, and drawings that remained suspended in the air for the past few days. Doing some light reading up on the Underworld, it's territories, and other miscellaneous information.
I began my daily routine, a slice of bread appearing in my hand from my inventory (I'd gotten this from the bakery across the road) and a nice cup of tea (I stole it from Akeno). With both objects in hand, I moved into the bathroom, checking on Viser's frozen form and Asia's naked body. Unfortunately one could only stare at a naked body for so long before you became normalized to it and lost all feelings of sexual desire for it.
I'd also masturbated to her a lot. So… that fucking helped.
I reached for my straw, sipping the tea through it, before sighing.
"Maybe I'll take a trip to the underworld…? So many places to see, so many things to –"
NOISE!
NOISE!
NOISE!
My ears screamed as for the first time in what felt like ages, from the overload of auditory information telling me that I could hear sound again. Movement, people, footsteps, birds, insects, heartbeats – and –
"AAAAAH!" Asia's embarrassed scream burned my sensitive ears –
"Wha – Seth-sama? What the hell? How did you get up here?"
I opened my mouth to say something –
And I closed it.
"I had enough time."
My lips curled as my eardrums overheard the frantic, crazed screeches of fear and terror that came from the direction of Kuoh Academy.
"More than enough."