Hello there, Skylinemaster here with another chapter of He's Only Human.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from High School DxD
Schwarzwald. The Black Forest in Germany.
The birthplace of German mythology and location heavily featured in the Grimm's Fairy Tales, this heavily forested area is lived in by wildlife, hunters, and Magicians.
Wait, Magicians?
Hexennacht, a group of Stray Magicians of mostly German or Nordic heritage, has their headquarters over here.
A few hundred meters from the cabin used as the headquarters, Issei strolled down the beaten path. The night of the half moon was still visible, even underneath the canopy of the trees.
The magical presence here was very powerful and pure. He imagined hundreds of years before, Witches eating children and before that, Pagans conducting rituals under this very moon.
Issei felt the dark, magical aura of the "Rothaus" as Walburga called it getting closer to him. He frankly thought it was a stupid name as it could not be called red, nor a house.
As he entered the clearing out of the forest, the Rothaus became visible. Surrounded by a deep gorge with only a rickety suspension bridge hanging over the deep chasm, the brown cabin stood across from him with the owner of the house standing in front. Piercing at him through the darkness, Walburga's golden eyes met his.
"Welcome Issei." She said with a cheerful smile, her arms outstretched. Thunder echoed in the background as the night sky suddenly darkened. Issei glanced up before leveling his passive gaze at the woman.
"We have much to discuss, no?"
Issei sat across from the German Magician, showing no visible reaction to her.
The Magician told the soulless boy that she, needed to get comfortable, for him. Issei honestly expected something like the outfit she wore, a simple and extremely risqué black one piece nightgown.
The two sat in silence in the dark room, staring at each other across the narrow table. The interior of the cabin was far more spacious than the outside would suggest, with the only room resembling a castle dining room.
"Mou, you're so boring." She pouted, swirling a glass of red wine in her right hand. Issei ignored the outburst, his eyes showing no emotion.
"So, the end of the world, you say?" Walburga broke into a smile at his words. Not a regular smile, but a narrow smile that sociopaths would put on.
"Say, what do you know about Excalibur?"
She asked, sipping some of her wine. Issei paused, recounting the story of Excalibur in his head.
"The sword of King Arthur, which was shattered and scattered among the Christian churches."
Walburga's smile grew even narrower, her eyes glittering.
"Rumor has it, that some of the fragments were stolen from the factions of the Church. Heard whispers, that it was the Fallen Angels."
Issei rose his eyebrows at this.
"Hmm, I expected the churches to have better security." Issei murmured, taking a sip of his wine. Not bad, harvested a bit early but aged well. "…Any ideas on the culprits?"
Walburga giggled.
"I don't really know, you'll have to give me something in exchange."
"It was your idea to invite me to the end of the world."
Issei reminded her flatly.
"I did, did I not?"
Walburga put a finger to her chin, her eyes looking up as if in thought.
In a blur, Walburga was placed against the wall, her feet off the floor. Issei had a hand on her throat, his eyes still holding no emotion. Walburga took a sip of her wine from the glass which was still in her hand before looking at his eyes.
"Either spit it out, or don't bother me if you don't want to share. I'm not here to play games, Walburga."
"Alright, alright, put me down."
Issei complied, vaguely annoyed at Walburga's coyness.
"I don't know, I'm tracking down leads right now." She headed back to her seat. She tapped her fingers on the wooden table. "..Ever heard the name Valper Galilei?"
"Deranged priest, human experimentation guy?"
Issei sat down. Walburga nodded at his words.
"Tracking him down. It isn't a stretch to think that with his Holy Sword knowledge and excommunication that he would seek shelter with the Fallen. And now the Excalibur fragments go missing? Too much of a coincidence."
Issei nodded at the German Magician's words. He disliked her antics, but could admit that she was very intelligent when the time required.
"Let's say all this is true.." Issei emphasized the word true. "..Then what? How is a little spat between some Angels going to kickstart the end of the world?"
Walburga wagged her finger at him, clicking her tongue.
"This is only part one of two. The bigger surprise is downstairs." Walburga got up and walked to the wall. Placing her palm on the stone, a blue magical circle expanded, causing that section of the wall to move like a door. A spiral staircase was seen, only illuminated by the torches on the wall. Issei stood up and walked behind Walburga down the stairs.
The winding staircase was fit for a medieval castle, ambiance and all. At the bottom of the stairs, he heard moaning in the direction that Walburga was walking towards. Moving in the damp darkness, he turned to see numerus people imprisoned behind bars in the dungeons. Most of the people were extremely emaciated and had numerous scars on their bodies. Issei knew of Walburga's hobbies as it was how they met, though Issei liked to think that he put his torturing phase behind him. At the end of the dimly lit hallway, stood a metal door. Snapping her fingers, a key appeared into Walburga's free hand, and she inserted it in the keyhole. A blue magical circle pulsed from the lock, and a clicking sound was heard. Walburga pushed the door open and in the darkness the two went.
"This, can you see?"
She clapped, illuminating the room with torches. In the center of the room was a beautiful girl, held up on a crucifix. She was bound by metal chains, her face hidden by her unkempt blonde hair. Issei narrowed his eyes at the girl.
"A Vampire. With, no way." Issei looked at her incredulously. He focused his eyes, getting a feel for her aura. "..Sacred Gear. Longinus level?" Walburga couldn't contain her laughter at Issei's words or face. She could only count on one hand the amount of times she has seen him get flustered.
"It is the Sephiroth Graal."
Issei's eyes widened more than they already were. The Holy Grail, this Vampire has it.
"The power over the very essence of life." Issei remarked calmly, getting over the shock of another Longinus class Sacred Gear here. He looked back at Walburga. "…Now, I'd ask how you got her, but I really don't want to know." Walburga giggled at his words. "..Has she materialized it yet?"
Walburga's catlike grin grew even bigger as she put down her now empty glass of wine. A black magical circle appeared, and in a fog of mist, a golden chalice appeared in her hand.
"And, so. Here is the Sephiroth Graal. Tada!"
She waved it around in front of Issei's face.
"And? What do you want me to do with it? It is already out of her body."
"I want you to find out the Balance Breaker and any sub-species of this thing. We know that base Longinus are already powerful, let's see how much more powerful this can get."
"So what is in it for me?"
Walburga simply grinned at Issei's question.
"Depending on what it is, you can have it."
Issei paused. He was sure he heard that correctly, his enhanced hearing made sure of that. He is sure that he wasn't in an alternate reality where Walburga isn't a cunning sociopathic woman, and he is sure that he is still sane. He said the only word that came into his mind.
"What."
Walburga laughed out at Issei's dumbstruck face.
"I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I already have enough power with the Incinerate Anthem, and don't need anymore. I am also not going to sell this like you to. Call it giving an old friend a reason to help her end the world."
Issei pondered her words. He thought about saying something, but he knew that he would get nowhere with Walburga's constant redirections. Also, she might change her mind about him receiving it, so it was best to act now. Issei remembered the proverb of the gift horse in the mouth and shrugged his shoulders.
"Alright.." He sighed out. "Give me a few hours or so. I'll figure this out."
Walburga watched curiously as Issei did his work. She remembered the first time she saw him, that Vampire thing in New York, she knew he was the one.
His way around the blade made her heart flutter, as did his skill with magic. His magical ability was better than hers, as much as the German hated to admit it. There was something about his magic, it wasn't flashy nor elaborate. It was simple, but simple was all it took to sweep her off her feet.
The screams of the Vampire in front of her, made the Magician smile. All of her pain, she relished in seeing others hurt. Whether it be at the point of a blade or with magic, Issei knew how to figure out how something works.
"Now I think I understand how this plays out. It took a while to sever her link to her Sacred Gear, but I did it and found out how this works."
Issei spoke for the first time in an hour or so. He turned around, a rare happy smile on his face. In his palm, the Sephiroth Graal floated, suspended in an invisible field that prevented it from succumbing to gravity.
"The Balance Breaker of this, it can bring only be used once. Killing yourself, it is the self-sacrifice of Jesus. You die, so that others may live and live forever."
The floating chalice became a shining gold as it rotated around. Hundreds upon hundreds of different colored magical circles covered the chalice, each pulsating its color.
"The sub-species of this, it's magnificent." The chalice started to whirl around, spinning so that it appeared as a blur. From the blur, two pieces of the chalice broke off and became suspended in air. The broken pieces started to form into a chalice as the original repaired itself. The magical circles produced a white mist, encircling all of the chalices before fading away.
"Three grails."
Walburga was speechless at this. Not one, not two, but three! Three holy grails, each hovering in front of Issei. All of the grails were golden, but each emitted a different color. The one on the left emitted a green light, the middle a black light, and the right a white light.
"From what I've gathered, this one." Issei said, gesturing to the left grail. "…Has control over the principles of life. Everything about how the soul and life is made. Strengths, weaknesses, changes, all inside of here."
Going to the middle one, he continued.
"The control over the principles of death. You can talk with the dead with this, even Angels and Devils who go to nothingness after their death."
Staring blankly at the last one, Walburga couldn't want to hear his explanation.
"The power over nothingness. The power over the void, that which is neither life or death."
Issei finished, grabbing the middle and left ones. The right one floated over to Walburga, who grasped it in her hand. Issei still had the kind smile on his face as he walked closer to Walburga.
"Now, I thought it wouldn't be fair for me to have all of it." Issei looked straight into Walburga's eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as he put his face within inches of hers. "…You never did tell me how all this had to do with stolen Excalibur fragments."
Walburga examined the chalice in her hand, a giddy look on her face, before glancing back at the soulless teen.
"It is quite simple. If the Fallen really are behind it, something big must be happening. I say we see what happens and what the Fallen plan."
Issei thought about her words. They made sense enough, but there was a nagging thought in his head.
"You do realize this might be a whole lot of nothing right? It could just be an insider dealing arms or some idiot losing accountability when taking storage." He glanced at the chalices in both of his hands. "…Also, I fail to see how the Sephiroth Graal has anything to do with this."
"It is a gut feeling, trust me." Trust and Walburga don't go together, but Issei continued to listen to her words. "..And this."
She pointed at her chalice and the ones held by Issei.
"This is power over everything. If this happens to be nothing, we will make it something. If it happens to actually be something, less work for us right." Issei shrugged his shoulders at Walburga's logic. He cracked a small smile at this.
"I-I guess you are right. Anyways, how long will this take?"
Walburga's eyes became malicious. A sneer became etched on her face. Issei rose his eyebrows at this.
"Is it that Gremory girl? I don't understand why you'll help her with her Rating Game, even though she'll be dead soon."
Issei shot a frosty glare at the German.
"Some of us have a sense of honor."
"When it suits you of course."
Issei ignored the jab.
"Truthfully told, I need to see if my strategies work against Phenex and his regeneration. Sure, having theories on what should work is good, but having a useful guinea pig is even better. And I'm not going to do it myself."
He shrugged his shoulders. Walburga simply sighed.
"Well, I'll contact you when I find out who is behind these thefts."
"I'll be expecting your call in the Underworld then." Issei glanced curiously at the Longinus in his hands. He then looked at the German Magician with a face that can only be described as curious. "I do wonder what will happen with two Longinus class Sacred Gears occupying one host."
Walburga shot him a nasty look.
"I'm not your guinea pig." Her angry face immediately turned into a sultry look. "..Though I can be your…"
Issei held up his hand, causing the German to pout.
"We're not going over that again." He sighed. "..I suppose that I should anchor this to myself. It'll make it much more convenient to use, not to mention more secure."
Hundreds of magical circles, each with esoteric symbols in different colors emerged from the chalices and began to spin around the soulless boy.
A gust of wind blew through the dungeon as Issei began trapped within a yellow sphere. The sphere began to pulse and levitate as one chalice disappeared into a pocket dimension that Issei stored all his captured Sacred Gears. The sphere dissipated and the boy descended back to the ground.
Issei rose off the ground and dusted himself off.
"No matter how many times I've done that, I'll never get used to that feeling." He remarked, looking at his remaining chalice. He felt the bond between the remaining chalice and the other chalice, and both with the nothingness within him.
"That wasn't the usual way you do it. Or did you just want to brag in front of a pretty girl?" Walburga teased. Issei ignored her by giving her a glare.
"You don't seal a Longinus class Sacred Gear the same way you do a Twice Critical."
Walburga giggled hysterically as she rose her chalice up.
"To the end of the world?"
She questioned. Issei nodded, another rare smile coming over his face. He rose his remaining chalice and crossed it with the German's.
"To the end of the world."
I hope you enjoyed that. Don't worry, the end of the world is coming! Just wait a little bit longer.
I'm also going to rename the chapters and group them into arcs. Makes it easier to follow that way.
Please follow, favorite, and review.
Until next time, Skylinemaster out.