Chapter 1

Issei Hyoudou did not know what overcame him when he bought the particular book before him.

It was a book, one that he had bought along with several others which dealt with runes and summoning.

The particular book was supposed to let him first gain access to his inner magical power and then teach him how to cast spells and so on. He had only bought this book due to it mentioning a spell that could bend light and give him a clear view about a particular place.

Issei had thought that it would be a great peeping tool and thus had bought it on impulse, he also bought the runes and the summoning books to get an additional discount and at that time he was thinking how cool it would be to summon a Heroic spirit like he saw in Fate Stay/Night.

Hell he should not have gotten so worked up about it as everyone knew that Magic was not real.

Yet when Issei looked at the book something scream out to him to take it and learn from it. It was a fake and even though he knew it was fake Issei could not help but show some interest in the books.

Reading a few pages of the books, Issei had to admit that they were well written and the authors had put a lot of effort in making them sound real and genuine, using both obscure scientific knowledge and mystical mumbo-jumbo, the facts and theories all sounded real and compelling enough for someone to say that it was a genuine article.

Still a fake is a fake, and unless magic is real, the book was nothing but a waste of money, except for when he wanted something to read even then it would not be in his top choices.

"And I simply wasted my monthly allowance on the books; I had even gotten some extra this month too." Issei lamented, regretting his impulsive decision.

"I guess I should turn in for the night."

With a heavy heart and grieving over his wasted allowance Issei went to sleep, unaware of how his destiny had changed.

Life went on as usual for Issei.

Going to school, peeping on girls, getting beaten by said girls, playing eroge, hanging out with his friends, and living a mundane ordinary life, his brief impulse with the occult had been put aside for the more intrusive pursuit of the female body, thus life went on as usual for him.

Thus Issei was surprised when he found the three books on the supernatural again.

Unlike last time, Issei had practically nothing to do at the moment, which was why he was browsing his book collection in the first place; he was also not too interested in reading manga or watching anime nor even indulged in his other hobbies.

He may have been a lifelong pervert but even he needed a small break form it, time to time.

Thus just for a brief period of time Issei entertained the idea of reading the books.

'Might as well read them and see what I had wasted my monthly allowance on for.' Issei thought now feeling quite curious on what laid in the books. 'If nothing else I'll kill some time reading them and it's not like I can't put them back if they are too boring.'

With his decision made Issei began to read the book titled 'Solomon's guide to Magic'.

Issei did not know when he became so engrossed in the book, that he lost track of time.

It was not that compelling to read and often became boring at some parts, like explanation on some spells, what engrossed him was the comments made by Solomon on the various magical practices and how they were foolish to not see that some of the tricks performed by other styles of magic when combined with theirs could boost them to new heights.

Solomon would thus often mock and praise various magicians at the same time and give his own analysis and thoughts on their various magical practices.

Yet that was not what caught Issei's interest the most. Solomon for all intent and purpose was a massive pervert and not only that he had a Harem of 300 wives with more than 700 consorts, that was enough for Issei to respect the man, for Issei had a dream of becoming a Harem King.

Issei was now quite lamenting on not reading the book thoroughly the first time, he really had missed out on the greatness that was Solomon.

'Oh well as they say better late than never.' Issei thought 'Damn Solomon really had a huge Harem; I don't think I could ever reach that number but hell I made a vow not to treat the members of my Harem like trophies.'

That had been one vow that Issei took seriously, to never treat the members of his Harem like trophies to be paraded, they were going to be women who were going to love him and thus he was going to make sure that they were as happy as possible with him.

Turing his thoughts away from his dreams to the book, Issei wondered 'would these methods even work? They seem quite legit enough.'

Mulling over the methods and theories in the book, Issei decide 'I guess there is no harm in trying them out, it's not like they are going to work in the first place.' Though Issei did hoped a little of them working.

"First I need to access my magical powers, prana, mana or simply magic as it is called" Issei read the first instruction. "Well, I am calling it Prana, makes me feel more like a Magus." Issei decided paying tribute to his favourite eroge game.

"The easiest and safest way to access my 'Prana' first I would have to draw the ritual circle and then meditate in the circle and then focus on finding a trigger that would help me access my chant." Issei read the next lines of the instructions.

The circle itself was not that complicated to draw and was not too large in size too, which meant that he could simply draw one in his room and erase it later. It was the trigger that got him thinking.

"Note; the trigger should be something that the user is intimately familiar with and draws upon his greatest feelings and desires, yet requires intense concentration, base desires like lust make for poor triggers often leading to the magician using their magic at inappropriate times and causing undue damage."

"Well there goes my idea of using breasts as a trigger." Issei sighed at the loss of his most obvious choice. "Still there must be others with I can use."

With that Issei began thinking what he should use as a trigger, while drawing the ritual circle with a chalk.

'The most obvious choice is 'Trace On' of EMIYA but it just doesn't give me much of a feeling and frankly it does not even make me think too deeply too.' Thus with that he discarded that phrase as his trigger.

Thus even after an hour had passed when he had finished the circle and sat cross legged to get into a meditative position, Issei had still not being able to find a decent phrase for him to use as his trigger.

Phrases like 'Henshin', 'Go Team Laggan', 'Bankai', etc. had not helped him even a bit. Hell he even went with 'Raising Heart, Set Up' which while got some reaction from the circle still failed to make any decent progress.

Issei was really surprised at the fact that the circle was genuine and the surreal revelation of magic being real. He tried to dismiss it as a trick of the light and his mind, yet the circle had glowed for a good 10-14 seconds that proved that magic was real.

Thus with a burning determination Issei sought to pour his all into unlocking his 'Prana'.

'Still, who knew a magical girls transformation phrase would help a boy like me.' Issei chuckled at the strange yet interesting avenue of thought.

While Issei had failed to used that phrase as a trigger, a thing that both disappointed and relived him, cause what kind of man would he be to use a magical girls transformation phrase, it had shown him how to really go about choosing his trigger.

"I have to really think and pour all my emotions, not just my lust but also my curiosity, joy, awe and even fear and hate into the trigger." Issei concluded, after all the sight of Nanoha saying that phrase both made him jump with joy and yet brought a bit of fear of her using those giant death beams of death. "Man this is going to be hard."

And it was true, for a normal boy like Issei who had not experience many things, had not encountered any life changing incident, the one with the perverted old man not counting, it was hard to visualise something which he could pour his all his heart in.

Sure he could still use breasts as his trigger but he just could not pour his hate and fear into them as well it was almost unthinkable for him to regard breasts as something monstrous and he was not that deep into the internet community to see some of the more debased forms, for him to truly make it as a trigger.

Sighing, Issei almost gave up on thinking of a trigger, but then something caught his sight the poster of Gilgamesh using his Gate of Babylon.

It was a poster that he had bought when the Fate/Zero anime aired.

He liked the anime and love Iskander, because just how can you not like that guy, he even like the prick, El Mollie and his fiancé, Kiritsugu was of course while a bit too dark for his taste was a great character, Issei still saw him as an asshole though.

Irisviel and the other cast were great too. He was though a bit miffed with the wish of Artoria, which he solved by playing the Fate route plenty of times to redeem her character. And the cameo by Jeanne D'Arc from Apocrypha was just great too.

It was an all-round fine anime, great even, for him, he liked all the characters in it even that damn fake priest Kirei, and well after seeing him in Zero and playing the Heaven's Feel Route there was just something that made him a truly great character.

Yet out of all the characters none could make him both hate and make him feel awe like Gilgamesh.

In Zero he gave the King of Conquerors the farewell he deserved, was insanely powerful and had arrogance that he could back up, then in Stay/night he was still the arrogant-powerful King, yet he felt more like a Tyrant than the wise king in Zero. Him ripping out Illya's Heart and killing Berserker did not help his case at all.

Still he was such a character that one could both hate and love at the same time, for his insufferable yet justified arrogance, power, and sometime truly repugnant deeds and also who can forget the sight of him acknowledging someone as his equal and giving the respect they truly deserve. He was that good a character.

Yet it was not the character that drew his attention, it was his Noble Phantasm, The Gates of Babylon.

When Issei first saw it his mind thought of a question, 'What treasures laid behind those gates?'

Issei began to wonder that if those gates had everything the world had to offer both form the past and the future, then what would he see when he entered them.

'Would I see great piles of gold, jewels and silver that were piled up like mountains? Would I see the most beautiful painting, the best sculptures, and the wonders of the world itself or something mundane yet beautiful in its own right, what wonders truly laid in those gates.' Issei wondered not noticing the circle flaring at his thoughts.

'I know that there would be weapons in the gate, but weapons of what kind? I have seen swords, spears and axes coming out from the gate when Gil used the gate, but would I see bows, hammers, shields, guns, bombs and other kinds of weapons?'

The circle glowed brighter feeding of his curiosity.

'There was Vimana the flying machine.' Issei thought back on the strange craft 'Was it simply unique or were there more like it?'

Brighter and brighter the circle glowed and yet Issei ignored it and continue his like of thought.

'There surely must be more inside the gate' Issei thought 'along with the most perfect pair of breasts too, after all if they aren't a treasure worthy of a king than nothing else would be.' Issei thought as he drooled at the thought of such pair of breasts, "And that Bastard Gilgamesh is hording it to himself." Issei said, feeling both angry and jealous at Gilgamesh "Stupid, handsome bastard I glad Shirou kills you off in UBW." Issei growled under his breath. "You should never have killed Illya too in the first place."

The circle feed of the jealousy, hate and anger that flowed form the boy.

"And yet…and yet, you were so cool when you used the EA against Broskander." Issei whispered "Which is why I am going to steal your most iconic phrase form you, King of Heroes and make it my own."

With that Issei lifted his hand in gesture as if he was holding something, like a handle of a sword or in this case a key.

Twisting his wrists Issei said the words that unlocked his dormant power like a dam bursting forth and filling every inch of his body, pushing the 15 year old boy in the life of a Magician.

"Open, Gates of Babylon." And with that darkness claimed him.

Issei woke up after some time, it seems that after he had unlock his 'Prana', he had passed out for some time, thankfully not too long and had woken up just in time for dinner and then proceeded to erase the ritual circle.

Mentally using his newfound trigger he summoned his 'Prana'.

It first came to him like a slow trickle, then with some more tries it then slowly began to feel like a stream of water with his will guiding where he wanted it to go.

Pushing it into his hands, Issei was even able to create small wisps of lights, which were faint, almost translucent and bluish in appearance.

"It works…it really works. Hahahaha" Issei laughed, his eyes began to moist with joy. "Now I can peep on girls anytime I want." He openly cried, not feeling a single quota of shame at his intension.

After crying a bit more, Issei calmed down, wiping his tears.

"I should try some of the spells to see if they work or else it would have been all for nothing." Issei mumbled.

Flipping over the book, Issei found the spell that was both ideal for testing and would be immensely helpful in the long run.

The spell was 'Scan', like its name suggests it is a spell that allows the user to gain information on the targeted object. It was much like 'Structural Analysis' from fate in all regards and cheap as hell in terms of 'Prana'.

So after going through the basic concepts of the spell, Issei prepared himself to use it.

"Now what should I use it upon?" Issei wondered as he looked around for a target. His eyes landed on his school books, which gave him an idea.

"If it works and does what I think it would do, then school would be a breeze here on out."

Putting his hand on top of the Science textbook, Issei drew upon his prana and slowly directed it upon the book and said "Scan".

Issei felt his prana surge forth following his command and intent, as it began to cover the book in a bluish glow as the spell took effect. Issei knew he was using more prana than necessary as even though the spell was supposed to provide info, it also required a bit of calculations and input about the object too to further cut the prana cost.

Even though it was a cheap spell, Issei himself was just starting out thus he did not have much control over his prana much.

Issei saw and felt the spell taking effect and he started to smile.

Issei felt information about the book bombarding his mind through the spell, first, the dimensions of the book, then the number of pages, the stains on the cover, the wrinkles on the pages and then every word, every figure, picture, facts and theories inside the book.

The information came at such a fast rate that Issei's brain could not process them all at once; giving Issei a headache and making him end the spell prematurely.

"That…that was painful." Issei groaned, clutching his throbbing head. The headache while not that painful was unexpected and the sudden influx of info had given him a bit of vertigo.

Still, when Issei reviewed what he had managed to glean from the spell, he was surprised when he had managed to remember almost a quarter of the text. The info was a bit disjointed, with full of holes as he could not remember all but Issei was surprised at how much he had managed to retain and remember with almost a picture perfect clarity.

Though, it was not like Issei had fully understood what the words fully meant, which still meant that Issei had to study and listen in the class to get by.

"Though even this much means that I don't have to worry about failing ever again." Issei observed "Solomon was right when he said 'To be a Magician is to be a Cheating Cheater.'" Issei grinned as he remembered what Solomon had written in the book. "And I am now one of those Cheating Cheaters."

Issei tried out some few other spells like scrying, conjuring and a few enhancement spells.

He found scrying to be what he expected and though the image it produced was quite blurry and only worked at a short distance. For Issei that was fine as it meant that he would have to practice it quite a lot, which he was eager to do so.

Conjuring was what it was named to a tee, it conjured various objects and Issei was able to banish them at will too. Living objects were of course out of the spells reach but anything else was fair game.

Issei thought that it was quite an unfair spell with how cheap it was in prana and how easy it was to conjure an object. Sure the more complicated the object, the more prana it cost and along with various other factors the prana cost went up but the book said that it would never fail to produce an object as long as one had enough prana, except for gold obviously and that the object was almost permanent unless it was destroyed or banished by the conjurer.

What was more absurd was that if the person knew the object too well, the prana cost of conjuring it would be so less it might as well be non-existent.

Normally this fact would not be game breaking at all as the conjured items were very fragile though they were able to tank multiple hits they were not as durable as the original item. Combine those factors with how complicated even a mundane item could be, the cost of conjuring them more often than not was not worth it in the long run.

Thus it was treated as a basic spell to conjure simple items in times of emergency.

For Issei that fact was irrelevant and he regarded the spell as a game-breaker. Why? Some may ask of how such a simple spell was game breaking? Well Issei had seen a faker use a similair spell and use it to great heights. While he was sure he might not be able to use it like Emiya did, he was still going to abuse the hell out of the spell.

The enhancement spells were also gold for Issei. There was one for enhancing strength, one for speed and agility, endurance, defence etc. they were even item enhancement spells which increased sharpness, durability, mass etc.

Also like all spells the more Issei knew about the object the better he could enhance it with the spells for a low cost.

He was seeing a pattern here with all the spells. All of them required him to be extremely knowledgeable to cut their usage cost and boost their overall performance too.

'No wonder the Magicians are depicted as wise scholarly men. They had to be in order to be great magicians.' Issei thought, as he reviewed what he had learnt.

While this revelation meant that Issei had to study extremely hard in order to be even an average magician, he was not daunted by his increased work load as he could use scan to really cut down his study time. It was pure cheating, a massive insult to all hard-working students and yet it was so like a magician after all

'A magician is a Cheating Cheater.'

Still, Issei knew that simply using Scan would not make him a good magician, he would still have to give in more individual effort and work hard to keep advancing, after which he might someday complete his goals too.

He also felt like he was missing something still, though he had no idea what he was missing.

'The path of a Harem King is going to be long and filled with obstacles.'

It was a thought which make his let loose a laugh but one that he was now determined to work hard for.

'I don't know what the supernatural world holds but with magic I do have some protection against it.' Issei grimly thought, he while was happy and elated to learn about magic and that it was real. It had also proven that the world was not what it seemed and that the supernatural still existed and was real as anything on earth.

The monsters that kill for entertainment, the devils that sought to corrupt the pure and damn them for eternity, the vampires that wooed their prey with their supernatural charms and fed on their life blood, them and so many more, the world seemed to become a more dangerous place.

'Damn Nasu and your unforgiving Moonlight world.' Issei thought all joy now gone filled with dread and fear, as he remembered the monsters of the moonlight world. He knew that they were fictional and thus he had no reason to fear.

But with the existence of magic, he was feeling unsure of whether the depictions were true or the reality was even worse than that. He dare not think too optimistically about the supernatural as even in folklore they wore masks upon masks of lies and deceit.

He was a bit scared, he would admit but now he had a minor protection against them in the form of magic and he knew that to protect himself better, he would work his ass off, because he refuse to let the supernatural stand in his way of his goals.

'I vowed to become a harem king and vowed to surpass Gilgamesh himself.' Issei decided his face full of determination. 'I refuse to let the supernatural get the better of me, until I become a harem king and fondle the perfect pair of breasts.' While his thoughts were not what you would say normal, they did give strengthened his will and fuel his desire to become a strong magician.

Issei in that moment looked outside of his window and gazed upon the full moon, shining in the clear night sky and made his solemn vow.

"I vow upon the moon itself and stake my pride and goal of becoming the Harem King to become the greatest magician the world has ever seen and surpass the might King of Uruk, himself. I from now on would prepare myself to face everything the moonlight world has to offer and overcome them." Issei proclaimed, staking his dreams which he regarded to be more precious than his life.

"But would the moonlight world be ready for me?" Issei said as if questioning the moon itself, asking whether it would challenge his claim.

As if in response to his words…his challenge…the moon shine brighter as it seem to accept his vow.

'Ready or not, Moonlight world, here comes the future Harem King.' Issei thought gazing at the blue moon in the night sky.

As time went on, he was curious about the Summoning Process but had trouble since he was wary of the process. The rituals for a normal summon were risky since he could potentially summon an incredibly dangerous being to make a contract with and the other two were safe but he needed someone to help him with magic so he can see which ritual would be the best one to use.

Next was the Golem Familiar summoning and boy is that one complicated as hell. And what a summoning ritual it was. The ritual as far as Issei knew was basically a poor man's version of the Heaven's Feel. The ritual like its name was basically a golem creation but with a twist the golem would be empowered by summoning an entity and letting it inhabit the golem which acted like its vessel. The golem in turn would gain all the abilities of the summoned entity and gain some additional boost in its prowess. The golem would then work like a familiar and be basically run on the magical energies of the Summoner.

It was a bit more complicated than that but from what Issei gathered from the notes this was basically the Servant Summoning from Fate with the golem acting as one of the servant classes.

Issei was very much tempted to go through with this summoning as the ritual could summon just about anything even characters from stories as evident by the example given in the book but there were some catches.

The vessel, i.e. the golem, would only be as strong as the vessel that is created and thus summoning very powerful entities would simply be weakening them greatly. Sure the golem could be upgraded and enhanced over its life time but even that might not be enough to make up for the lost power.

Still it was not like Issei was looking to summon planet crushing entities in the first place, so Issei really wanted to try and see all the possible results of the summoning.

'The third one is the most complicated yet the safest and easiest to use.' Issei thought as he reviewed the details of the ritual. The ritual was a modified version of the generic summoning ritual. At its core it was a familiar summoning ritual but the Summoner was able to set the criteria of what sort of creatures the ritual could summon.

This provided the Summoner a great deal of control over the summoning and if the Summoner was clever enough, he could just about summon anything into existence provided the Summoner was compactible and had the power to bind the summoned creature/being.

As he passed by the park, he saw a very poorly made looking stand with a banner over it that said 'The Stand of Heroes.'

And sitting at it was an old man. He had white hair, a fine beard and moustache, and a smile on his face… but what caught his gaze mostly were his red eyes.

Issei came over to the stand and looked at what the man sold and the man smiled as he saw him approach the stand.

"Hohoho, excellent!" He said with a grin. "Greetings first, shall we! My name is Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. You may call me Zelretch."

"Issei Hyoudou, though I'm sure you probably know that."

"Indeed, indeed!" Zelretch grinned. "A young man interested in magic of the sorts are we? I'm actually a talented magician myself!"

"Really?! I so then can you teach me?"

"Hm? What?"

"You… Said you a master of magic. So I was wondering if you could teach me what you know. Can you?"

Zelretch only chuckled. "I'm sorry but I already have an assistant who is my apprentice and she both admires me and is annoyed by me."

"Really?" Issei asked as he stared at him.

"Really. So care to see what I have to offer?"

Issei nodded. "Sure. You've definitely peaked my interest. Show me what you've got, old man."

Zelretch only laughed again, reaching under the table and pulled out a box.

Opening the box, he pulled from it twelve golden cards, each depicting a different image.

"What I sell are these cards." Zelretch told me.

"…And what are they for exactly?"

"Why, I'm glad you asked! These cards are the ticket to power! What you do with it is all your choice, of course! Use the power to be a hero? Or use it to be a mad villain? The choice is up to you!"

I stared at him. "…Do you think I'm a kid who's gonna believe this shit?"

"Well you've come this far, why not listen until the end?"

Issei sighed as he replied. "I guess…"

He grinned. "Good choice! First…"

He gestured to the card furthest to the left. It depicted the image of a knight, holding a western sword with both hands. "The first card is Saber! The power of a warrior who cleaves through all with a mighty blade, tearing down all who stand in their path."

"Then why is the image that of a knight?" I asked him. "Don't they stand for justice and honour?"

"Those are subjective," Zelretch told me. "What is justice to one is injustice to another. What is honourable to one is dishonourable to another. The Saber wields the power of knights, kings, great warriors who fought for what they believed in, even to the bitter end."

Issei stared at the Saber card. He read about Knights such as Arthur and Mordred before replying. "Even if they weren't noble I'm sure they had reasons for doing what they did, knights are people too after all. They feel the same we do. They have emotions that they bottle inside of them until it explodes."

Zelretch just raised an eyebrow at this as he replied, "Indeed they did have reasons but what is better boy? To do the wrong things for the right reasons or doing the right thing for the wrong reasons? If you truly want to be a hero then you need to learn this." Issei thought of this as the card flowed dimly.

"Next," Zelretch said, tapping the card to the immediate right. This card depicted someone dressed in lighter clothing, clearly build more for speed, holding something behind them. A lance, or a spear.

"Lancer. Agile, excellent in close combat, and masters of hit-and-run tactics, using their range and speed to their advantage. Those who hold the power of Lancer are monsters on the battlefield, using their speed to be untouched."

"Is that all?" I asked.

Zelretch only grinned. "Lancers tend to have terrible luck in life, often needing to claw their way through a lot of nasty situations."

I stayed silent before chuckling. "Who needs luck when you have skill? After all they wouldn't have been able to become heroes if something as minor as bad luck stopped them." Issei watched as that old man's grin stretched a centimetre wider.

"Third," he tapped once again, drawing Issei's attention to the next card.

This one depicted another knight, wearing heavy looking armour on their upper body and aiming with a bow into the distance.

"The Archer Class," Zelretch looked amused as he said it, looking at the card with barely restrained laughter. "Admittedly very powerful, often possessing high resistance to magical attacks, and also able to act Independently. Archers hate being caged, preferring to act when and how they pleased. More than that, they often possess a large number of powerful weapons, boasting more than any other class."

"So they're like solitary hunters? The ultimate hunters, able to catch anything that they put their mind to. Too wild and free to be held down by others and yet…at the same time one of the loneliest heroes to exist. I know the feeling of loneliness but to be free, that must feel amazing."

The old man nearly jumped for joy as he eyed the card beneath Issei's hand and watched as it glowed softly.

"What's next?" He asked.

Zelretch smirked, tapping on the next card. "Rider. The Warrior with a Mount. Living beasts or human constructs, they will ride mighty steeds into battle. In some instances, they even merged together with their mounts to become a single, powerful warrior. They usually have lower attributes compared to the first three classes, but the abilities of their mounts compensate with powerful abilities. They almost always possess a high level of Riding Skill, letting them skilfully use any mount. Car, plane, even a tank. At the highest rank, they can even command powerful divine beasts like a Pegasus."

"What about a dragon?"

Zelretch only laughed. "Only a fool would try to ride a dragon. The riding skill does not extend to dragons, it manifests in a different skill… Though some rare exceptions do exist, such as Saint Martha."

"Saint Martha…?" I raked my brain for information on her, but I was blanking.

"No matter, no matter," Zelretch waved. "Many Riders are often Kings or Ship Captains. Those who led the charge into battle, laughed the loudest, drank the most eagerly. The supreme ruler of their people. However be aware that Riders are usually at a disadvantage in most fights, after all most circumstances don't let them use their mounts."

Issei just looked up at him with an eager smile as the feeling of reins appeared in his hands and he heard the booming of thunder. "The harder the fight. The greater the prize. After all that's what conquering is all about."

Like the others before it, the Rider card glowed softly at this while the man nodded as his grin grew wider and he lead Issei over to the next card.

"Next is Caster, one who wields great magical abilities. To qualify as a caster, you must have master of sorceries of the highest calibre. Generally, they have low combat abilities, and are often bad pairings as most others possess some form of magic resistance, among all of these it is thought to be the weakest…"

"But…?"

Zelretch grinned widely. "They make up for it by using powers beyond your wildest dreams, possessing many different strategies to use against enemies. They can create their own territory, altering the surrounding lands around them, and can create magical items and tools. More than that, they often follow their own set of morals. They decide what is right and wrong, they decide what is just and what is sin."

"Deciding what is just and what is sin. Isn't that an abuse of magic? Isn't it supposed to be used for good?" Zelretch shook his head. "There are those who use magic for their own purposes and desires. Tell me why do you want to use magic?"

"To build my dream of being a Harem King and to be able to protect them from those who wish to harm them. I won't let anyone harm the ones I love. Even if it means to kill them."

The card glowed dimly as the old man moved to the next one. "The next one is the Assassin class. Now I know what you are thinking, 'How could an assassin ever be a hero?' "What about the one who kills the tyrant? The one who ends a corrupt politician, the one who brings down a child abuser? Not all assassins are evil, sometimes they are the only solution." He quickly explained, seeing Issei's horrified expression.

Issei was silent as he just picked up the card and stared at it, clearly conflicted about the choice until finally he placed it down on the table and looked up at the man with a serious expression that completely contrasted his childish face.

"No one respects life more than someone who has to take it away, if I had to do it I would never enjoy it but at least I could make it painless," he decided as the card gave off a soft glow and as Issei looked back at the old man his eyes widened.

"Now, Assassins obviously specialise in just that: assassination," Zelretch said. "They lack more glamorous stories like the other classes, so they often possess poor abilities…" He grinned. "But they make up for it with their Presence Concealment, some able to conceal themselves so well that they could be walking down the street towards you and you'd never know!"

"That's… A bit terrifying to think about."

"Indeed."

"So… Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin. Who's next?"

"Berserker."

"Berserker?"

"Those who fell into madness," Zelretch said, without a smile this time. "Often due to the loss of a loved one or due to betrayal, they lose themselves to their madness and can only focus on destroying the object of their revenge. A mindless machine that can only kill…"

Issei stared at the card… "A Hero who lost themselves in madness, despair, betrayal, or the loss of a loved one. I've seen them and...I can't imagine what that's like. Losing someone you deeply care for and love. That feels like something you can't get over easily." The old man saw the card and he smiled even more before he pushed the first seven cards to the side. "Those are the seven main classes. We now move onto the four extra classes." He then spread the other four across the table, each of them having a different motif to the first seven.

"We'll begin with the Ruler Class," he said, gesturing to the card with a woman dressed in robes, holding a set of scales. "Rulers are protectors, those who uphold the rules and make sure there are no breaches. They are neutral in conflicts, taking no sides, only acting in the interest of those they serve, and assure the laws surrounding these powers are not breached. The criteria to be a Ruler, however, is very strict."

"Huh?" I blinked. "What kind of criteria is that?"

"A huge majority of those who fit into these classes all have a desire they want to fulfil, a wish they want to have fulfilled. To be a Ruler, you must lack that desire, that wish, in order to assure you remain impartial. Most often, those who become Rulers are Saints. Jeanne d'Arc or Saint Martha are good examples."

"I See." 'Maybe a wish or a desire like my dream as well. Could that make me a Ruler?'

Zelretch eyed him before moving on. "Avenger is the next class." His eyes drifted to the card, showing someone with long hair held in chains. "Based on vengeance, powerful resentment that didn't even fade with death, that lingered and festered for years and years. They only seek revenge, they often desire nothing more than to destroy the object of their hatred." Issei looked at that card and knew that revenge was a double edged sword and he remembered that there are those who don't care about others as long as they achieve their goal. "Even so. Revenge is one thing but it's best they don't lose themselves of who they truly are. I'm not saying Revenge is good but there are times when I get that Revenge is necessary to take care of the ghost of their past."

He smirked at Issei tapping another card. This one depicted the image of someone dressed in a jester outfit, a darkened version of them behind them and upside down. "Alter Ego. Alter Egos are exactly how they sound, often another side or part to one of the other classes that manifests in this unique class, becoming a separate personality and gaining independence as a different entity."

"Huh?"

"Hm, it's hard to explain, you'll see in due time."

Why did I not like how he said that?

"And, finally we reach the end with Foreigner," he said, gesturing to the final card. This card was very different to the rest depicting a cloaked figure with energy coming out of them. The lower half of their body didn't even look human, seeming to be more like some kind of extra-terrestrial.

"So, what's the deal with this one?" Issei asked him.

He grinned. "Foreigners are those who have descended from superstition, kept their purity in the heart of madness, or are those who are swallowed by madness and then turn around and consume it instead. Unlike the other classes, they are foreign beings from other worlds, typically bonding with Outer Gods. Though some have no connection to outer gods at all."

Issei blinked in shock before asking. "… So, like… Cthulhu or something?"

"Excellent example," Zelretch beamed at him. "Yes, Cthulhu is bonded to one who qualifies as a foreigner. Though they are dangerous, almost always residing as threats to humanity itself… However, that does not mean that they are bad. Sometimes, they are merely misunderstood."

Issei stared at the card, and let his gaze drift across the rest of them, contemplating.

"Alright boy listen carefully, these cards will help you become strong enough to be a hero, now you just need to pick one. So which will it be, what kind of hero do you want to become?" Zelretch asked, eagerly.

Issei just looked at the eleven cards and frowned as he examined them, the two of them were silent for a solid ten minutes until the boy looked up at the man, "So these cards will help me become stronger?" Seeing the man nod Issei continued, "And I can pick any one of them? And you'll give me the one I pick?"

"That's right," replied the man, looking even more curious then before.

Issei just put all eleven cards on the table and stared at his companion with a determined expression, "Then I pick all of them!" he announced.

The man's face became a textbook expression of shock before he suddenly burst out laughing, "Well aren't you the greedy one. I can't believe it, a mere boy managing to shock me! Me! The master of Kaleidoscope! Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg!"

Zelretch finally stopped laughing as he handed the cards back to Issei, "Looks like I've found a new world to be my playground after all. Congratulations Issei Hyoudou. Come and claim your prizes." Issei picked up the box and bowed to him. "Thank you sir. I will achieve my dream and be the greatest Mage ever!"

Issei turned and ran from him before he could respond but for a strange reason, he could practically feel those crimson eyes staring at my retreating back, and the wide grin that threatened to split his face open.

Issei was looking at the cards and was still trying to process what had happened while remembering the old man.

"Did he give these to me as a way of giving me his blessing or something? Could it be that that old man actually see my potential as a Mage? Even so maybe...Maybe I can use these cards to help me achieve my dream. But I have to plan for the time and place. But who to summon? Hmm.."

As he looked at each of the cards, he looked at the ones labeled Caster and Saber. "Hmm...A Magic Based Hero and A Master of the Sword. Maybe...I should certainly summon Caster but the others are unknown to me. But if I did choose Caster, who should I choose? The only ones I know of is Medea, and he's a great mage who can create the Dragon Tooth Soldiers and Rule Breaker is a dangerous weapon. Then there's Gille De Rais who is out of the question. Then there's Avicebron and he's out for certain reasons. Circe and Tamamo are powerful Casters but then again there's Semiramis, who's both a poison master and a powerful mage as well."

As he thought of this he decided to look in the book and then looked at his collection of statues before looking at the cards.

"Maybe I can use both the cards and the ritual to my advantage. But I need time to prepare. Nothing will stand in the way of my dream."

Two Months Later.

Time passed by for Issei as he continued on with his daily routine.

In the past two months he had made good enough progress in his magical studies and had gathered all the required materials for his summoning rituals.

Summer break had started just last week and for Issei it was an ideal time to perform the rituals and sort everything out. In fact he had even found a good isolated place, an abandoned warehouse, where he could do the summoning and maybe even set up a temporary workshop to.

"Man, am I using a lot of Fate-terms." Issei mumbled as he went over his thoughts again, no really while he was a mage in the traditional sense. Issei like to think of himself as a magus and try to follow the codes and conducts of Magi though he was never going to take it as far as the Nasu-verse magi.

Issei had also created a rudimentary golem too for the summoning ritual one that while not the best out there was still passable, though Issei had made it in such a way that it was easy to modify and upgrade. He had stored the golem in the abandoned warehouse.

"I really am lucky that the books had knowledge on how to create golems too."

Looking at the clock Issei got dressed and packed all his equipment and the materials required for the rituals.

"Better head out and perform the ritual before it gets dark. No night summoning for me."

Issei wanted to perform his summoning during daytime as it gave him ample amount of time to tackle all the kinks in the ritual. The fact that the book had also warned him that night time summoning tended to summon some nocturnal and dark creature also prompted him to go this route.

"I'm heading out mom." Issei informed his mother.

"Come back before dinner Issei." His mother called out from the kitchen. "And don't hit on any girls on the way." His mother added making Issei stumble at the door.

"Have some faith in your son mother!" Issei shouted mortified that his mother thought of him like that.

"Your my son but you are also your father's son which is why I am warning you." Her mother promptly replied. "Take care and enjoy your day Issei."

"One day I am going to ask my old man just what he did back in his youth." Issei grumbled his parents never seemed to complain about his behaviour and in fact took in stride like they were expecting it. While Issei was happy his parents supported him and did give him advise time to time he knew that their behaviour was far from normal and whenever he asked they would just say that they had seen something like this in their youth, though they never did seem share the details with him, ever.

Grumbling about his parent Issei made his way to the abandoned warehouse.

Unpacking his items Issei began to prepare for the rituals. "Let's get started shall we."

After three hours of preparing Issei was finally ready to begin his summoning ritual.

The catalyst he was using for the golem was a figurine of Tamamo no Mae from Fate/Extra. Issei wanted to see if using the figurine as a catalyst would work or not.

In case it worked Issei would have a powerful yet loyal familiar who would also double as his teacher too and if he failed than he had other catalysts with him to try out, so it was no great loss.

Still if Issei was able to summon Tamamo than he wanted to see whether or not she retain all her powers and Noble Phantasms and if she got a boost by being summoned in Japan. This way Issei would know whether it was a good idea to summon Servants or not.

Issei then put the golem in the middle of the ritual circle in a sitting position with the figurine in its lap.

He then pulled out the Assassin Cards and placed it in the middle of the circle that was close to his left. He decided to use two rituals at once. He had been working on his mana pools and figured he could use both the Golem Ritual and the Third one with the card to help him use it.

'If I picture which Assassin I want then I should be able to have no trouble bringing possibly one of the most powerful Assassins here as my servant. But I need to concentrate and focus on the image so I don't screw it up.'

Taking a good look at the golem once more and the second ritual circle. "It's now or never." Issei muttered, his body was shaking with unbridle anticipation at the thought of the ritual.

Taking a deep breath Issei began to chant.

"Oh spirits of the nature, creatures of the night and servants of the light."

Issei chanted, the words easily flowing through his lips. He had after all memorised the chant with the judicious usage of the 'scan' spell and committed it to his memory.

"I beseech thee to hear my call and answer my plea."

Issei felt his magic flow through him and activate the circles which began to glow in an ethereal blue light.

"I ask for a companion, a teacher, a friend for a lifetime."

The chant was simple, strange and fitting. The ritual was supposed to be a familiar summon but by the way the chant was written it was like an honest soul simply asking for a friend. Well Issei supposed that familiars were some of the closest friends a mage could have at times.

"With my hands I have crafted thee a vessel to inhabit and with these hands I plead to you answer this call."

Issei felt the circles gather more and more power, draining him of every bit of magic from his body.

"Come forth from the realms beyond my reach and into the mortal world where I stand."

Pain racked his body as he felt all his magic go into the circles draining him like a husk. He felt himself blacking out as he was being deprived of his magic.

'Not yet…not yet, I am not done yet.' Issei screamed in his mind trying desperately to cling onto his consciousness and complete the chant.

"This is m-my pact, my of-offer to you…"

Issei could no longer tolerate the pain as his mind blank out, the circle dimmed and he fell into the loving embrace unconsciousness.

"And I accept this pact my master." A melodious voice rang in the empty warehouse.

"As do I my master." A soft and gentle voice spoke as the women appeared and looked at the other woman and nodded with her as they looked at their master.

A young woman dressed in a blue kimono, cradling the unconscious mage in her lap. The woman was beautiful with fair skin and pink flowing hair, with a pair of fox-like ears adoring her head and the nine tails that twirled protectively over the unconscious boy.

The second one was a woman wearing a dress that was black as night but had an air of royalty. Her hair was black as well with her eyes yellow but had a gentle look as she looked at her master. Her ears were pointed as she listened if anyone would come to the warehouse to harm their master.

The dark queen went to take care of the ritual circles and picked up the card and placed it in her masters front pocket.

"Sleep well and dream, my master. For I, Tamamo no Mae, have heard your call and have come forth to be with you in passing and in health, in life and in death." The woman solemnly said as she cradled the boy. The second woman smiled as well as she nodded to the boy. "And I, Semiramis, have heard your call as well and shall be with you through life and death. Thick and thin. But for now let's head home, master."

And just like that the two women and the boy disappeared leaving an empty warehouse behind them, the ritual circle dispersing in blue molten lights and leaving behind no trace of it, as the two familiars and master left for home.

For the supernatural world, the ritual did not go unnoticed but it was soon forgotten as it was seemed to have no impact on their current life and duties. For those that did try to find and investigate the ritual they were met with dead ends as master and familiar were long gone leaving behind an empty warehouse.

Truly Fate had played its part now all that was left was for the boy to follow the set path.

End. Now here we have a new Fate and DXD story that I got from The Magician and a story called the Tyrant and so I decided to allow the cards to be here but Issei can use the card and the third ritual to help him focus and picture which servants that he desires and they won't be any servant. They'll be servants that will accept him for who he is and help him along his path of becoming a Magician and a Harem King.

For any suggestions, leave them in the review or a PM.