DISCLAIMER: DxD does not belong to me.

"Eff. Ay. Ehl. See. Oh. Falco... This is how I write my name. Falco... Craw... Ford. Falco Crawford."

"Congratulations, Falco. Now, you're really officially literate and knowledgeable in some basic math. We finally reached the least you should know in order to learn magic!"

"Yay!" And I jumped in the air with my hands up to the sky and a triumphant shout.

I did it! I finally did it! I can read and do numbers now! I know how to write my name and some sentences and even read comics; and I know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers! M.M. said it has a lot more to them and that I'll have to study even harder to conjure high-end spells, but for now, just being able to read directions and calculate is awesome enough! Plus, she says that those are the bare minimum to learn magic, so it means I will learn it next! All thanks to the best professor ever, M.M.!

"I gotta say, you might be a little dumb, but you learn fast. I gave you a month to start learning letters and numbers before I got impatient, and you did it in a week and a half. I guess that's the power of the white dragon." She closes her book and smiles, standing from her small seat in this abandoned warehouse I was using as shelter during my stay in this country (I guess the name was Japan or something). I never bothered to stay in one place all the time and since I am always flying around, I just need a place to rest for a night and I'm good to go to my next adventure. But since M.M. is staying in a hotel nearby, for now this was our base of operations and classroom, where she taught me basic grammar and math. I guess that I'm a fast learner, after all! "Now, then. Let's start learning some magic, per dragon's request. First, tell me: how much do you know about magic?"

"Hm... Master Albion says that magic is... Uh..." I cross my arms and tap my foot on the floor, a bit pensive. What was it again? Something something equations, something something magical power, and that would help me a lot in my quest, but since I couldn't read or do math, I ignored it for the time being and instead focused on punching trees and rocks and flying around in high speeds. But learning is fun, too! A small spark lightens on my head. "Ah! Magic is the use of equations and calculations of natural elements to bring forth various types of effects... Right?"

"Yeah, basically that." She shrugs, picking some cola cans from the ground and placing two of them on a nearby dusty table. I could read that were coke cans! Huh, once you learn it, it's almost automatic to do it, this reading thing. "Magic that humans use was created a long time ago by a descendant of mine. By learning from the evil powers of devils and light elements from angels, plus other forms of mystical crafts from other factions, he crafted enchantments that instead rely on the power of numbers, equations and calculations of the forces of nature to bring forth and control its elements. While similar, those forms of magic rely on different sources, and the magic humans use rely not on faith or desire, but a form of math and a bit of imagination. Just like there are an infinite numbers and forms to use them, there are infinite forms of magic and new ones can be created if talented and studious enough. You can even input magic on objects, therefore creating magical items and swords and then like... Oh."

"Aawawawah... Different forms of... What? Holy and evil powers... Plus other religions equals magic? Infinite numbers of items do... descendants who create imagination..." And she stops, a relief since I was starting to get a little dizzy. She's just like Lord Shemhazai with those big words and long complicated sentences, it's hard to keep up! Once I could tell left from right, I shake my head a little to focus on her, and she giggles. I let out an awkward smile while scratching my cheek.

"I guess a demonstration is worth a thousand words." She says, lowering her phone, walking beside me and pointing a finger at the two coke cans on top of the table. Is she going to do something with those? Can't wait! "Now, Falco, do you see those two soda cans on top of the table? Look closely, let me show you how a magician does it!"

"Alright! I'm ready!" I nod. She let out a small chuckle to my response, and turning her attention to the cans, a small circle of strange drawings appeared on the tip of her pointing finger, and in another second, from it she blasted a small sphere of wind that bent one of the cans, while she pointed at the other and launched a fireball at it, melting it completely! Wow, cool! I came closer to see their states and they were really gone! "Awesome! Magic is so rad!"

"And this is just the bare basics." She chuckles, lifting her finger to her lips and blowing it to disperse the smoke on the tip. So cool! And that's just the start?! Master Albion was right about me leaning magic! "Now, my dear student Falco, tell me: what did you see?"

"I saw you point at the cans and then your finger went *WOOOOSH~!*, and then when you pointed at the other, it went *FOOOOOH~!* and it burnt it good! It was awesome!" I exclaimed, but then she let out a laughing sigh, shaking her head. Oh, did I miss something? But it did happen!

"You can say that. However, what I'm trying to show you is this." She then lifts two fingers for me, and from their tip, I saw those strange circles again with funny drawings. "You know what those are? We call them 'runes', and from there is where we conjure spells and the likes."

"Oh, cool!" I approached her to give them a small glimpse and marvel at the lights they emit. 'Runes', right? I don't understand much, but they're pretty and colourful. Looking close though, they have different drawings and colours. I wonder if that's a connection. "So, you do magic with those?"

"Not really. Think of them as more of a catalyst for it to happen." She says, flipping now two more fingers with two more runes of different colours and shapes each. I don't understand much, but I guess I'm following it. "Like you said: magic is all about calculations and knowledge how to use numbers. Almost all living beings, be them devils, angels, humans and Gods, have a certain amount of magical energy in their bodies. Magic is using equations and formulae to bring forth that energy and shape them as you like, be in elements or abstract spells like teleportation or illusions. Imagine your body like a bottle of water, the water being that energy. Depending on how you pierce or break it, the water will come out in different ways. Are you following?"

"So-so. You're saying that different spells need different ways to calculate and then use your energy, right?" I try to repeat what she just said, and she nods back with a smile, making me a bit more excited. So I'm not limited to only one form of magic, I can use several others for maximum effect! It's not like the Power Rangers who can only use one element each, but I can change them as I want! Hahah, that's cool! "I get it! That means I just need to memorize those numbers and signs a lot and I can become a super-duper dragon magician knight!"

"Not really." She deadpans, and for that I almost lose my balance there, since it was so sudden. I turn my exasperated face to her and her response was a shrug with a sly grin. "It might seem easy for a non-magical person like you, but only a few humans have an amount of energy to be worth a damn, and even less of those are able to conjure especially skilled high-tier magic. The type of spell I just showed you is the bare minimum a magician is able to pull, basically child's play for any magically-aware human, and even if they study their whole lives some users are just not able to pull even mid-tier enchantments. Even magically gifted and geniuses like me have to study hard to get somewhere. Plus, some affinity with elements it's a must with become a successful magician without requiring a sort of clutch such as bloodlines or items."

"Eeeeeeeh. No waaaaaay~." I feel my legs growing weaker, and all the flicking fire in my heart being blown away by that revelation as that whine exhales my throat. What? So I can't learn magic that easily~? That's so uncool, and my imagine of an awesome magical dragon knight turns into smithereens. "I was hoping that, with Divine Dividing and some cool magic, I could become like a super awesome part dragon, part mage, part human superhero or something~! Or at least some cool spells to help me out, like a fire magic to burn things, a water magic to wet things or a love magic to make my heart like a butterfly lightly soaring through the air as free as the breeze~."

"Nah, that wouldn't happen even if you taste all kinds of flavouring of love." M.M. laughs, and I feel like crying again. Not fair~. I was so deep into my misery, I didn't notice her coming closer to support herself on me and put her chin on my shoulder, a smooth laugh escaping her lips. No fair, no fair~. "But cheer up, Falco. There's a way for you be, like, the MVP in magic-casting even though you're too dumb for complicated equations."

"Oh?" I snap back from my sad state to her, hearing the faintest possibility to do something cool from it. Wait, there is a way?

"You see, like I explained, magic depends of how much your body has of energy plus the equations necessary to turn it into reality. You might lack the latter for more advanced spells, but the former might be all you need." She says, reaching a hand to tap where my heart should be. Oh? OH?! Now I getting pumped up! "Since you host a dragon, and not just any dragon but the legendary heavenly white English vanishing dragon, your body possesses an immense, practically limitless amount of energy shared between you and Albion. Combined that with a basic spell that even you can use infused with more energy than it needs, and the results... Might be extraordinary!"

"Yeah! I get it! So all I need to do is put more energy in a spell and then make it go *BAM!*, even bigger than that first one!" I concluded! Of course, makes perfect sense! If the hole in the bottle only makes the water drip, all I need is more water to make it squirt harder! Hohohoh, learning is indeed cool! "Man, you're really smart, M.M.! I bet no other magician would be able to come to that conclusion! You're a genius!"

"Nah, they already tried this a long time ago. Don't underestimate the knowledge of magic-users." But she waves her compliments away with a hand, sticking her tongue out in mock pity. "If something is weak or ineffective, just add more fuel for it to grow stronger; that's, like, common sense in anything, including magic. However, not everyone has a pool of power to make a low-level spell grow like that, and even those who do rather learn more advanced, more useful enchantments than just rely on a basic spell that just happens to be bigger. The only reason why it works with you... It's because of the dragon that resides on you, making it easy to overpower even high-tier magic."

"Hm, right." I nod. I still don't understand how powerful Master Albion really is, but if we can turn a low-tier spell into something devastating, I can only imagine what other things we can do together! Once the serious air dissipated, M.M. picked her phone and slid her fingers across it, probably checking her channel or whatever she said it is. "M.M., then how are we gonna do it? Are you going to give me some grimoires or tunes for me to read, and then I can learn from them? Or I have to go through some sort of ritual to see if I'm worthy of practice magic? I'm up to do anything if I must!"

"Jeez, we abandoned those barbaric methods like centuries ago, dude. Ever heard of that saying from Clarke: 'sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'? From years up to now, magic users have been using normal human technology to adapt and refine our skills since the line between them grows thinner and thinner." She laughs, picking me by the wrist and dragging me out from out headquarters as we walk into the streets of Shibuya during midday. "Let's do something fun and that will help you improve magically. Besides doing exorcist jobs for views, I also review films and the likes."

"Come again?"

"Yep, Falco: let's watch some movies and help you out!" She exclaims, showing on the screen of her phone that she already bought some tickets for a movie marathon in a nearby mall. Oh, Oh! This is the first time I ever went to a theatre! Makes me wonder how that will help me, though...

Once we reached the film theatre, I could only marvel at the amount of people there, all walking and excited to see a film or two, and our duo was no different. M.M. was nice enough to buy me a soda and some popcorn, while she refused any since she doesn't want to end fat or something. Her loss, she shows the man in the counter her digital tickets, and we go into one of the dark rooms. There we like a thousand red seats so properly lined in steps, and a big white screen by the other side with several black boxes above our heads! M.M. guided me to our seats, and soon after I saw the lights turning off and the screen lightening up to show... Movement.

After that, it was hard for me to describe all the wonders that happened. In one moment, I was watching the adventures of a farmer boy blowing up a planet-destroying superweapon and fighting an evil emperor, the next, I was crying watching a big giant but gentle man with miraculous powers being erroneously sentenced to death. I saw toys coming to life to either help each other escape from a bully or to try to possess a kid. I watched the rise and fall of kingdoms, different planets with blue people; tragedies unfold like the sink of the ship of dreams or half of the universal population turning into dust, wars and battles beyond bonds and finally some romance in seeing two people reconciliate or see how forgiving can change everything. By the end of the last film, I noticed it was already night, and i couldn't stop drying my tears or sniffing my nose. Some of those films were kinda lame, but when they hit, they hit.

"W-Waaaah~. Chiron does deserve all the happiness in the world with Kevin~…!" I cried, remembering possibly the best love confession in all those films I watched. M.M. was also drying a single tear escaping her eyes, even handing me a handkerchief.

"Yeah, no matter how many times I watch it, that one is a masterpiece. The musical was good too, though." She mutters, and I give her a thumbs up. we excited the theatre and walked back on the road leading to her hotel and my shelters, and once I was able to clean everything and stop crying, I turned to my master magician.

"But, hey, how is this gonna help me do magic? Don't get me wrong, it was super fun watching all those films one after another, and the popcorn and soda were on point, but how does it work?" I asked her, tossing my tissues on a nearby trashbin. M.M. looked up for a second, turned to me but then yawned and stretched herself, a clear sign that she was tired.

"Uwaaah~. I will tell you tomorrow, dear Falco. for now, all those films are filling my head, and if I don't be careful, I won't even be able to remember them. Plus, I gotta, like, put a review video right now. So for now, let's go home and rest." She says nothing else and just leaves not before waving me a goodbye and blowing a kiss my direction, taking her way back to the hotel. I simply shrugged for that, but still excited for what could happen tomorrow. i got to learn more from M.M., plus the basic of magic and end up watching a ton of films for the first time! No wonder Rosa loved going to the theatre so often, those experiences are so magical! Now, I wonder when I'll be able to go to Disneyland...

{YOUNG ONE}

"Oh, master Albion, are you already awake? Today I had a ton of fun, too bad you couldn't come!" I said to the sleepyhead dragon, or rather, the small bluish glow on the back of my hand. Indeed, today was another day to put in my 'best ever' list, and I wished that Master Albion could see all the great films I saw, although, him being a dragon, he probably experienced something far better in the past.

{IN REALITY, I WAS QUITE AWAKE FOR AN HOUR OR SO. I ONLY DID NOT WISH TO DISRUPT YOUR LITTLE... ENCOUNTER WITH THAT MAGICIAN GIRL} Master Albion answered, and I blinked in surprise. How considerate, but now I feel bad, he probably saw a film midway and was really lost in the plot. Maybe next time if he asks nicely. {ARE YOU STILL LEARNING WORDS AND NUMBERS WITH THAT LASS, YOUNG ONE? YOUR PROGRESS REGARDING SUCH IS REMARKABLE, BUT YOU WILL NEED MUCH MORE TO BECOME A FORMIDABLE WHITE DRAGON LIKE YOUR PREDECESSOR. TO STAY IDLE WATCHING THOSE CINEMATIC DISPLAYS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FOR YOUR TRAINING.}

"But it's fun, right? To experience new things, and see all those pretty lights and stories being told. It's fun, it's nice." I said, humming the imperial march to myself, imagining walking in a spaceship filled with dead rebels. Those small distractions are regardless also new experiences, and even though I never lost a beloved in a ship crash or ended in a relationship with deaf girl, but I felt every moment of those in my heart. I wonder if there's a connection. "It might be M.M. just messing with me to watch some films, but I can't complain. Plus, she has been teaching me so much, I guess we can have a break. Did you want to watch some films with us?"

{I SEE. I AKNOWLEDGE THAT TIMES OF LEISURE ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS TIMES TO IMPROVE, BUT ARE YOU SURE WE CAN TRUST THAT LASS? NO REGRETS?} The dragon asks. If we can trust M.M.? Of course, we can! Why would a person teach me all sorts of cool stuff, plus magic, and take me to watch films with her if she wasn't a good person? M.M. is a bit strange, sure, but that's how people are sometimes. But then again, I saw the Chosen One go rogue and kill a bunch of children out of love. I still smile.

"M.M. is a nice person, Master Albion. We don't have to worry about anything." I wave a hand in the glow on the back of my hand, response being a light curious yet powerful hum from the dragon. "She is a good person and a great teacher, there is no reason for me to distrust her. But if she does have second intentions, she's free to do and act as she likes to betray me. Of course... If that ever happens, I'm also free to make her regret that. Theoretically speaking, of course."

{…} The white dragon says nothing, only hums once again as we reach the warehouse we have been using as a headquarters and reach for a small blanket and sheets for improvised bed to sleep. {WE SHALL DISCUSS THIS ANOTHER TIME. FOR NOW, REST, YOUNG ONE. I LOOK FORWARD FOR YOUR DEVELOPMENT.}

"Goodnight to you too, Master Albion. I would give you a goodnight kiss, but I don't know how to. So I can only wish you sweet dreams." I said, closing my eye and seeing the light on my hand fade, but not before hearing a positive hum from the dragon sealed within. It has been... 3 years since I last had those nightmares, so I no longer fear falling asleep only to drown. It feels... refreshing, with the hope that tomorrow things might be even better.

Hope is indeed... a very nice thing.

…

"The reason as to why I wanted you to watch all those films, besides going to the theatre being a blast on itself, is simple: films help improve creativity and imagination, therefore is not farfetched to say those are almost as important as magical equations when conjuring spells." And on the next day, we were gathered in the warehouse for M.M. to teach me, only this time, no more letters or numbers, but apparently I'm going to learn magic today! M.M. started by picking another pair of soda cans and placing on the table, and then she walked towards me with that explanation. "Quick question, dear Falco: if I take one hour to dig a hole, how many minutes do I need to dig half a hole?"

"Hm...?" Math again? But I thought we would learn magic today! Oh, no matter, I guess that's an easy one, she first taught me about those seconds-minutes-hours-day stuff, so that's easy! Let's see... If an hour in sixty minutes and I dig a hole in that moment, half a hole is... I snap my fingers and smile. "That's easy! In half an hour, or thirty minutes!"

"Wrong." She instead knocks my head with her knuckles. Wait, how? I thought I did that right! Half is like one thing divided by two, and if I need one hour to dig a hole and now half a hole... Hmmm~… Hmmmm~! Math is harder than I thought! Another flick on my forehead, M.M. called for my attention. "There is no such thing as a half a hole, Falco. You can dig half of the first hole, but there is no such thing as half-hole. It's always a whole one."

"Oh... Ooooooh~!" I snap my fingers, finally realizing her tricky question. Of course!

"Second question: If I have three apples, and I eat four; how many apples do I have after?" She asks. I guess she's testing my intelligence to see if I can do all the hard calculations for magic. I stop for a moment to think... Let's see... Since the three came before the four, that means we need to subtract four from the three, and then.

"Oh, this one I got it: you'll end up with minus one apple!"

"Wrong again. You can't eat an apple that doesn't exist." She flicks me again, this one hurt a lot more. With a chuckle, she ruffled my hair a little. "Now then, answer me this: why are those answers wrong? Mathematically speaking, the answers for {0,5x=? If x=60} and {3-4} being those are not wrong, but when you think a bit harder, a half a hole or minus one apple don't exist. So why they do in arithmetic ways? Because, when you break it down, equations and numbers are mostly imaginary..."

"..." I tilt my head, pensive. What? Numbers don't exist, they're just imagination? How come? I do have five fingers, one eye, one body and two wings, and they're very real. It doesn't make sense if numbers aren't real! Now I cross my arms and let out a small huff of smoke exit my mouth. "M.M. really is smart, to know all of that. This is really too complicate for me."

"Not really. Just think that for every number, there at least a variation that can't exist in nature." She crosses her own arms and explains, only making things even more confusing. "You can subtract and add a number of people and even divide in groups, but you can't multiply them; the same way you can calculate the Pythagorean theorem, yet you can't ask for a minus two centimetres of something. The same reason as to why the Malthusian theory is deeply flawed and Hilbert's hotel is counterintuitive when you try to understand the infinite. Numbers, most of the time, are imaginary, yet we can 'understand' them. Do you follow?"

"Hmm... I'm trying~." I moan, already feeling my head going a bit into overdrive. She laughs in my misery, this is hard to understand, no wonder I never saw a magician before. They have to study a lot to understand that! My respect for M.M. skyrocketed after that! "So, why do we needed to watch films again for my training?"

"When John Coffey died in the electric chair, what did you feel? Sadness, sorrow? A tint of regret or pity, even anger? Or when Ishida saved Nishimiya from killing herself, did you feel remorse or hope? I bet you were happy when Pure Imagination started to play in the flying elevator scene, or sad when David fell asleep to never wake up. Tell me, even if those events are not real... what you felt was, right?" She taps my shoulder a few times, and with a bit of thinking, I came to that conclusion with a snap of my fingers, and I think she caught my cue. "Right you are. As disgraceful and petty as we are, humans have this wonderful thing called 'empathy'.. The same way you can feel real emotions to something imaginary, the same can be said about thaumaturgy: basically, if you feel it's real, even if it's not, it can happen. And that's half of what you need to learn magic."

"Awesome! That's so cool, and makes so much sense! … Kinda. Still, you're the best, M.M.!" I cheered, and she smiled to herself with a thumbs up. I'm still a bit lost regarding all that empathy-thing, but watching films did help me in my studies! So, if I can feel it's real, it can turn real, that's at least what she said regarding magic!

"Okay then, let's go for the practical part this time, aka the best part. Since you have an immense pool of magical energy due to your sacred gear, it might be easy for you to do some basics, and like I said, even if you can't calculate enough to do advanced spells, your magical input should be enough to pull some sick tricks." M.M. declares, pulling her phone to take another selfie and see her tweets and then tapped her fingers on the table, then pointing at the cans on top of it. "Now, imagine all the energy flowing, and then concentrate it on the tip of your fingers, then fire at the soda. Since its raw energy, it'll be only be a blast of air, but it's a start."

"Okay!" I said, lifting a finger and pointing at one of the metal cans like in a cowboy film. Let's see, imagine the energy flowing and going into the tip of your finger. If you think it's real, then it'll be real. I know films and things like the Power Rangers of superheroes are fantasy, but the emotions I felt watching them are real, and in the same way, if I think magic is real, then it will work. "Imagine the energy... point at the cans... imagine the energy... then Fir-…!"

*ZING!*

*DON!*

"Hm?"

"Ah..." But then something else happened: it wasn't a gust like M.M. said it would be, but instead what came from the tip of my finger was a small light arrow, shot out from it and piercing the can, leaving a steaming hole in it! Oh wow, that was awesome! I aimed at the other can, imagined the energy thing again and fired, again piercing the can with a magic arrow made out of light! "Whoa, so awesome! M.M., I think I'm better at this than I thought! Did you see it?! Did you?! That's, like, way better than a wind blow! What kind of magic is that?"

"That... Wasn't magic, Falco. What you did was fire a light element arrow. Pure light element." She says, her face dropping from a smile to a surprise gaping expression. I tilt my head again, confused. Wait, those are different things? I guess so, since she looks as puzzled as I am. She comes closer to the can, which were still steaming from the heat, and takes a look before turning to me. "Uh, Falco, dear, tell me this: is anyone in your family an angel or something? Or perhaps turned into one?"

"Not that I know. My father is a shoe seller and we never went to church save some special days, and I don't know much about mom, but I guess she was human." I responded. I know my father is not a religious man and so it's impossible for him to be an angel, and I have no recollection of my mother at all, she disappeared when I was a baby according to dad. Overall, I never asked, but it never concerned me, anyway. "Why do you ask?"

"You see, what you just did... Is not actually...!"

*DOOOOOOOON...!*

But everything came to deaf ears, and by that, I mean almost literally, when we heard a massive explosion and an orb of dark lightning and energy emerged from the forest nearby. it was so loud it almost burst my eardrums, but M.M. seems unfazed and even a bit curious, humming something and shifting her gaze there. What was that?!

"Hm, interesting. That's a blast of natural energy if I ever see one. I can feel the disruption of flow from this distance." She says, looking at her arm and seeing all the hair in it go up. I look down on my own and even I am a bit goose-pimply. Wait, 'natural energy', there are more forms of those? Constantly learning a thing every day, she's indeed a good mentor! M.M. turns to me and signs for me to follow her. "Hey Falco, we shall talk about that later. For now, I'll show you something almost unique to this country."

"Really?! Awesome!" I said, lifting from my previous shock and following her deep into the forest, in the direction of where that black blast emerged. Whatever caused that must be very strong, and it has been almost two weeks since I last fought anything! I need to keep going or I'll get all rusty! Out of precaution, I summoned my {DIVINE DIVIDING} and M.M. pulled her dagger with a funny name as we ran towards the zero ground of that. In the middle, she called for my attention.

"Now pay attention, dear Falco: like I said before, the magic I'm teaching you is just a branch from a large net of thaumaturgy, which encapsules demonic powers, light elements and even divine abilities granted by higher forces. And just like there are many uses for it, magic can also be granted by different sources." She starts as we get closer to the ground zero, so close I can feel a funny smell getting stronger. Oh, that's another thing, so magic can be fuelled by something else! Makes sense, considering how my Sacred Gear works. "The majority of them are fuelled by the energy of the user itself, like demonic abilities, holy armaments, even Sacred Gears have to be empowered by your own stock. However, there is a brand of magic that uses something almost unlimited, making their users quite notable: senjutsu, or sage arts."

"Sen-what not?" I ask, jumping a small tree stub in the way.

"Senjutsu, or sage arts translated. It's not something a normal human can obtain naturally, and even so, only a few supernatural creatures known as Youkai are able to successfully pull it out. They have the ability to control their own natural energy and even the flow of nature, making them formidable foes." She explains, and more and more I grow excited to see the source of that explosion. a person who uses their own energy plus nature's to fight! So cool! "And being the super awesome, totes smart person that I am, I can sense from afar that explosion used senjutsu to come forth. However, to have such a foul aura..."

And then we reached the location of the explosion, and as expected, it was a scenario out of an apocalyptical film: the mood around this place is dark and heavy, the earth is charred black and the only things resembling living things were long gone, instead replaced by black skeletons and horrified burnt bodies everywhere. Houses were destroyed and burnt, the ground itself was scarred and lifeless, and the smell... this is the smell of charcoaled flesh. This is a scenario from hell...

*BEEP!*

"Hm..." And then I saw M.M. take a selfie with a kiss among the destruction of this place, soon typing something on her phone and humming a song. "M.M., what are you doing?"

"Posting this slaughter on Devitube. As a respectful Devituber, I should vlog about any kind of atrocity that I find to gather some views."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course not, dummy. I don't wanna get cancelled for that. But I am searching if there were any reports about a fire around this place or any photo that matches. Nothing here is now, and senjutsu does not leave such damage on non-living things." She says, and I take a peek from her shoulder to see her scrolling across a news site. In the end, she turns her phone off. "As suspected, no information even with a fire of this calibre and that many people killed. This means this was a supernatural attack covered by the local factions. Might be a devil's act, might be from the five great families, might be even from other youkai; the fact that such thing doesn't appear in the news at all hints someone manipulating the sources or hiding it the public normal eye."

"Whoa, you really think of everything, M.M." I wondered, and she smirks. "But why the selfie, though?"

"I can't help it, Falco, the camera just loves me." She laughs, pulling her phone and kissing the small glassy fissure on the back. "Who's the prettiest devituber of them all? I look so good in any shot, even with such bloodshed behind me. It's like if its eye has a mind and only has its gaze on me~. That's totes rad, yo."

"Hahahah." I laugh nervously. She's an awesome teacher and magician, but she can be so strange sometimes. I think this is normal in this side of the world. In this mess, among the still steaming and dead bodies and constructions, my ears pick a sound, a sobbing. I turn my attention elsewhere and there was no mistake, someone is crying here. "Hey, M.M., do you hear that? Someone is still alive around here?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I hear it too. I guess it's that way." she says, putting her phone down and following me to the source of that lament. It's not very far, but it sounds pained. With all the destruction around, it wouldn't be surprised if someone is grieving over a dead body or a destroyed home.

Turns out I was right: in the middle of a small hole on the ground, with still dark particles hovering all over her, was a girl around our age wearing a purple tattered kimono, kneeled on the ground and embracing two charred skulls in her arms, crying heartbroken, tears dripping on the ground but soon evaporating due to the heat. However, what most caught my attention were the cat ears on top of her black-white messy hair and two tails sprouting from her behind. Wait, what?

"Oh, so that's why it didn't appear on the news. If that girl is a member of this village, that means this is a nekomata village." M.M. says, taking a glance at the girl not very far and the tears falling on the black skulls. Now that I look closer, some of the charred bodies have also tails and even ears, although most of them are just bones and burnt now. "Should've known better. The flux of energy here is weaker due to their deaths, but it still denser than a normal forest, which signs a great gathering of energy-sensitive beings... Or signed, anyway."

"M.M., what's a nekomata?" I ask.

"Nekomatas are a form of youkai, a monster from this place. They're a cat-like beings with affinity for senjutsu and other advanced forms of magic." She explains. That makes sense since they have cat years and tails. M.M. then scratches the back of her head. "I was hoping to show you some senjutsu from masters of such, since this was quite a demonstration, but it seems that... This was an emotional manifestation rather than a proper technique. I don't blame her."

"Wait, so you're saying she's the one who caused that explosion?" I asked. Whoa, such power!

"Most likely. Nekomatas and senjutsu-users are usually not that effective or destructive, but under strong emotions, they can cause some real damage since they can disrupt the flow of energy on their surroundings. That boom from earlier was probably her having an emotional breakdown." M.M. continues to talk, and my excitement just keeps growing. So that means she can grow stronger and more dangerous the angrier and sadder she becomes? That's awesome too! M.M. on the other hand takes a few steps behind and tries to turn around. "But I guess that's not the best moment to talk to her. We should leave her alone and maybe try again..."

"Hey, you!" But I exclaim, calling for her attention much for M.M.'s surprise. The nekomata girl gasps and turns to us, her eyes still red for crying so much. However, they soon adopt a more murderous intent, so intense a gust blew our way. She has the bloodlust too, unlike those animals and creatures I used to fight!

"Falco, what are you doing?!"

"YOU...!" The cat girl screams, and out of the sudden the air around us turn darker and somber, small black flame orbs floating around her and a shadow is casted on her golden eyes. That wasn't even a voice, it was a screech. Feral. "Are you... Are you the one responsible for this?! ARE YOU THE ONE WHO DESTROYED MY HOME?!"

"Oh poop, we were spotted. Better try something." The magician says, sweating buckets and walking besides me with a worried gaze. I can feel it, I can feel the energy from that girl, and I can sense that she's strong... Very strong. "N-No dear. Look, we just saw that orb of power and we thought..."

"And what if I am?" I cut M.M. and she turns an exasperated look at me, wordlessly asking me what I was doing. The air grows heavier and denser, almost suffocating, and the power she exhales opens another crater under her feet. Great! She's getting angrier and stronger! Maybe I should irritate her more, so I shrug. "Aren't you curious, nekomata girl? Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. Why don't you try to find out?"

"Falco, what the heck...?!"

"Damn you! DAMN YOOOOOOU...!" And she finally explodes, opening yet another crater below her feet and the orbs around her bursting into true spheres of dark energy that were burning the air around her. I guess that's the apex of her power! I just can't wait... to fight her! This is my first time with a nekomata! "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY VILLAGE! FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY FAMILY! DAMN YOOOOOOOU...!"

"Now, we're talking. Let's fight!" I exclaim, using my Sacred Gear to hover to her and land not very away, facing the contorting crying face. It's very hot in here, and I feel heavy for some reason, but I don't mind. Before anything else, we should be polite to one another, so I smile and bow. "By the way, I'm Falco, Falco Crawford! What's your nam-…?"

*BOOOOOOOOOOM...!*

"Eh...?" And befoe I knew it, all I see is black, followed by red and then blue. I blink once, twice, and then I land my back on the hard ground, forming a hole there. It took a moment for me to realize what happened: when I was about to present myself, I saw one of those black orbs hurled at me to then explode and send me flying away. Owowowow, the pain is coming now, it hurts~. I see a shadow above me, and I notice it was someone else. "Oh, M.M."

"That one's on you, Falco. Should've expected much." She sighs, turning around to take a selfie and write something. "WRCKD LOLOLOLOL! MY STUPID BIRDIE GOT HIS BUTT KICKED! … And send. Think you can handle her? I know about our deal, but if you want a hand or something..."

"Nah. I'm good." I say with a lifted thumbs up. This is my first time with a nekomata, but I think I can handle if that explosion was one of her attacks. Besides, in order to show to everyone and myself I am the strongest, I need to deal with my foes alone, no assistance. She responds with another thumbs up.

"Okay, good luck, Falco. Don't die." she cheers before running away from my landing site, and with a good reason: from the sky, another silhouette forms, and I see the image of a very pissed nekomata girl coming my way! As fast as I could, I roll to a side and use my wings to back away from her landing, that caused another crater! I thought she lived here, to cause such destruction.

"I'll kill you! I WILL KILL YOU...!" She screams, hurling another pair of those energy orbs at me! I have no time to dodge, so I call for my wings to blow they away anyway! I land on my feet and adopt a battle pose.

"That's the spirit!" I exclaim. The nekomata girl jumped towards me again and prepared another barrage of fireballs, but I was faster, using the boost from my Divine Dividing, and cut the distance between us, landing a blow right on her stomach! This time it was her time to fly away, destroying a house in the process. "Heheheh... Study is nice, but some butt whooping is refreshing as anything!"

{YOUNG ONE, AS MUCH AS I UNDERSTAND YOUR MOTIVES BEHIND YOUR ACTIONS, I MUST DECLARE THAT I FIND YOUR REASONING BEHIND AGGROING THAT LASS TO BE IDIOTIC AT BEST.} The feathers on my energy wings say, and I chuckle in an awkward way. Oh no, I got scolded by Master Albion, this is a first. {TO GROW POWERFUL IS IMPORTANT, BUT AS YOUR PREDECESSOR LEARNT, SO IS TO BUILD CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS TO REACH YOUR OBJECTIVES.}

"Don't worry, Master Albion. We can try to make friends with her once we fight and I tell her the truth. This is how it usually is. Right?" I said in a nonchalant way, and all I get from him is a tired sigh. I don't know if that's disapproval or acceptance, but I hope now I can fight in peace. I hear the sound of destruction, and emerging from the debris of the house, there was the nekomata girl, spitting some blood but still murderous as always. "Hey there! Still struggling I see, as I expected! You're really strong! Let's do our best n-…!"

*T-TUM! T-TUM!*

"Gh...!" But out of the sudden, I feel something clutching my heart, and my vision gets blurry for some reason, even breathing is hard. I feel something dripping, and I notice that I was having a nosebleed. What is that out of the sudden. No, I see another strange thing on me: flame like markings start to spread all over my body, black as charcoal. "What the... What...?"

"Koku-byou, the black Malady. The sage art will corrode and rot your body like a virus, until you turn into nothing but a living corpse, dying before your last breath." She explains, snapping her fingers and the flame marking spreading even more. So, this is senjutsu, her blows were not to directly attack me, but to reach the energy in me and corrupt it to harm me. Her gaze is hateful. "And I'll enjoy every moment of it, seeing you agonizing as your flesh is devoured by the corrupted energy and you lose all of your senses to the pain and then die the most painful deat-…!"

*DON!*

"I like it! A time limit! This will make things more interesting!" and I flash-stepped right in front of her again, picking her by the kimono to slam her in the ground and then kick her away like a football! That kick... it' starting, I can't feel one of my arms, and the grip around is weaker. That's no bluff, her senjutsu is really taking its effect... Awesome! Like a good cat, she lands on her feet but faults a little, her legs trembling. Another ting of pain and I spit some blood, my mouth flooding with it. "So, all I need to do is defeat you before I die, end the corruption right there. Cool, so cool! That will be such a good fight!"

"You little...!"

{DIVIDE!}

"W-What...?!" And ten seconds pass, and a light aura leaves her body as she faults once again, almost losing her footing. On the other hand, I feel a sudden surge of energy in me as the white aura on me grows and the pain subdues a little. She looks confused, but then widen her eyes in shock. "No, don't tell me...!"

"Yep... Nice to meet you. My name is Falco Crawford, and I am the current white dragon emperor!" I exclaim, pulling another fighting pose. "Now then, let's fight! May the best fighter win!"

"You...!" She regains her footing again, and now summons another volley of magical orbs, all red as blood, as tears won't stop falling from her eyes. "I don't care if you're the red, the white, even the infinity dragon, I will have my revenge! In the name of those who lost their lives, I, Murasaki, shall make you suffer for the lives you took!"

Oh, she has a name! That's nice. Well then, let the battle begin.

FALCO CRAWFORD VS. MURASAKI

THE WHEEL OF FATE IS TURNING! HEAVEN OR HELL? LET'S ROCK!

And that's a wrap for now. Avenger characters, if done correctly, are always a joy to write.

Hello, DxD fandom. Houki Minami back with Falco and M.M.'s bizzare adventure. This was more of a infomation dump chapter and me trying to figure it out how magic in dxd works, but also a way to make Falco learn magic in a believeable way. After all, he is a(n apparently) normal guy with no magic background with the only saving grace being his sacred gear, so I hope I could pass this information in a satisfactory way, plus some more mysteries surounding our MC. I hope I've made his interactions with his friend/mentor nice too, after all, they share the same braincell and connection.

Since we have a Nu!Vali and a Nu!Arthur/Lefay, i decided to also include Nu!Kuroka, with an even more tragic backstory since everybody seems to love the nekomata genocide or something despite being a fandom thing. And also to show how Falco works as an protagonist. He is ready to kick ass, after all.

With that in mind, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to R&R and stay safe. Greetings from Houki Minami.