Being a floating mass of Shadow, and newly Darkness was exquisite.
I enjoyed being free from worldly matters, free from smells, free from tastes, and free from feelings. Those pesky chemical-induced feelings were by far the biggest burden, and only once you were free from them could you understand their burden.
I let out a formless 'shrug' that probably only looked like a ripple on my gaseous mass, and focused back on the little wheel-shaped world that I was skirting around.
The Wizarding world while weak as a whole was adept at locating the location I would appear at ahead of time and evacuating it.
It wasn't much more than an annoyance, I could force myself into the world if I felt like it, but I was wary of the binding effect my words seemed to hold. Even mundane words when spoken by me seemed to hold 'weight' as if my Demonic Power functioned differently in this world and held me to my words.
I was sure I could survive whatever happened should I go back on my words, but I wasn't going to potentially harm myself just for the sake of curiosity.
"Gate." I shrugged again and sent a tendril of myself into the world, and met with a familiar scene. The world's magic pushed against me while I once again studied those who had their heads bowed and were manipulating the magic surrounding the Gate.
There weren't any familiar souls among the bunch, most of those surrounding the gate were young this time. It probably meant that a lot of time had passed in this world since my last appearance.
"What do you seek Demon?" Familiar words were spat from the mouth of an old woman, mirroring what I had heard the last time I was here.
I remained silent, stretching the tendril of myself further into the world and splitting it into eight. I grabbed eight of the youngest men and women and dragged them through the gate and into my Shadow.
Quickly they were broken down into different components but weren't consumed. Instead, I duplicated the souls and broke them down again, repeating the process a few times until I had enough to work with.
I scrapped all their memories together before restoring them one final time and tossing them out of the Gate. I eyed the surroundings taking note of the buildings before disappearing as quickly as I came.
Maybe it's the world itself warning them of my appearance?
"Hmmm..." I hummed at the thought and found myself wondering if the world was a sentient entity.
Probably... When enough magic masses in an area a spirit is born. It's not impossible.
I blinked my many eyes and refocused on the soul slurry I had. I had some experimenting to do. First, I needed to sift through some of their memories, and then I needed to get started on a proxy soul...
Thankfully I had nothing but time.
"Dammit, I should probably grab some souls from the DxD-verse as well." If I could have rubbed my chin I would of, but alas I was a weird concept thing with many eyes but no chin.
...
September 1948:
Imagine my surprise when my favorite ex-human shoved an enchanted gun in my face, with a 'praise me' face.
"Well done, how'd you do it though?" I spun the Revolver around, admiring the runes inlaid on its surface that glowed with obvious mystical power.
I held its iron sight up to my eye and lined it up with a vase in the room, making 'pews' in my mind as I used my imagination to shoot the vase.
"Mihaela did some complicated alchemy thing and soaked a normal Revolver in pure silver essence, making it take on the properties of silver while still maintaining the properties of all the other metal used when making the gun..." Amaya rambled on, but I lost interest, I was instead imagining myself gunning down Vampires, watching them writhe when hit by silver bullets.
Amaya stopped talking, and I took that as my cue to continue the conversation.
"And the Runes were all you, right?" I spun the gun around once more, looking at the runes a little closer. "Asgardian Strengthening and increase effect?"
"Yes." Amaya looked proud. "The bullets are made of silver so you can channel magic into them or enchant them and the gun will increase the magic's effectiveness."
"Neat." The image of a burning screaming Vampire danced in my head. "Very well done." I handed the gun back to her, already missing it as I did so.
The Runes were large, too large to get many effects into the weapon, but it was still well done. It would deal with some lesser monsters in any case.
"Did you inscribe it or carve it?" I scratched my chin, trying to think of something new to teach Amaya. She seemed to be doing well, better than I had when I first started. So, maybe there was some talent to nurture?
"I carved it. I don't have enough Demonic Power to do Inscriptions like how Mihaela does them." Amaya exhaled heavily, and I held back a wince.
Human Inscription was less mana intensive than Demonic Inscription, so if she didn't have the power for Mihaela's version then she had no hope of learning mine.
"Has Valerie taught you the Devil's written language?" My mind drifted to the many different Runes the underworld offered. "Or Latin for that matter?"
"Neither." Amaya shook her head and my hopes were dashed. "Valerie said she would start when I had bigger reserves."
I hummed, slightly disappointed. Valerie as my Queen should have been teaching Amaya, but perhaps there was some bad blood or resentment? It was likely.
"Let's fix that now..." I brought forth some of the yet to be devoured Vampire soul-puree from my Shadow and held it in my palm. "I'd say hold still, but you don't have a choice." I wrapped her in my Shadow, taking care not to crush her.
"Umm, let's not..." I ignored her protests and focused on the soul-puree.
I let bits of the soul flake off and drift to Amaya, but nothing happened, her soul didn't move to devour it. I watched mutely as the little flakes of soul, stuck to hers but didn't merge, just stuck.
It was odd, a total contrast to how it usually went. I had assumed her soul would just gobble it up, but it was like snow hitting the earth, it just gathered.
Of course, there was always a solution to my problems, and like every other time, the solution was overwhelming power and time shenanigans.
"Time Defiance." I willed the soul fragments to become assimilated, and they did, proving that they would have been assimilated eventually in the future, just not right away.
Messing with causality was fun!
"So, how do you feel?" I released her from my Shadow and eyed her now golfball-sized pool of Demonic Power. "Your pathways seemed to have formed, you can run wild and free..." I trailed off as Amaya fell into a boneless heap, soundly unconscious.
I stared down at her, unsure of how to continue. She was fine, probably more than fine. She had just had her magic increased after all. She would wake up different, more aware.
Maybe it was some sort of sensory overload?
"She'll probably be less angry if she wakes up in your bed, with you beside her." Valerie poked her head out from my shadow and blinked up at me.
"My dear, I don't give a damn." An awkward silence had fallen over us, so I scratched my nose with a thumb, waiting for Valerie to get it.
"Gone with the wind?" Valerie perked up, apparently getting the reference.
"Yep." I popped the 'p' and gave her a cheesy thumbs up. "The classics never let you down."
Valerie nodded sagely and sunk back into the shadows, slinking away and leaving me and the now awake Amaya alone.
"How do you feel?" I crossed my arms, ready for a verbal lashing.
"Like I've found something I've always been missing..." The lashing didn't come, instead Amaya stared at me with apparent joy. Her smile stretched her face, and her eyes were a joyous brown-orange, a color they weren't moments ago. "I feel complete..."
Amaya held her hands up palms facing her and stared into them like they held secrets untold.
"Don't get too swept up in the rush, it won't last that long." I warned her while wondering if she was experiencing the high of a sudden power jump or the high of eating a soul.
Probably both.
Amaya said nothing and just stared at her palms in silent wonder. I left her to it, instead deciding to occupy my mind with thoughts of Vampires and Communism.
Would killing Communist Vampires be more fun than killing normal Vampires?
Sadly, I needed Communist Vampires to find out...
...
September 1948:
I sat in my office armchair, fingers in the finger pyramid of evil contemplation, and a bottle of Wizard wine at my side, while Amaya chewed through some built-up paperwork.
My mind drifted to the Power of Destruction and my failed attempts to acquire it. I hadn't tried too hard, as having part of my soul 'vanished' was traumatizing enough to stop further attempts at acquiring the Power of Destruction especially when my strong soul was the reason for my power.
Still, I'd undergone a few drastic leaps in strength, I could try and gain the bloodline again and if brute force didn't work then I could try a different method...
The Power of Destruction could affect souls, space, and likely concepts so it was imperative that I snatched it up. Having such an ability was too tempting, especially if I wanted to get past those weird spirit gods inhabiting the void a few layers above my own.
Maybe I could travel back in time and Devour Sirzechs when he was a child? He was my biggest obstacle, preventing me from targeting others with the Power of Destruction...
What if the Power of Destruction didn't affect concepts? Would it be worth the effort?
Maybe, the fact that it affects consciousness and souls was enough to make it worth the effort required to get it and then become proficient enough not to accidentally kill everyone I care about...?
Though I still had the Scythe, and that could affect souls and was probably enough...
"Valerie wants to visit her friend but is too shy to ask." Amaya spoke up, breaking the silence and disturbing my train of thought.
I felt the shadows surrounding us writhe, meaning Valerie heard Amaya and was peeved. It was probably the fabled 'girl talk' that men weren't privy to. She probably didn't want to make a fuss.
When did her control over shadows become so good?
I banished the unnecessary thought and considered what I needed to do before we left. Though I guess I didn't have to do much. I could just grab Valerie and visit using time shenanigans.
"Valerie if you can find her, let Mihaela know we will be visiting our world soon, and ask her if she wants to come." Mihaela was still off fighting Communism, but I was sure she would enjoy a break.
I felt the shadows writhe in response and knew my message had been received, Amaya on the other hand looked confused.
"When your control over an element reaches a certain level you can see, hear, and travel through your element, in our case it's Shadows." Amaya had a look of realization on her face and looked scandalized. "It's probably everything your imagining, though it's a passive ability for me and I have to tune out what I get from the shadows."
That was a new development, I now had to ignore my new seventh sense.
Amaya still looked scandalized and didn't seem to know what to say so she remained silent. I shrugged and put it out of my mind, she could come to her own conclusions.
It wasn't my job to think for her anyway...
"Does that mean she heard us when we were talking about threesome stuff?" Amaya looked mortified and stared at me, hoping for anything other than a 'yes'.
"Yeah, probably." I just nodded and proceeded to ignore Amaya's embarrassed expression. And my mind drifted back to the Scythe.
It was technically a soul weapon, though not all that useful as I wasn't a physical fighter, I was more of a mage...
Not to mention that Scythes weren't practical, not unless you were better than your opponent and could run circles around them...
"Oh..." Amaya spoke up again breaking my train of thought. "Can she always hear what happens in our bedroom?" Amaya's eye met mine.
"She doesn't need any shadows to do that, you're not quiet." I deflected heavily with a little joke and proceeded to once again ignore Amaya's rising panic and embarrassment
Letting her know about the shadow thing was opening pandora's box...
I held in my sigh and considered just jumping to the past and not talking about our ability to see and hear through shadows.
Maybe not... It sounds like too much effort...
...
October 1948:
"That young-man, Cain, was in the office asking for his job back but I had him removed from the premises." My small blond assistant met me at the door and greeted me with some good news.
"Good job, if he comes back have him thrown out." I made my way through the workspace, eyeing the stills, barrels, and large glass jugs as I did so.
Most of our space was tied up by the stills, and barrels. I wanted to improve our output, but we simply didn't have space even if we did have the necessary cash to expand.
"We need to buy a warehouse. We'd have much more space if we didn't store everything here." I stepped into our storage area and eyed the various fermenting, and aging alcohols as I spoke aloud.
"We'd have to hire more laborers if we do." My assistant's words leaked disdain. "We don't need more rabble around here." She sneered.
"The 'rabble' are the only ones who are willing to do the hard jobs..." I spoke in a slow monotone, hoping my assistant would get the hint and drop it.
Thankfully my assistant did and so I could continue to think about all the trash I've collected in my Shadow. I had so much stuff stored away, that I no longer knew what I even had.
And now Amaya was practicing, trying to create her own pocket dimension. Sadly, I wasn't much help, like most of my abilities, I only had an 'instinctual' sense of how I created my storage.
So, I wasn't very helpful, neither was Valerie and now Mihaela and Amaya were working towards making an 'inventory' with human magic.
Making something she had seen from a manga was very Japanese, almost light-novel-Esque, I certainly apricated it. It was funny if nothing else.
I shook my head, trying to shake the idle thoughts from it, and made my way towards my old office, as it was my turn to do the paperwork today.
I gestured for my assistant to follow and ascended the stairs soon reaching the office door. I left the door open and took my seat at the desk, and motioned for my assistant to take a seat on one of the couches.
I discreetly connected my Shadow to hers as she sat and started establishing a mental connection through the Shadow.
Her emotions were muted, they were there, but they didn't seem to have much impact on her. Was she a sociopath? I hummed and grabbed a bottle of white wine and two glasses, quickly filling them and standing and handing a glass to her.
"How refined..." She said drolly while eyeing the glass. "You sure know how to treat a woman."
I just hummed, noting she wasn't really feeling anything at the moment, just the same muted detachment that I was feeling earlier.
"If I treated all women well, I wouldn't be able to keep them away." I joked lightly, taking a small sip of my wine. My assistant laughed politely in response but was still emotionally mute.
We slipped into silence and I took a moment to make a silent wish, I wished to be a 'Japanese Isekai protagonist' who becomes god incarnate and doesn't have to confront any difficult decision, remaining eternally naive and dense for five-hundred chapters.
But alas, I was all of those things, only I was not Japanese and that seemed to be the most important part of being a 'Japanese Isekai protagonist'
Speaking of Isekai, could I Isekai someone? I just needed to mess with their souls a little and drop them in a suitable fantasy-like world...
I let the idea roll around in my head for a few moments before dropping it.
Maybe later...
"Sorry I got distracted, I wanted to talk about your wages." My assistant looked disappointed so I continued, hoping to correct whatever thoughts she was having. "You've been around long enough, it's about time for a raise." Her face relaxed.
I internally shrugged as all her expressions were fake or seemed to be, she was still emotionally mute. My assistant nodded thankfully and held her cup out for a refill, which I obliged.
I continued to try reading her mind but was having no luck, only the same usual mute emotions...
Why is this so hard?
I sat in slight despair, wondering if I'd ever be reading minds like I wanted to. It wasn't working out for me, no matter which methods I used.
Why are her emotions so weird? Is my method the problem? Maybe I should go back to the old method...
I continued pondering my problems while quietly sipping wine in the company of my secretary.
My new method was definitely the problem...
...
After a few small delays, arguments, and gunfights with some Russians, we departed and arrived in our original world.
Well, at least Valerie and I did.
Mihaela was plotting a coup, and apparently, she wanted a good plan before she completed her coup and took over Russia and the countries surrounding it.
I tried to help and took out a few Russian military leaders, but apparently, I only made things worse and I was told to leave.
So, I left with my tail between my legs, leaving behind Mihaela to continue working towards her plan to overthrow more than a few governments, I traveled through the deep dark void, the ever twisting colors of the Gap, and quickly arrived back at Kuoh.
"Do you remember what we were doing before we left?" I spoke blandly as if staring at a smoking crater where your house once was, wasn't a big deal. "Because I sure don't." I kicked a loose stone into the crater, watching as it hit the near-perfect spherical walls of the crater.
"Isn't finding out who did this more important?" Valerie looked savagely angry, if there was someone in front of her, she would probably tear them apart.
I wanted to say 'no' and leave it at that but didn't want to start an argument. Instead, I just shrugged, pointed at our former house, and uttered a spell.
"Reversal." Our house was quickly and near-instantly reversed, meaning that our house was eliminated in one attack and not many smaller ones.
I probably could have guessed that, the giant hole should have clued me in...
"Don't worry too much, they won't be able to breach the wards if one of us is in the house." I shrugged and made my way into the house, unbothered by its destruction.
"It's whoever did this that has to worry..." Valerie muttered angrily, stomping and ruining the patio stones as she approached the house.
I turned back, eyed the shoeprints left in the stone, and wondered when Valerie became so spicy. The spiciness I was witnessing was particularly attractive.
It's best I not fish for trouble...
I dismissed any wandering thoughts and returned to the most pressing question on my mind.
"What were we doing when we were here last?" I repeated my question, while silently cursing my still terrible memory.
"You were bullying Sona and her Peerage." Valerie huffed at me and slipped into the shadows, apparently deeming the conversation done.
I watched her go, with memories of pulling Team Sona underground with my Shadow finally flowing through my mind.
"Yes, I was bullying Team Sitri..." I continued sifting through my memories for a moment longer before closing my eyes and diving into the shadows.
I unsealed my form and let it unravel, filling the surrounding shadows with many red eyes. I let the many Shadows that made up my body free and sent them on a hunt.
All that was left was a handsome shadowy being otherwise known as Surnothal Agares.
I struck a pose, hands behind my head, and hips thrust forward.
"When did I become such a ham...?" I stared out at the shadows, keeping my attention faintly on my Shadows.
Maybe this is what happens when you become strong? Maybe you just inevitably become weird?
I shook my head and sent my Shadows out to capture some strays and Vampires, I needed to collect more soul components if I wanted to make some Proxy souls.
...
I was guided through the mansion by Akeno, her stupid waist-length hair was fluttering behind her like a cape, so I made sure to keep a suitable distance between us, to avoid a mouthful of hair.
"Ah, Agares-san we are honored to receive you." Akeno greeted me, late, as we were already walking towards the meeting room. It was a slight, and not a small one.
"Hm." I just grunted, not interested in playing games.
We walked toward the Gremory's meeting room while Akeno hummed a cheery tune. I was at my wit's end when we arrived but breathed a near-silent breath of relief when Akeno held the doors open and motioned for me to enter.
I entered and was greeted with Rias's smug face like she had just gotten one up on me. Which she probably had, I had to come here myself to get my 'servant' after all. That probably didn't look good for me.
"Greetings Surn-kun." Rias hid her smile with a hand and greeted me.
"Greetings." I returned her weird greeting blandly, and took a seat across from her, not bothering to make pleasantries. "So, what's my favorite Vampire doing?"
"Gasper's just reading and enjoying his free time!" Ria's face lit up in smug joy and it took me a moment to figure out why.
Why is she being this annoying?
"I was talking about Valerie." I resisted the urge to throw Rias into the Gap and smiled thinly.
"Ah." Rias frowned and tapped her finger on her chin. "She's been helping us train after our loss against Sona's Peerage." She then smiled sweetly. "How generous of her!"
I just nodded in agreement, happy that this little mystery was solved.
She's salty because I trained with Sona, who then beat her. I had forgotten about the whole 'Young Devil Gathering' battle royal they had going on.
"When can I expect Valerie to be back?" After a moment of tedious silence, I decided to be blunt, hoping to leave as soon as I could.
Rias with the same sweet smile just hummed and shrugged, not answering.
"Ah, I see." I stretched my mouth with a smile of my own and fumed silently for a moment, allowing my anger to slowly build.
Rias's smile dimmed, and I realized why a second later. My Demonic Power was leaking, surrounding me in a visible thick black oily cloak of power.
I looked like I was on fire, only the flame was thick black and oily looking. I stood and stared at my cloak covered hand before throwing it forward, and pointing my palm at Akeno.
"Darkness Beam." A small black ball of energy quickly gathered on my palm and shot into Akeno, sending her flying through the wall behind her, and the many walls behind those walls. I ignored her, knowing she was probably dead, and turned to Rias.
"Akeno!" Rias screamed, and looked torn about confronting me or finding her friend, but eventually decided on the former. With a face twisted in rage, she raised both of her hands forming one giant Magic Circle which quickly brought forth a ball of Destruction and launched it at me.
I just walked around it. A maneuver Rias didn't seem to think possible judging from her wide eyes and agape mouth.
I could feel multiple presences approaching so I decided to wrap things up. I sidestepped a few small balls of Destruction and bent space so my next step sent me behind Rias.
"Gate." I grabbed her by the back of the neck and fell through the Gate I had formed on the floor and into the Gap. The Gate snapped shut behind me, leaving only me and my detainee.
"My brother will...!" I tightened my grip and she fell silent.
"Gate." Another gate opened, this time leading to the void. I unsealed my power and let my body shift, becoming shadowy. I flew through the Gate and into the void while congratulating myself on a successful heist.
"STOP!" I turned and saw Sirzechs, face full of rage, covered in his blackish-red cloak of Demonic Power. A crack in space slowly sealed itself behind him, apparently being his point of entry.
"Ha, nope!" With a wave of my hand, the Gate snapped shut, separating me from the furious Sirzechs.
I stared at the space I had exited, waiting for Sirzechs to pop out of the DxD-verse and power-up like a Shonen Protagonist, but luckily that didn't happen.
I turned my eyes to the now unconscious Rias, that I had accidentally suffocated in my quest to shut her up. Her soul was close to departing, so it was time for me to snatch it up and Devour it.
"Then I'll just need to use various Time Shenanigans to fix everything, and pretend nothing happened." I nodded to myself, forming a barrier as I did so.
So, time shenanigans, soul-devouring, more time shenanigans, more soul-devouring, even more time shenanigans, one very long training montage to consolidate my power-up followed by more time shenanigans.
"And then I have to have the same anger-inducing conversation with Rias..." I almost sighed but stopped myself. "I'll just speed time up, and skip most of the conversation..." I shook my head and focused on the now very dead Rias.
I had a soul to Devour...
...
I spent my time Devouring Strays, instilling the fear of death into some local Vampires, and traveling the void and looking for interesting worlds, while Valerie was training Rias's peerage. And sadly, I had no luck during my void traveling.
I did find a few interesting modern worlds, but most of them lacked magic, and though I could feel something was 'off' it was usually because they were 'sitcom worlds' as I've taken to calling them.
I wasn't interested in watching Friends in real-time so I didn't bother staying too long, though I did steal some expensive wines and other assorted alcohols which was fast becoming an issue.
I already had more than enough stuff to my name, anymore was unnecessary, just greedy on my part. So, after parsing through my stash, and getting rid of a surprising amount of corpses, I used my weak and poorly controlled Power Of Destruction to disintegrate all the useless stuff I had accumulated in my Shadow.
"Valerie's really side-tracked us this time..." I lamented the constant 'side-tracking' that happened in my little adventures.
Granted, most of the 'side-tracking' was my fault. I kept jumping worlds when I got bored and didn't finish anything I started.
But every time I started a project, something more interesting would pop up. And how could I resist the call for adventure?
I shook my head and turned my eyes back to the computer I had definitely not stolen.
Various banners, ads, and videos covered the screen, proving that even the Devils couldn't stop the Evil that was advertising.
It took me a few moments of slow methodical clicking to remove all the pop-ups so I could see the screen I was looking for.
In front of me was the Devil equivalent of Amazon, it specialized in different enchantments and potions but also had just about everything, just in with smaller variety.
I clicked on enchantments, and once again removed the annoying pop-ups. I was presented with various enchanted items, some mass-produced, some individual, and rare.
The very first item on the list was marked with a 'Hot' icon were called Null Cuffs, they were what the military uses for criminals, they are designed to render one's magic unusable.
I found it telling that 'Null Cuffs' were first on the list but rolled my eyes and ignored them. I started scrolling, eying the various enchanted goods, and my eyes eventually landed on a board game.
Truth or Bear was exactly as it sounded, you choose between Truth or Bear and either tell one truth that's asked of you or fight a summoned Bear.
"Hmmm..." I hummed and fantasized about leaving the game in random places, just for the sake of chaos. But as funny as recreating my own version of 'Jumanji' was, it wasn't something I should be wasting time on.
I continued scrolling, eyeing the various purifiers that used Holy Magic to clean sewers, septic tanks, and wells. I thought about buying one and turning it into a bomb but dismissed the thought.
No, terrorism is bad, even if killing Vampires is a good cause.
I nodded to myself and continued scrolling. The 'Goose Summoning Totem' was also a 'Hot' product though I couldn't fathom why.
I continued eyeing the list and accepted that I wouldn't find anything useful on the site.
'Ring of Remembrance', when worn, you look like the last person that put it on until you take it off. But if you put it back on, you'll be the last person that wore it so it wouldn't do anything.
'Underwear of Shielding', unfortunately, you cannot be wearing anything over them to gain their effect.
"I guess I won't be finding anything useful..." I affirmed my thought and closed the site, deeming it a waste of time.
It was entertaining if nothing else, but I wouldn't be getting anything worthwhile from the Devil-net.
Best to quit before I get curious and get sucked into whatever depravity the Devils had come up with...
...
I stood across from an old Asian man, though he was actually a Yōkai, his beard reached his knees and he had thick white hair sprouting from his ears and nose, but he was well-muscled and lively for his age despite his poor hygiene and the hunch that he walked with.
We stood across from each other silently, the old man was tense as was I. Neither of us were comfortable enough to speak first, so our meeting delved into a silent staring contest.
"What brought this Junior to my humble abode?" Finally, the old man broke the silence that had fallen over us and relaxed his stance a little.
He leaned on the door frame of his little shack, and took a pipe out of his sleeve, apparently deeming me not a threat.
"I heard a Sage was living on the mountain." The old man lit the pipe with a snap of his fingers, and took a hit, blowing it smoothly through his nose.
"You heard right." He blew another breath of smoke through his nose. "They call me the Sage of Fallen Rain, but I'm sure you know that..." He trailed off as he took another hit from his pipe.
"Indeed." I didn't refute what he said. "I came here to learn from you." I bowed deeply, hoping to convey my sincerity.
"Did you now?" I nodded in reply. "You should know I only make deals. I won't teach you for free."
I nodded again, knowing that he was known for making deals in exchange for rainfall, hence the name 'Sage of Fallen Rain'.
"What can you offer? I have no need for power, riches, or fame..." The old Sage flipped his pipe over and banged it against the doorframe, ridding it of ashes. "I don't have much time left. Your offer will have to be extravagant to satisfy me." He withdrew a small wooden box from his sleeve and went about packing the pipe with herb. "I'll not waste what little time I have otherwise."
"How about youth?" I tossed my offer, having already come with a plan in mind.
The old Sage chuckled softly at my offer but shook his head.
"I have no interest in becoming a Devil, however tempting the offer of near-eternal life is." He again lit his pipe. "If that was something I was willing to accept, I would've already accepted one of the many offers I've gotten in my life."
I just blinked slowly in reply.
"I meant I could return you to your youth, no reincarnation required." I extended my hand for a handshake. "You can remain as you are, all I require is some of your time."
"Hooh..." The old Sage's eyes met mine, likely looking for sincerity. "Not an offer this old man expected." He took another hit from his pipe, looking unbothered despite my offer.
"So, do we have a deal?" I waved my outstretched hand at the Sage, and he obliged, grabbing my hand in a firm hold.
"That we do, however, you must uphold your part of the deal first." We shook hands, sealing the deal. "Devils, aren't exactly known for their trustworthiness after all." We released our handshake.
"Fair enough, how about we make a contract?" I countered with a demand of my own.
Couldn't have the Sage running off once he's young after all...
"I suppose it's only right, so long as there's no trickery." I nodded in agreement, quite pleased at how things were going.
I had figured I'd have to Devour the old Sage, but it seemed no violence was necessary.
"Well, let's get to it, no need to waste time." I put a hand behind my back and withdrew some contract parchment from my shadow. "I'm a little short on time myself." I reached into my pocket and grabbed a feathered quill from my shadow, earning a raised eyebrow from the Sage.
"It seems Junior came prepared." I said nothing and willed the quill to start writing, it danced across the page quickly filling it with my thoughts.
Sage-mode get!
...
Learning Senjutsu was just as boring as I thought it would be. Days worth of time in a Time Bubble were spent meditating and releasing my Ki into the surroundings, trying to sense the natural Ki of the earth.
The trait of near-unlimited lifeforce I had taken from the baby Dragon didn't help in learning Senjutsu as much as I hoped it would. It made me more physically powerful and made my Ki reserves monstrous, but it did not help me with sensing natural energy.
The problem may have laid in my current sealed state, or it could just be that I lacked the talent necessary to quickly learn Senjutsu. It was annoying, but expected, powerful Yōkai and the occasional Human were the only ones who learned Senjutsu, having trouble was to be expected.
Still, it hurt my pride.
"Don't make such a face Junior, you're doing well." The Sage reached over and ruffled my hair, causing a shiver to run down my spine. "I wasn't able to use Touki until I was old and half dead, you're doing remarkable for the time you've invested."
He now appeared to be in his early twenty's, with long black hair coming down to his knees, and black eyes full of life.
He looked like a nondescript Japanese youth and having him ruffle my hair like a loving grandfather was more disturbing than it should've been.
"I know, it's still frustrating." I swatted at his hand when he went to ruffle my hair again.
"That it is, but you'll look back and be happy with the time you spent learning." He smiled, serenely. "It may not be immediately rewarding like training with your bloodline is, but it will help you in the long run." I just nodded and we drifted into silence, the Sage sat down and went back to meditating and I leaned back so I could take a break and ponder for a while.
I had finally gotten around to training with the Power of Destruction. The Power of Destruction was not as useful as I thought it would be.
Powerful? Yes, but hard to control. Erases consciousness and souls? Also yes, but it didn't seem to do anything to concepts.
So, the Power of Destruction was like my new Dark-Light affinity, it was neat but not something I would be using often. At least until I had better control over said abilities.
Another powerful ability that I wouldn't get the chance to use, another neglected powerup.
I shook my head and sat up, ready to get back to meditation. I'd keep trying the normal way for a few years before I would unseal myself and give my 'risky but convenient mutations' a chance.
Most of my weird powerup were to my benefit, only my hesitance was stopping me from continuing down that path.
I was always gaining power that I didn't have the time to use, I didn't need more.
I nodded to myself and settled in for another long day of meditation.
...