Chapter Nine - A Gift for Xenovia
February 14th, 2013
Four Months Later
You know, Vin hadn't really ever taken the time to look at himself in a mirror. Sure, he'd look at his face while brushing his teeth, or shaving his disgusting pre-teen peach fuzz of his face, or whenever he'd stumble into his bathroom on a night where he didn't get enough sleep just so he could see the deep bags forming under his eyes, but he'd never gotten a good look at anything else in a long time. Not since his operation last year, at least.
So imagine Vin's surprise as he stared at his shirtless-self in the mirror, and saw a body that he wasn't quite sure belonged to him.
Turns out, being worked to the bone everyday for several months actually would do you some good. He'd definitely filled out a little more over the months, his usually smooth, lean-belly now subtly hardened with tough abs just under a layer of thin fat, his arms, which he distinctly recalled being noodles, were now tight and sturdy, noticeably bulkier than they ever were before. His shoulders broadened out too, over all, he'd certainly gotten stockier, gaining more weight than he ever had in his life before. He was still relatively lean, of course, but his body type definitely wasn't what it once was.
Vin gazed down at his torso, the thin, faint line of surgical star going across his upper pelvis, and up the middle of his torso, ending just shy of a third-way up his ribs. As stealthy as it was, it was still unsightly. Vin tightened his gaze as his chest throbbed dully with phantom pains of memories past.
Sighing, Vin turned on his bathroom faucet, and splashed some water on his face. Looking up and meeting his own gaze in the mirror, Vin inspected his face with surgical precision.
Now, why was he going through such a rigorous self-inspection, you may ask? Well, the answer was simple.
Check the date.
Valentines day. Barely a holiday by any stretch of the imagination. It didn't constitute any day off for people from school or work, it didn't cause any parades, it was just a stupid day for egotists to flaunt their respective partners to the common denominator of poor, single bastards in some sick show of superiority.
...Okay, maybe Vin was a little jealous, but still! He was an attractive guy, right? He could get a girlfriend if he wanted to…
Vin closed his eyes and sighed, preparing himself for the worst day of the year. A part of him called longingly, simply wanting him to lock himself in his own bathroom for the entire day, but unfortunately, that wasn't a viable option. Succumbing to the obligations of appeasing his appetite and attending his classes, Vin threw his shirt back over his body, fixed his ponytail, and walked out into the disgustingly loved-filled world.
Classes were boring as always, that much would never change no matter how many times Vin attended them. The teacher failed to capture his attention with a single lesson, and for once, Vin desperately wished that he did, because at least it would distract him from seeing several of his classmates making some stupid fucking looks at each other.
By the time the lunch bell rang, Vin had peered outside the class window, where he could see a view of the garden where he and his friends usually ate, and… yep, filled with couples making out, right on school grounds.
Sheesh, have some common fuckin' decency people.
Vin collapsed back in his chair, head buried in his arms, as he groaned.
"Vinny, what's the problem?" Irina asked, poking him lightly on the head, as Vin looked up at her with weary eyes.
"It's the day of reckoning, Irina," Vin despaired, "...February 14th…"
"What's it called over here? Valentine's Day, right?"
Vin weakly shook his head, "Yeah, it's disgusting... People just throw themselves at each other, not showing a hint of remorse in the face of all of us poor single people."
"Dummy, why not just ask someone out? Then you won't be single."
"Irina," Vin got serious for a moment, looking around at the sparse group of people still in the classroom, most pretty much left with their significant others, "We don't lead a life where we can easily get into a relationship with someone."
Irina smirked in such a way that Vin could've sworn for a second that it was Vanessa in disguise, "You know, there's always one person you can ask out~"
Vin turned his head away from Irina, a faint dusting of pink in his darker complexion, "I have no clue who you're talking about."
"Oh c'mon! Ask Xenovia out already! It's so obvious that you like her, so just go for it!" Irina pouted, her cheeks puffing out adorably.
Vin fixed her with a sharp glare, "How the hell did you know that?"
Irina shot Vin a close-eyed smile, "I didn't, you just confirmed it."
"Ugh, I hate you…" Vin groaned.
"Sure, sure," Irina patted Vin's head, "But for real, you've got it bad for her, and that's completely apparent to anyone with eyes or a brain."
"Really, huh?"
Irina nodded, "You spend more time with Xenovia than anyone I know, including myself; and I'm pretty sure I'm one of the only people she considers a friend."
"We're just training…"
"You do it every day."
"Yeah, it's training, you're supposed to do it every day."
"You volunteer to be punched in the face by her."
"It's called sparring, Irina."
"Sure it is…" Irina pulled her rosary out from under her shirt collar, winking at Vin, "You know masochism is a sin, right?"
"I'm surprised that you even know what masochism means…"
"You aren't denying the possibility," Irina stared blankly at Vin.
Vin blush intensified, "...S-Shut up, isn't this like, a forbidden topic for you or something?"
Irina shrugged, "I dunno, I'll pray for forgiveness in a bit. First, I want to know how you're going to go about asking her out."
"Why are you so stuck on this idea of me asking her out today? I don't know if she even wants a boyfriend… Hell, I don't even know if she likes boys!"
"She does," Irina quickly amended, "I meant the liking boys part, I managed to coax that out of her when we dragged her to a girl's night a year or two ago."
"Okay, but still, why today? Shouldn't I wait; see if she's actually interested in dating before shooting my shot?"
"No, no, no," Irina grabbed Vin by the sides of his face, bringing their faces close together, "You don't understand, this is the perfect day. The stars are aligned, the lord's light is shining upon you, your chances today are at their best!"
Vin shyed backward awkwardly, "...What do you mean, the 'perfect day'?"
Irina stared straight into Vin's eyes, "It's also Xenovia's birthday today."
Oh.
Oh shit.
Vin began to sweat in Irina's grip, "...A-Are you joking?"
"No."
"SHIT!" Vin leapt up out of his seat, "I gotta get a present!"
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Vin glanced at the time, 11:45. He could make it into town by city bus, but he would definitely not make it back in time. But then again… He knew everything being taught, and even if he skipped classes, who the hell were they going to call?
His parents?
Vin scoffed, grabbing his band-patch covered jean jacket and backpack, before heading to the door of the classroom.
"I'm going out to buy something," Vin called back to Irina.
"Wait, you're skipping class?" Irina gawked.
Vin turned around, fixing Irina with a look as if she was stupid from across the room.
"Well yeah, when else would I do it, when Griselda is kicking my ass later? It's now or never."
Irina sighed, "Fine, make sure to get some heart chocolates to go along with her gift. And text me if you need help thinking of romantic poem ideas to write inside the card!"
"Go to hell, Irina."
Irina smiled widely, as she held up her rosary, "Nope! I'm a good girl, sorry to disappoint."
Vin just grumbled as he left his classroom.
All that was left was to get out of the school, so with a plan in his mind, and fire in his heart, Vin pressed onward…
Before reaching the school stairwell, heading to the bottom, walking outside, and then just continuing to walk until he was off school property.
Huh. Somehow that was both easier and much more anticlimactic than he'd thought.
Still, he was on a tight schedule. School ended at three o' clock sharp, so if he was going to go out by bus into town, find a gift, and then get a lift back to school before a church worker arrived to pick them up, he was going to have to be fast.
It took Vin about ten minutes of walking to reach the bus stop, his phone out and already sifting through dozens of stores and gift ideas.
Makeup? No, obviously not.
Food? While Vin had seen Xenovia pack a lot of food down her gullet before, he didn't really think that would resonate very well with her as a gift. Plus, there could be a problem because the food potentially being ruined in transit or spoil over time.
Eventually, the bus pulled up, and Vin pocketed his phone while he paid his bus fare and hopped aboard, plopping down in a seat right as the bus began to pull off.
That only left him with only more permanent presents. Things that Xenovia could keep for a long time. But what exactly?
What did Xenovia want?
Did she have hobbies?
Vin gulped, he hoped she had hobbies.
Trying his luck, Vin pulled out his phone once again, opening his messenger app, and quickly finding Irina's contact.
[Does Xenovia have any hobbies?]
[I need gift ideas]
Irina's reply came near instantaneously.
[idk, i have like no clue]
[i trst u can do it tho :D]
[rooting 4 u!]
Vin physically cringed at the atrocious dialogue on his phone. Christ, why couldn't she just type messages like a normal person?
Either way, that was a dead end. Pocketing his phone, Vin gazed out the window, watching the world pass by him.
Minutes passed, as his brain failed to come up with any substantial ideas for a present. He only managed to determine that whatever he was going to get Xenovia was strictly going to be a birthday present. She deserved something, after all she did for him over the last several months, but he wasn't emotionally prepared enough for any sort of confession yet.
Maybe he was just scared of ruining what he had already?
Eh, food for thought.
Soon, the telltale chime of the bus's alert system roused Vin from his thoughts, as he tugged on the cord to tell the driver to stop. The bus slowly rolled to a halt, and Vin stepped out into the midday market.
Streets and streets lined with stores, most restaurants or boutiques; the usual tourist trap fair, meant to entice foreigners to grab an expensive novelty shirt or mug. Yet you could still find some quality stores here, due to the sheer amount of foot traffic that came through these streets.
Cracking his neck, Vin glanced down at his phone: a little under three hours left. With all the ground to cover, he was going to be cutting it close.
Oh well, time to get to work.
Vin looked into each and every store, scanning every shelf, every rack, every box and bin. Yet, he found nothing.
Vin could easily say that Xenovia was the hardest person he'd ever gone gift shopping for, and Lisa was a bitch to shop for…
Looking down at his phone, Vin scowled when he saw the time: twenty minutes left…
He spent over two and a half hours here, and had nothing to show for it.
No, there had to be something here! There had to be someplace he hadn't gone into. Vin scanned all over the market, every store he saw was one he already went into. Vin took one last scan, resigning himself to going back into stores all over again to try and find something, at least.
But that's when his emerald eyes landed on a storefront he hadn't seen yet. Barely in sight, tucked right at the end of the street, practically down a sketchy alleyway, was a little hole-in-the-wall store. Vin would have missed it, if it wasn't for the garish neon-lettered sign casting a slight glow from the shade of the alley.
Vin walked up to the store, glancing up at the sign.
A and V Electronics, huh? Clever play on words.
Nevertheless, Vin opened the door, stepping into the darkness of the store, cautious hope in his heart.
The very first thing that Vin noticed about the inside of A and V's was that the place was a bit of a shithole. The ceilings were low, the pot lights too dim and spaced apart to properly cast an adequate light anywhere, and everywhere he looked, Vin saw shelves and stacks of numerous electronics.
Loose boards and cables sat piled up in open-topped cardboard boxes, video games and movies ranging from retro to modern were haphazardly slotted into shelves with no true rhyme or reason, it had everything, and yet nothing was organized.
Vin smirked, this was his kind of place.
Eventually, a voice called out to Vin from the back of the store.
"Hello kiddo, how can I help you?"
Vin walked over, finding himself standing in front of a glass case filled with electronics, from handheld systems to the newest mp3 players and phones. On top of the glass case was a cash register, and behind it all sat a man.
"Hey, I'm looking for a gift," Vin opened.
Vin looked at the shopkeeper before him, in the dim light, he couldn't quite make out any details. It was a little spooky actually… It was like the shadows themselves were willing themselves to never give Vin a full view of the man in front of him.
Still, there were a few details the darkness let him see, the man must have been middle-aged, maybe around forty-five, if Vin had to guess. He had some sort of goatee covering his chin, and had an odd hair color, the back being a raven black, and died blond in the front.
Definitely an odd choice, but he seemed to pull it off.
The man chuckled in his deep, husky voice, "Looking for a gift on Valentine's Day, huh? Who's the lucky girl?"
Vin scratched the back of his head, "A-Ah, birthday present, actually."
"Oh, I see," The man shifted in his seat, "So what sorts of things is she interested in?"
Nothing, Vin wanted to say, but instead decided to go with something a little less flippant.
"Working out."
"Hmm, sporty girl, huh?" The man stroked his goatee, "Does she have a way to listen to music while exercising?"
Vin's eyes went wide, why didn't he think about that?
"No, actually, she doesn't."
The man smirked, before getting up, and walking over to a shelf going along the wall behind him, "Well then, I think we just found your gift, kiddo."
As the man rummaged around for some things, the sound of the door opening drew Vin's attention.
"Oi, old man, I'm back."
A teenager stepped into the shop, he looked about a year or two older than Vin himself, with a head of spiky silver hair, and wearing a pair of jeans and a leather jacket. All around, the guy had a very 'punk' vibe going for him.
"Ah, Vince, welcome back, how was your day?"
"Work was boring, nothing interesting happened," 'Vince' walked over, leaning his back against one of the walls, "Your little errands were boring too."
"Well, I'm sorry, but they needed to be done. You have my thanks," The man chuckled, before grabbing something off the shelves.
"Here we go, check this out kid," The man brought over a box, laying it out into the dim light, Vin saw it was a sealed iPod Nano, the exact one that was released a few months back in October, and as if it wasn't perfect enough, it's shell was a brilliant green. Her favorite color.
Bingo.
"It's got everything you'd need, kiddo, earbuds are already included in the box."
Vin began to reach out his hand towards the device in question to check over the box, before he winced back, feeling a familiar burn in his fingers. Looking down, Vin saw that his Sacred Gear had been summoned without his permission.
Huh, the first time that's ever happened before. Yeah sure, it reacted to danger, but that was it.
Vin stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking around. Nah, there was no way a stray devil was here, that was a bit too hard to believe, and he couldn't just interrogate two innocent people about magic and devils and all that shit, they'd think he's crazy.
"I didn't see them before, but I dig the rings," Vince called out from his spot leaning against the wall, "Where'd you find them?"
"A-Ah, found 'em at a thrift store," Vin lied, as he grabbed his wallet out of pocket, "How much do I owe you for this?"
The man held his hand up, "It's all good kiddo. Tell you what, you can have it for free if you take a business card and let me know how it goes."
Alright… Weird business practice; but with his time running out, Vin wasn't about to turn away a free iPod. So graciously, Vin grabbed the iPod, placing it in his backpack, along with a business card that he stuck into his wallet, before he turned for the door.
"Thank you so much for your generosity, sir! Have a great day!" Vin smiled, before running out the door, determined to reach his bus and return to school before they were supposed to meet up to head to the Vatican.
The man running the counter let out a content sigh as the door to his business clicked shut.
"Giving things away for free doesn't seem like a very good business model," Vince mocked, pushing off the wall, and walking over to the counter.
The man barked a laugh, "What can I say, I was feeling generous today."
"After all," The man's gaze shifted to a more mischievous, yet serious demeanor, "It's not every day when you get to see that rumors are true. Those rings… they were a subspecies alright… Did you two notice anything?"
In a cyan flash of light, a pair of sleek white artificial wings sprouted from Vince's back, the wing's membrane composed of glowing glass-like panes of sapphire that pulsed with light.
[Faint as it may be, there's no doubt in my mind that there's another presence inside that Sacred Gear. It's hard to describe, but it feels both draconic, and yet unfamiliar at the same time.] A deep, booming, authoritative voice echoed out from the wings on the silver-haired boy's back, the sapphire wings pulsing in time with the voice's cadence.
"Oh ho ho~ This is getting more and more interesting," The man smiled, licking his lips, "This little outing to Italy may have just been worth our time, huh?"
"You took us all the way out here to check on one person like we're going to the zoo?" 'Vince' scoffed, "You damn crazy crow."
"You got me, you got me… But still, it's good that we have this information… I'll probably start looking into this as soon as we get back to the Grigori."
"You know you have a job to do, right?"
The man waved the comment off, "Ah, it's fine. I think I can let Shemhazai handle things a little bit longer."
If you asked Vin to run down several blocks of city street a year ago, he would've died after around the first two or three. He was by no means athletic growing up, choosing to spend his time in front of computers and electronics instead of a treadmill or weights.
But that all changed a few months ago, and now?
Well, he managed to sprint all the way back to the bus stop without breaking once. He didn't even sweat.
So yeah, that's another point for improvement.
Hopping back onto the bus, Vin checked the time, oh shit, he had ten minutes to get there… Didn't this bus ride take nearly that much? Oh boy…
Settling in, Vin pulled up his messages on his phone, firing off another one to Irina.
[Found a gift, on my way back right now.]
[Can you guys wait like, ten mins for me?]
Her response came instantly.
[wait fr? U found smthn?]
[ye, ill get them 2 w8t]
Vin continued to stare blankly at his phone. Out of everyone, he truly never expected Irina to be proficient in Leet-Speak. Now, there was nothing he could do except wait for the bus to arrive back at school.
Minutes passed, as Vin fidgeted in place. Each second seemed like an hour on that bus ride; it was true torture.
But at long last, the bus made it to his stop, and as soon as those doors opened, Vin shot off like a rocket, bolting at his top speed towards the school parking lot.
He saw everyone gathered around in front of the several transport vehicles that took them back to the Vatican everyday, putting all his power into his legs, Vin broke out into the parking lot.
"Heeeeyyyy! Wait! I'm here!" Vin yelled as he ran forward, everyone's eyes turning towards the long-haired teen as he skidded to a halt in front of the group.
"Vinny, you made it!" Irina cheered.
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Vin shot a thumbs up at his twin-tailed classmate, "Thanks Irina."
"No problem!"
Everyone else seemed decidedly less impressed.
"Where were you!" Ethan barked, his arms crossed, "We've been waiting here for hours~"
"Ethan, it was like, fifteen minutes," Vanessa smirked.
"Whatever, it felt like hours!"
"You decided to skip school?" Xenovia tilted her head in confusion, a baffled expression on her face, "I thought you would be better than dipping into such disgraceful activities."
Vin sheepishly smiled, "W-Well, you know…"
Xenovia raised an eyebrow, "Do I? No, I don't think I do, please let me know about what I'm missing."
"Forget it," Vin conceded, "Can we just head back?"
One thing Vin noticed was that birthday celebrations were not really a thing in the Vatican. Apparently, exorcists had other things to worry about than commemorating another rotation around the sun if it wasn't for the big man upstairs. To be honest, it was a little sad: no cake, no presents, nothing. Nevertheless, Vin found himself in the kitchen after training that night, a pile of ingredients on the counter next to him, and a recipe for cupcakes on his phone.
Did he have experience with baking? Fuck no, but c'mon, it couldn't have been harder than mechanical engineering, could it?
The answer? Yes, yes it was.
"Do we have a muffin tin in this place?" Vin shouted, a mixing bowl full of batter cradled in his arms.
Vanessa looked up from her phone, "Uh… I think we have one in the cupboard up top. Same place where we keep baking sheets."
"Thanks," Vin set down the bowl on the counter, and pulled out the muffin tin.
After many spills, a few ruined batches, and a whole set of lounge clothes stained by all manner of ingredients, Vin had finally managed to finish exactly what he wanted to make. The finishing touch of his gift, a dozen blue and green frosted birthday cupcakes.
Putting the box for the iPod in one hand, and the cupcakes in the other, Vin walked down the hallway, until he stood in front of the door to Xenovia's room.
Sucking in a few deep breaths, Vin lightly kicked his foot against the door in lieu of knocking. Stepping back, Vin waited… A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his head.
Finally, the door creaked open, revealing Xenovia in her sleepwear, a confused expression on her face.
"Vin? What's all this?"
Vin smiled brightly, holding the tin of cupcakes out, "I know that people around here don't usually celebrate birthdays, but you've done so much for me over these few months, and I felt that it was only right to do something to show you how much I really appreciated you."
Vin continued, "You've saved my life, and have stuck with me, even though I'm so weak. It's impossible to tell you how much you've helped me. So… I guess what I'm trying to say is: thank you, Xenovia. For being a part of my crazy, fucked-up life these past months, and being someone I can depend on. It...It means a lot. Happy Birthday."
Looking up, Vin was taken aback as he saw Xenovia's expression. Her jaw slightly open, stunned, her eyes wide, and her face red.
"Uh…" Vin waved the hand clutching the iPod in his hands in front of Xenovia's face, "Are you alright Xenovia? Hello? Xenovia?"
Suddenly, the bluenette snapped to attention, and quickly snatched the presents out of Vin's hands. Setting them down somewhere in her room, before standing in front of Vin once more. Her flustered expression had dimmed down slightly as she regained coherency, her blush subsiding down to simply a thick twinge of pink.
"A-Ah, um, ehh, eee," Xenovia slurred and stumbled her words, before she slapped her cheeks, and stared at Vin, "T-Thank you."
Promptly, the door was slammed in Vin's face. Well, that certainly didn't go the way he thought, but whatever, at least he gave Xenovia her present. It was a shame that they didn't do any major birthday celebrations in the church…
In that moment, a saddening realization came crashing down onto him.
If Xenovia was raised by the church…
Did… Did she never celebrate her own birthday?!
Meanwhile, within Xenovia's room, the swordswoman stared down at the gifts with watery eyes. She may have been the stoic, responsible Durandal wielder for the church, but how long had she been dreaming of having presents on her birthday. It was a silly little dream in a pile of silly little dreams that everyday Xenovia struggled to restrain in the tightest, darkest corner of her brain.
A small part of her mind screamed at her, demanding to know what she was doing, getting so worked up over some food and a gift. This behavior was a disgraceful display of immaturity and selfishness. If she were anywhere else, she might have listened to that voice.
But here, in her room, she told that voice to go fuck off right to hell.
Reaching out with a shaky hand, Xenovia grabbed a green-frosted cupcake out of the muffin tin, it didn't have any cupcake paper, so it stuck to the pan as she pulled it out, the bottom breaking off the cupcake as she pulled. Regardless, Xenovia opened her mouth, and took a large chomp out of the cupcake.
It's frosting was overly sweet, and the cake itself was dry and maybe a little burnt, but still, Xenovia took bite after bite of the sloppily baked treats in front of her.
Happy tears flowing freely down her cheeks, Xenovia swore that nothing in her life ever tasted as amazing as those overly-sweet, overly-baked, wonderfully imperfect cupcakes.
[Arc One: Unwanted Beginnings]
[Three Chapters Remain]
UPDATE DAY! UPDATE DAY!
You know, I woke up today, and said to myself, "I'm going to spend this day working on schoolwork, and I'm going to get caught up with all my stuff"
Flash forward to eight/nine hours later, and I got a sliver of work done, and I have a chapter 3/4ths of the way through in front of me. I swear, sometimes I start writing, zone out, and then by the time I recover, I've written an entire 15-25 page chapter. I feel like a sleeper agent.
Anyway, um… We had our most successful day in terms of views yesterday. That was pretty neat. You guys break every expectation I have, and it's the best! That's why, for you guys, I'm throwing another chapter at you all.
Can I just rant for a second? Obviously, I want to stay at the top of the page for DxD stories on here, because that means I'm the very first result people see, I get more foot traffic by default. Yet, every time I update, the story Dungeons and Devils by Flameclawsxx updates a minute later. I mean it, for the past three chapter updates, this has happened, within the hour, the guy's got a chapter up as well. No hate, obviously, I have my reservations about 'Gamer' stories, but if others like it, more power to them, I guess. Still, I know that because my story isn't chasing the DxD fanfic trends, I'll get less views, reviews, follows, etc by default; but I can't help but hope that one day, I manage to overtake that story in support. I don't know, a guy can dream… I'll just keep on writing with all the quality I can muster, and enjoy the wonderful feedback that you guys give me. We have a smaller fanbase in comparison, but I like to think we're more tight-knit as a result. I get to recognize people who repeatedly leave reviews chapter-to-chapter. It's a nice feeling of community.
Anyway, a bit of a shorter chapter this time, but nonetheless, still an important chapter with a lot of effort put into it on my part. So let's not waste any time, and get straight to the chapter notes!
Chapter Notes:
[Volunteering to get punched in the face:]
Vin may or may not be a little into sparring with Xenovia. It's mainly a joke over Vin's slow transformation into a battle maniac like Vali or Sairaorg, but it can also be interpreted as a cute reference to the legendary line from the first chapter of this story.
'I'd let her step on me'
Yeah, I'm actually going to leave it ambiguous if Vin's a masochist, I think it's funnier that way…
[Xenovia's Birthday:]
I always thought Xenovia's birthday lining up with Valentine's Day was always interesting trivia, so I wanted to write a chapter about it. That's pretty much it.
[Irina Texts in Leet-Speak:]
This mainly came to be because I always imagined that Irina, being the peppy and upbeat girl she is, would text using shorthands and emojis. Combine that with her first language being Japanese (assumedly), and the fact that the Issei and Irina childhood photo shows them playing Game Boys together, I took it to its logical extreme, and combined 'gal' texting and gamer Leet-Speak.
[A and V Electronics:]
It's an AV cable joke. That's it. I was trying to think of a name for a store that those two could use for cover, and it just came to mind.
['The Man' and 'Vince':]
The worst codenames ever, but somehow it worked. If any of you really didn't get how obvious it was, that was Azazel and Vali. I always thought that Azazel moved into Kyoh with the express purpose of both catching up to Kokabiel after he turned traitor, and also to observe the Red Dragon Emperor. Before that, he stops here. The Fallen Angels are usually the information brokers of the DxD universe, and with Azazel being an avid researcher of Sacred Gears, I thought it would make sense for him to chase rumors about a brand new subspecies emerging in Italy.
[A presence both draconic and yet unfamiliar:]
Albion's hint towards the true identity of the thing inside Vin's copy of Midas' Rings, which is the root cause of the subspecies mutation that occurred within Vin's Sacred Gear. There is a reason why it's reminiscent of a dragon to Albion, maybe give the beginning dream sequence of chapter one a re-read, and maybe you'll get the idea. Maybe.
It will be addressed, though. It's time of relevance will come later on…
[Xenovia's Reaction to the gifts:]
A bit of an extension on the comment that Griselda made in the last chapter, where she said that Xenovia has always yearned for a normal life. These are little showcases of care from Vin that's going to show Xenovia how much Vin genuinely cares for her. He's giving her tastes of the life she's always wanted.
We've gotten Vin's reasoning for beginning to develop feelings for Xenovia, and this is the beginning of Xenovia developing feelings for Vin, although it won't reach a climax until a while later. But this is the beginning of that development, setting the groundwork, so to speak.
Despite the previous chapter only being out for around 24 hours, we've already racked up a good amount of reviews, so let's jump right into the…
REVIEW ROUNDUP!
Tyrant Overlord Killidia Says:
"This chapter was quite neat. We had a bit of a conflict between Vin and Xenovia, Vin making his first kill, and Xenovia doing some self-reflection. Knowing Vin and his luck, if/when he gets transferred to Kuoh, the guys at Kuoh Academy are gonna label him another Prince and it would give the girls another pretty boy to fawn over."
You're back! Wonderful to see you again!
Always glad to see you enjoying what I put out! I like to take risks sometimes, and having the argument was definitely one of those, so I'm happy that it was well received! I put a lot of effort into it.
I feel like Vin's luck is the most paradoxical shit ever. It's like he's extremely lucky only in ways that would directly harm him. Born with the rare ability of a Sacred Gear, and a subspecies on top of that? Nah, Vin gets taken from his family because of it. So yeah, when it comes to Vin eventually enrolling in Kyoh Academy, his 'roguish charms' will definitely get a reaction. He'll likely be the 'mysterious bad-boy' who the girls think they can fix; meanwhile, if they actually hung out with him they'd realize that he's pretty much the opposite of that. I like the idea of the student body of Kyoh Academy misinterpreting Vin's more reserved and shy nature in large crowds of people as him being 'mysterious' or 'brooding'. Little bit of poetic irony, if you will.
NOGARD Says:
"How are earbuds a thing it's 2012"
Bruh, in 2012 some developers had prototype VR headsets. Earbuds existed for a long-ass time before 2012.
Either way, thanks for making time to leave a review!
mark94 Says:
"Really good Chapter. It's interesting to see a Story from the Church's point of view. I really hope the group aren't reincarnated as devils as that's what most Fanfic do.. I hope they meet some of the angels like Michael or Gabriel and maybe are reincarnated as angels."
I'm super happy to see that you're enjoying the chapters and the all-around different vibe that this stories going for in its first arc. As for who reincarnates as who… well, I plan on leaving Xenovia and Irina to go down the same path as canon in that regard. The others though… Well, I can't spoil it, that doesn't happen for a while, but I can say that things aren't going to happen the way you think they do…
You may see a bit of that in the finale of this story arc, which is closing in… only three chapters left 'till this arc is over, after all.
rp9976955 Says: (I can't believe I actually chose to type that out…)
"The story is good so far, but I hope Vin has some epic moment, I also don't like op oc unless they are very well developed which is very rare, and I also don't want Vin to be a stepping stone just for characters if they develop, DON'T FALL INTO THIS TRAP, he apologizes too much to someone who was forced to leave his family.
Apart from that, your writing is nice, and some characters are nice especially Zeke, I also like Xenovia in this story, you gained another follower."
Hello, new person! (I limit myself to typing out your username one time, for the sake of my fingers and sanity) I'm glad you're enjoying the story, let's see what you've left me here…
Rest assured, Vin will get his moments to shine. I know this arc really does him dirty in a lot of ways, but it's mainly done to reflect how he's a real person who's been thrust into this insane new world, and forced to adapt or die. The reason he's failing so much is because he's still growing, both as a person, and as a fighter. We're reaching later into the nine months that this arc covers now, so in both the last chapter and in this one, we get to see a Vin that's much more confident and overall much more competent at everything. By the end of this arc, he's supposed to be either on par with Xenovia/Irina and the others, or just a little weaker. But in terms of epic moments… Well the story arc finale is rapidly approaching, so get ready.
Also, like I said before, Vin is growing stronger, both emotionally and physically, so rest assured, he won't become a simple stepping stone for other characters. He's simply a person who has to visibly struggle more than some characters.
Thank you for the compliments! I really enjoy writing, so hearing that people really enjoy my style is wonderful to hear. I'm also glad that you're loving both Ezekiel and Xenovia, I'll be honest, when I first made the OC exorcists, I was really scared that people would just write them off as nothing but fluff, but hearing that people like you were able to connect and grow to love them is nothing short of heartwarming. Same with Xenovia, mainly because I'm treading a fine line here, since I'm trying to apply some tweaks and character work to her in order to justify her personality switch pre-and-post devil reincarnation, all while not making her OOC. I like to think I'm doing a good job, and your comments certainly help me feel that way.
Thanks for both the follow and the review! I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well, and all the other chapters that will be coming out over time. Rock on!
Sakiv Says:
"Really liking this story been reading since the beginning and it's really refreshing to have actual characters rather than just tropes like a lot of the fanfics on here do. The character interactions are always well done. Can't wait to see his hear continue to evolve this might have been mentioned in the story but is vins special for not being gold or did Midas himself have the special version of the gear. Either way I'm really excited to see what it's balance breaker and other abilities are glad your not rushing into them immediately before we even see the full potential of the base gear"
I'm glad to see that you've been supporting the story since the beginning, Sakiv! And it's wonderful to finally hear from you as well!
I agree that it's fun to have characters that don't rely on tropes in a DxD fanfiction, not only to read, but also to write. It's a lot more fun when I get to explore different sides of a character, and stretch their character traits in new directions. Take the banter between Irina and Vin at the beginning of this chapter. I really enjoyed writing responses using Irina's personality, especially her response to being told to 'go to hell' by Vin.
The Sacred Gear, of course will continue to evolve as the story goes on, you and I both can agree that it's very boring whenever an OC gets a Sacred Gear, and instantly, they unlock Balance Breaker, or Juggernaut Drive. And then when the author writes themselves into a corner, because in order to up the ante, they can no longer pull out one of those transformations, they just give up and give pointless, even more overpowered 'alternate Balance Breaker forms' or something. It's lame, honestly. That won't happen here. As a matter of fact, I've actually never even entertained the thought of another Balance Breaker form for Vin, so yeah, if it ever does happen, it won't happen for a loooong time.
Finally, I may not have been perfectly clear, and that mostly rests on me, because I hid the answer away in another chapter's Review Roundup, but let me confirm what's going on with Vin's Sacred Gear.
The Midas' Rings is a mid-tier Creation-Type Sacred Gear that allows the user to create gold structures using motions of their hands. King Midas, the namesake for the Gear, is arguably the most famous user of Midas' Rings in history, as he used it to gain his notoriety of having 'the golden touch'. Like other common Sacred Gears, there are a few copies of Midas' Rings floating around the world, probably about three or four copies.
Now, Vin has gained one of these copies, but over time, it's mutated into a subspecies of Midas' Rings. Right now, no one knows why it mutated, or really anything about it beyond just changing the material created from the Gear from gold to a quartz-like crystal material. In this chapter it's hinted by Albion that something within the Gear may have been what caused it's sudden mutation.
I hope that clears a few things for you and the others! Thanks for leaving a review, and reading this story as it's gone along, it means a lot. Hope you enjoy this chapter too, and I'll hopefully see you here again!
And that does it for the Review Roundup this chapter! Remember if you want me to answer any questions, comments, criticisms, or whatnot, make sure to leave a review on this chapter, and I'll try to answer you to the best of my abilities!
Leave a follow or a favorite if you've genuinely enjoyed what you've been reading, it's the best way to get notified when a new chapter comes out. Thanks again to everyone for all the incredible support on this story, and rock on, everyone!
