The Grand Order - Solomon

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or Fate.

Note: This is an AU story, so don't expect things to be the same as in the anime or manga.

'Thinking'

"Talking"

"Everything has a beginning."

…

Chapter 1

To create something from nothing is an incredible experience.

To build the foundations of what may one day grow beyond your wildest expectations is a feeling that seldom few get to enjoy.

Certainly, many will make passing attempts at creation - perhaps even several times over the course of their lives, if they have the drive - but very few have the constitution necessary to see it all the way through.

For the hardest part in trying to create, is the inevitability of failure.

While dreams of success are inspiring, the likelihood of failure is a harsh reality that lay low even the best of us. And for good reason! It can get discouraging, even downright disheartening, to try so hard only to fall so short of success.

But where would we be, if we did not at least try?

Who knows? Maybe, if we're lucky… if the stars align, and fate proves kind… we might just bear witness to the creation of something new.

Something extraordinary.

Or maybe, like a great many things… it will end in failure.

- The Beginning -

Honestly, I didn't know what I expected to happen. It was meant to be nothing more than a test, a way to see if one of my many countless ideas could become something real.

Something tangible.

And then, well… I got carried away.

But come on! What was I supposed to do when faced with the possibility of creating actual, tangible magic of my own design for the very first time? I had always been a bit of a genius when it came to mathematics, and when all it took to create a spell was applying such formulas into causing a desired affect; how could I possibly pass up on such a chance?

Maybe… the oddity wasn't with my desire to practice magic, but the fact that I had based the entirety of my formula off a video game.

The idea had seemed sound at the time, but the subtle nuances in manipulating a power like magic was something I hadn't delved too deep into before I - foolishly - decided to try my hand at it.

And yet, for all of my foolish "leap-before-I-look" actions… it worked!

Welcome, Solomon.

In all of my short sixteen years of life, nothing had excited me more than to see those words appear in front of my eyes.

Admittedly, it was a little weird to have them just floating there without any sort of textbox or border like I had intended. But that small discomfort was quickly replaced by the overwhelming feeling of success at having not just done magic, but having created my very own Game Magic!

"YES!" I cheered, throwing my hands up in celebration as my voice echoed within the small confines of my one-bedroom apartment's living room.

In order to create enough room for my first magic circle, I had to push my couch and coffee table to the very corners of the room. Leaving a large enough space on the floor for me to map out the outline of the magic circle that brought about my new creation, with just enough room in the middle of the circle for me to step into it.

And now, reveling in my accomplishment as I watch the magic circle glow brightly all around me, I realized that this was just the beginning.

Please select your Class:

Magic

Weapon

Obviously, as someone who just created his very own brand of magic, I chose "Magic" in a heartbeat.

You have chosen - Magic

The lack of alternative options was something I'd need to adjust later on, once I got a better understanding of this whole new magic system. But for now, this would work more towards my personal preferences.

Please select a Sub-Class:

Fire

Water

Earth

Lightning

Healing

Summoning

Demonic

Holy

Destruction

Creation

There we go, this was more like it. A little more variety in my options, and a major section of the magic circle that I created which took me - even with my talents for arithmetic - months of tireless effort to fully implement.

As my creation, it's obvious I'd like to pick all of the Sub-Classes and go wild with all ten options. But after running several equations over what would happen if I tried, the repeated answer I got back was "exploding".

My fragile human body just wasn't meant to receive all of the magic types at once, and attempting to add more than one would immediately begin breaking down my body's natural functions as it tried to compensate for the sudden influx of new ability.

In the future, I'd be able to go back and add more once I've mastered the first one. But for right now there's really only one option that will help me out the most going forward, and that's "Creation".

You have chosen - Creation

I'm not sure if I want to share this new creation of mine with others just yet, but in the event that I do I'll have to make sure to keep Creation out of their reach. The last thing I need is some asshole getting his hands on it and going around making a bunch of nonsensical add-ons that break everything.

As the magic circle glowed in a brilliant display of golden-yellow magic after my choice was set in, a small warmth began to bloom on the back of my right hand.

Glancing down at said hand, I watched on happily as a mark took shape on my somewhat unhealthy pale skin - a result of too many days spent locked away within my apartment. The actual mark itself was personal choice that I made early on; meant to signify the start of my new adventure into the world of magic, and an icon which many games have previously used.

A compass rose.

My very own magic crest, which I hoped would someday become a symbol known around the world as the personal sigil of the greatest magician who ever lived.

…a father ambitious goal, no doubt. But one I've set myself to, and haven't ever deigned to look back on with regret.

With the last of my new creation finished setting itself up inside my body, the magic circle at my feet faded away moments later, leaving only the pristine wood floor of my apartment living room behind.

I'd set it to leave no trace behind after it finished, believing that even if I died in the attempt, it would be better that no one discovered my work. And being able to watch it fade away with my own eyes felt like a huge weight off my back.

Success.

Months of equations. Countless sleepless nights spent pouring over strange and obscure texts, all in the desperate hopes of finding even the slightest bit of information that could help me. And more than one defeated thought of abandoning my project after coming to a dead end. All in the hopes that my efforts, no matter how extreme or taxing, would eventually lead to something more than utter failure.

And as I raised my hand closer to my face and inspected the small compass rose shining with golden light, every single moment of struggle felt worth it in the face of such triumph.

…now to test it out.

"I should probably come up with a name for you, shouldn't I?" I mumbled to myself. It's not like I can just keep calling my greatest creation an 'it' after all. "How about… the Key?"

The Key of Solomon… heh. Seems, oddly fitting.

Activating the Key, a sense of childlike wonder overtook me as a brand-new holographic display - which only I could see - hovered over the back of my hand.

Solomon

Creation Magic Beginner

The Beginner classification, just like the Key itself, was another idea of mine.

A rather simple, if unorthodox, way for me to understand my own level of growth based on the amount of power I have. Starting at Beginner, it will then go up to Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, before finally ending on God. I haven't met anyone or anything that I'd classify as being worthy of a title greater than 'God', so it would stay as the final designation.

Each of these designations aren't an exact science, mind you. Because while they may determine power, they don't include experience in using said power. But they'll at least give me a framework with which to improve upon.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"SOOOOOLYYYYY! Hurry up, we're gonna be late!" A young girl's voice abruptly intruded itself on my moment. The sound more like a child's whine as the newcomer spoke loudly from the other side of my front door.

Recognizing the voice instantly, I sighed heavily as I dropped my hand, allowing the Key to fade from view as I began moving things back into their proper place around my living room. Thereby getting rid of any sort of sign as to what I've been doing, in case someone decides to go snooping.

"I'll be out in a minute!" I yelled out in exasperation over the sound of shuffling furniture. It was too much to hope for - I guess - that I'd get to play around with my new creation before the real world came knocking.

Shuffling the couch into position and laying the coffee table down gently, I started smoothing out my ruffled-up clothes that I've been wearing all night. The white long-sleeve button-up shirt that I rolled the sleeves up was noticeably wrinkled, and the formerly pristine black pants had lost all signs of any previous ironing they may - or may not - have had.

All in all, I looked about as sleep-deprived as I felt.

At least my black leather shoes kept somewhat of a shine.

"Solomon~!" The girl's whiny voice called out once again, now with a touch of annoyance at how long I was taking. "Let's go already!"

Her annoyance at my slowness was equally matched my own annoyance at her very presence. But as it stood, sparing a quick glance at the clock hanging on my living room wall showed that she was right. If I didn't start getting a move on quick, I was going to be late for classes.

"Coming!"

With reluctant footsteps, I tried my best to fix my tussled short white hair into some sort of order before ultimately giving it up as a lost cause.

Double-checking that I was at least somewhat presentable, I grabbed the plain black backpack laying on the floor next to the front door and threw it over my shoulder before opening the door.

Standing on the other side waiting for me was a short, thin, cute-faced girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and expressive blue eyes staring up at my taller frame with her hands on her hips.

Unlike my entirely unkept appearance; the girl's white button-up had been ironed to perfection, with a freshly laundered tan sweater over it, and her knee-length black skirt was free of any and all wrinkles. The additional massive blue wizards' hat and matching blue cape stood out entirely, but knowing her as I did, they matched her personality to the tee.

"Must you always be so loud in the morning, LeFay?" I grumbled out, closing the door to my apartment behind me. "I've been busy doing research all night, and barely got any sleep."

Turning my attention away from my door and back towards LeFay, I noticed right away the look of disgust on her face as she took in my clothing. The sheer difference between our appearances as immediately noticeable as they were annoying to her, causing her to raise a palm in my direction.

"Clean!"

At the same time as she called out, a light-blue magical circle bearing the Pendragon Crest appeared in front of her hand. Glowing bright enough that I had to squeeze my eyes shut as a sudden gust of wind blew over my form.

Having been on the receiving end of her spell more than once, I waited the necessary few seconds needed for the spell to finish its work before opening my eyes again. Peering down at the now immaculately cleaned clothes I'm now wearing; it was hard not to let the slight bit of jealously show on my face at the ease with which she had cast magic.

"There!" LeFay chirped happily, pleased with the outcome of her spell's performance. "Now you're ready for class."

Spinning on her heel, she began walking away with a bounce in her step as she hummed some upbeat tune to herself; knowing without turning around that I would catch up with her at my more sedated pace thanks to my longer legs.

As we walked down the hallway leading away from my apartment, we passed by several groups of students wearing matching uniforms as we made our way further into the building.

Instead of the typical apartment complex that most students live in, LeFay and I - plus a few dozen other teens between the ages of 10 and 18 - all lived within a massive mansion that doubled as our school.

The building itself, styled in a tradition English manor, was actually several times larger on the inside thanks to a liberal application of dimensional magic. But to keep up appearances, it hadn't been given any sort of strange or unique renovations that some of the other magical institutions had implemented.

Too many dark organizations in the world would love nothing more than to learn where the school was headquartered, so keeping its location a secret was paramount for its continued existence. And its multitude of spells, wards, and other magical enchantments kept it as safe as possible from the dangers of the outside world.

So long as there were no direct attacks by higher-up beings that specifically targeted the building.

But that's part of the reason why I chose to attend this school, above all the other magical institutions available throughout the world.

Golden Dawn, besides being located in my own home town of England and therefore somewhere familiar, was also a safe-haven for learning Magicians and the premier magical organization on esoteric magic. With a multitude of classes covering a wide range of magics that others didn't cover - like Dimension Magic, Fairy Magic, Norse Magic, and many more; it made my decision obvious.

As a recent 16-year-old Magician looking to improve upon my most recent creation, a brand-new form of magic based upon a game-like concept, Golden Dawn provided me many more opportunities to grow and expand without being stifled by my obvious limitations…

Like the fact that I had almost no aptitude at all for any other type of magic.

"Honestly, Soly. You need to start putting more effort into your classes." LeFay chided with her usually bubbly voice, "How are you supposed to get better if you don't even show up?"

Withholding what would have been a rather angry retort, I instead took a breath through my nose as I allowed her comment to slide. Had she been anyone else, I would have told them in no uncertain terms just how much I didn't care for their opinion. But she wasn't just anyone else… she was LeFay.

Born to the illustrious Pendragon family, and the direct descendant of Morgan le Fay herself, LeFay was steeped in a magical bloodline that all but ensured her place as a genius Magician beyond compare. The ease with which she could wield any and all types of magic, no matter how esoteric, was a frustrating to watch as her blatant attitude towards everything.

Whereas Magicians like myself saw magic as a catalyst to become something more than an everyday human cursed to live out the pitifully ordinary lives we were destined to have, LeFay saw it all as some sort of childish fantasy she could escape into whenever she grew bored with daily life.

But maybe that's why I couldn't find it within me to speak to her in the same way I spoke with everyone else.

Because in the real world, none of the other students and fellow Magicians would give someone like me - who had to invent their own type of magic because they sucked at all the others - even the slightest bit of attention.

Yet LeFay, even with her penchant to treating everything like a childish fantasy, took the time to get to know me and treat me like I wasn't a failure. Like I was someone that mattered.

And for that, I would forever be grateful to her.

"You're right, as usual." I caved, trying not to notice the way she perked up at my agreement to her wishes. "I'll try not to be late next time."

I could have told her that the reason I was about to be late for class was because I invented my very own magic, but that would just make her upset at me for willingly endangering myself by attempting untested magic without someone there to assist me if things went wrong.

Clapping her hands together, LeFay spun around in midst of our walk to class in order to beam up at me with a warm smile. "Good!" Her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled in the morning light coming through the windows, and for a moment I was breathless in the face of such expressive features.

"You know I worry about you, Soly…" She added softly. "Sometimes you just hide away in your room for days on end, and come out looking sadder every time I see you." Seeing the way I flinched at her words, LeFay raised a small hand to place it comfortingly on my chest. "…you know you can talk to me, right?"

No… No, I couldn't.

Because how could she understand?

Whereas I struggled to make even the weakest of spells work, LeFay could cast a dozen of the same spell in the blink of an eye while not even paying it her full attention.

For some reason, despite my talents with arithmetic and equations, regular spells that all Magicians learned easily are nearly impossible for me to cast. It's the entire reason behind my relentless studying to create a new type of magic; to give me even a chance at being a Magician worthy of standing next to someone like LeFay.

But LeFay? She could do it all, and so much more, without even trying.

"Thanks, LeFay…" I replied just as softly, covering the hand resting on my chest with my own. "…I appreciate it."

For a few moments, the two of us just stood there. My hand covering hers as our blushing faces stared at each other, unspoken words and feeling passing between us in an intimate moment.

"Would you two lovebirds stop blocking the hallway?" A heavily English-accented voice called out mockingly, startling us into jumping apart as we turned to the aforementioned speaker. "Some of us actually have more important things to do than stand around all day making eyes at each other."

The person in question turned out to be a beautiful auburn-haired girl with pale skin and sky-blue eyes. Dressed in the standard white button-up shirt and black skirt that all female Magicians wore, but with an added black blazer that carried a small golden cross on her lapel.

Meredith Ordinton, another young Magician here at Golden Dawn who took many of the same classes that LeFay and I did. Someone who's skill with magic was rumored to even rival LeFay's prestigious talents; and with a similarly illustrious bloodline as a bastard child of the British Royal Family, her place among the future greatest Magicians of our generation was all but guaranteed.

"A pleasure to see you as always, Meredith." I stated sarcastically, though the faint blush of embarrassment on my cheeks helped dull any negative feelings in my words.

"Stuff it, Solomon." She rolled her eyes with a huff. "LeFay might have to put up with your lackluster attitude as your girlfriend. But the rest of us shouldn't have to suffer." Turning to LeFay, she added. "What is it you see in him, again?"

As LeFay made to defend me, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the age-old debate that was about to take place.

It shouldn't come as any surprise to find out that the two girls who were the top of our generation would end up becoming best friends. Not with someone like LeFay; whose personality made it nearly impossible for anyone to dislike her.

Between her bubbly personality, and Meredith's own mischievous one, the two quickly became the best of friends as everyone else in our age group tried to find some way into their circle. And when I eventually joined the duo, people began whispering amongst themselves as to how I got invited into what many believed to be an exclusive group.

As for how LeFay and I ended up together?

It had been after a rather distressing third week of classes after we had both turned 15, and I had failed once again to achieve any sort of progress with my magic beyond the smallest and weakest of spells.

LeFay, having been the first person to give me even the slightest bit of attention after news of my failings spread like wildfire throughout the Golden Dawn, had offered to get a bit to eat with me in the local cafeteria. More as a courtesy and show of her trying to be nice than any actual interest in a date.

But having been a bit starved for some type of connection with other people after having become an outcast in all but name, I'd decided to spring the question of us going on a date as soon as we had sat down at a lone table together.

Shockingly, LeFay had enthusiastically said yes to it.

It wasn't until we went on our date - a stroll through the institute's gardens - that I learned why.

As a genius of magic bearing a family pedigree as world-renown as hers, LeFay had very few people to speak with. Everyone in our age group was either too in awe of her talents, or too embarrassed of their own lacking abilities to even go near her. Many of whom outright believed she was too far beyond them to even consider the possibility that she would want to speak with them, let alone become friends.

Which led to a rather lonely life for LeFay, until Meredith and I came along.

That's when I decided, in the midst of walking her back to her apartment, that I'd asked her to be my girlfriend.

And wouldn't you know it? She said yes again!

"Mooouu, Mery~! Don't be so mean to Soly!" LeFay whined to her bestfriend, pouting cutely at Meredith's teasing.

Staring at LeFay's pouting features, Meredith's faux annoyance gave way to reluctance as her shoulders slumped.

Sometimes LeFay could pull off a look that was just too adorable to deny.

"…fine." She sighed, briefly turning her sky-blue eyes towards me. "Sorry, Solomon."

Waving off her apology, I knew that she wasn't intentionally being hurtful with her words. It was more likely that she was posing an honest question about how LeFay put up with me.

"It's fine," I replied. "No harm done."

"YAAAAY!" LeFay's loud cheer reverberated in our eardrums. Jumping up in the air, she quickly wrapped her short arms around my and Meredith's necks in order to pull us closer. Smooshing our faces against her cheeks as she exclaimed. "See, I knew you two could get along!"

Glancing past LeFay's brightly smiling face, Meredith and I shared a brief moment of comradery as we were uncomfortably pressed together. Our bodies slumping as we ultimately allowed ourself to be pulled along towards our next class by a cheering LeFay.

…in truth, I think the question should have been how either of us put up with LeFay's antics.

… …

- Lecture Room -

"…as most of you know, Dimensional Magic is the basis for many of the realms which the current Pantheons and Factions of the supernatural world reside in." The lecturer for today's class spoke over the whispers of the students seated all around the classroom. "In places like the Underworld - where the Devil and Fallen Factions reside - the Dimension has been stylized to resemble our world in nearly every way."

Waving his hand in front of him, the lecturer conjured a large magic circle that created two holographic images.

One showed a collage of beautiful images taken at different locations around the Earth; including images of pristine beaches, dense forests, and snow-capped mountains. The other showed similar locations, but without the beautiful oceans and clear blue skies. Instead, it was filled with nearly endless stretches of unused land that would occasionally be dotted with a massive city.

"As the Underworld does not have the oceans, lakes, and rivers that our world does - thereby granting them almost twice the amount of landmass to make use of - many of its landmass has been left barren."

Getting rid of the hologram showcasing the Earth, the lecturer enlarged the one of the Underworld before casting a spell to project additional images side-by-side. "With many of the Underworld's cities being built in clusters within the lands that are ruled by one of the 72 Pillar Houses, the current Underworld governments have left much of the unoccupied land available to all; in the hopes that future generations of Devils and their recent creations - Reincarnated Devils - will one day spread out and populate these areas."

Leaning back in my seat as the lecture continued, I quietly drummed my fingers against the top of my desk as I allowed my mind to wander.

The idea of creating a dimension of my one has been one that's long stayed in the back of my thoughts, but I've been putting it off to the side until today so that I could focus on getting my Key to work. 'I mean honestly, who hasn't thought about making their own dimension?'

As a Magician, there were very few safe locations outside of magician institutes where one could hone their craft in private.

The small apartments granted to us at the Golden Dawn were nice, but they lacked any real sort of security. At best, they would keep out other students from outright barging in on you while you worked. And even then, it wasn't a guaranteed thing.

In order to allow other people into your apartment, you had to add them to the list of those allowed past the doorway. But once someone was added, they could enter and exit your apartment without an issue as long as you hadn't placed separate locks on the door.

For my apartment, I'd added a standard - but woefully weak - locking charm on the door that had prevented anyone from barging in while I was in the middle of the more delicate parts of creating the Key. The chance of being interrupted, no matter how slim, would have created a chain reaction that'd have resulting in me blowing myself up.

Had I not taken that extra step, LeFay - as my girlfriend and the only person I've ever added to the list of allowed guests - would have walked right on into my space without so much as a single knock.

As was her usual.

One would think she had a death wish by coming and going unannounced while making all sorts of noise in a fellow Magician's home, but as a Magician who could cast powerful Defensive Magic in an instant and destroy entire mountains with a gesture, LeFay saw the world with very different eyes.

For her, everything and everyone - including those around her - were more like characters in a fantasy book. And that what she was experiencing in real life, was all part of a story that she was getting to experience firsthand.

A rather strange way to view the world, I admit. But Magicians were never known to be the most ordinary of folk.

Sparing a glance to my side, I stifled a chuckle as I caught LeFay doodling small caricatures of her flying on a broom instead of jotting down notes like the others sitting around us.

Her rather unique outlook on the world is also why, despite being capable of leaving the Golden Dawn at any time as she'd already learned most everything there was to be taught here, she kept coming back to classes and sat through them.

All so she could play the role of the "student Magician".

Apparently, her older brother Arthur was planning on making a great escape from their family, and LeFay saw it as being the next chapter in her story that was meant to end her days as a student.

…I care for the girl, deeply - perhaps even love her - but even I knew that she had a few screws loose like all Magicians do.

"…some Dimensions, while not as large as the Underworld or even the Norse's Asgard Dimension, can be made to more suitably fit the caster's preferences. Typically, these are made as a way to carry a vast number of items without being burdened by their weight." The lecturer's voice drifted back into my ears, drawing my attention away from LeFay's cute face and back on the lesson. "We call these uses of Dimension Magic for smaller means: Pocket Dimensions"

Pocket Dimensions, eh?

Now there's an idea. I'd thought about trying to make my own dimension where I could continue to practice my Key in a secure environment, but I didn't have the skill - or power - necessary to do that…until now.

Lowering my gaze to my right hand currently drumming against the top of my desk, I smirked to myself as the Key briefly appeared on the top of the skin before fading once again.

'Maybe I could work with this…'

I hadn't been able to test out my new Creation Magic yet, but based off of my success with creating the Key using Game Magic, it's entirely possible that I might be able to create my own pocket dimension given enough practice.

…

- Hours Later -

Success!

Staring at the small hand-sized ripple of golden magic flowing at eye level, I reluctantly amended the statement to that of a partial success.

After several hours of pouring over books on Dimensional Magic, and trying desperately to track down my scattered notes from this morning's lecture and the ones I'd had previously, I eventually cobbled together enough theory and conjecture to build a spell that would create some sort of pocket dimension.

Granted, I had needed to lean heavily on my Key and the new Creation Magic that I'd chosen - which I'm still figuring out what it was fully capable of - but the essentials were there.

I had the algorithm and equations down, the power I drew from the magic permeating throughout the entirety of the Golden Dawn institute, and the control necessary to bring it all to life came from the Key itself; thereby tethering the pocket dimension to me instead of a location.

'But how did it work?'

According to my notes, the possibility of successfully creating a pocket dimension were incredibly slim for the average Magician. And with my limitations in regards to nearly all types of magic, Dimension Magic shouldn't have been this easy for me to make work.

In fact, it should have been an impossibility.

'…something's not right.'

It had started as soon as I created the Key. A sort of presence lingering in the back of my mind that itched for me to unveil it, but the necessary requirements to do so hadn't yet been met.

But for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it needed.

Watching the small golden portal for a few moments, I eventually sighed in defeat as I canceled it with a single thought to the Key; causing the portal to fade away and leave behind no sign of its presence.

'Maybe it's time I got LeFay's help? Assuming she's done with whatever it is that's going on with her.'

Typically, we'd get dinner together after are classes were done, but she'd had to cancel at the last minute to hand some personal matters.

As her boyfriend, I'd obviously tried to probe for a little more information, but she'd simply said it was something she needed to handle herself. Which I understood as her way of saying 'Back off', and simply gave her a kiss before she'd left.

We hadn't gone much farther than hand-holding and closed-mouth kisses, but the displays of affection were a good sign that our relationship was headed in the right direction. And knowing when to back off and let her have her space saw one of the most important things to help build and strengthen our relationship.

…at least, that's what the book on dating said.

When it came to relationships, everyone - Magicians especially - all came with their own secrets. It was about how we handled them when they came up, that showed whether or not the relationship could work out.

And considering I'd been keeping my research and creation of the Key from her for quite a while now, I knew better than to pry too much. She'd eventually tell me when she was ready.

Putting away the research notes on Dimension Magic, a sudden idea came to me as I looked down at the pale skin on the back of my hand where the Key hid. My thoughts about secrets dragged to the forefront of my mind as I stilled. '…I'm going to tell her.'

She might not be ready to tell me her secrets, but now that I'd react a critical juncture in my work with the Key, I felt that I finally had something to share with her. Something that I could show which she'd be proud of me for, and then I could finally open up to her about how I felt.

My Key was the culmination of my 16 years of life's work. The embodiment of everything I hoped I'd one day achieve, and the struggles I'd endured to reach this point. A representation of all I am, and all I could become.

And I wanted to share it, along with everything else about me, with her.

Because I love her.

I'd loved her since the first day we met, and that love has only grown in the last year and a half that we'd been together.

Feeling resolute in my decision, I quickly switched out my wrinkled uniform for one that was clean before leaving my apartment in quick strides.

My footsteps echoed through the emptied halls of the apartments as the light of the crescent moon hovering in the night sky shone through the windows, reminding me that I'd been holed up in my room again for several hours longer than I'd intended.

Whoops.

When a Magician was deep into their studies and projects, it wasn't unusual for time get away from them. But I sometimes took it to the extreme in my efforts to create and improve upon the Key.

Hopefully LeFay would still be up when I arrived, but even if she wasn't I'd gotten too fired up to let that stop me.

Sure, she might be a little mad to get woken up so abruptly, but she'd done the same thing to me in the past on many occasions. A little bit of turn-around was fair play, right?

Reaching her apartment in minutes, I rapped my knuckles against the wood door with the slightest bit of force. Not enough to startle her if she was in the middle of a spell, but loud enough that it should hopefully reach her bedroom if she was already asleep.

…nothing.

'That's…odd.' Trying one more time, I frowned at the lack of response before ultimately trying the doorhandle.

Since she'd already added me to the list of accepted guests, the only thing I had to worry about was any additional locking charms she might have added in preparation for testing out a spell or working on a project.

It opened with ease.

Taking a hesitant step across the threshold, careful to not make too much noise in case she was working on something, my entire body went rigid as soon as a new sound echoed throughout the apartment.

"Yesss~! Mmmm… K-Keep going!" A horrifyingly familiar voice moaned out in pleasure, barely audible over the repeated sound of flesh slapping against flesh.

I might not be the most knowledgeable about what teenagers get up to - having spent most of my young life within the walls of Golden Dawn after having escaped the orphanage - but even I could understand the sounds of sex that were coming from the other room.

LeFay's bedroom.

'No…please, let me be wrong.' I pleaded, forcing my feet to take the next few steps towards the bedroom, even as my brain pleaded with me not to. To turn around, walk away, and never look back. That was I was going to find would only bring me suffering.

But I had to know… I had to see it for myself.

…and as I walked to the open doorway leading into LeFay's bedroom, I wished I hadn't.

In a tangle of soaked bedsheets, a naked LeFay's small, lithe body glistened with sweat as she bounced enthusiastically on a male's lap. Her normally perfectly-groomed blonde hair stuck to her skin in a tangled mess as she panted, her flushed face enraptured with ecstasy as she made love to a guy I only vaguely recalled as being a fellow Magician in our age group.

"LeFay?" I mumbled in horror, my eyes stinging with tears as I felt my heart break in a thousand pieces.

The sound of my voice, while spoken rather softly, was loud enough to draw their attention as two faces glistening with sweat turned to me in shock.

"-Gasp- Solomon!" LeFay gasped, scrambling to grab the sheets off the bed and wrap them around her naked body. In any other circumstance, I might have noticed - and even been entranced - by her small naked breasts on display.

Instead, I was more focused on the look in her blue eyes as she looked up at me from her position on another man's naked lap. There was shock there, certainly. And more than a bit of embarrassment at being caught in such an intimate display; but there was no regret, nor guilt, in her eyes.

And that, more than perhaps anything else, hurt me to my core.

…and somewhere deep inside me, the presence that lingered in the back of my mind stirred.

"Wha-…W-What are you doing here?" She asked after a moment, trying to get her breathing under control as she subtly got off the guy's lap, who quickly grabbed a pillow to cover up his naked waist. "I-I thought you'd be busy working on another one of your projects!"

"Obviously," I replied in an emotionless voice. My heart hurt too much, and my mind was clouded with the repeated image of her on top of the other guy to fully digest what I was feeling. "…how could you?"

Obviously disconcerted by my tone, LeFay tried to find a way out of the situation. "I just… I didn't mean for it to happen, it just sort of did." She began gesturing wildly with one hand while holding up the sheet to her body with the other. "Daniel and I were working on a…a-a spell! That's right, a spell!"

Glancing panicked at 'Daniel' next to her, the guy nodded frantically as he tried to grab the discarded clothes off of the floor that lied by the bed.

"And-And we got to talking, and then one thing kind of led to another and…" She tried to continue the obvious lie, only to quickly run out of something to add to her made-up story. Realizing I wasn't buying her story at all, her shoulders slumped as her head dropped. "…I'm sorry."

Staring at her for several moments, the heavy silence that descended over the room was as overwhelming as the stench of sex was nauseating.

This. This is what I get for trying to open up to someone.

This is what I get for falling in love; and right when I'd been on the precipice of finally believing that there was someone out there so saw me for me. Who saw past my failings as a Magician, and had come to care for me for who I am rather than what I could do.

An early childhood of pain brought on by the early deaths of my parents, the suffering of being a nameless face among countless others in the orphanage, and the sheer overwhelming loneliness of being an outcast Magician amongst geniuses.

And all of it has now led to this, the agonizing betrayal at the hands of someone I loved.

…I'm done.

"Don't be." I sighed, wiping at a tear that was beginning to trail down my cheek. "We're done."

Seeing the shocked look on her face at my words - as if she'd believed we would ever be able to continue after what I'd just seen - I turned around and began walking away as she scrambled out of her bed. The bedsheet still held close as she tried to move on shaky, exhausted legs to catch up with my quick strides.

"W-Wait!" She called out, one hand reaching out towards me from the bedroom doorway as I stepped up to her front door. The sound of her voice halted my footsteps momentarily as I hovered my hand over the doorknob.

"Please, Solomon…we can work this out." She begged as tears began to well up in her once beautiful sapphire-blue eyes. "I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like this."

"…goodbye, LeFay."

Closing the door solidly without looking back, I wasn't even going to pretend to listen to anything more she had to say. It hurt too much just to look at her, and the sound of my heart pounding in my chest made it difficult to hear anything other than the footfalls of my steps as I walked quickly back to my room.

'It was all too good to be true.'

There had always been a small part of me that found it weird that someone like LeFay would spend time with me, and would agree to date me when there were plenty of other guys who dreamed of being in my position.

'How could she?'

Didn't the last year and a half of our relationship mean anything too her?

Apparently not, if all it took to wind up in bed with another man was a single day together. 'Was it even a single day though? Had she been seeming behind my back, and I just hadn't even noticed?'

That was certainly possible. I knew that I spent too much time shutting myself away in my apartment as I worked on my projects, but I'd always believed that the time we spent together outside of those moments had more than made up for it. But maybe that was just my naivety talking. I was no expert on relationships; in fact, this was my very first one.

Don't all the old stories tell that a person's first love usually ends in heartbreak?

Barely noticing as I reached my apartment, I slammed the door shut behind me and threw a weak locking spell on it as I went straight to the list of admitted guests and immediately cast LeFay's name off the list. Taking a vicious pleasure in seeing it be removed before I went around the room destroying anything I had with her name on it.

Old notes passed between each other during classes, pictures taken during our dates in different areas of the institute; everything that reminded me of her had to go.

And when it was all said and done, and the last picture was torn to shreds - a rather beautiful shot of the two of us talking hand-in-hand through the institute's gardens - I collapsed onto my couch and cried.

The sound of my sobs filled the emptiness of my living room as I wept for the loss of what once was…

…and would never be again.

- Within Solomon -

Feeling the overwhelming emotions brought on by Solomon's heartbreak, a consciousness stirred within the recesses of his soul.

An ancient entity that had lied dormant for eons awoke for the first time in modern history as he wept. It had tried to help Solomon as best it could with what limited abilities it had while mostly asleep, but now the time had come to take its place at his side.

And as it looked out from the depths of Solomon's soul, the being…a beast of the ancient times… heard its own voice for the first time in so very long as it spoke but a single statement.

"The Time of Crowning has Come; He is the One who Begins All."

- END -

Author's Notes:

And that's Chapter 1!

This story is going to be a mix of Highschool DxD, Fate, and a bit of Gamer System mixed together.

It's meant to be the start of a series of shorter stories than Reincarnation Game, featuring its fair share of lemons, fighting, and ideas that have been rattling around in my head for a while now. All of which will be linked together by this first story where Solomon basically creates his own very of the Gamer System, but a lot less focused on numbers and status, and a lot more focused on each character's development.

I realized after I started Reincarnation Game that it would be a long…long story with tons of chapters that I hadn't planned out very well, and that was burning me out faster than I wanted. So now I'm trying to prevent that by doing these, which will hopefully involve a lot fewer chapters.

Hope you all are liking it so far! Thanks for checking out my story!