Stare.

Nothing.

Hachiman had been staring at the same empty instant ramen cup for the better part of 3 hours with little progress. He had tried connecting to the reservoir of magic he had felt the previous night and while he could 'tap' in to it, he was still clueless as to how to 'activate' it.

Angry, he kicked the cup across the alley he had been forced to call home for the past 2 nights. If he was going to survive, he needed to be able to control and use the powers he had been gifted. He was certain there was some cool, mysterious name it was called but Hachiman didn't care. Death Gaze was the best he could come up with and it fit the bill.

With 15,000 Yen to his name (14,600 after the nutritious meal of instant ramen and a bottle of water), he needed a source of income. He'd deal with sleeping in the street, regardless of the weather. The cold would be a problem, but with magic existing he was sure to find a simple flame spell. It also helped that his 'eye powers' seemed to come with an increased constitution.

He had found that out when a rage induced punch to the concrete wall had left a web of cracks that wasn't on his hand.

The real problem was his severe lack of existing in this world. No birth certificates, no identification, no proof of schooling. Getting a job through legal means would be impossible. Even if he did get a job, he doubted it'd pay well enough for an apartment in the city. That was ignoring again, his lack of official papers and the fact that what landlord would trust a 17 year old kid to keep up with rental payments.

There were probably laws as well that prevented minors from doing that kind of thing anyway.

Still angry, frustrated and slightly hungry Hachiman decided to give his eyes a rest and explore the town a little more. A library would be a good start, and best of all it was free.

Leaving the dingy, most probably red-light district part of town that he had found himself in, the teen kept walking towards the town centre. He had eyed a map on the bus stop he had just walked past and changed direction appropriately. At least the town wasn't overly large. Small blessings he supposed.

30 minutes of walking and not even slightly out of breath, Hachiman arrived at his destination. The structure was clean and modern looking, as if it was either recently built or renovated. Checking his reflection in the glass window, he at least made himself look less of hobo and more of a dishevelled university student.

Entering the building, he was immediately met with a wave of heat that was much appreciated. Maybe he would have to rethink his bed for the night. Walking past the reception desk the man behind the counter gave him a cursory glance before returning to his work.

Checking out the 'Novels' section first, he was surprised to find similar titles and authors from his own world. For a small town the library was quite extensive, rivalling the one in Chiba. Perhaps they had a rich benefactor with a penchant for reading.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Hachiman went to the 'education' section and quickly scanned the titles for anything seemed 'magicky'. After 3 aisles and countless books, he came to an epiphany and wanted to face palm at his stupidity. He had eyes that could literally see magic.

Blink.

Filtering out the deep shade of blue that seemed embedded in every part of the room, he scanned the same aisles again taking note of the books that seemed to glow. Grabbing the three closest ones to start, the displaced teen found himself a vacant table in the corner and sat down. Looking at the spines he read each one.

Magic: Fact or Fiction? By W. Wataru

Spells and Incantations for the Aspiring Magician By M. Ambrosius

What's in a Spell? By M. Ambrosius

Settling down in his chair and making himself comfortable he picked the first one in the stack and got to reading. It was going to be a long day.

What. The. Fuck.

No other words aptly described how Hachiman was feeling. Never more had he cursed his lack of natural affinity for mathematics. Because so far what he had read was the biggest kick in the dick this universe had given him since finding out MAX Coffee didn't exist.

Magic was math. Kind of. Equations upon equations just for a simple fucking flame spell. Sure, he could probably make a flame given enough time, but at that point he might as well buy a cigarette lighter. Still, the books had been informative. Well, two of them were. The first one was an absolute bust, more the ramblings of a conspiracy theorist than an actual in depth study in to magic.

Yes, most spells relied on intimately knowing the science behind what was being cast. And wasn't that a novelty, magic relying on science. But there was a silver lining. Just as many spells relied on logic. And logic, he could definitely work with logic.

Combat ready fire and ice spells would be beyond him for quite some time, but the more utility based spells that relied on quick thinking and logical problem solving would be a cinch. Sure, he'd have to get creative with some of the spells the book had made mention of but it was what he would have to work with.

Using a pen he had found lying on a desk nearby and paper borrowed from the front desk, Hachiman wrote down anything remotely relevant. Quickly filling up the 5 pages he had borrowed with spells and meditation techniques, he folded them in half and put them in the pocket of his jacket. Getting up and stretching his legs he let out a quiet groan before collecting the books on his table and returning them to their respective aisles.

Feeling someone staring at him he activated his 'magic sense' (he really needed to get better at naming things, but he refused to go full Zaimokuza) and discreetly turned around. The blue that was prevalent before seemed stronger and further scans found the source.

There.

A group of girls, all wearing the same uniform as the two he had seen the night before and just as beautiful. Appropriately proportioned too… kind of. Seriously, what the fuck author-san. Big breasts were NOT a personality trait no matter how much you want it to be.

There was, however, no red aura surrounding them. Instead, a deep enchanting blue that was constantly changing like the ocean tides. From light to dark the colours wavered, never settling on one.

Not wanting to seem like a creep, Hachiman reluctantly looked away from the admittedly beautiful spectacle. Where the red was chaos, the blue was order. And in the past chaotic few days he could do with some order. Shaking his head and turning off his supernatural vision Hachiman returned the books and left the library, content with what he had learned. It finally felt like he was getting somewhere.

There was no doubt in his mind that the group of girls he had seen were neck-deep in this magic bullshit, and given the fact that both them and the library was swimming in a sea of blue aura he knew who to thank for the books. Regardless, the less attention he got the better. Though their aura was strong, much stronger than his own at least, they were barely an ember compared to the blonde haired bastard from earlier.

That was power.

Pulling his jacket closer to his body Hachiman walked through the cold city streets with no destination in mind. The sun was setting in the distance taking both its light and warmth beyond the horizon. He was reading for longer than he thought, but every hour was worth it.

Finding the closest convenience store, he entered and bought another cup of instant ramen. It was far from healthy and barely nutritious but it was all he could afford if he wanted his money to last longer than a week.

He really needed a job.

Deciding to treat himself Hachiman bought an iced coffee that wasn't MAX but would have to do. Using the provided hot water he filled his instant ramen cup, grabbed a set of chopsticks and sat down at one of the seats near the window. Taking out the notes he had written earlier, the soon to be magician started mentally going through the necessary steps to cast his first spell.

Closing his eyes and putting his hands close together, as if he was getting ready to applaud, Hachiman envisioned how the spell would work. The materials that would be used, the strength it would require, the duration of the spell. Everything and anything, all would be calculated.

2 minutes of concentration and Hachiman felt the pull in his stomach. The same pull he felt when his eyes had removed that spear from existence. Slowly opening his eyes and looking between his hands, the teen nearly yelled in excitement. He had done it. He had done it! His first spell. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't strong. But it was useful, and it's applications near endless.

He could nearly cry from joy. It wasn't much but it was a start, and now he wasn't entirely powerless as long as he could keep growing; keep moving forward. Because there, between his hands, was the dull glow of a spell. His spell. Lines of silver threads, softly pulsating with magical energy.

Weave. The ability to create strong, physical strings of magical energy. Can be imbued with elemental properties.

Traps, tripwires, restraints, grappling hooks. The versatility of the spell was its true strength, with the strings itself being as strong as the magician who cast them. What's that? Spider-man rip off? He'll deal with the consequences of copyright after he survived this shithole dimension and when he got back home. When, because he refused to think about if.

Feeling hopeful for the first time since arriving here, Hachiman quickly finished his meal and his coffee. Leaving the store and making his way back to the alley he was summoned to he felt that just maybe he could make this work.

Foreshadowing was a cruel mistress.

Hachiman stared at his reflection in the window of the convenience store. Gaunt face, a jacket that was worn out and hung loosely from his malnourished frame and hands wrapped in bandages stolen from this very store. His shoes were equally worn out, the constant walking taking its toll and his pants were held up by a magically created string to stop them from falling down his thin waist.

Dead fish eyes with the life sucked out stared back. With a sigh, he entered to store and walked to the food section. Reaching for the cheapest instant ramen he stopped himself, instead grabbing a more expensive flavoured one with meat and vegetables. It was probably his last meal for a while; best make it a good one.

Grabbing an iced coffee as one last treat, he went up to the counter and paid for the two items with the last bit of his money, throwing the meagre change in the charity donation bucket.

Taking the same seat near the window he always took, he peeled back the top of the cup and placed his hand over it. Almost lazily he raised his hand and scalding hot water started pouring in to the cup from a small circle coming from his bandaged palm.

Once the cup was filled he grasped it from the bottom and another circle appeared, the noodles slowly stirring themselves together with the frozen vegetables. Once he had waited for the noodles to 'cook' Hachiman peeled the rest of the cover off and picked up his chop sticks.

Not bothering with any prayer or thanks he slowly started to eat, savouring the taste.

"Colour me impressed, one month in and already casting magic like that. You're a natural."

Startled, Hachiman whirled around to face the voice that just spoke. Without a thought threads between his hands shot out towards the man's throat, flames dancing along their length. Without missing a beat, the stranger waved his hand and the threads fizzled out in to nothing.

"A millennia too early kid. Although if you keep up the progress who knows?"

The entire time, the kind smile never left the man's face. Hachiman snarled.

"You."

The man's smile dropped, but he never looked frustrated or angry. Indifferent was the best way to describe it.

"Me."

It took a moment, but Hachiman calmed down enough to think a little more clearly. The anger was still there, but controlled.

"Who are you? What do you want from me? Were you the one that brought me here?"

The questions were said slowly, but quick enough to not give time for a response. The blonde haired man scratched his chin and then seemed to sigh in resignation.

"I told you who I am, it's not my decision whether you choose to believe or not. Technically, I did bring you here but not really. It was the system He left in place that decided your fate and in His absence the best we can do is follow its orders and try keeping it running as well as it used to."

The man who he hoped had the answers he needed now just left him with more. What system? Who's absence? And he still hadn't told him outright who he was. He needed a name or he'd just start calling him riajuu bastard to his face.

"As for what I want from you? It's not just me, everyone from Heaven above and Hell below needs your he-"

"No."

Yeah… About that. Hachiman had no intentions of doing any life-threatening, world saving escapades. Nope. Leave that to the actual heroes and protagonists of this story.

Finally, the man showed more emotion than smiles and indifference; confusion marring his perfect features.

"No? Isn't it every kid's dream to get given powers and save the world? I know many your age that would be ecstatic at the chance."

Hachiman gripped the table, cracks appearing beneath his fingers.

"So it's every kid's dream to be ripped away from family and friends, dropped in to the middle of nowhere and nearly killed? Do my family even know I'm alive? Do I even exist? Or now does Hachiman Hikigaya not exist there too?"

Panic attack, he was having a panic attack. His breathing was irregular and that same piercing pain from when he first arrived was back. It never really left, but he had learnt to deal with it well enough.

Everything was getting too much.

The constant hunger, the teeth-chattering nights spent on the cold concrete floor. The constant drain of keeping a flame spell burning all night just so he didn't freeze to death and then waking up to burnt hands that drained him even more when he had to cast another spell to heal them. Showers at the local gym he'd sneak in to, standing naked and cold in the cubicle while he waited for the one set of clothes he had to dry.

The one ray of hope, the one thing that hadn't completely fucked him over was the library. The same man behind the front desk that didn't ask questions, the wrapped sandwiches left on the same table he always sat on and the nod of acknowledgement, not pity, that the receptionist would give him every time he left. It was the only reason he had made it this long.

He remembered the group of girls too. Sometimes all 6 would be there, sometimes only two and rarely just the one with violet eyes. He remembered the fear that they'd sense his magic, that they'd eliminate him because he was a threat.

His Magic Sense had improved with his abilities, allowing him to see the nature of the energy, not just the colour. And their energy was inherently evil. They themselves seemed friendly enough, but the magic they used? Its origins were dark and forged in blood and sacrifice.

Suddenly a wave of calm washed over him and his breathing slowed. His anger was gone, replaced with soft voice that had given up.

"I've got nothing. Nothing. I literally don't exist here. Was guidebook too much to ask for? A warm bed to sleep in? I would've been happy with a blanket. I just-?"

When had he started crying? Was he really that weak? He could feel the tears run down his cheeks and through blurred vision he looked at the man that was partly responsible. The man, while not crying, had an expression that was equal parts comforting and guilt-ridden.

"I am truly sorry."

Hachiman wiped his eyes.

"Then send me back. I just want to go home."

"I can't. But maybe I can make the transition to this world a little easier."

The man reached a hand across the table, intending to comfort the obviously distraught teen. It hurt to see anyone like this, but it was necessary. Heaven needed all it could if it wanted to survive what was coming.

Just before his hand could settle on the young teen's head, it was forcibly slapped away. Dead fish eye's glared at him, and through them he could see the potential the kid had. The power that was hidden away but always itching to come out, bubbling just behind the surface.

"I don't want your help, and I sure as hell don't want your pity."

The man sighed in genuine sadness. In their zeal to follow His dying will, they had brought pain and suffering to an innocent teen.

Hachiman ignored the bastard in front of him and drank the rest of his coffee in one big gulp. Grabbing the chopsticks and his now cold ramen (It could always be heated up later), he got off his seat and made his way to the door.

"Your system can go fuck itself. And so can your world. I'm going to find my way home, with or without your help, or die trying."

Before he could reach the door, the man's voice stopped him.

"Even so, when the time comes to make a decision I know you'll make the right one."

Hachiman left without looking back once.

Shivering uncontrollably despite the Flame spell that was burning in front of him, Hachiman huddled closer to himself in a futile effort to keep warm. Staring at the cloudless sky he felt like he was running out. Running out of magic, running out of energy. Simply running out of motivation to keep going. He'd only made it this far out of spite to whatever deity wanted him here to save this god-forsaken world.

With no chance sleeping when it was this cold he stood up and stretched his legs, re-casting Weave to make a belt. If magicians around the world found out how he used their craft, no doubt he'd be shunned and burnt at the stake.

A distant noise put him on high alert. The alley had been his home for the past 30 days and he knew every sound at every part of the night. This sound wasn't one of them.

Blink.

Slowly creeping forward he silently made his way deeper in the alley, his own dull grey energy now rolling off the surroundings in waves. He knew there was a dead end up ahead but nothing of note was there. Continuing on, he readied a Weave spell and imprinted it on his palm. Ignoring the burning sensation of the magic fusing with his skin, he readied another but kept it contained between his fingers.

The 'magic burning' was a way for him to 'store' spells for quicker casting. It hurt like a bitch and drained him as if he was using the spell, but it freed up his mind and allowed him to release the spell whenever he wished. There was a timeframe, depending on how 'deep' he burnt the magic. This one was relatively shallow, and it'd last an hour in its 'ready' state before slowly dissipating in to nothing.

The ones that lasted indefinitely were excruciatingly painful.

Closer and closer he walked to the noise, finally noticing the golden light that was shining from around the corner that led to the dead end. Turning off his Magic Sense he noticed the dancing shadows and figured it to be a small fire burning.

Turning the corner his breath hitched. A barrel was there, golden flames hungrily licking the edges. He could feel the warmth from where he was standing and throwing caution to the wind, walked closer to the blessed heat. Lying on the floor near the fire was a backpack with a blanket rolled up and resting on top.

Blink.

Golden radiance, warm and comforting. Blinding.

Blink.

Getting closer, he opened the bag and found a new jacket and clothes, a new pair of shoes and an A4 sized envelope. Taking the envelope he called forth a blade of wind to slice it open. Inside were sheets of paper which he carefully removed. His breath hitched again.

Documents, records, birth certificate. Inside was legal proof of his existence in this world. Faked school records, a student ID, everything he needed to get back some semblance of normalcy. He could get a job. He could go to school. Never would Hachiman have thought he'd be even slightly happy thinking those things, yet here he was.

A small paper slipped from between the papers he was holding and glided to the floor. Almost reverently, he put every page back in the envelope where they were safe and picked up the small letter that had fallen.

I know it's too little and too late and it doesn't come close to making up for it, but it's my hope that you see your dream through and make it back home. I know you'll surprise me. In the meantime, here's something we should have done a long time ago. Maybe one day you'll forgive me, until then know that there's a guardian angel looking out for you.

Kind Regards,
Uriel, Flame of God and Angel of Truth

P.S.
Might even have some work if you're interested. Nothing dangerous and the pays good.

Droplets of water smudged the elegant script, the source coming from above. Rain had the strangest timing.

A/N:

Quick update, don't expect it to always be like this. Just felt motivated and I got a clear goal in mind for this arc. DXD timeline is before canon, School/Season 1/Vol 1 of DXD starts in April. Source: DXD Author's Twitter. Right now we are in Feb and I plan to have maybe 1 or 2 more chapters before we get in to canon. Next time we'll see Hachiman training/fighting. He's not gonna be some close range fighter. He has minimal strength enhancements and has 0 fighting experience. I'll probably keep him as a mid-long range fighter that fills more of a support role for the heavy hitters. Next chapter might be awhile, it's like 4am and I have work in 2 hours.

'Till next time, catchya mate