The halls were mostly empty. The sky was a clear blue. Issei's feet rapidly pushed off of the floor with as much might as he could, "Damn it. Why are they being so hostile?" With a mighty roar, Issei leapt down a flight of stairs and landed in a crouch, his balance almost faltering. As he finally fell onto his back, he used a hand to push himself into a flip, narrowly dodging a strike from some kind of weapon as his eyes widened. "They're here already!?"
"Alright, kids. You're dismissed." The teacher, an elderly man who had once served in a war as a foot soldier, quickly left the room with a few books under his arm, a faint smile on his face. Issei sighed, flayed his arms over the edge of his desk and placed his face against the wood, struggling to understand the class he had just been through.
Art wasn't his favourite subject or pastime. He couldn't draw, couldn't sculpt and couldn't paint; he could barely hold a paintbrush without trembling hands, even though he could hold a blade with a steady grip. He wasn't nervous. Nothing could make the omnipotent human nervous anymore, but something about the practical arts, especially the type of sculpting that involved clay, made his hands tremble.
Not to mention the confusing vocabulary the teacher often used.
"Man…this class sucks…" Issei huffed and stared through a nearby window. His eyes tracked the only cloud in the sky, a small puff of white that lazily soared through the air. Time seemed to quickly pass by as the cloud finally left the sight of the human, but as Issei lazily checked the time on his phone, he sighed. "Only five minutes have passed…and lunch break has just started…"
Issei lifted his head off of his desk and glanced around the room. People were grouped up and were happily eating their food around a desk or desks that had been pushed together. They would talk, often laughing with each other or at a single person's silly comment, creating a ruckus in the classroom.
Issei frowned and furrowed his brow. He didn't appreciate the noise his classmates were making. On any other day, he wouldn't mind, but with the events of the previous night rushing through his mind, all he wanted was silence. Issei was half-expecting a visit from a member of Rias Gremory's posse as well, increasing his unknown paranoia, anger and annoyance.
Issei slowly inhaled with closed eyes. He knew he shouldn't' be angry at anyone other than himself. The monstrosities he had committed last night were the things he should be angry at, not a bunch of innocent girls that had nothing to do with him. "Hmph, I'm such a pitiful being."
Issei pushed his seat out from under his desk with his feet and glanced out the window once more, noticing the clear azure. He slowly shook his head and jumped to his feet, shoving both of his hands into the pockets of his blazer as he used his foot to kick his chair back under his desk. He left the classroom and wandered the corridors of Kuoh Academy, occasionally glancing behind him, as he struggled to come to terms with what he had done.
In Issei's mind, the thing that had permanently destroyed Raynare's body wasn't him. It was an amalgamation of centuries of isolation and loneliness that he couldn't control. The sadistic pleasure, the laughs, the smiles; none of it was Issei Hyoudou.
Issei couldn't fool himself, though. He knew that he had willingly done what he had done, and as he had begun to brood, he shook his head and had told himself that it was alright. This universe was one out of an infinity. Issei could simply return to his dimension, sit on his gaseous throne and watch the struggles of another Issei. Permanently maiming Raynare wasn't a complex issue anymore.
But if Issei really did return to his dimension, he'd become bored again and step into the black hole once more, potentially possessing another Issei. He'd probably hurt Raynare again as well and he knew that. Issei knew he'd lose control again. He knew he'd turn into that sadistic monster once more. He knew he'd hurt Raynare again.
Issei clicked his tongue, "Why am I even thinking about this so much? I could kill Raynare and get this over with but…I guess need to take responsibility for what I have done. Right. I feel guilty." Ultimately, Issei decided to live with what he had done. He didn't even know if he felt guilty but he did regret what he had done. Issei only told himself he was feeling guilty because he wanted a reason to justify why he wanted to take responsibility.
Issei blinked owlishly.
Did he even need to do anything if he claimed that he wanted to solve what he had done? As far as he knew, there was no way a being could regrow their wings without growing stronger or gaining an absurd amount of power. Even then, the destroyed wings wouldn't regrow; a new pair would form in its place and replace the old pair, most likely where the old pair should be.
The Fallen Angel would have the power of a four-winged Fallen Angel, but only have a single pair of wings. In other words, they'd seem weak to the people that understood how an Angel's ranking of power worked when they would always be a rank higher than what people thought and that was deemed to be a good thing as the difference in power between a single and a double set of wings was absurd.
"Alright! I've figured out what I can to do to fix this issue!" Issei held his hands on his hips as he puffed his chest out in pride, ignoring the reactions of a single bystander. Issei calmed himself with a chuckle, released his pose with a sigh and huffed. "Well, now that I've figure it out, it's no fun…bah, what am I saying? It'll definitely be fun!"
"Hmm? What will be fun, Issei Hyoudou?" Issei spun on the base of his heel and came face to face with a person that he knew was a devil. All along, while wondering the halls of Kuoh Academy, Issei had been unconsciously avoiding Yuuto Kiba and Koneko Toujou, two of the four devils that made up Rias Gremory's peerage. And, with a faint smile and closed eyes, stood the blonde swordsman, Yuuto Kiba, the only Knight in Rias' peerage.
"Yuuto Kiba…leave me alone, blondie. This has nothing to do with you." Issei waved his hand around in dismissal. Yuuto chuckled, took a single step back and bowed to Issei.
"My name is Yuuto Kiba, as you already know. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Issei crinkled his nose in distaste. The overly polite 'princes' were not his type. Kiba was a guy, that much was obvious, but on the off chance that Issei stopped liking women, Kiba would not be his first choice. His attitude was irritable, after all, and it was a sickly sweet combination of negative feelings.
"Two negatives make a positive, huh…" Issei had muttered to himself, watching as Kiba straightened his back. Issei frowned, glanced down the corridor behind him and noticed a small blob of white hair. "Koneko Toujou and Yuuto Kiba…I wonder what you guys want with me? Does your King really feel safe without her only Knight and Rook?" The air turned cold and the atmosphere became heavy.
There was a sword poised towards Issei's throat, the tip barely touching, but Kiba's confidence in his ability to intimidate and subjugate Issei was laughable at most. It was laughable for the omnipotent being, anyway. "Issei Hyoudou, the human…no, rather, I should call you a monster. Rias Gremory, our master and King, has called for you." Kiba's eyes were sharp and full of distrust while his curled lip and snarl actively revealed his dislike for Issei. The omnipotent being clicked his tongue as he resisted the urge to face-palm. Despite his need for entertainment and something to clear his mind, he shouldn't have openly revealed his knowledge of Rias and her Devils. Issei knew that and that was why he was silently reprimanding himself, a one-sided fight between two miniature versions of Issei taking place in his brain.
"There's no point in fighting here so I submit. Although, the next time you point a sword at my throat, you should be mindful of the innocent bystander. Maybe I should keep my mouth shut next time, as well." Issei motioned to the only human in the corridor and watched as they stepped away from an open window, staring down at their phone. Kiba glanced at them from over his shoulder, lowered his sword and let it disappear in an instant, his fists instantly clenched as he scowled. "Show me the way, pretty boy."
Kiba clicked his tongue and turned away from Issei, pacing down the corridor with a hand in a pocket. A female student left a classroom, noticed Kiba and immediately screamed from joy, gathering the attention of her nearby peers. In a matter of seconds, the Knight was surrounded by his female fans, their screams drowning out any and all words he wanted to say. Gone was the unattractive scowl, a wide smile comfortably sitting in its place.
Issei stood dumbfounded, failing to believe in the sudden change of personality.
He also couldn't understand why the female students liked him so much. Was it his looks? His personality? His stupid blonde hair and annoying smile? Issei grumbled insults about Kiba to himself as Koneko approached his side. She tugged on his sleeve and used a finger to point to the end of the corridor that was adjacent to the group that was surrounding Kiba.
"Hey, Koneko, I don't get it. Why do people like Kiba so much?" The small girl shrugged once as Issei pouted. "That lucky prince, stealing all of the potential love interests."
Issei raised a decorated cup to his lips and tilted it on a slight angle, letting an herbal liquid spill into his mouth. He lowered the cup, placed it down onto the saucer with as much elegance as he could before he turned his head to face Akeno Himejima, his upperclassmen by one year, with a smile on his face. "Thank you for the tea. It's delicious."
Akeno, the busty senior with large violet eyes, long raven hair that was usually tied into a ponytail with ribbons, pale skin and sadistic tendencies, blushed and held a hand to her cheek. "Thank you, Issei." Issei's smiled widened as he muttered a few words under his breath.
"Definitely a Yamato Nadeshiko." Issei glanced at the devil that was sitting on a red couch opposite him and let his smile falter ever so slightly. Rias Gremory, the heir to the Gremory Pillar, his also busty senior and a person who he didn't want to deal with. She had flowing crimson hair, blue-green eyes and skin that was just as pale and milky as Akeno's.
"What was that, Issei? And where's Kiba?" Rias asked, her head tilted to the side. Issei slowly shook his head, insisted that it was nothing and detailed how Kiba was indulging in his carnal desires, emphasising his hidden love for all of his fangirls, before he raised his cup of tea to his lips once more, slowly devouring the contents as he struggled to predict the contents of the incoming conversation. On one hand, Issei wanted to be serious for once, but on the other hand, he wanted to have fun. Having fun would make the meeting more bearable for him, so it was the logical choice. The only question he asked himself involved his starting point. How would he create an entertaining situation in a meeting where a few words could create a fight?
"So, Rias Gremory. Are you really a male that pretends to be a female? Also, do you have a certain fondness for camels?" Rias rose an eyebrow as a blush spread across her cheeks.
"W-what do you mean, Issei Hyoudou?" Issei grinned and crossed one leg over the other, intending to embarrass Rias as much as he could while using his superficial knowledge of Devils.
"Well, it means what it means. Have you heard of the Ars Goetia, Cherry Trap?" Rias recoiled from the sudden nickname she had acquired, her cheeks flushing more than they physically should as Akeno quietly chuckled in the background.
"You mean the forbidden spell book?" Issei furrowed his brow. As far as he knew, the Ars Goetia wasn't forbidden in any country or state. It was accessible if one used the internet and that was how Issei had acquired all of the information on the seventy-two demons of hell, even if it was supposed to be fiction.
"Forbidden? What are you talking about?" Rias sighed dejectedly.
"All of the copies that exist in the human world have been destroyed. It's sensitive information! Now, how the hell do you know what the Ars Goetia is!?" Issei pursed his lips before he huffed from an indistinguishable annoyance, tapping a foot against the carpeted floor as he stared directly into Rias' eyes.
The Ars Goetia. An anonymous spell book that is a part of a series of five books. It is the first part of the grimoire that was known as The Lesser Key of Solomon and it details the seventy-two demons of the Underworld and their individual powers and qualities. Gremory, who was one of the aforementioned demons, is said to be able to tell all things past, present and in the future, about hidden treasures and is able to procure the love of women, young and old, but especially maidens. Depicted as appearing in the form of a beautiful woman with the crown of a duchess tied around his waist, he rides a camel.
"Is the information in it true?" There was a short silence between the pair as the atmosphere slowly became heavier as a battle of wills silently took place. Was Rias going to tell that human why the Ars Goetia is forbidden in the human world or will she capture him and take him to her brother for knowing such information? The only way he could have acquired the information was, in Rias' eyes, if he went straight to the Underworld and that was a serious breach in security.
Rias sighed as all of the tension in her body was released at once. "Yes…the information is mostly true. I assume you know the history of the Three Factions?" A short nod from Issei was all Rias needed to continue. "The original demons, once they had died, had left fragments of their souls in the Underworld. Long story short, a few 'lucky' descendants take on the qualities of their ancestors. The reason why it's forbidden here is because it's pretty much true." Issei couldn't stop the smirk that spread across his face.
"And you, Rias Gremory, have taken on the qualities of Gremory. That's why the student body and teachers absolutely adore you, right? You filthy trap." Issei and Akeno chuckled in unison as Rias' face turned as red as the ripest tomato, her eyes wide and her mouth firmly clamped shut.
After a second or two of shock, Rias regained her senses and growled, preparing to lunge at the human that sat directly in front of her, intending to tear his throat out with her bare hands. "You…! Don't make fun of me like that! The trap part isn't true! Demon magic fixed everything! And I don't like camels, dammit! They're ugly!" Akeno pat Rias on the back.
"There, there, Rias. It's ok. We all know it's true." Rias quietly screamed through grit teeth as Issei resisted the urge to say more. Through a couple sentences, he was driving the redhead insane.
"Shut up! Dammit, shut up!" Issei briefly stopped laughing, sat up as straight as he could, his face stoic as he professionally held back all of his laughter.
"No, Cherry Trap." Rias pouted.
"Fine. I give up. Call me whatever you want to! I don't care!" Issei rose an eyebrow.
"Well, you clearly do…Cherry Trap." Rias was now banging her head against the wall, both the wall and her skull quietly breaking as Rias' blood splattered everywhere.
"Oh my. I thought you said you didn't care, Rias." Akeno muttered as she cupped her cheek with a hand, her cheeks also red. However, as Akeno squirmed on the spot with her thighs rubbing against each other, Rias, whose hair was shadowing her entire face despite the sunlight that should have normally dispelled all shadows, robotically turned her head to face her Queen. Two circles of red flickered into existence where her eyes should have been.
All of the colour in the room instantly drained.
"You wanna die?"
As Akeno and Rias disappeared and reappeared in a flurry of punches and kicks and magic attacks, Issei quietly sipped on his cup of tea with a small smile. "Isn't this fun, Koneko?" He asked the small girl who, without making any sounds, had found her place on the couch next to him. She stopped nibbling on a block of chocolate, glanced up at Issei with stoic eyes and nod once, quickly returning to what she had been doing.
"I agree. There's no better way to derail a conversation. At least I don't have to explain what I did last night, even if I did use cheap tactics. Anyway, where's Kiba? Is he busy finding the parts to Excalibur?"
"Hey, Rias! Come here!"
"Huh, why?"
Issei slipped his arm into a complex array of magical circles and used all of his strength to yank a sandy camel out of the circles as if it was an everyday occurrence.
"Because you like camels, right?" Issei grinned as Rias paled.
"No, I don't! Now get that thing away from me!" Rias turned to run, tripped over a carefully placed wire that was almost invisible, fell onto her face, screamed as the camel jumped on her and proceeded to pass out from the shock, a miniature version of her soul slowly seeping out of her mouth.
In the background, Issei sighed.
"And here I thought she'd love camels because of her status as a Gremory, even if she denies it."
Heya, late chapter! Don't mind me. I just procrastinate too much. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I decided to go for the comedy escape route at the end here (even though I'm bad at writing comedy) so I didn't have to laboriously explain all of the crap that everyone knows. But that bit at the start is foreshadowing at something that happens in the next chapter! Anyway, no one knows about the Ars Goetia, so I had to explain that. Oh, thanks to Hellsender for telling me about it, though.
If you didn't know, which I don't think you do, I've started to beta a story! It's called 'Re:Zero, Why Me?' and is written by 'Writer With Bad Grammar', so if you have the time, please check it out! I've only done the prologue, but I work hard on it! It's almost as if it's a part of me!
See you next time!