The Tyrant

Summary: Issei Hyoudou was nothing in his family's eyes. He was a sinner, his sister a saint. He was nothing but scum to them, pushing him into a corner. No one thought about how far Issei would go to start pushing back. "You called me trash. You called me worthless. But here I stand, above you. With the spirits by my side, I shall rise and become a King. This is my Fated Ascension."

Warnings: Bashing, Non-Sacred Gear Issei, Twin Sister, Less Perverted Issei, Dark Issei, Human Issei, Rated M for Dark Themes

Inspired by various Servant Class Card Fanfictions and other FGO/DxD Crossovers

Crossovers: Fate (Primary), High School of the Dead (Minor, characters only), Heaven's Lost Property (Minor, characters only) possibly more to come.

Pairing: Issei/Caenis/Circe (Possibly more)

IV: Home

I wouldn't say I'm a patient man.

When I see something I want, I have to resist my urge to spend. Often, I don't succeed. But it's always satisfying when I do.

The situation I found myself in was similar to that.

I wanted to leave my home.

I had a new one waiting for me.

A home with Caenis and Circe.

A home where I didn't have to deal with bitchy sisters, or parents who never believed a word I said.

A home where I could be free to just be Issei, the pervert.

A home where I could speak my mind and not be chastised, or treated like shit for it.

But I couldn't stay there.

Not yet.

I had to wait.

Wait for Rei to leave. Wait for an opportunity to arise, where I could talk to my parents without her interfering. It was all I needed.

And, for once, it was like the gods heard my plea.

One evening, a few days after the full moon, I heard talking downstairs. One voice belonged to none other than Rias Gremory.

I opened my door quietly, sneaking over to the stairs and leaning against the wall so they wouldn't hear me, and I eavesdropped.

"You want to take Rei on a ten-day camping trip as part of club activities?" My mother's voice spoke.

"Yes," Rias confirmed. "It's to build bonds between the club as we enjoy the outdoors. It won't be camping per say, we'll be staying at my family's villa in the mountains."

"What about lessons and such?" My father asked.

"Already taken care of," Rias promised. "Everyone in the club has rather good grades, and we've been given special permission for this."

"Well, in that case, I don't see why not!" My mother said to them. "Rei I am sure I don't need to tell you to be on your best behaviour!"

"Of course not!" She laughed. "I'm not Issei, after all!"

The three members of my family laughed.

"If you don't mid me asking," Rias spoke up. "I'm a bit curious about something. How did Issei end up the way he is?"

I froze. What?

"It must have been the incident, I'm sure," my father sighed.

"What incident?"

"It happened when he and Rei were still young," he said. "There was an incident. The incident led to Issei having lost six months of his life to Amnesia, and then we began to see the changes. He had such a promising future before then."

"What changes?"

"President, I don't think-!" Rei tried to speak, but my mother cut her off.

"Oh, Rei told us all about it," my mother said. "He was beginning to get more perverse in school! Perving on girls even at a young age, screaming to the heavens about breasts."

"Rei told you, you say?" Rias pressed. "Not the teachers?"

"No, though I've no idea why," my mother huffed. "I suppose they liked to play it off as children learning things or hitting puberty early. Rei spared no details about the horrible deviant our son was becoming."

"Yes… Yes, I suppose you're right…"

Something in Rias's tone when she said that made me pause.

She sounded doubtful.

I did not feel hope at the doubt I found in her voice, but worry.

Why was she doubtful?

Everyone had been happy to believe Rei, happy to believe the popular girl.

So, why was she doubtful?

It didn't take me long to realise why.

Caenis.

Caenis snapping at Rei had spread around the school. it had been the hot topic for the last few days on who she was, and why she was standing up for me.

I'd heard all sorts of rumours about it. Many ranging from blackmail, to a childhood friend, to my girlfriend, to a pen pal from a foreign country who came to visit.

But Caenis's speech had an effect. An effect I think she intended.

The last few days I'd been receiving strange looks from a select few people. People who were beginning to put the dots together in their head.

People were starting to realise the truth.

Not all at once. But they were starting to think for themselves instead of being sheep. They were starting to link the threads in their mind, starting to spot the inaccuracies in the rumours compared to real life.

It wouldn't happen all at once; it was still going to take time for them to put those dots together.

But they were too late.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter," Rias said. "Rei, we'll come by to get you and Asia at Six AM tomorrow, so please be ready by then."

"Will do, president," Rei agreed.

"We'll pack you a lunch for your first trip, so be safe!" My mother said.

I listened to no more as I walked back to my room quietly.

'People are starting to realise, just like I planned,' Caenis said. 'Soon, you won't be an outcast anymore!'

'Just like I thought,' I accused. 'You did that whole speech thing on purpose!'

I hadn't mentioned it to Caenis over the last few days, as all of us had remained focused on our respective objectives.

Circe focused on strengthening the house and preparing things within it for my training. One of the things she needed was lead based paint, which wasn't sold any more due to being poisonous, so she couldn't begin my training until she'd obtained and set a few things up. That being said, she did teach me some of the theory so that I could move onto the practical once we unlocked my circuits.

Caenis had remained focused on defending me, as well as helping me come up with a training regimen. We didn't make a diet plan, as I ate fairly healthy to begin with. I had take-out maybe once a month, if even that, and I had balanced meals. Her only suggestion was I start to steadily increase the amount I ate once I began training, as I'd be burning it off.

And I threw my focus into school work and making sure I wasn't acting suspiciously. I also did all the research I could on historical and mythological figures, as well as any information on the supernatural I could find on the internet. Egyptian, Norse, Greek, Biblical, Hindu, Shinto, Zoroastrian; I researched anything and everything I could to be prepared.

Of course, I didn't remember all of it off the top of my head but, at the very least, the information was in my brain waiting for me to drag it up when the time came.

'That's right!' Caenis boasted. 'Clever, huh? Now, people are thinking. It starts small, but then kids will talk to their parents. Parents talk to their co-workers and friends. Those friends talk to other friends, and people overhear their talking.'

'It spreads through the town like a wildfire,' I concluded. 'Even if people don't believe it, it makes them think and it makes them doubt. As long as doubt is present, there's a chance that they will treat me with more kindness…'

'One of the best ways to defeat your enemies is to make them doubt that you are their enemy. If they don't see you as an enemy then they won't try and harm you, and thus they won't pay as much attention to you.'

'You clever-!'

'If you say girl, I'll punch you.'

'I was going to say person.'

There was a beat of silence.

'… No, you weren't.'

'No, I wasn't,' I agreed.

'Anyway,' she shifted topic. 'You've got a chance to talk to your parents now. When are you gonna make your move?'

'Two days,' I told her. 'I need to get Rei out of the house and I'll wait a day just to be sure she isn't coming back, in case the trip gets cancelled or anything, and then I'll make my move to leave.'

'And, once you're out, then what?'

'Then, Caenis, we start my training. And, more importantly, we start planning.'

…

…

…

"Mom, dad," I spoke. "We need to talk."

It was the second day after Rei had left, and the first had been one of bliss.

No snarky comments from a bitchy sister.

No needing to hear her belittle me in front of our parents.

No needing to hear her voice whatsoever!

It was glorious.

So glorious that I almost talked to my parents on the first day instead of the second, but I restrained myself. I didn't want to take even the slightest risk of shit hitting the fan.

I'd waited a long time to be able to move out, waiting another day wasn't going to kill me.

Rei probably would since she was a devil and the power would likely get to her head.

But waiting wouldn't kill me.

I patiently went through school on the second day, waiting until I got home, before I decided to speak up, leading to this conversation.

"About what?" My father asked, the distain in his eyes visible.

"I want to move out."

Silence.

"… You want to what?" My mother asked.

"Move out," I repeated. "I already have a place. All I need is you to let me."

"And why should we let you-?" My father began to say.

"Because it's for Rei."

Both of them froze.

"Rei doesn't make her hatred of me a secret," I told them, trying to play on their undying love of Rei. "Imagine what a nice surprise it would be for her to come home, and know that she doesn't have to live with me anymore."

The two shared a look, seriously considering it.

"Just imagine it," I told them. "I'm sure she'd be thrilled. No Issei around. My room would be empty. Rei could use it as a second closet, I'm sure she'd adore that."

I could see their expressions as they thought of that. So, I went for the kill.

"You hate me."

They both froze as they looked at me, clearly not expecting that.

"You hate me," I repeated. "You haven't made it a secret. Maybe there was love once upon a time, I don't remember. If there was, it was so long ago that I've forgotten."

"We don't-!"

"Yes, you do," I cut in before my mother could go off on a tangent. "If you don't, answer me this: What's my favourite colour?"

My mother opened her mouth to answer, then hesitated. "R- Red."

"No, that's Rei's favourite colour," I told them. "Mine is purple. Specifically, Amethyst. What's my favourite food?"

They looked between each other, and my father spoke a bit more confidently, "Pork Ramen."

"No," I glared at them. "Again, that's Rei's favourite food. My favourite is cheesecake."

They looked surprise, but I just thought it was typical.

They centred their lives around Rei, so much so that they knew nothing about me.

"When's the last time you celebrated my birthday?"

"On your-!"

"Not Rei's birthday," I cut in. "When was the last time you celebrated April 16th, Rei's and my birthday? When was the last time I got a slice of the cake? When was the last time I got a present? When was the last time you sang Happy Birthday to me?"

Silence.

"My favourite Band? Hobbies? Favourite TV show? Favourite movie? You don't know any of it, do you?"

They said nothing.

"You know, it's really ironic that you named me 'Issei' when you don't believe a single word I say."

It was even more ironic they named my sister Rei when she was the opposite of lovely.

"This place," I looked around. "… This hasn't been my home in a long time. A home is a place you feel loved. A place you feel wanted, a place where you can come home and relax. A place where you feel safe. This place isn't my home. And, honestly, it will never be a real home to me."

"Issei…" My mother tried, but I only shook my head.

"No," I said. "No, you don't get to even use my name any more. If at any point in my life you ever loved me…" I pulled out a set of forms and set them on the table. "… Then you'll sign those, and let me go free. Free to live my life.

"The choice is yours."

"… We never meant to make you feel like you weren't welcome here," my father said softly.

"Maybe so," I responded. "But the fact remains that is what you did."

"You truly want this?"

"I do."

My father looked at me with emotions I couldn't understand or recognise on his face.

Remorse?

Sorrow?

Guilt?

I didn't recognise them and, truthfully, I didn't care. They didn't move my heart, and I would not forgive them.

My family were the people I could not forgive.

I watched as an invisible weight set on his shoulders, and he lifted his pen.

"Dear!"

"Let this be the one thing we do right for our son," my father told my mother. "Let this be the one thing we don't fail in."

My mother bit her lip, tears starting to pour down her face. But she too lifted a pen and began to fill out the forms.

I felt nothing for my parents. Nothing for the looks of sadness on their faces as they realised some of their mistakes.

I felt only joy and happiness, and as if a great weight was finally being lifted off of my shoulders.

…

…

…

"Is that the last one?" Caenis asked me as I placed the final box down in the trunk of the car.

"Yeah, that's the last one."

She'd arrived within the hour of the forms being filled out, and helped me load the car with my stuff.

Honestly, I didn't pack all that much. Just my clothes, and some other things. I would buy parts for a new, better PC when I was settled at the new house, and I would build it myself. Maybe get Caenis to help, she seemed like she might be into it.

"Well then, get in the car and let's head home!"

"Only if you promise to drive like a normal human being," I told her. "You don't have the riding skill for a reason."

"Come on, it's more fun my way!" Caenis argued.

"If by fun you mean fucking terrifying, then yes. It's very fun."

Caenis pouted, and I headed to the front of the car to get in the passenger's seat. She climbed in the driver's seat, and began to drive home at a moderate speed.

"How are you holding up?" She asked.

"I feel like I've been in a cage all this time," I told her. "And now it's been opened up and I'm free to go wherever I please."

"Somewhat poetic, if not overused."

"Well, what would you use?"

"That it was like you've been stuck in a prison all this time, and your parents just signed the release forms."

"… Shit, that's good."

Caenis only grinned as she kept her eyes on the road. "So, what's the next step?"

I frowned, tilting my head as I thought about it.

Now, being out of my parent's roof, I was lacking information. Information on the supernatural, information on the comings and goings of the town.

Knowledge was more valuable than gold, and I would greedily hoard it for myself if I could.

But that could wait.

My current priority was my own training. I needed to be stronger, faster, better. I needed a body beyond human ability. I needed to be able to protect myself in case Caenis or Circe wasn't there to protect me.

In other words…

"My focus is going to be on my physical and magical development," I told Caenis. "Summoning an Assassin is amongst my priorities, but my own development is a more pressing matter. You said you had a teacher in mind for me, who were you talking about?"

"I have two in mind," she admitted. "The first that came to mind was my own teacher: Chiron."

"The trainer of heroes in Greek Myth," I remembered.

She nodded. "Yes. However, I don't think it would be a good idea to summon him. I have no doubts that if devils walk the Earth, then so do the gods. You've likely already attracted attention from the Greek Pantheon when you summoned myself and Circe. Once is mistake, twice is coincidence. Three times…"

"Is enemy action," I mumbled to myself.

"Indeed. Therefore, the other Servant I have in mind is also a Lancer; however, they could be an even bigger risk to summon."

"Why? Who is it?"

"Scathach."

I frowned and tried to recall the name, but it wasn't ringing any bells. "Who?"

"Scathach," she repeated. "The Queen of the Land of Shadows in Celtic Myth. She taught Cu Chulainn, Ireland's Hound of Light, and is a known God Slayer. The problem with summoning her is that she is immortal. If you summon her, you likely get the attention of her counterpart or perhaps even her sister."

"… And those are my only two options?"

"The only two I can think of off the top of my head," she responded. "I guess Merlin is also a choice, he did train King Arthur and some of Charlemagne's Paladins. But he only trains people if you're very exceptional, or are in exceptional circumstances."

"So, realistically, my only options are Scathach or Chiron?"

"Off the top of my head, yes," Caenis nodded. "I suppose you could summon a Knight of the Round, many of them took squires, but they would only really be able to teach you sword fighting. Plus, you said you want to be a Tyrant. There's a chance one of them might want to kill you to stop you."

"Wouldn't Chiron stop me?"

She shook her head. "Chiron isn't that kind of guy. I mean yes, he's aligned with good, but he's primarily a trainer. He only teaches people, what they do after that is up to them. He might honestly agree with you taking over the world, depending on how bad the situation actually is."

"What about Scathach?"

"Wild card," she said immediately. "At the very least, she probably won't betray you. But there's also a chance she won't help. And she might deem you unworthy of her time and not train you at all. She's better at training people who already have a good foundation."

I gave a nod, reaching into my school bag and pulling out a box containing the class cards. I reached inside and began sifting through the cards, information about the cards entering my mind as I sifted through them.

With every card I touched, I felt a small spark, a resonance. A spirit hoping it would be their turn to be summoned, and disappointment at not being called out. Truthfully, it made me feel confused.

Why were the spirits so eager to help me? I just couldn't understand it, especially from the spirits aligned towards good.

I just shook my head, placing the cards back into the box, dropping one by accident.

"Ah, damn it," I grumbled to myself, reaching down and grabbing the card…

Pain filled my mind, hanging from a cross as my throat grew hoarse from screaming. Agony I never knew existed filled my body, my left arm burning.

Dark laughter, the world fading…

Beautiful blonde hair, framing a face that could be called nothing less than perfect, eyes narrowed in absolute rage as the laughter stopped.

"What are you doing to my master!?"

I let go of the card immediately, feeling myself breaking out in a cold sweat, breathing suddenly laboured.

"Oi, Master, you okay?" Caenis asked, immediately noticing something was wrong with me.

"Eyes on the road!"

"They are. Now, are you okay? You suddenly doubled over and started breathing all heavy. Are you sweating?"

"It's nothing, Caenis…" I hesitated as I reached down to the card, grabbing it again.

Nothing came to me this time.

"Yeah… It's nothing."

It certainly wasn't nothing.

Something about the card caused a reaction in me, caused those images to flash before my eyes.

Why?

Why this card, and not one of the others?

What was so special about it?

I stared at the portrait on the card: the Archer.

And yet, for once, I was unable to know the name of the heroic spirit.

Why?

…

…

…

The rest of the ride back home was in silence. After my minor freak out, Caenis decided silence was probably what I needed as I sorted my thoughts and I was grateful for it.

I really did need time to sort my thoughts.

I kept trying to think back to the images I saw in my mind, but it just gave me an awful headache. It was like the memories didn't want to come back, like they were forcing themselves to stay as far away from me as possible.

I took a deep breath, calming myself as I let the thoughts fade into the back of my mind. I would try again another time, hopefully trying to think about it wouldn't give me a migraine.

The blissful silence between Caenis and I was ruined as we arrived at the house. My house… A place that I would finally be able to call my home.

"Here we are," Caenis told me after parking the car. "You head inside and get settled; I'll carry your stuff to your room."

"There's no need to do it all, I can take some," I told her.

"You shut up," she told me. "You just had some kind of freak out, and don't think I didn't notice you holding your head sometimes on the way back like you were having a headache. You may be a future King, but you ain't one yet. Now get your ass inside, before I make you."

"This is an act of rebellion," I told her, though I was mostly jesting to bring up the mood.

"If you want rebellion, summon Mordred," she shot back. "Now get out of here, before I shove my boot up your ass."

"I'm going, I'm going," I told her, climbing out of the car and heading inside, sucking in the air happily.

Circe truly was a master of her craft, even the air felt cleaner in here! I know I mentioned it before too, but this place looked fucking fantastic. I really was enjoying the Greek theme this place had going for it. It really made me want to summon another Greek Servant, but I had to think practically.

If demons existed, so did gods. And I didn't know the capabilities of gods, but I didn't want too many of them paying attention to me too soon. Not until I was ready to do so.

"Ah, Master," Circe smiled as she came downstairs. "Welcome home."

"Ah… I'm home," I said to her, and it really struck me all in that moment.

How long had it been since someone had welcomed me home? How long had it been since I'd even said the words 'I'm home' to anyone?

"Master…?" Circe looked concerned suddenly. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Of course, I am, why do you ask?"

"You're crying."

"Eh?"

I lifted a hand to my face, feeling the dampness.

I was crying.

I felt a smile slowly crawl onto my lips, confusing Circe further.

"I'm just glad to be home," I told her, making the Falcon Witch give me a small smile when she heard the reason I was tearing up. I lifted a hand to my face, wiping away the tears. "Anyway, how long do you think you'll need to get the lead-based paint you needed? And why do you need it anyway?"

"Another day or so," she told me. "Lead-based paint is needed to create a more permanent formal craft circle, used to safely try out new spells. I'll also be able to use it in order to perform soul dive and determine your origin and element, which will help me find out a general direction to steer you in."

"What is an origin and element?"

Circe hummed softly, clearing thinking about how best to describe it. "An origin is the driving force of a person, to put simply. Everything in this world has an origin, something within them that drives them. You could call it something like instinct, something you simply want to do. It's more like a compulsion to do it rather than a conscious choice, you can choose to ignore it like anything else… Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless you awaken to your origin. Once that happens, you cannot fight it. It will become an absolute driving force, something you'll proceed to do as if it was an absolute order imposed on you."

I shuddered. That was terrifying. "How does one awaken to their origin?"

"It's something like a realisation," she told me. "I believe learning your origin is often the key, as people will often come to a realisation of what their life is mean to be like upon finding out about it. For that reason, while I will tell you your element, I will not tell you your origin. You may become a completely different person than we know you as now, and I will not have that."

"… Okay, I understand," I nodded. "What about Elements?"

"Those are easy enough to describe," Circe smiled. "Elements are simply things you are naturally attuned to do. There are five primary elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ether, though some argue it is Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, and Metal. It is generally believed that the first one is the correct one, however. There are irregular elements, however, such as light and shadow, and more flamboyant ones, like explosions and such. There are instances where the origin and element align too…"

"What happens in those cases?"

Circe bit her lip. "In those cases, the person often becomes obsessed, dedicated towards a single goal. The only example I can think of is a Heroic Spirit with the Origin and Element of Sword. They also can become incredibly powerful magus, but become hyper specialised. The heroic spirit I mentioned will never be able to use any of the basic five elements, or any other type of mystery besides those aligned with their Magecraft. It is something of a blessing and a curse."

I slowly nodded… I couldn't help but wonder how someone with the origin and element of Sword must act. Maybe I'd summon that hero someday but, for now, I'd focus on what I could do.

"But this all should have been in the book I gave you," Circe narrowed her eyes. "Are you not reading it?"

"I am!" I told her quickly. "I just had many other things to do, you know. My physical conditioning is important to start on, and you couldn't actually start teaching me for a while, plus I had all that homework, and studying up on various mythologies, their monsters, gods, heroes, weapons, etcetera…"

"Hm… Very well, you make well-reasoned points," she nodded. "With that being said, I expect you to study until at least Chapter 7 before I can make the formal craft circle, understood?"

"I understand," I nodded. "… Wait, aren't I the master here?"

"You are," Circe agreed. "But I won't let any student of mine slouch. Not my niece, and not you. Am I clear, master?"

I nodded, deciding it better not to question Circe on that. "You're clear… While we're here, can I ask you something?"

"By all means."

"I asked Caenis about heroes to summon as my teacher once my body is up to more acceptable standards, I was hoping to get your opinion on servants to summon to help gather information."

Circe hummed in thought at that. "Well, obviously, an Assassin would be best, but so would anyone who could blend in and sway people, so a hero with Charisma could also work just as well. I can also gather information with magical means, though it isn't always as reliable as I would like. I would personally suggest an assassin, that way you can also always have someone who will protect you in the day time."

"Any specific suggestions?"

She shook her head. "I'll leave that up to you. If I give you all the answers, you won't grow into the king you desire to be, right?"

I gave a small smile at her words. "How about giving me a proper tour of the house now that I'm finally here, huh?"

Circe gave a brilliant smile as she began to show me around the house while Caenis brought in my stuff and took it to my room.

As I followed Circe around, I couldn't help but smile.

It took many years to do so, but I finally found a place I could call my home…

My smile faded slowly.

But Rei would come home. And she might not be happy with the fact I moved out, trying to find some happiness in my life.

I clenched my fist slowly, unaware of the dark glint that now burned in my eyes.

Tomorrow, I would summon an Assassin.

Tomorrow, I would begin my training with Caenis.

Tomorrow was going to be the day when things really started to change.

The world didn't have a hope of being ready for what was to come…

I won't lie, it feels damn good to finally have this chapter out there. This has been sitting half completed in my folder for 2-3 months? Finding the power to overcome the writer's block and finish this chapter feels damn good. I'm hoping Chapter 5 won't be as bad to write, but I don't hold out hope.

I'm going to try and slowly post chapters for my other stories. Now that this one is out of the way, I'm feeling a bit hopeful I can do the same for the others. Ones like Ephemeral Dream, Monster They Called Me and such.

For those wondering about Stacking the Deck, I'm really trying, I promise. I just have such little motivation for RWBY that it's hard to write, you know? I swear that I find it harder to love the show with each season that comes out, which sucks because I did genuinely like the show hen I first started watching. I think that's probably a reason why I enjoy writing Ephemeral Dream, because I'm completely throwing the RWBY world I used to love but now don't like as much out the window, and replacing it with my own.

Even so, I'm going to do my best to work past all my writer's block and put out new chapters. Still, don't get too excited. Writer's Block is a fucking pain in the ass, and so many stories die horrible deaths because the writer's just lose motivation or can't overcome the wall.

Despite that, I want to keep writing and maybe finish one of these stories. More for myself than for you guys truthfully.

Anyway, I'm out. This is Ezras Hargrave, signing off!