The boy didn't feel safe at home anymore. Even with his so-called father absent, he couldn't stand the sight of the other 3 stealing glances at his injuries. They tried to pretend that nothing had happened, or at least that this all had been nothing but a normal disagreement between family members. Even his mother, who tried to hide the anger at being exposed, did her best to act like she cared about him at all. When the boy knew this had never been the case.
The attitude didn't fit, they strained the voices too much. The difference was simply too wide to ignore. Much more when it came from nowhere, just after he came back. But the whispers and comments behind his back continued. At least the boy's sister only cared about not being able to deal with the fallout, but the other 2 seemed dead set on pacifying him.
The boy went to the teacher the next morning. Feeling completely lost, almost on the border of breaking down.
His teacher offered legal support.
The whole affair started quickly. Faster than his family could react, while his injuries were still fresh. The teacher and the lawyer made a case of violence and mistreatment, citing the patriarch's recent gambling addiction and demanding a psychological test on the other two children. Younger than the boy, they'd show signs of something very wrong in the family. Because the house had never been led with love and understanding, but with cold servitude instead.
Then, the thing with the money. They dug back the case of the boy's parents, his real ones, and the way they died. The boy didn't want to hear it, but braved through it as he saw his family shake while accusations of murder were added on top of violence. His father yelled at him outside the court, trying to force him to drop the issue. But that only gave the lawyer more fuel to sink that man down.
The boy's brother tried to reach out.
"I think we both know how this will end." The younger dude spoke with an even tone. Feigning that he didn't care about this at all. But the boy knew, he knew full well that it had to be eating his younger brother on the inside. The boy knew that his brother would never accept his victory "All in all, I'm sorry it came to this. Father has become… Disappointing. He's no longer the example of what he preaches."
The boy told his brother where he could stick it. He might be older than his brother, but the boy didn't endure so much time inside that house just to have them come back one by one with the tail between their legs. He didn't want to forgive them, he wanted to get what was his by birthright.
The case continued, and things started to slow down. But the boy believed. He called his brother's friend, the girl that took him in the night that he fled. She testified in spite of her friendship, probably because she believed in doing what's right. Which only made the boy look up to her even more. She chatted with the boy's brother afterward, and she looked rather displeased.
Did she berate him for all of this? The boy hoped so. It'd be sad that a friendship broke down because of him, but his brother didn't deserve such a good person by his side. It'd be better for her in the long run.
He tried to reach out afterward, tried to invite her out to talk. As a way of being thankful. She rejected it, but he didn't take it too personally.
No. He didn't have time to. The case was coming to a close, and things were looking bad to his father.
The man had stopped his complaints and threats, and looked worse and worse as time went by. The boy stopped seeing him when he moved out, protected by the teacher and lawyer. But every time they stepped in court, the boy noticed that the man looked sicker, older. At first he didn't care. It served that man right, for being so unfair with him. For never showing love like real fathers did. But it came to a point where the man was excused from arriving and made his appearance through the computer.
Finally, it happened.
"...Suicide?" The boy asked, feeling completely numb as it was explained to him that things would get more complicated from then on.
"He has a will, we can probably intervene due to the case. But the money…"
In the end, the court would decide what happened. The family arrived in mourning clothes the next time. A display of unity that left the boy utterly baffled, unable to look at them straight in the eyes.
When had they been this close? When did they care about one another enough to mourn like they had been a real family? The boy could tell how they faked their sadness, how they used it for cookie points even outside the court.
The boy remembered his brother's words, the somber tone in which he said his farewell. And how he cut off all contact afterward.
Did he… Did he know? Was this all planned? Just to screw with the boy?
It made him so mad, knowing that he'd never know. Never would he see that man's face when he finally realized how much he had messed up with his son. Yet no matter how hard the boy endured, no matter how much he stacked the game in his favor… It didn't happen. He didn't win, not really. And it made him sick to the core.
He went back to the internet, to otaku culture, to videogames. Anything to distract him from his failed revenge.
He wanted to disappear, he wanted things to be different. He had endured his anger, his hatred, his anguish for far too long. And now… He had nothing. He didn't care whether they won or lost, he didn't care what happened to the others either. His victory would never be complete, he'd never get what he really wanted. He'd never get the satisfaction of showing them all how wrong they were.
The boy reached out to the void. A cry for help, a demand for justice… The void reached back.
The world asked the boy what he wanted.
The boy, Fate Weaver, answered: "I want to show everyone I'm right".
The Miracle Child opened his eyes, light confusing his senses for a moment before he centered himself. His whole body ached, and he felt like something deep inside was missing. Not physically, mind you, but somewhere he couldn't pinpoint. Somewhere important.
Having his past flash on his mind while unconscious didn't help. It made him feel vulnerable, and he had to suppress a goosebump upon remembering what had happened before he came to this world. Before he became Fate Weaver.
In the other world, he had been weak. Outgunned on every side, he hadn't had the ability to truly defend himself. To protect the things he cared about, however few they were. But in this world, Fate Weaver had power. He had a Longinus, and power and blessings ran through his veins instead of simple mortal blood. Plus, he trained as hard as possible. Always reaching new heights, always getting ready for what came next.
That he arrived into an anime world had been… Sort of expected. There were tells, and the fact that his new life molded itself to his preferences made it clear that his wish had been heard. That, somewhere in the great cosmos, or perhaps in the space between realities, someone cared. And they cared enough to give this chance to Fate Weaver, to let him live the life he didn't have before.
And yet… There could never be a good life without difficulties. He hadn't found his penance, his anatema. He knew there would be opposition, that a challenge would grow to stop Fate Weaver from living a fulfilling life. So Fate Weaver trained non-stop, waiting for the inevitable moment where he'd be sent to Kuoh Town to start his journey for real. He made friends, gained power, and worked with the church all so he'd have a headstart when the time came. He'd get to Kuoh Town, make friends with the Occult Research Club, and be used as an example of cooperation between the factions.
There was no reason to fight, no reason for things to go sour. He knew what happened in the original anime, so he could prevent the worst pitfalls of it all. He had been given the chance, and he'd repay the world by preventing more misery from spreading.
And yet… Things had become complicated. Unexpected dangers lurked around Kuoh Town, and Fate Weaver didn't really know how to deal with them. Hadn't expected for things to go this badly.
Diodora Astaroth… Just what the hell was that shitty devil doing in Kuoh?
Fate Weaver couldn't understand what happened for such a change to happen. He didn't know how or why this nun-obsessed asshole could worm his way into the town and join the ranks of the Gremory team without anyone intervening. He had shown up very little in the story, but the impact of forcing Issei… The original one, that is, to activate Juggernaut Drive for the first time had left an impact.
That devil was a monster that enslaved women and used them as he pleased. If Fate Weaver knew anything about goodness, it was that Diodora Astaroth did not deserve to live. That he was involved with the Oblex was only all the more worrying.
He needed to act, and he needed to do it now. Yet Sirzechs' appearance had thrown a hammer on his plans. If Rias was brainwashed, if any of her peerage had been assimilated by the slime… He needed to tell them. They all had to be aware of what kind of sick monster lurked amidst their ranks.
"Awake already? What a precocious lad." A male voice interrupted Fate Weaver's half-asleep musings. The boy tried to move to face the newcomer but something prevented him "Ah, be careful. We don't want you getting hurt before the meeting."
Fate Weaver looked at himself, then realized that he hadn't been lying in bed at all. His body hung vertically, surrounded by golden rings that rotated lazily around him. He tried to push with his holy powers, but the rings reacted with their own light in turn.
Trapped. And by Heaven, no less. It made Fate Weaver extremely confused, almost to the point of panicking. Perhaps they realized he wasn't really Gabriel's son, that his soul belonged to a different world or whatever, and they wanted to know what happened to the original Issei.
"Relax, boy. Those were created by your mom, you won't get hurt." A face revealed itself to be put along the voice. Azazel rested his shoulder on the frame of the door, and smugly smiled at Fate Weaver with his arms crossed "You really pulled a fast one on everyone, huh. A little more and we'd be talking on the battlefield."
"Azazel…" Fate Weaver muttered, feeling calmer now that he had been given some context about his situation.
He looked around, and found Star Seeker levitating beside him. Also surrounded by the rings, with her arms crossed over her big chest, eyes closed.
Was she awake? What happened after he entered Juggernaut Drive? Sirzechs probably defeated him, but maybe Fate Weaver hurt his cousin in some way? Maybe the Demon Lord had to be rougher than intended because otherwise he'd have hurt Star or Grayfia?
"As I said, relax. You're fine… For now." Azazel pushed himself off the entrance of the room and approached, his steps slow but with a lot of decision. He placed his right hand on his hip "You'll need all the cookie points you can get, so I'd suggest you to behave… And answer a little wee question of mine."
The fallen angel smirked, staring in Fate Weaver's eyes to see if he got the message. Fate Weaver couldn't help nodding. It was all he could do to show he understood, bound like he was.
"Alright, cool. So tell me… How did you enter Juggernaut Drive?"
Fate Weaver sighed.
"I used a miracle." He didn't want to reveal the details to Azazel so easily. This move took him quite some time to come up to, and the recoil of doing that was still great enough to not be used thoughtlessly. He still felt exhausted, not physically but in whatever part of his existence Boosted Gear resided.
"I see… So you connected to the Heavenly Host to pay the power price and cushion the strain that using Juggernaut Drive places on your body…" Wha-! How did he know?! "Heh, that's one dumb expression you got there. I'm the leading expert in Sacred Gears in all of reality, you know?"
"Please don't call my son dumb. I can only take so much of your attitude." Gabriel appeared on the door, looking as radiant as the first time Fate Weaver saw her. Still very mad, though "Fate Weaver."
"Mum…" The brown haired child murmured, feeling his heart hurt a bit when he saw her "I…"
"No. Stop." Gabriel shook her head "It's not allowed. We'll all talk together in the meeting, I can't hear you out now that we're alone."
"I'm here." Azazel reminded her.
"You do not count." The angel growled "This is strictly between Heaven and the Underworld. You don't have any say in how things play out. To begin with, what are you doing here? I doubt you listed off all your reasons, at least the ones you don't consider 'official'."
"Well, I figured you guys would need someone to be the voice of reason." Azazel shrugged "And who better suited than me? It's not like you'd jump to the opportunity of joining hands with the devils, taking into account you've been busy getting laid."
"The creation of a Miracle Child is strictly a ritual to bring hope to the world." Gabriel screwed her eyes shut and balled her hands into fists "You know better than anyone that if I wanted to… Indulge in such mortal affairs, I'd have joined your ranks during the Fall."
"It's never too late to change your mind." Azazel offered her a hand, although no one in the room thought Gabriel would actually take it "Relax. I get it, you don't want your fame as a prude to be broken down. Don't worry, no one will mock you for tasting mortal pleasures once in your life."
"I did no such thing!" Gabriel was now positively furious "I had nothing but the Lord in my mind while conceiving Fate Weaver! I'd have fallen if it was any different!"
"I really didn't want to hear that." Azazel now looked a bit put off "Never mind that your kid is here. Please, sister. Learn to take a joke. You made one."
Azazel pointed at Fate Weaver, and the reincarnated hybrid tried to shake off his bondage with pure strength. Yet it didn't even shake slightly.
"One more time, Azazel." Gabriel's holy aura leaked out as her eyes started glowing "Say another dumb thing and I—!"
"A fight's breaking out? How fun." A girl with dirty gray hair entered the room, resting on the doorframe like Azazel had before "And here you were preaching about peace and stuff. Lead with the example, Azazel."
"Bel, you're not helping." Azazel sighed, but Fate Weave only had attention to spare the girl.
"This presence… It feels as though I'm looking at the Anatema himself." Gabriel frowned, giving Fate Weaver her back.
"It's that obvious?" Bel scoffed "Bel Lucifer, at your service."
The White Dragon Emperor! Fate Weaver had always wondered why the author didn't make Vali a girl. It went well with the kind of series this was, but he hadn't imagined it'd be this… Realistic.
Bel had a similar fashion sense to the real Vali, but the cropped t-shirt and jacket she wore gave her an allure that Fate Weaver couldn't really shake off. She didn't have a body like Rias, but more like Xenovia. And the long hair with a few colored strands gave her a dangerous vibe that complemented the whole get up quite nicely. Fate Weaver almost forgot his anger toward Azazel, and only the fact that Bel looked away reminded Fate Weaver that they were in the presence of two leaders of the Three Factions.
"Your presence is not welcome here." Gabriel said something that almost made Fate Weaver cry. The last thing he wanted was to give a bad impression to others, yet the differences between angels and devils shone quite brightly here.
"Mom, please. Let's not be rude now." Fate Weaver spoke up, trying to get everyone's attention back to himself. He didn't want Gabriel and Val-... Bel fighting. They could all get along. He knew neither were really bad people, after all.
"Yeah, what your son said." Bel showed her teeth, making Gabriel frown even more "You guys are already in troubles, let's not make things more complicated."
"Bel." Azazel warned the girl again.
"Azazel." The Lucifer girl smiled smugly at her foster father.
"Oh dear… What am I going to do with you?" Azazel scratched his head with a sigh "Well? What are you doing here?"
"Just wanted to take a look at my rival." Bel sent a self-assured smirk in Fate Weaver's direction "See for myself if he's that dangerous… And also to tell you that Kokabiel's being dumb again."
Azazel covered his face with his hand.
"Excuse me for a moment." Azazel nodded in Gabriel's direction, and then looked at Fate Weaver again "Well then…"
He took out a gadget and motioned toward Fate Weaver.
Panic spread in his body as he felt something pull him toward Azazel. Not physically, not emotionally. And yet…
The Boosted Gear materialized in mid-air. A sword like the Ser-Veresta in that other anime he watched in the other world, but red and with an emerald blade. Azazel reached out and took the Sacred Gear with his hand, encasing it in magical sigils while Fate Weaver screamed, waiting for the pain.
"No…!" He looked at himself. Still alive, still fine "What the…?"
"It's fine, you're fine. I simply took your ability to call it forth. For the meeting." Azazel smiled at him "This process is such a pain in the ass, but y'know. We're all trying to appease everyone else, right sis?"
"Go check on your subordinate." Gabriel closed her eyes.
"Alright, be right back. Don't try anything funny." Azazel moved the Sacred Gear, seemingly unresponsive to Fate Weaver "I'll know."
Why did things turn out this way…? He only wanted to help!
