NMHA Ch. 3 - A Bodyjumper's Tour Guide to the Underworld
The trip home went smoothly, discussing with her parents what their house was like, and the sorts of things she could expect while there.
Thelastia also set ground rules, most of which one would expect from living at someone else's household. The bodyjumper agreed to them without hesitation, feeling her anticipation rise as the train out of the city drew closer to their destination; the stop in Bael territory.
Thankfully, the ride itself also proved to be a relaxing one, as Luna rested her head against her hand on the window, watching the new scenery pass by.
She would have liked to have a book to read, but considering that she'd just gotten out of the hospital, the brunette would take what she could get. At least the scenery outside was fascinating. It was rather interesting how the current Satans had managed to make the sky blue. Luna knew already that it was pandering to the growing Reincarnated Devil population but it prompted her to think about how Ajuka must have bent himself over backwards trying to change the very nature of the sky.
The image within her mind caused a small smile to form on her lips. The level of magic that would be needed to even create an illusion over the cities to make the sky 'appear' like in the overworld must have been immense, even if the process itself was simple enough in execution.
Even pondering on that level of power evoked some level of trepidation within Lunarunn though.
'I'll have to be even stronger than changing the very sky. Or at the very least, more capable.'
Scary thought, that was. Luna was still used to the idea that she was a nonmagical human whose biggest changes to the world would likely be through the bonds she forged. Never had she considered that she might one day possess the potential to bend the world itself over her knee by her own, almost sole efforts.
Not that she hadn't fantasized of course. Who hasn't had some sort of power fantasy?
It's one thing to imagine though, and another entirely to be fully cognizant of just how much room there was to grow.
Oh, how much she had to learn. How much she had to practice. Strain. Sweat. Bleed.
The way her body practically thrummed with life, compared to her old one, was incredible though. Even if it was still a daunting prospect, Lunarunn was almost excited to see what she could do with such contained vigor.
Would it hurt as much to be cut as she was now, as opposed to before? To have strained her muscles to their limits, so that they might reinforce themselves over consecutive periods of tearing?
She was nervous, worried even, but at the same time Lunarunn was excited in a way she had previously only attributed to anticipation for a new game, or the sequel to a really good book.
Her body itself would be something worthwhile to test once they got back home.
Well... her parents' home, to be specific. Luna doubted she'd be welcome in the building that would one day come to host Sol if it even existed yet, and it would be a little while before she started considering the house of Thelastia and Loedrick her new one.
...
"Whooooooa." She blinked and perked up, eyes wide at the wide field of flowers that the train had just passed, then the gently sloping landscapes that stretched out almost as far as she could see.
Weren't they still technically in a heavily populated area? Forget green, this was downright idyllic!
Seeing her daughter get starry-eyed at the sudden change of scenery, Thelastia smiled. "Welcome to the Bael clan territory."
Lunarunn turned around, blinking at that revelation. "The Baels are known for their... landscaping?"
"And their fruits. The finest you can find in the Underworld," Loedrick replied, not without some level of pride seeping into his tone. "My family has poured generations of effort into vitalizing these lands, so treat it with the respect it deserves and keep it pretty, yes?"
That got the soul-shifted girl to look back out the window, musing quietly. Still, her parents could hear what she had to say; "Yeah, sure... Damn. Terraforming at this scale and quality definitely would take generations, but... wow. It's paid off; this is just gorgeous!"
Luna didn't look back, but Thelastia and her husband shared an approving smile.
It seemed like she would fit in just fine, at this rate.
"Uh... mom?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Is this our house?"
"Indeed." Loedrick nodded, having answered for his wife.
"You said you two lived in a... house," Luna's tone was dry, as was her mouth.
"We do." Thelastia this time.
"So wait, you consider this a house?" Disbelief started creeping into her tone.
"You mean to say you don't?" Thelastia looked at her daughter askance.
Lunarunn couldn't take the nonchalance anymore. "This isn't a house, this is a goddamned mansion! Mary, Joseph, and Jesus!"
She cringed, holding a hand up to her head as a migraine spiked painfully into existence. Loedrick and Thelastia had similar reactions, though to a far lesser degree.
"Lunarunn Bael, you know better than to say those word!" her father censured her after dealing with the immediate sting, imperious tone cracking like a whip.
The body jumper nodded rapidly, eyes squeezing shut as her other hand rose to match the one currently rubbing her temple. "Ow, ow, ow, holy words bad words, learned that now, hooooly smokes. Don't wanna even know what the Y-word does if it's this bad."
Loedrick paused, before gritting his teeth and breathing out a sigh. "Right, right... you were human, humans don't have to deal with the divine system. Look, Luna. Speaking of biblically sanctified names results in... what just happened. I apologize for snapping at you."
After a few more seconds Luna's fingers fell from each side of her head, pausing briefly before she lowered them completely. She smiled. "It's fine, I didn't realize, I'll be more careful in the future."
The smile then dropped as her prior disbelief returned. "Back to what I was talking about though. This is a 'house' for Devils? Is this a Bael thing specifically, or are even 'modest' estates just this big in general?"
"...Devils aren't the most populous species," her father explained after a brief pause. "Not only do we breed slowly, but we've gone through not one but two cataclysmic wars. Our numbers are just starting to return to values just before the second one."
That got Luna thinking, before coming to a realization, putting a finger up to her chin. "Lots of land and lots of material, plus relatively low demand, means big houses and big properties can be built and bought on the cheap then?"
Her father nodded once. "That is a good guess, yes."
Thelastia stepped toward the door, turning the knob and opening it to show Luna where she would be staying.
The house introduction took longer than the soul-swapped girl expected, both because the building was even bigger than she'd thought and because she had stopped on multiple occasions to gawk at the sheer opulence.
Quite frankly, if this was how even branch pillar members lived, than it was no wonder that Devils had a love for excess. It was literally imbued into their everyday lives.
Thus it boggled her mind just how extravagantly wealthy someone like Rias must have been. How had she ended up being so normal, respectably so even, eluded her.
Maybe that was part of the reason why the Old Satan Faction had such a distaste for humans, because they were under the impression that humans weren't capable of amassing as much wealth, status, power, or whatnot?
There was more to go around with less people, after all.
It didn't justify their beliefs, of course, but perhaps it put them into a little more perspective. Money had a way of distorting one's worldview, particularly without a reference point to balance it against, in Luna's opinion.
She sat down on the four-poster bed her parents had gotten the old Luna within the bedroom, trailing a finger across the delicately embroidered pattern on her blanket. It was masterfully made, of that she had no doubt.
It was, in her opinion, a little too girly though. The pink was definitely overwhelming.
The brunette paused, hand returning to her lap as her brow furrowed in thought, deciding to not worry about her sleeping conditions and instead focus on the places of note within the mansion that her mother had shown her, while Loedrick left to go to some meeting.
Her room was the primary one. Luna expected she'd be here a lot, so making herself comfortable would probably be a good start. Either getting used to the blanket or getting another would definitely be high up on her priority list for the bedroom though.
The next was the dining hall. The room was large, but the table itself was modestly-sized in comparison, hosting up to ten people. Did Luna or her parents entertain guests? Regardless, knowing where that place is at least would keep her from starving. Or dying of embarrassment at getting lost in her own home.
Then there was the library. A personal library, filled to the brim with books of all kinds. Of all the excesses in the house, it seemed that particular one was the most tended to, and one that Luna could appreciate quite keenly. Her parents wouldn't mind if she disappeared into there for a couple months, would they? Even going through for the short period of time had the brunette seeing books that caught her attention.
'Right, back on topic.'
That her parents had a training ground wasn't unexpected either. Devils were a martial race after all, if not to the same degree as the Angels and the latter race's inherent discipline. Physical ability was to be commended, so naturally her parents would have at least part of one of the wings dedicated to a wide open arena, alongside a plethora of training equipment.
Finally, there was the magic lab.
A personal magic lab.
Luna's personal magic lab.
Oh, the books. The notes. The various knickknacks that Lunarunn had no clue of how they worked. The ritual circle, and the reagents!
She'd almost abandoned the house tour then and there, only deciding against when she saw the resigned concern in her mother's eyes.
That Luna had maintained her fascination for all things magical apparently worried her new family, not that she blamed them. They already lost their daughter once, it would be cruel to deprive them of her again.
So it was with great reluctance that the soul-swapped girl had agreed to only return to the lab with supervision until she'd reached a point of knowledge where her parents would no longer need to worry.
It was still incredibly tempting to go in there anyway, to make use of the lab, however. Even now Luna drummed her fingers against the bed in a show of restrained desire, though nobody but she was there to experience it.
Her mother had agreed to show her how to access at least the basic abilities of a pure-blooded Devil in the evening at least, that was some consolation.
Lunarunn would simply have to wait. She would have gone to the library at this point, but then her mother might have issues digging her out of those books.
Some of those books looked really good, after all.
She harrumphed, and nodded to herself resolutely. "Wait here, eat food, learn how to use my abilities, then read well past a good time to get sleep. Sounds like a plan to me."
Then Luna blinked, having come to another idea, and checked under the bed, leaning down the side to look beneath with an upside-down gaze. Her hair tumbled down, coming to a piled rest on the ground beneath her head.
A perverted smile broke across her face as she noted what laid beneath. "Or maybe instead of just waiting I can get... accustomed, to my new form."
Yes, that sounded like a much better idea than just waiting. She'd done enough of that back in that hospital.
"Uhuhuhuhu~"
And unlike in the hospital, now Luna had resources for this particular study.
Thelastia eyed her daughter as the younger branch Bael stepped into the arena, shutting the door as Luna stepped into the open-roofed segment of the Eastern Wing.. "You seem to be happier than when I worked that promise out of you. Any reason why?"
"Oh, nothing," Lunarunn deflected, glancing away as unbidden memories rose back to the forefront, but to her own surprise was able to keep her face from flushing. Those 'experiments', as Luna had coined her exploration of her form... had been surprisingly intense.
Her gaze returned to her mother as the small smile across her face widened. "I'm excited to figure out just what I was doing wrong with accessing my abilities though. What's the point of being a Devil if you can't enjoy the physical and magical benefits?"
If Thelastia saw through her daughter's half-hearted deflection on her sudden uptick in mood, she didn't say anything. Instead, the woman - now dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a spaghetti-strap black top - gestured to the ground. "I can certainly understand your enthusiasm. I work with Reincarnated Devils often, and the newest often share that excitement."
Luna blinked, tilting her head as she recognized that she shouldn't be aware of what 'Reincarnated Devils' are like and proceeded to ask a valid question regarding that as she approached and took a seat on the ground. "You mean people like me?"
"Human, Yokai, or other races who were converted into Devils," her mother corrected her easily, sitting down across from Lunarunn. "Their bodies undergo a process to become a Devil, though their soul and mind remain the same, if enhanced to the levels a Devil would naturally possess."
'Bullshit.'
Luna knew full well that Devils, most of all individuals like Ajuka, would have some sort of failsafe installed into their Evil Pieces, and subtle mind magics were her immediate guess what said failsafes may be. But outside perception is certainly wider-viewed, if not as detailed. Perhaps Devils didn't think the subtle shifts to one's personality to make a new Devil more amenable to being part of a Peerage was a 'change'.
Or maybe they instinctively looked down on supernatural 'migrants' and thus weren't as much concerned about the ethical implications.
Regardless of whether or not Thelastia was aware of that, Luna was willing to let that particular falsehood regarding mind and soul slide. That the bodyjumper shouldn't be aware of the Evil Pieces in the first place may have also had a part in her decision.
"So I'm sort of a reversed case then; instead of being changed in body, mine is in soul." Lunarunn put a finger to her lips, pursing them as her brow furrowed. "Would that make me a Reincarnated Devil as well?"
"It's... complicated." Her mother seemed genuine in her conflicted tone. "On one hand, you aren't a Devil at the very core of your being, or at least weren't born as such. For many traditionalists, that would be enough to consider you Reincarnated. But on the other, your blood is still as pure as mine and Loedricks. Though we're far off from the main branch of the Bael family, we do still bear their name. Thus, so do you."
"Well, I guess I won't know until I meet Ajuka for the first check-up," The daughter sighed, leaning back whilst propping herself upright with her hands. "Seeing as he's the head of research, he's probably the one who came up with the conversion process."
Thelastia nodded. "It's one of the reasons he is so widely respected. Even if the Old Satan Faction would prefer to keep Devil blood pure, we need the extra numbers. Our race has skirted the edge of extinction more than once."
"Sounds like there's a story there. Dad mentioned that you all went through two wars and that it decimated the population, but it sounds like he didn't go into detail about how badly."
Another nod, this one grim, before Luna's mother clapped her hands together. "But enough of that, we're here to teach you how to use your Demonic powers. If you want a history lesson, you could read about it in the library once we wrap up."
"Or get it from someone who was there." The brunette put a fist up to her mouth and gave a small laugh, eyes sliding shut. "What better way to learn than from firsthand experience?"
"I understand that Lord Beelzebub has given you a rare opportunity to be in prolonged direct contact with a Maou, but for the love of the Morningstar please don't waste your time prying him for war stories." Was that a hint of pleading in that exasperated tone?
"I know, I know," The fist dropped back to her side, aquamarine eyes reopening. "If it comes up I'll ask, but otherwise I'll learn history the way a student does; through countless, torturous hours of reading."
"I'm sure you'll be able to withstand the agony." Thelastia clapped her hands again, replacing the deadpan of the previous comment for a more serious expression. "Now stop distracting me with your tangents, and explain to me how you've been attempting to harness your abilities while you were in the hospital."
"Right. So the way I've been envisoning it, was through three overarching ideas: The core of power, the imposition of will, and..." She trailed off, before shaking her head. "Ha, just those two really. The third was just me being dumb. Ha. Ha."
Lunarunn's mother stared at her long and hard, before cupping her right elbow in her left hand and pressing her index and middle finger against her temple, a classic expression of consternation. "Is it something that would be hugely embarrassing for individuals of our supposed maturity were it to be revealed?"
"I plead the Fifth."
Her eyes drifted shut, shaking her head slowly. "I will repeat something Lord Beelzebub said in response; you aren't in Kansas anymore. Different lands have different rules, and there's nothing in the Underworld that protects a Devil from self-incrimination."
Luna's cheek stuck out, as though she were pressing up against it with her tongue. Which she was, in this case, at least until she spoke again. "Fine, fine. I tried screaming into a pillow to see if by releasing my 'inhibitions' I would in turn unlock my powers."
"Oh?" Thelastia's eyes opened, and a single dainty brow quirked upward. "That sounds fairly reasonable, actually. Not necessarily the screaming, but the 'releasing your inhibitions'?"
"I got it from a cheesy Japanese cartoon series," the daughter responded, now scratching her cheek as she looked away. "...Without context, I'm sure I looked really dumb."
"Even with, I would imagine." Her mother giggled, prompting Luna to shake her head with a sigh.
After a few more moments, Thelastia gave Luna a nod. "Out of the three you've mentioned 'releasing your inhibitions' as you put it is actually the closest you've gotten for a Devil to call upon their inherent abilities. Despite having becoming more civilized, we are still beings of instinct. If you know the psychologist Sigmund Freud, then it wouldn't be remiss to call us beings of 'Id'.
"To let your walls drop, to let your baser self be known to the world, that is how a Devil calls upon their power. Because their instinct is their power, and their Id is shackled by their civility, a Devil must walk a fine line between intelligence and instinct. The finer they can walk that line, the more powerful their demonic abilities become, until their power becomes a blade that can cut through anything in its way."
That made a lot of sense, actually. The soul-swapped woman looked down in thought, crossing her arms as she mulled over this explanation.
'So Devils control their natural abilities through... not controlling them? By leashing them and riding them like a wave, guiding the flow rather than commanding it through imagination or focus?'
Looking back on what she knew about the stories, that might explain a lot about each character's... affinities.
Akeno primarily using lightning came to mind. Even beyond her affinity for it granted through Baraqiel's blood, it fit the sadomaso miko quite well. She was a temperamental individual, prone to moods of both soaring highs and crashing lows, at least from what Luna could remember of her, but her emotions were tempered and suppressed through trauma. It wasn't until said trauma began to heal that she began showing significant increases in strength. It wasn't until Issei broke down her walls, that she began to heal.
In other words, Akeno opening up meant that she was more open to following her instincts, rather than trying to pretend everything was alright. Which in turn, let her potential as a Devil grow in leaps and bounds.
Speaking of suppressed trauma, that also explained how Kiba's reconciliation with his past gave him his Balance Breaker. His mind and his instincts were constantly warring with each other, see-sawing between trauma suppression and blood knighting until Galilei gave him the opportunity to come to terms with the end results of the Holy Sword Project.
Hell, it even explained Issei's own affinities, or lack thereof. He was so fixated on women and their chests that his entire Id would be directed toward that. It would make sense that he could make a move both so incredibly perverted yet equally powerful as Dress Break, or be able to read the 'mind' of breasts to effectively obtain precognition against female foes, yet be unable to so much as activate a teleportation circle.
Luna could go on, but the point was made all the same.
It just made sense.
So what she had to do was let go?
The idea sounded... liberating, Luna thought.
But then she also had another thought.
"Mom... what happens if a Devil releases too much of their inner self? Rather, what happens if they shed any pretense of civility and let themselves be swallowed by their Id?"
She already knew, but Luna dearly hoped that she was mistaken.
"Well, let me ask you a question in turn, Luna." Thelastia Bael inclined her head to the side, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "What would you do if you were to abandon all civility, and act entirely on your instincts and emotions?"
"...I would go mad, become little more than an animal," Lunarunn replied flatly, heart sinking as her own realization was being affirmed. "So in other words, a Devil that loses control of themselves would go berserk?"
"And in almost every case, become more powerful yet unstable." Her mother nodded again. "Pureblooded Devils learn to balance their control and their instinct, incidentally, by instinct, so even if they were to go 'berserk' they would eventually come back down. It's why nobles can become so angry - perhaps even cause property damage in the process - but an hour later look and act as proper as they did exiting their bedroom that morning."
The bodyjumper waited for a moment, before her eyes widened. "You said pureblooded Devils. That isn't an instinct for Reincarnated Devils, is it?"
'In about 15 years, give or take, an heir to a Pillar will be killed by his Bishop.'
Thelastia shook her head as confirmation of Luna's guess. "That is correct. The Evil Pieces used to create Reincarnated Devils do work to temper the Id of their host."
'In doing so, the Bishop will be labeled an SSS-class criminal, the highest order of criminality save for bald-faced treason.'
"However, as the Old Satan Faction points out at every opportunity, it isn't perfect."
'It's said that she lost control, that she went insane, that she was consumed by the power she was channeling.'
"The fact of the matter is, that if a Reincarnated Devil is too far gone in whatever madness took hold of them, they may not come back from that state."
'That... wasn't a lie spread by the media, was it? It actually happened that way.'
"They may even kill their King, the one who reincarnated them, and become a threat to everything around them."
'Oh... oh no...'
"They may become Strays, and in doing so, become rabid animals that for everyone's sake have be put down."
'Is that the truth behind Kuroka's killing her King?'
A/N:
Oh hey, another update! I've been on a tear compared to my usual writing pace. Which is mostly just theorycrafting, maybe making a couple notes about a story, then never coming back to it again.
Do note that this is all done without so much as a beta, so if there's some glaring inconsistencies that I appear to have missed, let me know. Otherwise, hopefully you all are finding the story entertaining.
In response to kirishadowcat, I'm personally of the opinion that the 'plot' isn't particularly present quite yet. Mainly because I am currently working on setting up the pieces. There's nearly two decades before the main storyline for DxD sets in, and that gives me plenty of time for Luna to blossom into her own place within the story. For that however, she needs a purpose beyond just changing a story, and that will come as she explores the Underworld further and makes further connections with canon's major players. As a result, the current goal for Luna to achieve is to figure out where exactly she stands within the Underworld, in terms of power, fame, notoriety, and connections.
Actually, I intended for Luna to begin having access to her powers this chapter, and start working from there. However, the revelations I ended up typing out here are just too good to not stop on.
That being said, I'm glad you find the story and characterizations to be good! It can be a little hard to distinguish each character's individual 'voice' within my own mind, so it's heartening to hear that I'm doing a good job as far as that goes.
I do appreciate the comment from Mark King as well; I understand that this story wouldn't be for everyone, particularly as certain subverted tropes may be uncomfortable to some (namely the genderbending), but even so I find it encouraging that it was a worthwhile enough read to reach the end and leave a comment.
And yes, the asterisks were there to indicate the emphasis in which Luna was swearing at the end of Chapter 1. I prefer to save bolding for particularly intense speech, or for voice projecting of some sort, and italics are generally for objects or thoughts. It's a quirk of mine, though I might add a legend at the top of the following chapters to better convey what they mean.
Long A/N is long. Tempura Wizard, signing off.
