AN: Essence CYOA. Holy fuck there were so many other options. I thought there was like 5~7 like the Worm CYOA. I didn't bother reading them all.
Essence of Humanity Fuck Yeah
Gain an evolved human body superior to the peak of normal humans. Your natural lifespan measures in centuries instead of decades. If you aren't human you are now at least half human.
Extremely charismatic on the level of whipping up strangers into a frenzy with a few choice words and easily gaining die hard loyal supporters with little effort. Humans especially will see you as a symbol of the species and rally to you should you take up a cause.
You learn extremely quickly, taking in weeks of experience in days, months of experience in weeks and years if not decades of experience in months.
Can survive and thrive in desperate situations and adapt accordingly even if logically you would most likely die an ignoble death.
Can learn and understand anything with enough study, even reverse engineer and reproduce strange alien devices or magical artifacts with human sciences.
Can breed with anything and still somehow result in a viable half human hybrid that takes more after their human side then alien.
Okay, let's do this.
To Reach the Lights Beyond the Heavens (High School DxD - Essence CYOA SI - FGO Reincarnation Chapter 1)
"Are you ready, Rias?" Sirzech Lucifer, one of the Four Satans of Hell, asked his 8 year old sister.
It took quite a bit of time to arrange with his busy schedule, but he managed to make some time to take his little sister, to take her on one of the important milestones in a devil's life.
Making a contract.
Well, technically this won't be Rias's contract, but rather one Sirzechs's took, but was so easy to fulfill, that he would have Rias lead the negotiations, so she could get the experience of making a deal.
"Yes, yes, Elder Brother! Now let's go." Said Rias Gremory in what she tried make sound like a dignified regal voice. Probably trying to imitate Sirzechs (How cute~. Thought Sirzechs) but came out as whiny. She even said "Elder Brother" to sound formal and all.
"Alright, alright there is no need to rush." Sirzechs was d'awwing on the inside.
With a thought, the magic circle activated and Sirzechs and Rias were pulled to their destination.
Said destination was a basement.
Because of course it was. Sirzechs had seen this type of place used as a summons so many times it didn't warrant an eye roll.
Seriously, the reason why most devil summoning were in basements was because a thousand years ago, humans though you need to be closer to the underworld (as in actually under the ground), to more easily pull up a devil.
People were so stupid back then. Sirzechs mentally sighed. Then again, people are stupid now as a general rule. Devils included.
Sirzech put his thoughts of annoyance at politics, bureaucracy and people aside for him, as he wanted to enjoy his time with his sister.
And the room was lit by candles, because who ever heard of electricity. No everyday human before the 1800s. What era are we living in? Oh yeah, the 21st century. Sirzechs kept up his friendly smile while mentally sighing again on the inside.
"MWAHAHAHA! ARISE GREAT DEVIL AND FULFILL MY DEPRIERE! Ow bwet ma tonhgeh!" The summoner was a small boy, in a kids size cloak that covered up his body and went over the top of his face.
Do they even sell cloaks that size? Why? What's the po--Oh wait, Hallow's Eve. Was he trying to say "desire"? The speech sounds like it was rehearsed.
Sirzechs was easily able to see the room with his eye sight. There was a lot of left over stuff in the room, furniture, appliances, etc., likely accumulated and thrown here over time. Some books and papers too. Someone should really tell this kid about fire hazards.
Might as well do that before we leave. Thought Sirzechs.
Silently and too fast for either Rias or the human child to notice, Sirzechs took out a magical camera orb and had it fly and turn invisible as it started to record Rias's first contract.
"Hello, dear summoner, I am Sirzechs, and this is my little sister, who will be conducting the contract with you this evening." Sirzechs decided to get the ball rolling by introducing himself, and leave Rias to take it from there. He omitted his title of Lucifer as he knew humans not completely knowledgeable about the supernatural world, tended to freak out about talking to The Devil.
"Hello, I am Rias Gremory. So Mr. Summoner, please tell us your wish so we may negotiate a deal." Rias introduced herself and perfectly curtsied without losing a step. Sirzechs felt so proud, since he knew she was "secretly" practicing how to conduct herself for this trip.
"WELL MET, GREAT DEVIL, I AM MICHAEL CHASER And..." The boy seemed to have recovered and began his hammy dialogue again before losing his steam, and stopping all together. The boy held his chin and tilted his head as he took a closer look at Sirzechs and Rias.
More specifically, Sirzechs noted, their clothes. Rias was wearing magenta dress, with black lines and engraved drawing, that stopped at her knees, making her look elegant and cute. Sirzechs just wore his usual formal wear to save time. Because he's lazy.
Sirzechs noted how the child's eyes lingered on his giant shoulder pauldrons for a while. Oh yeah, I forgot to take those off.
Then the child looked down at his own clothes, then back at Rias and Sirzechs.
"Ah, excuse me for a second." The boy began to move before he looked back at the candles surrounding a very sloppily drawn pentagram. There was a contract seal flyer in the middle of said circle. It was the only reason that the summoning worked honestly, but then again Sirzechs did sent the flyer to the child who was already trying to summon devils, just to make this whole meeting easier on everyone.
The boy, their client, was Michael Chaser. He lived in San Francisco, California, USA, where Sirzechs and Rias were currently, in the basement of Michael's house.
8 years old and just started dabbling into the supernatural side of things. The boy wasn't anything special. He was just someone Sirzechs chose at random, while looking for someone relatively weak, compared to Rias, that wants to make a contract with devil, so Rias can get a deal-making experience.
Sirzechs, of course, ran a background check on the boy and...nothing turned up. Not because the information was difficult to come by, but because as expected from when Sirzechs looked at the boy's magical potential with his senses, there was nothing exceptional about it.
Michael Chaser was from a family of normal human parents. There was no significant magical nature in his bloodline, and his family, even going back generations, never interacted with the occult. They were a completely normal human family, with a normal human family tree that could be found anywhere.
Honestly, the kid was such an example of a vanilla human that Sirzechs wasn't surprised that he had black hair and brown eyes. Although admittedly, it had been a while since Sirzechs interacted with a human without any distinguishing or special features. So that was neat.
Although, since he's the first in his family history to interact with the supernatural, I guess that makes him a pioneer for his bloodline. Sirzechs gave a mental golf clap to the little Mr. Chaser.
Michael had started blowing out the candles before realizing that the room would be too dark to see where to go. So Michael went to next to the basement door and flicked the light switch. For Sirzechs and Rias nothing really changed as they could see in the dark, but it was a nice sentiment none the less.
"There." Michael went back to pick up the rest of the candles.
"Ah, let me help." Rias moved to do so.
"No, no, you can't. You're the guests, that would be wrong." Michael argued.
"But..." Rias looked to her brother for help, to which he just shook his head. This encounter was up to Rias, he was only here on a technicality. Being that this contract is actually for him, but that's not important at the moment.
When Michael was done removing and blowing out he candles, I went to a table at the side, and started pulling it to the middle of the room.
KREEEEEK!
The table scraped as it dragged across the floor.
KREEEEEK!
This continued for a bit as the young boy kept pulling the table.
KREEEEEK!
Rias pouted, came to a decision and nodded to herself, before marching and holding up the table form the other side.
"No, really, I got it."
"Maybe but I'm helping anyways."
Hnnnnng. My heart, it's so cute. Seeing Ria-tan try to hard to help is adorable. I'll even forgive this child for dragging her into manual labor. Although the whole thing could have been solved by one or two spells, Sirzechs let the kids act on their own.
After getting the table and chairs set up, the two devils took a seat, while Michael left and returned five minutes later.
He had a suit? Give that the Chaser family was middle class, Sirzechs didn't expect them to get their son a suit for formal occasions, as when would they need it. Well, formal suit with sneakers.
The boy's young face, still having baby fat, was visible, and he even combed his hair, rather than leaving it disheveled like it was in the beginning of the summoning.
Aww, kid was just doing the cultist look for the aesthetic. Heh, Serafall would have liked it if she was here.
"Sorry, for the wait and all. It's just you guys were dress so formally, it just felt weird to go with the cultist look." Michael clarified as he grabbed his own chair.
"Is wearing a cloak for summoning and shouting traditional behavior?" Asked Rias.
Michael shrugged. "I dunno, it's my first devil summoning. I just did what I saw on TV."
"There isn't any actual formal etiquette for summoning, it's usually left up to the summoner, but for the most part it's not important unless the situation calls for it, or you're dealing with beings who are very firm on rules. The important part of the summoning is what the summoner wants and what the summoned being wants, and what they are both will to exchange for that." Sirzechs clarified for the boy, and a bit also for Rias as a revision.
"Huh, okay...wait, what if things didn't work out between the summoner and the summoned being? Do I unsummon them? How do they do home?" The boy asked, just realizing that issue.
"Well, we can just make a teleport circle for that, right, Big Brother?" Rias turned to him.
"Well, that is turn, but in this case everything is taken care of by the contract seal on the flyer." Sirzechs brought it up, having picked it up earlier and placed it on the table. "However, should you decide to continue on in studying and practicing the art, Michael, I advise that you learn about magical safety keys that would be added to summoning circles."
The next few minutes were spend on Sirzechs teaching Michael about summoning safety precautions, how some summoned beings could be summoned against their will and could be angry about that, how some accepting the summoning by their will aren't necessarily benevolent, and why a Summon Cancel false safe was needed regardless of the summoned being disposition, and that it was helpful for all parties in the end.
"Oh, do you want something to drink?" The young summoner asked.
Rias tried to politely refuse, but Michael insisted, and left to make some. A few more minutes and the boy return to a tray holding three cups of tea, three small spoons, and a sugar mug.
"It's red." Rias commented.
"Well, yeah, it's tea." Michael said like he was stating the obvious.
"I drank tea." Rias pouted. "And that's not it. Grayfia, umm my brother's wife," at the boy's confused look, she clarified, "never served it, and there was a lot of different types."
"Were they bitter?" Asked Michael.
"Yeah," Rias tilted her head at the question.
"Even if you put sugar?"
"Sometimes."
"Then it wasn't real tea." He shook his head. "Adult or rich people tend drink bitter stuff, and act like that makes them mature or sophisticated." Gestured to the sugar. "Add sugar to it, try it."
Rias did so skeptically, then smiled wide-eyed as she liked the taste.
"You're right. Maybe I'll get this tea and use honey next time."
"You can't use honey with tea. You use honey with sweets. Well, as part of sweets. And with bread."
"You can't use honey with bread."
"Nah-uh." Michael shook his head.
Sirzech kept up his smile during this exchange and three thoughts raced in his mind.
One: This little shit. I'll have you know my wife is the best tea maker in the universe.
Two: Stop getting familiar with my Ria-tan!
Sirzechs wisely did not let any of his emotions project through facial and more importantly magical means. He didn't want the kid to have a heart attack.
And three: This is really getting off topic.
"Well, Michael, thank you for the hospitality, so what did you wish to summon a devil for?" Sirzechs went to steer things back into the important discussion.
""Ah, right.""
Both kids said at once realizing they ended up distracted.
Sirzechs already knew what Michael's wish was, which was the reason why he picked him, as it was a relatively simple wish. Well, he picked up, after noticing all the failed attempts to summon a devil, and sent a flyer after checking on who this kid is.
"Right, so what I wish for is..." The boy tried to pause too hard for dramatic flair. "..." At least Rias seemed entertained. "...Knowledge!"
"...Like a university degree or the Philosopher's Stone?" Asked Rias.
I should probably tell her not to casually mention stuff like that later on, specially around amateur magicians.
While hunting down magicians who sneak into the underworld to find the blueprints for the Philosopher's Stone, or the actual thing, was entertaining for the devils, it's probably not a practice that should be encouraged.
Also Phoenix Tears were a more effective and mass producible anagathic anyways.
"Why would I want those? I'm eight."
Ah, kids. Never know how some important stuff is. A university degree can only help your career after all.
"Well, what do you want to know then?" Asked Rias.
"Rias." Sirzechs said pointedly.
"Ah, right. First, what price are you willing to pay for said knowledge?"
"Here!" Michael went and brought a school bag from the room's corner. "Six months of my allowance."
Huh, surprisingly patient and persistent. Sirzechs thought. Not may kids would have held out for that long on saving up.
"Then," With another look from Sirzechs, Rias reigned herself back on accepting the deals terms just yet. "It would depend on what knowledge you wish to get, then we'll determine how much money it would cost." Rias looked at her brother again "slyly", to see him nod at her correctly acting on how to proceed.
Rias preened under the unspoken praise but held herself from expressing it but just sitting straighter.
"I want to know if there are moon people." Michael Chaser said excitedly.
Rias took in the question, thought about it and slowly turned to Sirzechs.
"Are there people who came from the moon, Big Brother?" Rias asked with childish intrigue and excitement slowly matching Michael's.
Sirzech smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. While there are many legends about the moon, and people going there, like the Japanese tale: Princess Kaguya."
""Ooooo!"" Both children said at once.
Good Satan, this is adorable.
"Most of the time it was just a pocket dimension whose opening was located in the sky." Sirzechs explained.
"Okay, so there aren't any native moon people. Are there currently people living on the moon?" Asked Michael.
"I'm afraid not."
"How come?" Rias was the one to ask this time.
"Well, first there is no atmosphere there, and it would take a lot of work, time and energy, that no faction wants to spend. Also, a lot of people have their homes on this planet, and wouldn't want to leave it."
"Huh, so no one went to live on the moon." Michael crossed his arms.
"I'm afraid not. Maybe one or two powerful magical beings some--I mean, a long time ago." Sirzechs corrected himself, as what humans consider "some time ago" is different from a devil's. "But currently, no. It's just an empty place."
"That sucks." Michael pouted.
"Why do you want to know if there were people who lived on the moon?" Rias asked.
"Because if there were people there, then we could ask how they went there, or how they are living there, and see if trade could be made and stuff."
Ah, optimist visionary. Sirzechs nodded in his head. I give me five years before he loses interest in the moon and space all together. No, wait, four.
"We?" Rias asked.
"Us, humans." Michael shrugged.
"But what about other species who want to go there?"
"I dunno, we work together I guess." Michael tilted his head. "Are there people in the supernatural world on a space program to colonize the moon?" The question was directed as Sirzechs.
"I'm afraid I don't know if other supernatural races had an interest in such thing or are working on it. While you may want to add this knowledge to your wish, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to afford it with the money you prepared. We would have to launch an investigation from our side, and that amount of your wouldn't be covered by your allowance. Sorry, Michael." Sirzechs explain.
"What about you Devils?"
Sirzechs lips twitched in amusement "I'm afraid I can't answer that one way or another, even if we aren't working on a program like that. Sorry, but that information would be too private to be sold."
"Hmm," Michael looking down, his lips bent as he thought deeply. "Culturally," Michael looked back up. "What do Devils feel about space and the idea of exploring it?"
Huh, smart kid. Answering that question wouldn't be delving any technical private information, and would get Michael closer to some idea on whether the Devil race has a secret space program or not.
Sirzechs tempted to deny him even that answer just to tease him a bit, but Rias answered on her own.
"We don't," Michael focused back on her. "I've never even heard anyone talking about space at all, even as an idea. People in the Underworld tended to care about other Pillar Families, events that happen there or here on Earth, or whose doing well in Rating Games."
"Rating Games?" Michael asked, seemingly latching onto this piece of information.
"Ah, well, Rating Games are combat games between two Peerages. To see whose better or to solve a problem." Rias explained more animatedly, as the topic turned to familiar grounds.
Then things got weird from Sirzechs perspective.
The boys questions started going from Rating Games, to Peerages, to Reincarnated Devils, to the Devil's society and culture. The Great War and other biblical factions had to be explained for some context.
Sirzechs had to contribute some answers of his own, when things got too complicated for Rias. Initially, Sirzechs thought Michael Chaser was just a quirky kid who loved learning new things. When his questions started getting a bit too deep than general on how Devil live, work and function in their own society and ecosystem, Sirzechs thought he was odd. Maybe the kid was one of those humans who are so eccentric about their passion, they become Mad Scientist or the like. And that Michael's eccentricity was other cultures.
At the point where the human boy was asking about the tax policies for each devil class, Sirzechs knew something was just plainly off about the kid.
Hell, adults in the government don't like talking about taxes.
"Why are you suddenly so interested in Devils' everyday lives, Michael?" Sirzechs asked.
"Well, how else can you understand other people, than to start by learning about their lives and history, then meet them and see how they are like? Well, the order was a bit backwards here, as I met you first, but it's not like I had anyone to tell me these things."
"And what do you think of it?" Sirzechs was mildly curious, although he could see that Rias was very curious.
"I think a Devil's..." he thought about what word to use. "Life is incompatible with a Human's at the moment."
Sirzechs felt some disappointment that that's the conclusion the boy reach, as he didn't want Rias to experience such inherit bias against her just for being a Devil early in her life, but maybe it's better now in such a small meeting than later. He supposed all the media and stories humans had about devils would naturally make humans distrust them, and look for things to confirm that bias.
"What?" Rias sat up, a frown on her face.--I'm gonna have to point out that she doesn't act on her emotions in these talks later on. Sirzechs thought--"Why would you say that? Devils and Humans aren't so different. They can live together and work together. They can be friends."
"I never said they couldn't," Michael looking at Rias confused.
Huh. The boy wasn't just saying that to appease Rias. He's actually confused on why she's angry.
"But you said our lives are incompatible." Rias said hotly, but was listening to see if there was a misunderstanding.
"Yeah, I'm saying a human," he pointed at himself. "Literally can't live a Devil's life." He pointed at her. "Not that they can't living side by side and be friends."
Oh wow. Sirzechs blink in surprise. He was actually genuinely impressed now, taking note of the boy in new light. I didn't expect someone so young to reach that conclusion.
"What do you mean? Isn't that what they Evil Pieces do?" Rias spoke.
Michael turned to Sirzechs with a focused look in his eyes. "If I'm wrong about this, please correct me but...Stray Devils are a recent phenomena, right? They started happening after the Evil Pieces were introduced, right?"
"That is correct." Sirzechs nodded. They hadn't outright said it, but it was something easy to infer that Stray Devils only happened because the Evil Pieces came into being.
"So if I were to guess...The majority of Stray Devils are formerly Humans, aren't they?"
Rias blinked back in surprise, as she turned to her brother.
Sirzechs sadly smiled back and nodded. "You're a pretty smart for your age, Michael."
"Wait, I don't understand. Why does the majority of Stray Devils being former Humans, means Humans can't live as Devils?" Asked Rias.
"Because I think as a species, we're not ready for immortality yet." Michael got to the heart of the matter.
"We're not immortal," Rias corrected.
"Yeah, but from my perspective, you might as well be. Human can barely imagine our lives and what the world would be like 50 years from now, and you guys live ten times that at minimum." Michael shook his head. "Not to mention that if you Reincarnate someone who has a family, friend, or even acquaintances, then they will inevitably watch them all grow old and die. Psychologically that must be hell. Sorry for the pun."
"Apology accepted." Sirzechs smiled with a low chuckle.
"But, but...they can just get their family and friends to join their Peerage!" Rias exclaimed.
Sirzechs didn't expect to have to explain this point so early in Rias's life, but he supposed now is a good time as any.
"Rias, you have to take into account that not everyone, specially Humans, would want to become a Devil. Many have their personal reasons from bias, to faith, to simple preference to not watch the world move on without them, as they stay agelessly young." He explained the hard truth that not everyone likes devils, or would want to live as one.
"Yeah," Michael nodded. "Maybe at some point if we cure aging, you might find Humans more accepting as Reincarnating into Devils. But I think at that point, we won't really need to."
And isn't that the terrifying truth. Sirzechs mentally snorted. Michael had no idea how important the truth he stumbled on was. It's the sheer, vast difference in ability and longevity that appealed to most humans as an argument for why they should become devils. After all going through all the biases caused by millennia of Christian propaganda. Take away that, and the reasons to civilly convince a person to become a Devil are almost all gone.
Well, not totally. A devil's potential for growth was much larger than other supernatural species.
"Also there is the whole thing about you guys not being interest in going to space." Michael added.
"Why do you want to go to space so much, Michael?" Rias happily accepted the change to a much lighter topic.
"Because it's there."
Sirzechs quietly chuckles. Those words. As if the moon was just another mountain.
"Then why do you want humans as a whole to go and live there? Didn't you already manage that?" Rias asked.
Huh, she caught onto Michael's want to take humanity to the stars all on her own. Good girl, Rias. Still I don't think the kid will succeed. Humanity isn't that cooperative. Maybe he'll become an astronaut in the future.
"No, we went to the moon, got some rocks and came back. We can't live there yet. But magic exists, and our understanding of science has been growing exponentially this decade. So combine the two and it might become possible to live in space. As for why I want all of humanity to go to the space, well..." Michael blushed and scratched the back of his head. "As I said, it's there. There is a whole universe out there. Who knows what we'll find. Why live on just one tiny little planet that isn't even close to being a dust mite on the wings of a fly compared to...forget the universe. Even from a galaxy point of view, we're really tiny. I wanna see what's out there. Even if I don't see it all, I still wanna see the tiny part of it that I can in my life. Are there aliens or not? What do other planets look like when you live there? It's just...an adventure, you know." The human boy shouted, unable to contain his excitement on the topic, and not know how else to express his thought.
Rias looked back with stars in her eyes, as she got swept up in Michael's passionate speech.
"And how does knowing about other cultures help with that?" Sirzechs asked.
"Well, I want to know how other species live. You guys don't seem to be divided into countries like we are. You have unity as a race. Human should really learn that from you." Michael replied.
"Hehe, thanks." Said Rias.
"Thank you for your kind words, Michael." Sirzechs nodded, but he felt an odd ping in the back of his head, when Michael said "unity". There wasn't any danger to him or to Rias, but it was like his instincts were poking him. Pointing out something that might become a problem.
"Yeah, and if mankind was like you, without any of the divide, all together equal as one race." Michael stood up from his seat.
The more Michael spoke, the more Sirzech's instinct was poking him harder and harder. Like watching a train wreck about to be preformed, even if no trains are on the rails yet.
"Umm, Michael?" Even Rias was starting to notice something was off, although she seem more amused than anything.
"Yes that's why not just in one country, but all over the Earth, in one full swoop, the Revolution must commence, and we all rise as one, standing shoulder to shoulder as comrades." As Michael was reaching the peak of his second passionate speech, he gathered his magic, not for combat as Sirzechs could see the spells formation, but for...music?
Then as he said the word "comrades", he saluted as a magic sigil formed next to him and loudly blared out a certain wintry country's anthem.
Oh noooo. Sirzechs had a unique smile on his face. His eyes were wide, his smile plastered on, and all of it spoke of seeing something horrifying, but being very amused by it. He's a communist.
In any other circumstance, this would be down right hilarious.
"What revolution?" Rias asked weirded out yet intrigued.
But not with Rias's young impressionable mind around!
Ooh, heaaaaaaven no. Sirzechs dash forward to act.
"Why, the Communist Revo--"
"Well, this has been a very entertaining evening, Mr. Chaser. Now I believe we have conducted the contract. Here's the payment we took, what we told you was only worth one month of your allowance, so enjoy the rest. Have a good day and a good life!"
Before anyone could speak or act, Sirzechs flared up the summoning spell in the flyer, took the payment from Michael bag, swept Rias in one arm, and teleported back to Hell. He also made sure to burn the flyer and cast a memory spell so Michael would never remember the design of that particular flyer so he may never summoning him or Rias again.
Once the Lucifer and his little sister were safely back in the Gremory Home in Hell, Sirzechs let out a sigh of relief.
"Big brother, what's a 'communist'?"
Sirzechs stilled. Dammit, she heard that brat.
Honestly, he really should have expected the kid that would summon devil just to ask questions about general information to be odd. Seriously, someone should have put what the kids was like in a memo. He supposed Grayfia might have and he missed it, but really he was more focused on what the kid's life and family history was like, than what the human kid himself personally was like.
"I will get right back to you on that, Ria-tan, but I have to quickly make a phone call and get back to you."
With that Sirzechs disappeared.
He didn't make one phone call, but two.
The first to his Knight Piece, Souji Okita, he told him to take Rias on a round trip to Japan. To every place that would be interesting there that would interest people to want to know more about the land and culture, and especially to Akihabara.
The second call was to Serafall.
"Sera? Yeah, I need a favor. I want you to have Rias watch. Every. Single. Magical Girl show you have. In fact, every Magical Girl show you can think of, and when you have some free time, any Japanese or Eastern media you can find. You can make it a bonding experience with her and Sona or something. Nothing Western at all!"
AN: This went on way longer than I intended. I feel like I gave Sirzechs too much of a sarcastic mental voice, but it felt right that someone so long lived and who had seen it all might be like that. The FGO part will come later.