Not Playing With A Full Deck (Highschool DxD/Fate),AU SI

[Xanothos]

So, this is a story I started over on ff.net about two weeks ago, and I thought I'd see if anyone over here was interested. This is the first time I've been confident enough in a story to post it over here, but please, fire away with the constructive criticism.

Mulligan 1.1​

As with most unpleasant things in my life, it all went to shit when I woke up. This time, however, I didn't wake up to find that my roommate had broken my stuff again. Instead, I woke to the distinctly unpleasant feeling of a rawness covering the majority of my spinal column. I opened my eyes, sleepily noting that I was no longer in my room, but instead, I was lying slumped in an alleyway. As I blinked the sleep from my eyes, I heard voices coming from the road passing the alleyway.
'Japanese? What the…'
I rolled to my feet and cast about myself, slowly becoming frantic in my search for any evidence as to how I'd wound up in some random alley, potentially either in Japan or a largely Japanese community.
I took notice of a medium leather satchel sitting in a corner, near to where I'd awoken. Immediately beside the satchel leaned what appeared to be a wooden cane capped with a small piece of polished black stone, perhaps onyx.
After rifling through the satchel, I'd withdrawn several objects: three aged books with strange symbols on the front, an envelope bearing my name in an elegant cursive scrawl, and a small rectangular wooden box.
Leaving the books and box for the moment, I hastily opened the envelope and began to read.

To Johan Blair, of Earth 79471-N3M9:

I am sure that you are anxious to know what is going on, so I shall dispense with the formalities. You were selected by completely random lottery to be relocated from your native reality to the one in which you are now present. The reasons for this relocation are threefold.
First, the reality in which you were born is irrelevant to the safety of the Multiverse, given its current absolute lack of any Reality Engines.
Secondly, the reality in which you were placed has a veritable glut of Reality Engines, as well as being at relatively immediate threat of multiple apocalyptic potential events, at least two of which would place large portions of the Multiverse at risk.
Thirdly, I wanted more data on...certain things. Therefore, I decided to meddle with the life of a randomly selected individual from a world that met the same qualifications as your own. You were just the lucky* soul who was chosen.
Now, I am not needlessly cruel, so I left a few tools for you to use, in addition to the Magic Crest that I grafted to your back. I'm sure that you can feel the after-effects. In the satchel are a few books of Magecraft that correspond with the Alignment and Origin tied to the Magic Circuits you now possess, as well as a box containing two Class Cards. The cane is the Kaleidosword Onyx; I hope you'll get along well.

Enjoy your new life!
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg


*Whether the luck is good or bad is up to you.

"Fuck."
Yeah, the first word I spoke in this new reality wasn't anything impressive. I nearly leapt out of my skin when a deep, raspy chuckle echoed from the corner that the cane- no, Kaleidosword Onyx was leaned against.

I shot the apparently sentient cane a withering glare. "What, pray tell, is amusing about this situation, my dear walking assistance implement? How am I supposed to react about something as absurd as this? It's like something out of a bad fanfi-OhDearGod I'm a Self Insert."
I crouched on the ground and massaged my temples. Oynx made an inquisitive noise, and I groaned.
"Not only am I stranded only God knows where, but I'm an existence that a wide variety of readers consider to be anathema to good fiction?! Fuck every iota of my life."

[…I'm not sure how to react to that second bit, so I'll ignore it, but if you wanted to know where we are, all you had to do was say so. We are in an alley just outside the train station in Kuoh Town.]

That was it; I began laughing hysterically. Not only had I been stranded in a world that I had only tangential knowledge about, it was one of the worst worlds for a vanilla human to be in.

Minutes later, my hysterics had subsided, and I had just one thing to say. "Well, at least it's not Worm."

AN: As those of you who follow my other stories should already know, my laptop is kaput, and I was dumb enough not to backup my files. Therefore, my other stories are on indefinite hiatus, and I will be starting this one and perhaps one more. Now, a word from my wonderful Beta, Classic Mecraphone, writer of the stories "Campione: The Theomachy" and "King of Thieves and Shadows", a pair of excellent Campione and DxD fics, respectively.

BN: Hey y'all, Classic Mecraphone here. So I was just recently introduced to the idea of a Beta Note and am thus left entirely unprepared for what to say. So while I could pull an Angelina Jolie Oscar acceptance speech level goof here...I think Instead I'll just go with, 'enjoy the story!'
...
Oof that sounds terribly awkward. Next time I'll have something slightly more inspiring, promise

AN: Heh, classic Mecraphone. Ya see what I did there? Eh? Eh? *Gets a boot to the head*

*Ahem*
Anywhoodle, I hope you guys enjoyed this first taste of Not Playing With A Full Deck. Enjoy, and if you have advice, feel free to drop a review!
Edited on 11/24/17 for lore posterity.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.2​

Once I'd regained as much of my composure as could be reasonably expected, considering my situation, I picked Onyx up. I then opened the box that contained the Class Cards, revealing what Classes I was starting off with.
'Caster and Rider, huh? Could be worse.'

I addressed Onyx. "So, I've not got the foggiest idea as to where I should begin. I don't suppose you can tutor me in Magecraft and the usage of these Cards?"

[While I can aid you with Magecraft, as well as swordplay,] Onyx replied, [You will have to commune with the Heroic Spirits in the cards to earn their power, as well as to learn of their abilities.]

"Okay… How would I go about doing that? Do I have to perform some ritual, or is there another way to communicate with them?"

[We will address that after we find you a place to stay. We can't just live in an alleyway, after all.]

I blinked. "You know, for a Mystic Code created by Zelretch, you're surprisingly reasonable. I'd have expected more absurdity, given the antics of Kaleidostick Ruby." I was then treated to the interesting sight of a cane shuddering.

[Feh! Do not speak to me of her! Of my cousins, that one is the worst! At least Sapphire has a sense of decorum, and Opal*, she knows her priorities. Ruby, though?! That cretin is a disgrace to our master's name!]

His rant done, Onyx made a snorting noise, then floated towards me. With a glimmer of multicolored energy, the cane became a wristwatch with a shimmering black face. With a jerk, he tugged my wrist toward the main road.
[There should be some yen and valid identification in the bottom of the satchel, so you need not worry about that, at least. Master wouldn't have wanted his entertainment champion to be hindered by something as mundane as deportation.]

"…Did you just speak a strike-through? No, never mind. I'm going to keep ahold of what little sanity remains to me for as long as possible."


Much later, I'd paid for a moderately good room at a motel, with Onyx telepathically supplying the translated phrases, and I sat cross-legged on the futon, Onyx sitting before me, now back in his cane form. As I began to grow impatient, the Mystic Code of the Second Magic spoke.
[So, the first thing that must be done is to teach you how to access your Magic Circuits and Magic Crest. Due to the nature of the Spirit Surgery performed on you, you have inherited the Affinities, Origin, and Sorcery Trait of the original Crest-bearer, while keeping your own Origin. Now, we have little time to waste, so I'll give you the basics of what those are.]

[An Affinity refers to which of the Five Great Elements you are most suited: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Ether. An individual's Origin describes who and what they are on their deepest level. A Sorcery Trait is a special ability unique to a Magus family or an individual Magus, such as the Edfelt's Ore Scales, the Einzbern's Wishcraft, or the Fraga's Gods Holder. Do you follow?] When I nodded, he continued his lecture.

[Now! The Magic Crest you now have is from a relatively minor noble family called the Harways, only really notable because of their specialty in enchantment, enhancement, and the creation of superior Prana batteries. This is enabled by their Sorcery Trait of Augmentation, which makes most continuous Thaumaturgy more powerful and more efficient.]
[The former bearer of that Crest was one Julius Harway, who was an Average One; someone who has an equal Affinity to all five Elements. Finally, his Origin was Attunement. Your Origin, on the other hand, is Symbiosis.]

I let out a soft laugh at the revelation that apparently the Harways were only significant in the Fate/Extra timeline. After assuring Onyx that I was paying attention, he continued.

[Now, your Dual Origin means that your greatest strengths will lie in Thaumaturgy that alters or improves something, as well as Thaumaturgy that is either is in collaboration with another, done for another, or done for the mutual benefit of you and another. However, the more 'others' involved, the more diminishing of returns you will get from your Thaumaturgy.]

Onyx rose into the air, his lower part sliding down to reveal a blade that seemed to be a cross between a chokuto and an estoc. The shape was two edged, like an estoc, but the blade itself had a hamon, indicating that it was made of folded steel like an Eastern sword.
His sheath floated up behind him and curved in a fashion unnatural to wood, forming a parody of a pair of arms. One of his "hands" motioned for me to turn around. Once I'd done so, I felt Onyx lift my shirt and press his stumpy limbs to the epicenter of the rawness on my back.

Then, my whole world was pain.
EDIT- Author's Note: Heh, sorry readers. I was tired yesterday and forgot my AN. Not much to say here, with one exception:

*Kaliedostick Opal is the creation of Rater 202 and Cailin, authors on Spacebattles. The story in which she appears is Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Taylor, which is a Nasuverse/Worm Web Serial crossover. It is well worth reading if you are familiar with either medium.

Once again, thanks go to Classic Mecraphone for betaing the chapter. Enjoy, and leave a review if you like.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.3​

The pain of having my transplanted Magic Circuits flooded with Mana for the first time was horrid beyond belief. My face stretched into a rictus of agony, even as a low, inhuman whine echoed deep in my throat. Worst of all, I could not black out from the pain. Onyx would later inform me that this was because he maintained my consciousness, since any number of things could go wrong if I fell unconscious during the procedure.

The process seemed to go on without end, but when it was finally over, only a few minutes had passed. The suffering had felt as though it'd gone on for hours, but it had barely been 180 seconds! As soon as Onyx released me, I sprinted to the bathroom and emptied my stomach into the toilet. Upon noticing spots of red in the bile, I paled.

[Hmm…] Onyx had drifted into the bathroom behind me while I'd been worshiping at the Porcelain Altar. [All things considered, you handled that rather well, for someone completely untrained in the ways of being a Magus. Don't worry about the blood; with that little, it means that your body and soul are still accepting the Circuits, but they are accepting them.]

I coughed, then spat a wad of mucus and blood into the toilet. "Well! That's just peachy!" I snarked, albeit without any real heat; I was too tired to get angry. "Now, if there is nothing else, I think I shall try to sleep this off."
After rinsing my mouth, I collapsed onto the futon, releasing a muffled groan into the pillow.


Many hours later, I woke to Onyx tapping my head. [You should get some sustenance, Johan Blair. You've slept most of the day away.]
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, my memories of the past day returning as I regained my equilibrium.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, attempting to stifle the tears that threatened to well up. My poor mother, my sister, my brother-in-law, my nieces and nephew; they were all probably worried sick. The worst part? I had no way of knowing if I'd ever see them again.

Onyx floated towards me and attempted to part me on the back with his scabbard-body. The hilarity of this act made me start laughing, and soon I had devolved into a laughing, sobbing wreck.
It took several minutes for me to regain my composure completely. Thankfully, Onyx had apparently put up a Bounded Field to make sure nobody had heard my hysteria.

Later, after having ran to a convenience store and obtained some cup ramen for dinner, I'd returned to my previous position, Onyx floating before me.
[Now… Johan Blair!] Onyx cried. [It is time for you to learn to activate and use your Magic Circuits. First, you must find an image to picture, one that resonates with you. Then, you must focus on that image until your Circuits respond. Only then can you designate an incantation to use for your trigger.] I nodded, then sat cross-legged on my futon once more.

In my mind, I first pictured an ornate Door, a curled dragon emblazoned in gold on the center of the Door. A thick silver Chain bound the door shut. I then pictured a katana, flashing from it's saya, cleaving through the Chain, and returning to it's home in the same fluid, lighting fast motion.
Over the course of the next few hours, I reviewed and refined the image in my mind over and over again. Eventually, I felt a sort of tingling sensation at the base of my spine. When I mentioned this to Onyx, he bade me to stop immediately.

[Now, you need to figure out a trigger incantation. Choose a phrase that would be extremely unlikely to come up in conversation. The best choice would be to use a dead language, like Latin.]

After thinking for a bit, and consulting Fondlle Translate, this world's analogue to Google Translate, I came up with my trigger. As I spoke, the first part of the image flashed through my mind. Once more I drew the mental blade, my cut passing through the imaginary chain.
"Incido!" ("Slash!")
The same spot that had tingled before felt as though someone had pressed a heated piece of metal against it, though that searing pain quickly diffused up and across my back, becoming a wide, unpleasant warmth rather than focused, burning agony. I inhaled sharply as the warmth suffused my body, and sparks popped at my fingertips.

[Well done! You seem to have a remarkably flexible mind, considering how quickly you were able to initiate self-hypnosis.] Onyx praised. [Now, you need to come up with a phrase to cease the activity of your Circuits.]

I quickly did as I was instructed, speaking even as I pictured the lightning-fast sheathing of the blade, punctuated by the imagined clatter of the severed halves of Door's Chain striking the ground.
"Reliqua." ("Rest.")
The warmth quickly receded from my body, disappearing last from the base of my spine. However, in my mind's eye I still saw that Door. My mental self reached for the handle…

AN: Sorry this got out a bit later than I'd like; Google Docs was being a pain. Anyhow, I don't really have much to say other than: Enjoy, and if you like, leave a review! Once again, I thank Classic Mecraphone for his Betaing efforts, even if Google Docs screwed up what he tried to do.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.4​

As I reached for the handle in my mind's eye, I felt an odd sensation, something straddling the line between excitement and terror. My mental self pulled the Door open, and then passed through. Onyx would later inform me that my eyes had changed to glittering pools of white and black during this… excursion, which was quite the departure from my normal blue orbs.
As I wandered around inside the door, I noticed two indistinct shapes in the middle distance, both human sized, but one taller than the other. An unknown force had me gravitating toward the shorter figure, though even as I approached it, the other one strode away.
In short order, I was within arm's length of the figure, and as I looked on, the figure became more distinct. I could clearly see that the figure was female, due to her… *ahem* rather bountiful figure, and when my mental projection opened its mouth to speak, I heard her speak.

{H̨̢_͝l̀ĺ_͠,̸̨ ҉m҉_̴̛ ̕H̛͟_̷̛_҉b̡͢_͢_͝d̛!҉ ̡T̡͢h̡_҉͏s̛ ͝T͏_̕á̡_̸͜_̧̢_̧͜o̴҉-̢͠c̴̶h̸͝_̵n̛ ͠͞i͏͞s̀͞ ̧̧p͠l͠_͞_̨̕s̡e͞d̶̀ ́͟_̀ò͠ ̴͏_̵̕è͝e͟t̡̧ ͡_̡o̕_̢͜!́ ̢}

I flinched, both in my mind and in the real world. The sheer wrongness of the voice was physically painful. Even as the woman cocked her head in confusion, I dropped out of the trance and returned to myself in the real world.

[So, I assume you attempted to converse with one of the Heroic Spirits beyond the Door?] Onyx asked, though from the tone of his voice, it really didn't seem like a question. When I nodded stiffly, he made a sighing sound. [You aren't adept enough at handling your Od to do that unassisted. Once you are more skilled, or have communicated with Heroic Spirits more, then you'll be able to do it unassisted. For now, though, you'll need me to help you. If you wish, we can do so now.]

I nodded swiftly. "I definitely need to learn to communicate with them as soon as possible. Unless I am mistaken, which is all too possible, they are living in my soul, are they not?"
[Indeed.]
"As I thought. All the more reason to communicate with them; we are connected in a way that most cannot understand. Plus, they will almost certainly come to be, if you'll excuse the pun, my trump cards."
Onyx, in spite of appearing nothing more than a cane, somehow managed to shoot me a dry glare. I shrugged helplessly.

[…I am going to pretend that you never said that, and now we are going to commune with the Heroic Spirits.] With that flat declaration, Onyx floated over to where I sat and drifted into my hand. He instructed me to activate my Magic Circuits once more, and I did so. This time, however, when I spoke the trigger incantation, the only image that ran through my mind was the unsheathing slash. Onyx then spoke in an eerily monotonous voice.
<[Establishing link to Throne of Heroes… Link established. Parsing Heroic Spirit data… Heroic Spirit identified. Establishing link to Sea of Souls… Link established. Parsing Akashic pathways… Pathway identified. Spirit download commencing… 25%... 50%... 75%... Download complete. All functions green.]>

After Onyx completed his robotic pronouncements, reality cracked around me. The World fell away, and I floated in a void, the Door before me once more. I pulled it open, and walked through, my feet padding against what felt like tile, even though no floor could be seen anywhere.
I quickly returned to where my mental projection had encountered the female Heroic Spirit, only to find another door. This one was inscribed with the image of the Caster card although it had no handle, just a hole where a doorknob would be. Onyx's saya shortened, and the Mystic Code inserted himself into the empty space, becoming the doorknob. I turned him, and the door swung open with nary a sound.
Abruptly, I was struck by a flying glomp! I staggered, then fell to one knee, as I was introduced to what some referred to as "Marshmallow Hell".

"Ahhh! My husband, I was so worried when you vanished like that! Miko☆"

'Ah. I'd recognize those verbal tics anywhere.' Only one Servant referred to her Master as Goshujin-sama* and used Miko to indicate surprise: Tamamo-no-Mae, also known as "Cas-ko".
"Mmmph." I eloquently stated my opinion on the current series of events.
[Caster, if you'd be so kind as to release Johan Blair, I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Humans do tend to die when deprived of air, after all.] 'Ah, Onyx. Your help is appreciated.'

Caster released my head from her bosom reluctantly, a pout on her face. Her fox ears twitched expressively as she watched me stand back up.

I brushed my hands on my pants, then spoke. "A pleasure to meet you, Caster. Or would you prefer I refer to you by your True Name, Tamamo?"
The vivacious vixen froze, uncertainty flashing across her face as I revealed my knowledge.
'Hmm. This space is at least connected to my soul; perhaps it is possible for me to convey that I have no issue with her…'With that thought in mind, I concentrated on creating a feeling of warmth and acceptance. It seemed to work, as Tamamo shut her eyes and sighed in relief.
"I look forward to working with you, Tamamo-no-Mae. You always were my favorite Caster Class Servant." I bowed to her in the way that Onyx had informed me was a proper, Japanese bow of respect.
The smile she offered in return was as dazzling as it was sad; the desperate need for acceptance that I saw in her eyes filled me with sorrow. This was a Tamamo that had never had the benefit of knowing Hakumo Kishinami, never had someone accept her as something other than a monster. I offered a hand to her, and she clasped it gently between both of hers, as though holding something made of spun glass.

Several minutes later, Onyx interrupted the two of us sitting in silence. [I do apologize for interrupting your bonding moment, but there is something Johan Blair needs to do in the Material world, so it would be prudent to make the Contract now, if possible.]
Tamamo looked at me and nodded slowly, clearly reluctant to end the first session of human comfort she had had in a long time.
Her melodic voice rang out, a clear bell in the silent dark. "I, the Caster Class Servant, Tamamo-no-Mae, do pledge the entirety of my being to my Master, my Husband: Johan Blair. Should he accept my humble offer, all I am is his."
'…Based on the sputtering that Onyx is doing, that was not a standard oath to give. I don't know what is normal for this "Contract" thing, but from the wording she used, it seems like she is quite desperate for companionship.'
I sighed. "Alright, Onyx. Give it to me straight: was the oath she just made as a big of a commitment as I think it is?"
[You could say that, yes.] Onyx replied faintly. [Ordinarily, a Servant would pledge loyalty and aid, perhaps even power. Caster, she… she just literally gave herself to you. If you so choose, you could destroy her very individuality, making her nothing more than a puppet, and she'd be powerless to stop you.]
"My god. That's…terrifying." I whispered. A thought abruptly occurred to me. It was, objectively, an absolutely awfulidea, but I'd never been good at objectivity when it came to emotion. Therefore, I began to speak.
"I, Johan Blair, Magus of no particular renown or skill, do pledge the entirety of my being to she who offered me her own existence: Tamamo-no-Mae, of the Servant Class Caster. By this oath, I shall accept hers, if, and only if, she accepts mine."
[Oh, good. You are both idiots.]

AN: Well, once again, not much to say, but here's this clarification:

*This term is a Japanese term used both by Maids in Maid Cafes and by some wives, usually to indicate submissiveness. It translates roughly to Master, but Fate/Extra and Fate/Extella translate it as "My Husband", to indicate separation from"Masutā"which means "Master", obviously. I have done the same.

Other than that, I'll be posting the next chapter unbeta'd tomorrow, as my beta has a real life thing to do, which takes precedence. As always, enjoy, and review if you like.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.5​

When Onyx spoke, the tension faded from both Tamamo and I.
[I can do nothing to change the…absurdity that just occurred, but I can say this: You both just made a pact that is more serious than any Geas Scroll. The pact you just made simply isn't done by Magi. Now, I understand that Caster was not thinking logically, but what in the name of suicidal, multidimensional space whales were you thinking, Johan Blair?!]
As he finished his rant, Onyx let out a huff, and rotated towards me expectantly.
I let out a harsh bark of a laugh. "Thinking! What's that? Does it taste good?"
Onyx's full "body" twitch was priceless. Me Being whacked in the head immediately afterward, less so.

[I get the feeling that working with you is going to be a pain in the ore.] Onyx muttered wearily. [Anyways, what's done is done. We can still work with this; in fact, this will have a positive effect on your performance as a Magus. You have just irrevocably linked your soul with a Spirit who falls into the Class known for being the pinnacle of magical might, after all.]
Onyx shifted gears. [Anyhow, we need to return to the material world, Johan Blair. There are a number of tasks we need to address.]
"Oh?"
If Onyx had been in possession of a mouth, he'd have been grinning wickedly. [You're going to get a job.]


Once I'd promised Tamamo that I'd spend more time with her later, we returned to the material world. Onyx directed me through the streets of Kuoh Town, and we soon found ourselves in front of a familiar campus. "You're shitting me." I muttered. [Nope! The Marshal sent papers within me that qualify you as a TA for English. Kuoh's already accepted you, this interview is merely a formality. You'll be meeting with the principal, as well as the two people actually in charge of the school.]
"Joy." I grimaced. Don't get me wrong, I objectively had nothing against Rias Gremory or Sona Sitri. However, I thought it rather likely that they'd be on the lookout for intruders of the non-mundane variety. When I voiced my concerns to Onyx, he assured me that he had the means to mask my magic from individuals as inexperienced as them. Oh, how naive we'd been.

"Hello. My name is Johan Blair. It's a pleasure to meet you, Principal Yoshikawa. May I ask who these two young women are?"

I'd entered the school grounds, but not before using Onyx's convenient function to swap instantaneously into dressier clothing. Apparently, Onyx could set "outfits" if I placed clothing into him, and I could swap between them on the fly. I was totally going to use this function to set up a badass costume for my Magus persona. It'd be done out to the nines with runes, of course. However, I'm getting off track. Back to the conversation with Princess Backpain and the Glasses Chessmistress.

"Ah. These two are Souna Shitouri and Rias Gremory. Souna is our Student Council President, and offersme advice from time to time. Rias's family owns the school, and she likes to take an active hand in matters related to the school."
I bowed to them each in turn, and then took the seat offered to me. The principal proceeded to ask me various questions about myself and my skills. I shoveled so much bullshit that I was surprised that they didn't smell it.


"Well, I suppose all that's left to say is welcome aboard, and we'll see you on Monday." The four of us stood as one. "Rias, Souna? Would you mind giving Mr. Blair a short tour before we leave?" They nodded in unison, clearly used to this sort of task.
They showed me around the school, and informed me of various "individuals of note", i.e. The Perverted Trio, Kiba, themselves, Akeno, Tsubaki, and Koneko. After I'd bid them good day and headed on my way, Onyx murmured, [We're being followed. There was a presence lingering at the school, just out of sight, and the same presence is following us now.]
"What does the presence feel like to you?"
[Some kind of cat yokai, maybe? A bakeneko or nekomata, perhaps. Though, to be fair, that feeling is enshrouded in an aura of sin.]
"Ah. That'd be the 'Koneko' girl they mentioned, real name Shirone Toujou. She's a reincarnated Devil, holding one of the Rook pieces in Rias Gremory's Peerage. She was a Nekoshou, a rare subtype of Nekomata, before her reincarnation. Her race is famously adept at sensing things, even Senjutsu adding to their abilities." I gave Onyx a hushed summary of Shirone's abilities and past as we continued to walk towards the realtor's office at which Onyx had set an appointment. Though it seemed to cause him pain, Onyx admitted that it was possible she'd been able to detect the means by which he'd shielded my Od, which would reveal that I was a magic user.


Later, once the realtor had set me up a tour of a small house for the following day, I left and began walking back towards the motel. Onyx informed me that we still had a tail, and so I moved off to a side street where nobody seemed to be present.
"Come out." I demanded clearly, but without malice. "I know you have been following me since I left Kuoh, child. I would speak with you."

Koneko Toujou did not know what to make of the man who President had told her to follow. He'd had a minuscule bit of magic surrounding his body, seeming to suppress his aura. Frankly, had she not been looking for it, she'd have missed it. He'd gone directly from the school to a realtor, set up a tour of a small house for he next day, then gone in the direction of the cheap motels at the edge of the city. Suddenly, he'd taken an odd detour, then had done something that made her freeze. He'd called out to her, and now she had to decide: did she risk the chance that this unknown magic user could overpower her, and if so, was that his goal.
Koneko made her choice…

AN: Yeah, it's a cliffhanger, but before you lynch me, let me say this: I'm exhausted. I've had a long day, and frankly, this was the best place for me to stop. Other than that, this chapter is unbetaed, because Classic Mecraphone has family stuff today. He'll get around to betaing it sometime soon, and when he/she/attack helicopter does, I'll update it. As always, enjoy, and leave a review, if you like.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.6​

I sat on a wooden crate in an alcove on the side of the street, my hands clasped in front of me. I looked up when I heard footsteps, and I saw not just Shirone, but Akeno, Isaiah, and Rias approaching me. The way they were arrayed clearly meant to fence me in without making it seem like I was fenced in, and I'd give it even odds that Sona and at least some of her Peerage were on the rooftops, to hopefully cut off that avenue of escape, should things come to that.

"Ah, Miss Gremory. I see we meet again. I presume that it was you who instructed the young lady there to follow me?" I inclined my head at Shirone, who gave me a blank stare.
"Indeed. Now, I would ask that you state your reason for entering Gremory and Sitri territory, mage."

I barked a laugh. "Me, a mage? You flatter me; I'm scarcely a novice! The fact of the matter is that I first accessed my magical reserves today. I assume you noticed the bounded field that is attempting to conceal my magic signature?" At Shirone's nod, I continued. "Well, that was cast on me by my teacher to protect my identity from less than savory individuals. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the thought of being exploited by one of the major powers, or eaten by a Stray Devil, does not exactly appeal to me."

Rias nodded, then spoke again. "A fair sentiment. However, you have yet to explain why you are here."

"Well, Miss Gremory, I have it on good authority that you and Miss Sitri aren't the sort to be unkind to those within your territory, even if you might not directly intervene with every little incident. I'll likely be spending some time in Kyoto as well, considering the magically rich environment."

Rias frowned. "They aren't too fond of Devils, and those who consort with Devils, in Kyoto. A Mage such as yourself would not likely be welcome, novice or not."

I nodded, then smiled. "Ah, well then there's no issue, Miss Gremory. I am no Devil, nor have I, or any within my family, consorted with any. In fact, you and Miss Sitri are the first Devils I've ever met."

Rias looked at me with a critical eye. "You can't expect me to believe that. Everyone knows that Mages get their power from either making a pact with a Devil, or having it passed down from an ancestor who did so."

I shot her a smug grin. "Well, it's a good thing I'm no Mage, then. Miss Gremory, I am a Magus." I stood, dusted off my pants, and turned toward the entrance of the side street. "Now, if there is nothing else, I really do need to get back to practice. I shall see you all in class on Monday." With that pronouncement, I brushed past Isaiah and continued on my way.

Later, I'd returned to my motel room, and Onyx had begun the process of teaching me one of the most simple, yet useful forms of Magecraft: Runes. He'd warded the room to be both soundproof and fireproof, as I was practicing the Sowilo Rune, which meant Sun, and was used to make fire. After a couple hours of practice, Onyx bade me stop; and it was a good thing, too. I felt both exhausted and overheated; neither feeling was one I was particularly fond of.

After that, I accessed that odd space within my soul again; I spent more time talking with Tamamo. I learned a few things that I'd not learned from Extra and Extella: for instance, though she wanted to be an ideal wife, she didn't want to be a completely submissive one. Not terribly surprising, given her outgoing nature, but what was surprising was that she didn't want to be fully dominant, either.

I came to the conclusion that we were both what certain "communities" called a "switch". This meant that both of us were comfortable being alternately dominant and submissive in a relationship, and this didn't necessarily mean sexually. It merely meant that we both wanted to have equal spots in any romantic relationship we engaged in.

The next day, I met with the realtor. He showed me several houses, and, after consulting with Onyx, I reached a decision. The house was relatively small, in a relatively good neighborhood, and had a nicely sized basement: perfect for setting up my Workshop. Better yet, it came fully furnished; the previous owners had left town in a hurry, so they hadn't taken the time to sell the furniture or take it with them.

It took no time at all to move in, considering my abject lack of any luggage, and Onyx set about the house, setting up various Bounded Fields, explaining all the while what they did and the necessary steps for me to make them myself. He informed me that Zelretch had sent the materials necessary for me to have a functioning Workshop, but he'd included the stipulation that I'd have to learn to ward my Workshop myself before I could have access to the tools.

After the warding was done, Onyx had me work more on Sowilo, and after about an hour and a half of practice, he started teaching Structural Analysis. He told me that I'd need to pick another incantation for this, so I consulted the internet for bastardized Latin.
"Videre" ("See")

The first thing I managed to Analyze was a pebble, and I thought my brain was going to melt in my skull. After the waves of agony passed, Onyx mercilessly directed me to do it again, and again. This continued until the pain was just an ever-present, dull ache behind my eyes.

When we were finally done with the torture rigorous training, it was already noon. I'd spent more than four hours on two Mysteries. When I expressed my incredulity to Onyx, he informed me that I was progressing at a prodigious rate. He did say that my rapid improvement could due to the fact that the Prana in the air was much higher quality than that of his home dimension. This was likely because the Age of the Gods had never ended here, merely waned a bit.

I was ravenous, so I decided to go to a ramen stand that was nearby. It may not have been called Ichiraku's, but damn if authentic ramen wasn't amazing. I enjoyed it so much that I failed to immediately notice the man taking a seat next to me, until he tossed some yen down on my bill.

I looked over in surprise, and quickly my face morphed to an expression of shock and not a little bit of horror. Of all people to pay for my lunch, I'd never expected it to be him!

AN: Yep, another cliffhanger, I couldn't resist. If you think I'm an asshole now, Ohoho! Wait til' you see who it is! If I didn't mention this before, this story is decidedly AU, so all characters may or may not be the same.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.7​

If someone had told me an hour ago that I would be conversing amicably with the person I was now, I'd have punched that person in the face. Clearly, the world I was currently in had some differences between it and the "canon" version.
How else could one explain the youth pastor, apparently well liked by Kuoh's community, sitting beside me?! He'll, the only reason I'd recognized the man was because of his cassock and silver hair!
Freed Selzen was behaving like a perfectly reasonable and sane individual; hell, he was acting like some Quakers I'd met! I really didn't know how to react to this development, so I thanked him and returned to my meal, thoughts racing.
After we'd both finished our respective bowls, he motioned for me to walk with him. I did so cautiously, and he began speaking as we walked. To my surprise, now that I was hearing his voice untouched by madness and hate, it was quite striking. It reminded me of of a singer I listened to, Luca Turilli.
"My name is Freed; Father Freed Selzen. May I know yours?"
"I am Johan Blair." I answered.
"So, you are a Mage, are you not?"
"Yes…and no." I replied warily. At his raised eyebrow, I elaborated. "I am not a Mage; my Thaumaturgy is unrelated to Devils. I am a Magus, albeit a very inexperienced one.."
By this time, we'd found ourselves in a park. I absently recognized it as the one in which Issei had been killed, at least in canonical events. Who knew what was going to happen in this world.
Freed seemed to recognize my reluctance to share much information, and so changed the subject.
"So, I assume you have met with the Devils in charge of this town? He said the word with an air of resignation, a far cry from the attitude of "Freed Selzen, Shitty Devil Killer Extraordinaire".
I chuckled ruefully. "You could say that, yes. I am going to be beginning as a TA for English in Kuoh Academy, and that cheeky Gremory girl had one of her Peerage follow me around. I suppose they detected my Mana, and wanted to make certain that I was no threat." I gestured to the man's crucifix and cassock. "What of yourself? A man of the Church in Devil territory? I'm sure there's a story there."

Freed regarded the man thoughtfully. When he'd first sensed the lean, long-haired brunette's magic in the ramen shop, he'd been surprised to note that it carried no taint of Demonic Energy. Curious, he'd paid for the man's ramen and walked with the man. He'd plied him for information, and had been rewarded with an odd reply. He was unsure what the stranger had meant by being a Magus, but he certainly noticed how the man had clammed up after correcting his assumption.
An idea occurred to the silver-haired youth pastor, and he spoke. "That is quite the tale, and not one I tell lightly. I propose an exchange of information; you give me a bit of information on what a "Magus" is, and I tell you about myself." Seeing the reluctance on his face, Freed added, "I'll even throw in dinner, as long as it's not sushi."

I carefully considered his proposal, then decided to test the waters. "Mr. Selzen… Are you attempting to seduce me?"
Freed gaped at me, then burst out laughing. "I admit, I was not expecting you to say that! No, I am not. I believe the phrase is 'I do not swing that way'. No, I simply wish to be aware of the people of interest with whom I share the town."

'Well, he has a point there. I guess it couldn't hurt to exchange information with him; if nothing else, I may be able to get a better idea of who he is as a person based on his answers. Plus, it could help foster positive relations between us.' I had made up my mind, so I spoke.
"Understandable. I suppose that I would not be against such an exchange of information. I must confess that I am completely unfamiliar with the local fare, so I'll leave the decision to you."

Freed ended up selecting a quaint little barbecue place, which in Japan had more in common with an American hibachi restaurant. He bade me order whatever I liked, so I chose some choice cuts of beef (not Kobe, though. I wasn't going to take advantage.), while he ordered some pork.

After the two of us had finished gorging ourselves on seared meats, I began to talk.
"So, you wanted to know the difference between a Mage and a Magus? As far as I am aware, Mages are people who either are descendants of someone who has made a pact with a Devil for magic, or have done so themselves. Magi are completely different.
"For one, Magi do not refer to our Thaumaturgy as Magic; that title is reserved for something else. A Magus preforms Magecraft. Magecraft is, simply put, something preformed with Thaumaturgy that is achievable through mundane means. For example, a Magus could create a fire with a Mystery, but anyone could do so with a flint and steel, or a lighter.
"Another thing that differs between Mages and Magi is the source of our power. A Mage uses Demonic energy and advanced calculations to cast their spells. A Magus mixes the Prana of the external World with his internal store of Od to actualize Mysteries."
I folded my hands, and concluded, "Beyond that, I have little enough to tell you; as I mentioned, I am a rank novice. I only know one Mystery, and I have certainly not mastered that."

Freed looked at the man sitting across from him, ice blue eyes watching him attentively. 'This guy may or may not be a novice at magic, but he seems to have his head screwed on right. I guess I can tell him a bit about myself.' With that thought, Freed began to talk...

AN: This must be Persona 5, because I bet you all Never Saw It Coming. Fortunately, this is not your Last Surprise.
*Crickets*
*Ahem!* Next Chapter is an Interlude, detailing Freed's fall from grace, as well as how he ended up where he is now. Other than that, I hope you guys enjoyed the absolutely opposite direction I went from canon! As always, my thanks to Mecraphone for betaing, and to you, readers, for enjoying my work. So, enjoy, and drop a review if you want.

For those of you who might want news of my potentially-upcoming Skyrim/RWBY Crossover, I'm like 75% sure that it'll happen, but I'll probably wait until this story has gone a bit further to start. That gives me more time to play Skyrim on my PS4, remind myself of stuff, flesh out my Dragonborn, etc.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.X
{Interlude: The Melancholy of Freed Selzen}​

My very first memory was of white. White walls, white ceilings, white robes, white beds. Everything around me was so brilliantly pristine; it made me want to vomit.
The place I spent my childhood, if it even be could be called that, was called the Sigurd Institution. I was the first of their successes in the creation of and Artificial Human from the genetic material of Siegfried. I was always a bit different from the other two successful subjects: I took great joy in fighting, and cared for little else, aside from my 'sister', Lint.
I always looked up to her; she was much stronger and more skilled than I, and she was not twisted, like me. Compared to her, I was extraneous.

Eventually, the Sigurd Institution was attacked, and we were separated from the other, most successful subject. He'd discarded his initial name, taking for himself the name of Siegfried. He disappeared off somewhere, mentioning something about tracking down Balmung.
Lint and I wandered Europe, foraging for food, until one day we came across what I thought to be a wondrous sight, at the time. A single Exorcist was fighting six Stray Devils, holding a Holy Sword in each of her hands. It was a bloodbath, and I found it beautiful.
Honestly, even back then I think that Griselda could see my twisted nature. In spite of that, she took in both me and my sister, and we became Exorcists ourselves.

About six months after we finished our training, we were sent on two separate missions, a "final test" to prove our devotion to the Church. Lint, of course, had no trouble.
My mission, however, brought my distorted existence to full light for me. For a good while, I reveled in killing. I would laugh at the pain of Devils, and climax as I watched the light leave their eyes. I was well on my way to becoming more of a monster than any Stray Devil could hope to be.
However, that all changed when I met her. In everything, she was my opposite. Where I was an Exorcist, she was a Maiden. Where I loved killing, she loved healing. Where I had no faith to speak of, hers could account for the collective prayers of a whole convent.
I do not know why she did not disgust me with her purity, when by all rights she should have, given my mindset at the time. Somehow, she managed to break through my madness, even if just a little, every time I was around her. I soon found myself craving her companionship, and requested to be placed as her guard. Soon, I was be spending almost every waking moment in the presence of the so called 'Holy Maiden', Asia Argento.

About five weeks after I began my guard detail, I decided that I needed to confess. I told her everything; my distortion, my sins, and how being around her made me feel like a human, rather than a monster. She was naturally horrified, but not at what most would be. Her horror was not at me, but for me. She openly wept at what she saw as 'my trial'. She told me that my nature was not my fault, and that I was fighting it, even if it was because of her, meant that there was hope for me.

From then on, she acted as a spiritual healer for me, even as she healed the wounds of others. Alas, it was not to be. After about a year of guarding her, a squadron of Templars stormed into the room as I guarded Asia. They dragged me before the Vatican, and listed my crimes. Apparently, someone had been eavesdropping on my confessions with Asia, and had neglected to mention that they were confessions, and that I was doing my level best to repent for my sins.
Griselda Quarta stood up for me, as did her daughter Xenovia, who I'd trained with, but it was useless. The council had made up its mind before I'd even arrived. I was to be excommunicated, and barred from ever entering Vatican City again. I did not even get a chance to tell Asia goodbye.

For a while, I teetered on the edge, very close to regressing into my old proclivities. However, every time I would falter, I would see her face in my mind, and I would restrain myself.

Eventually, I came to Japan and was ordained as a youth pastor. About two months ago I settled here in Kuoh Town. I chose Kuoh because I knew that the Church wouldn't send their Executors here for someone as unimportant as me. There was far too much risk in sending the ones known as "The 20 Pieces", the Church's assassins, after me here, as long as I laid low and caused no fuss.

I looked at Johan as he sat across from me, openmouthed. I concluded, "Thus far, neither of the Devils have bothered me, and I haven't bothered them."
He snapped his mouth shut, and seemed to consider. "That's a hell of a story. Your life… I can't comprehend what you have gone through, so I won't offer useless platitudes. I do have a question, however."
"Fire away."
"Why tell me? I mean, I just met you today!"
I smiled sadly. "It's an entirely selfish action on my part, I'm afraid. I haven't been able to talk to anyone about my troubles since I was ejected from the Church. I mean, there's no way I could tell any of my mundane friends about this, and I don't relish the idea of interacting with the little sisters of two of the four Satans. Even if I had no hostile intentions, I am a man of the Church, and I doubt they'd want to talk to me. I'm sure they'd be even less happy to know that there is a borderline psychotic former Exorcist living in their town."
Johan nodded. "I see. I will not lie; I am very uncomfortable with some of the things you have shared with me today. However, I am thoroughly relieved that you are taking steps to maintain a stable mind, and I would be more than willing to offer my assistance to you, if my talking with you would be of help. I may only be 22, but even I can listen to the troubles of others."
Tears pricked at my eyes as a wide, joyful smile spread across my face. "Thank you, Johan. I'll never forget this."

After that, I rubbed away the Scripture that had prevented others from hearing our conversation as anything other than idle chatter, paid our bill, and bid Johan a good evening. I parted ways with him with a renewed spring in my step, and a smile tugging at my lips.

AN: And now we are given insight into this world's version of Freed Selzen's past. I will admit to taking inspiration from pre-Grail corruption/Gilgamesh interference Kirei Kotomine's mindset when building Freed's internal struggle. He's not the psychopath he was in canon, but neither is he perfectly sane. He's in a bad way, but trying to keep himself on a good path, and at the end of the day, isn't that all anyone can do?
Philosophical nonsense aside, I once more thank Classic Mecraphone for beating (CM: beating? I don't even know her!), and I encourage you all to enjoy, and leave a review, if you can. I can't improve my writing nearly as well if someone doesn't point out what can be better!

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.8​

My meeting with Freed had given me a lot to think about. Not only was his semi-stable state a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, but it was also indicative that even what little I did remember of DxD might not even be helpful!
'Ugh… What a pain! This could be the sign of a minor difference in the world, or a major one! Feh, at least I only remember the vaguest details of the plot beyond Season 2.'
Eventually I reached my house, and ceased stewing in my thoughts when I entered. Onyx spoke up, instructing me to practice Structural Analysis and Sowilo again. I started with Runes, finally managing to burn the piece of cloth I intended to without scorching the floorboards around it. As for Structural Analysis… it still hurt, but I could keep it up for longer than I could earlier. I practiced long into the night, falling into bed at around one in the morning.

The following Monday was the day I would be introduced to the students of Kuoh Academy, and consequently, the day of my first meeting with the infamous Perverted Trio. Let me tell you, the Anime and Light Novels didn't do Issei justice.
Now, I'm as appreciative of a beautiful woman as the next guy, but I have a few rules I abide by. It's simple: make sure there's mutual consent, choose a time and place appropriate for whatever you're doing and if your partner doesn't like something, stop.
These little shits were violating all three. Granted, they weren't groping, or Michael forbid, raping anyone, but they were loudly lewd and degrading to women at every opportunity. This was further compounded by both the sheer frequency of the harassment and the number of students whose student careers were impeded by their incessant insistence on lewd behavior.
Oh, and don't even get me started on the peeping! Were this my world, expulsion would be the least of their punishments. However, likely due to Rias' interference, they were let off with student vigilante justice administered by the kendo club. This was yet another thing I wasn't too fond of, but seeing as the administration's hands were tied, all I did was make sure that they didn't inflict anything more serious than bruises and busted lips.
Other than the absurdity of the Trio, for the most part my integration into the school went smoothly, likely due to me being on the good side of 'Kuoh's Great Ladies', 'Kuoh's Prince', and the 'School Mascot'. Seriously, was the exaltation of popular students really necessary? I wasn't social in my high school years, but I think I would have noticed near-idolatry of students, even off in my musty corner of the library.

Anyhow, my days quickly fell into a routine: go to work, get home, self improvement through agonizing torture, go to sleep, rinse, repeat. The only things of interest that I was involved in occurred on Sundays, fittingly.
Each Sunday I would attend Church, in spite of my shaky relationship with religion. The church, which was the same one that had been abandoned in canon, didn't have many members, though I swore I saw a vaguely familiar face a time or two. Freed ran the services completely unassisted, which was impressive, especially considering his age and lack of reliable income.
After each service, I'd stick around for an hour or two. The two of us would have lunch before anything was said about his issues; Freed had said something about the 'breaking of bread between two people making unpleasantness more palatable'.
Sometimes, the talks were fairly mundane; he'd ask me about working at a school, and I'd ask about his time training under Griselda. Other times, however... Well, the worst time was when I'd had to use my newly-learned and far from mastered Reinforcement to wrestle him to the ground. He had apparently stumbled across the lair of a particularly brutal Stray Devil. Let's just say that the thing had quite a bit in common with the Caster of the Fourth Grail War, and leave it at that.
His rage and grief-stricken mind had concluded that the fault lay with Rias and Sona for not dealing with the Stray more quickly. I arrived at the church just as he was about to set out for Kuoh Academy, unarmed though he was, to kill them. I somehow managed to hold him down long enough for him to regain his senses, though I tore several muscles and ligaments doing so. Thankfully, Freed used something called a Scripture to heal me once he'd come around.

Other than that one outburst, the worst I had witnessed were spirals of suicidal depression and manic rants about various individuals, including, but not limited to: a mad scientist named Valper Gallilei, a Fallen Angel named Raynare, and an Exorcist named Laeticia. The former two I recognized, of course, but the third name was lost on me, though it did sound familiar.

All in all, the next few months went reasonably well, until during Golden Week, an incident occurred that would make or break me.

I'd been walking home from the church one foggy Sunday night. That Sunday had been a good one; Freed had been in a pleasant mood, and I'd had the opportunity to show off my pride in some of the students I taught.
Granted, I was only an assistant, but as a native speaker of English as well as a reading, writing, and language enthusiast, I'd like to think that I was able to positively contribute to the student body's English proficiency.
Anyhow, it had gotten late quite quickly, and by the time we'd noticed, night had already fallen. For whatever reason, I'd forgotten to 'wake up' Onyx from his 'slumber'; he usually used the time I took to talk with my erstwhile friend to 'download and refine other-real Magecraft compatible with me from the Root'.
This meant that when the Bounded Field concealing my Od from the rest of the world faded due to him not recasting it, I had but a moment to feel surprise before I was noticed.
One instant, I was opening my mouth to wake Onyx, the next, I was airborne. I choked out a gasp of pain as I felt my left leg snap above the ankle. Stars danced before my eyes as I saw a lean, misshapen figure with wide, piss-yellow eyes slouch towards me.
The left side of it's body was properly proportioned for a humanoid of its size, if an unpleasant shade of brownish-green. The right side, however, was a different story altogether. It's swollen right arm dragged on the ground, huge black talons carving furrows in the concrete. Its right leg had so many joints that it looked like a depressed spring.
The Stray Devil, for what else could it be, stood over me and let out a harsh, grating chuckle. Its normal sized hand lashed out in a blur, and suddenly I could only see with my right eye. The fiend held my left orb in front of me, making sure I saw it before it popped it into its mouth.
It then wrapped it's right hand around my neck, lifting me easily and slamming my back against the wall of the alley that I'd ended up in. Out of the corner of my right eye, I noticed Onyx uncoil from around my wrist and start shifting into his cane form, but he was shifting too slowly. As my vision grew dark, I heard a voice cry out my name in panic and rage…

AN: Well, now we get to the first real conflict of the story! How will Johan get out of this predicament? Find out next time, on Not Playing With A Full Deck! As always, I must thank Mecraphone for helping me by being a beta. I hope you enjoy, dear readers, and I encourage you to leave a review, especially if you have a suggestion or some (constructive) criticism.

 

[Xanothos]

Not Playing With A Full Deck
Mulligan 1.9​

When I regained consciousness, I was looking at a brown wooded ceiling with my right eye, and my left saw nothing but blackness. I patted my left eye, only to wince in disgust as my finger poked my flaccid eyelid. I could feel stitches holding it shut over an empty socket. All at once, memories of the attack rushed back to me, and I lurched out of the bed I was laying in and emptied my stomach into a nearby trash can.
'I nearly died.' I let out a harsh, manic cackle. As I stumbled to a nearby sink to rinse my mouth, I absently noticed that my leg, while quite stiff and refusing to obey my instructions correctly, was no longer broken. As I was washing the bile and vomit from my mouth, the door to the room banged open, Sona Sitri striding in with Rias Gremory on her heels.
"You should be in bed." Snapped the bespectacled Council President.
"Sorry." I muttered. "Had to throw up."
Her raptor gaze softened. "Ah. Well, back to bed with you; we have much to talk about."
I complied wordlessly, and watched intently as she gestured and a Magic Circle appeared. I felt a tingling in my leg, and the stiffness faded a bit, though it was certainly still there.
"So. How bad off am I?" I asked quietly.
Sons grimaced. "Well, on one hand, you aren't dead or permanently crippled, so that's a positive. On the other hand, you probably will not walk straight for the rest of your life, unless you can get your hands on an inordinate sum of money to pay for Phoenix Tears, or find a bearer of a healing-type Sacred Gear. Devil Magic is mainly good at healing flesh wounds; replacing lost organs and perfectly mending bones is beyond my or Rias' capabilities." She bowed her head. "I am truly sorry."
I shook my head violently. "Don't you dare apologize to me, Sona Sitri. I assume whoever found me was the one who saved me from that Stray?" She nodded, not meeting my eyes. "Well then, one of your people saved my life. By extension, I owe not only my life, but my continued humanity to you and your friends."
Onyx chimed in from my wrist. [Indeed. While it was that Kiba child who saved you, neither Rias nor Sona attempted to reincarnate you, in spite of the fact that it would heal your wounds and they'd get a Magus into their Peerage.]
Sona's head snapped towards Onyx. "Your wristwatch just spoke. A sentient focus? No, nevermind. That can wait. It's relieving that you don't blame us for your injuries, but I must ask: why were you out so late?"
I sighed. "I was visiting a friend, and we lost track of time. You see, he's… troubled, shall we say, and I visit him every week to make sure that he remains stable."
Sona arched a brow. "That's… commendable, I suppose. Regardless, I find it rather surprising that a… Magus? A Magus such as yourself, in training or not, was unable to fend off such a weak Stray."
I scowled at my hands. "I know. Believe you me, I am aware. I allowed myself to grow complacent, to fall into a routine of training, rather than to push the limits, to try new things. Well, no more. I realize now that my current strength is insufficient, if I wish to retain my life and humanity."
[Indeed.] Onyx affirmed. [I had noticed you falling into that pattern, all apprentices do eventually. Similarly, all apprentices fail to realize it, and don't take it seriously if someone else points it out, even if it is their teacher. Most Magi put their apprentices into a situation where their faults can be picked apart by their peers, but some opt for the more… extreme route.] Onyx sighed. [Naturally, I would never have let you die, but this was ultimately necessary for your growing as a Magus. After all…]
"To be a Magus is to walk with Death." I recited dutifully. "I may not like that you allowed this to happen, but I like even less the idea of dying, so I am willing to forgive the extreme methods. Frankly, this is mild the standards of the Clock Tower."
Sona looked between Onyx and I, a thoughtful frown on her face. Rias arched a manicured crimson brow. Before either could speak, the door banged open. Freed dashed past the startled heiresses to my bedside, and demanded, "What the hell happened, Johan?! Are you going to be alright?!"
Sona cleared her throat. "Mr. Blair. Would you care to introduce us to your... friend?"
Freed started, clearly not having really registered that there were others in the room. Before he could do more than look at the two Devils, I spoke.
"Ah. Miss Sitri, Miss Gremory, this is the friend with whom I was visiting before I was attacked, Freed. Freed, these are the two Heiresses that you had wanted to avoid meeting due to your… issues."
Okay, so I was way more blunt than I should have been, but in my defense, I was tired, sore, my left eye socket felt like someone was fucking it with a barbed wire cock, and I had wanted to facilitate talks between Freed and the Teenage Devil Brigade for the past month.
The aforementioned silver haired teen looked at me with a mixture of shock, irritation, and worry, then visibly steeled himself. He turned to regard Rias and Sona, then bowed.
"Greetings, Heiresses of Sitri and Gremory. My name is Freed Selzen. I am the youth pastor who holds services at the near-abandoned church on Shikatsuki Hill. I apologize for not introducing myself before now, but I was afraid that my issues, when combined with the fact that I am a man of the Church, would not endear me to you."
My fragile but iron-willed friend stood with his hands clasped at his back, a small smile on his face. I, at least, saw through his seemingly tranquil façade; his knuckles were a stark white, so hard were his hands clasped.

Rias Gremory eyed the silver haired youth with a gaze that was both cautious and appreciative. Sure, he was a man of the Church, but he was quite the attractive man. The t-shirt he wore beneath an open leather jacket teased at a physique that was all lean muscle, without flaunting his physique, and the silver hair was just exotic.
Rias shook herself from her thoughts, and looked over at Sona, expecting a reprimand from her ever-stern friend and rival. What she saw instead made her eyes widen and a wicked grin stretch across her face.
'So that's her type!' Rias began cackling internally, that most dreaded of beasts stirring from its slumber within her: the Shipper.

Sona felt a chill run down her spine, even as she fought to calm the blush on her face. She wasn't at all certain why she was reacting to this Freed this way; to be sure, the young man had a roguish charm about him, and he was quite polite, but…
'What was I thinking about, again?'
Sona shook her head and adjusted her glasses. She noticed Rias shooting her a wide, knowing grin, and she sighed internally. That was going to be aggravating to deal with, she just knew it. She returned her gaze to the now named Freed, who was still awaiting a response.
"Greetings, Freed Selzen. As you may know, my name is Sona Sitri, and this is Rias Gremory. Though it does go against what we would prefer, I suppose I understand your reluctance to rock the boat. I would ask what you mean by 'issues', but I get the feeling that such things are better left undiscussed for now. Regardless, man of the Church or not, so long as you hold no ill intent towards us or the innocents of this town, I see no reason that we cannot have an amicable relationship." Sona then looked at Rias, deliberately ignoring the widening of her grin at the use of the word 'relationship'.
"I concur. Do right by us, Freed, and we'll do right by you." Rias replied easily.

Freed felt the tension leave his body upon hearing their words. "Thank you. I don't know what would become of me if I had to leave behind my only friend; the only person keeping me sane." He started as he felt Johan's hand pat him on the shoulder.
"You won't get rid of me that easily, fool boy! I'll follow you to hell of it means keeping you sane. Or worse, I'll follow you to the Everglades."
Freed barked a laugh. "I wonder what it says about us that we'd both rather go to the Fires of Eternal Damnation than that humid, bug-filled place."

I laughed. "That we are in possession of some degree of sense? No offense to anyone who lives in the Everglades, but there is no amount of money that you could pay me to move there."
I was about to continue speaking, when I began to feel woozy. Onyx piped up, saying [Ah, Johan Blair. I neglected to mention this earlier, but Caster wants to… have a Word with you.] I could feel the capitalization on that.
Before I could reply, I felt a falling sensation at my Magic Circuits blazed to life.
The very next moment, I stood before a familiar Door. Before I could so much as move to touch it, it was torn open so quickly that I could hear it breaking the sound barrier, never mind that physics didn't really exist normally in my soul. The next instant, a slim hand grasped my collar in an iron grip, then yanked me inside. I braced myself for whatever was to come…

AN: So, now we get to see some of the repercussions of Johan being injured. The next chapter will be a bit longer, and will conclude the Mulligan arc (aka the beginning), so it might take two days to put it together. Then again, I may be underestimating myself.
As always, I extend my heartfelt thanks to Classic Mecraphone, for catching my fuckups when I do not. Also, enjoy, and leave a review if you like. Thanks!
On an unrelated note, I just looked at the number of followers and favorites, and noticed that both have crested one hundred. You guys have no idea what it means to me that this story, that I started 10 days ago, has become so popular. Granted, it's nowhere near stories like "A Demon Lord's Hero" but I'm not on that level of writing, yet. All I can say is thank you all for your support, and that every person who enjoys this story gives me further joy to pour into my writing.