Humanity's Illusion (Highschool DxD)

[charclone]

Aya glared at Philip.

Minori simply sighed as she drained her third cup of coffee.

Serafall had left shortly after Aya dragged him inside, promising to let him know if she found anything.

Philip just wanted it all to be over, as it was early in the morning, and he had been up all night, due to time differences between Egypt and B.C.

The fact that Aya was pinning him to the couch, by sitting on his lap, and somehow using what was nominally a cat's technique to increase her own weight. Part of him, due to Serafall's earlier comments, made him quite aware of how close she was to his body. The rest of him, which was the overwhelming majority, was too tired to care.

"Aya, I understand you are upset." Philip started to speak, breaking the silence.

"No!" She interrupted him, her glare intensifying. "You could have been killed! I don't want to lose my best friend."

Her mother sighed.

"Aya, Philip didn't get himself into that mess. I was the one that thought that group of magicians were safe."

Aya didn't respond, simply hugging Philip. He noted that there was wet spots on his shirt appearing where she was resting her face. Carefully, he extracted his arm, and began to stroke her back.

A sob escaped her.

Minori sighed and shook her head.

"Okay. I can call the firm, and have another lawyer take over for me."

"I'll be okay." Philip said, still rubbing Aya's back. "I just…"

He paused, tensing up.

The last several hours coming crashing down on him.

"I… sealed a fragment of Trihexa." He missed how Minori flinched at the name. "I… the Fallen killed most of the magicians, and forces the rest into the tomb to search for traps. And I sealed it. I… I think they were already dead, but if they weren't…"

Aya hugged him tighter.

"Philip, look at me." Minori looked him straight in the eyes when he complied. "They were gone. There was nothing you could have done against even a small piece of Trihexa. You did the right thing and saved a whole lot of people."

Philip didn't respond. His throat burning too much. After a moment of struggling with it, he gave up, and hugged Aya, resting his chin on her head. His cheeks felt wet.

Minori shook her head.

She wasn't sure if Philip would keep blaming himself, or if he was simply dealing with everything all at once and was being overwhelmed. She was a divorce lawyer, not a psychologist, and there were thing even senjutsu couldn't do. Not in a moral manner, anyway.

"I… there's only one other apprentice who survived. We… are going to split what's left of the group's stuff." He croaked out after several minutes of weeping. "I… I think he has my email, so he will contact me in a little bit, or if I figure out teleportation, I can visit the castle."

"Get some rest." Minori ordered. "It's the weekend, and I will tell the school you are sick for the week… Aya too."

"Should probably tell my parents. I doubt they care, but if someone asks them…" Philip mumbled.

"Right. True. Now, are you sure you will be fine without me here?"

Philip paused. His throat still burned, and he felt tired, but he didn't see a reason she needed to stay. He nodded.

"Okay. It shouldn't take long; I will be back by two. Go get some sleep, Philip, you look exhausted."

Philip stayed sitting for a long while. Partly because Aya still wouldn't move. But also because he was thinking, now that most of the grief had bled out.

He had been dwarfed in power by more than just Bastet and Serafall. Most of the Fallen had been more powerful than him. And then there was the fragment of Trihexa.

It compounded something he had learned a long time ago. Humans were weak. Historically, barring prodigies, they had been used as fodder, cattle, or disposable troops by the various supernatural factions.

He briefly wondered what a nuke would do but decided it would be an extreme escalation regardless.

The easiest solution might be to give up his humanity, becoming something else. He was tempted, and not just for the power. Most supernatural creatures lived far longer than humans, such as Kitsune.

Philip glanced down at Aya. He blinked, realising she had fallen asleep. Gently, he easer her off, and got up to get a drink of water.

As he waited for the glass to fill, he continued to think.

Sona or Rias were known factors, to a degree, and wouldn't turn away a magic user. But… Philip felt uncomfortable at the idea of being a devil.

Vampire was tight out, as were werewolves. He wanted something that was still human like.

Brave Saints weren't a thing yet, not to mention, that would require an in with Heaven, and there was the risk of falling, being humans turned into angels. If Philip remembered correctly.

He frowned, before draining the glass.

At the end of it, he didn't know many 'safe' options, and he felt uncomfortable at the idea of not being human anymore.

He filled the glass again.

His other option was to find a power that ignored the monstrous strengths of the supernaturals. Ki was not an option. His learning was too slow, and he had only been able to master basic techniques to enhance his body. If he worked at it, he might reach Olympic levels, but that would take time, something he wasn't sure he had enough of.

"You can ask me for anything you like, except time." He quoted Napoleon to himself. It did rather fit his situation, in some ways.

But magic.

Philip drained the glass once more and set it on the counter. He summoned an elemental bolt, conjuring a short beam of water, hovering in front of him. If the spell were fired, the water would be condensed and pressurised. His control of it, and the limitations of the elemental bolt spell, meant it was far from lethal, though quite capable of rending a human unconscious if it struck the right spot.

Philip blinked as an idea occurred to him.

Devils were tough enough to shrug such a spell off. But what about their senses? They needed to breath, ate the same food as humans, and their eye shape was the same as well. Even Fallen could have children with humans, with little ill effect, if any.

A new spell formed in his hand.

It was a simple spell. Designed more as an introduction to this type of magic, but it came easily to Philip. He decided it was a poor example of illusion magic. After all, the spell made light appear, to all observers that could see physical light.

But illusions could be so much more.

He glanced at Aya.

Really, he should have considered it sooner. Why waste effort hitting your foe, when you could instead make them hit themselves, and their allies? When you could make them question every facet of what they smelled, saw, felt, even their own thoughts and memories?

Who cared if it took a small nuke to break down a high-class devil's barriers, if one only needed to convince them to drop them for a moment? Or better yet, make them see treachery among their allies, and allies among their foes.

Philip grinned.

The grin soon vanished as he felt the room spin.

"Okay, bed, yes. Good idea. Too tired for plans, and delusions of grandeur. I can plot out what to learn tomorrow. Need more spells, illusions. Fae as a good start." He yawned as he used the wall to guide himself to the guestroom. "But I should do some research, and master teleportation first."




Sona hated when her sister showed up unannounced, especially early in the morning.

"So-tan!" Serafall cried as she hugged her sister at a time far earlier than Sona's normal waking hours. She began to say things Sona's subconscious filtered out, for the sake of her sanity and her sister's reputation.

Sona paused.

"I'm sorry sister, but could you repeat that? And let me go?"

Serafall complied, though not without a large pout.

"You used to love being picked up by your onee-san!" She huffed. "And I said, I need to speak to a member of Rias' peerage, its part of an investigation I am doing."

Serafall gasped.

"Don't tell me someone beat you in chess, and now you are engaged! That would explain why you suddenly became so serious!"

"Sister, you know well I am simply not wasting my time and energy. I am the student president for Kuoh Academy now, and it has recently become co-ed. Thus, my workload has increased." Sona answered. Her tone firm, but her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Now why do you need to meet with a member of Rias' peerage?"

Serafall frowned.

"I can't say. Sorry. Secret investigation."

Sona frowned and thought about what she knew of Rias' peerage.

"The nekoshou." She deduced. "Koneko. Something related to the genocide of ki users a few years ago?"

Serafall sadly smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

Sona sighed.

"If you aren't joking about the accuracy of my guess, then I suppose it is quite serious. Very well, I will schedule a meeting her Rias later today, so you can talk to Koneko later this week."

"Thank you, So-tan! So, what are you having for breakfast?"

Sona sighed. She wasn't going to be able to convince her sister to leave anytime soon, was she? Better schedule that meeting sooner, rather than later, so she has less reason to stick around.




Philip started as she heard the door open. He relaxed after a moment, lying in bed, as she recognised Minori's footsteps. He yawned and started to roll over, then froze as he realised he had fallen asleep on top of the blankets.

'Then what is it on top of me keeping me warm?' He wondered, then froze as he saw a tail twitch. He looked down, seeing Aya's tails sprawled over him, and noted she was resting her head on his shoulder. 'I… am going to have a hard time separating myself from her, aren't I?'

Minori stuck her head in. Blinked. Then stifled some giggles.

'Help.' Philip mouthed at her.

She put a hand over her mouth to keep the giggles from waking her daughter.

"Philip." She whispered after a moment. "When she wakes up, please tell her to clean her room."

Philip blinked in confusion. Minori's next words alarmed, excited, and informed him.

"Kuroka is confirmed to be coming here, she will arrive this afternoon."

 

[charclone]

So, next chapter is technically ready to post, but I feel something is off with my writing of Kuroka's dialogue. Anyone willing to look over it? If I don't get a response within half an hour, I'll just post it as is, because I don't think its a huge issue, I just wanted to be sure.

 

[charclone]

"Okay, a little higher…" Aya called.

Philip yawned as he used the telekinesis spell to lift the 'Miracle Levia-tan pinball machine' up through the attic opening.

"Why do you have so much merchandise?" He asked, noting that she had a dozen more boxes, a display case, and several poster tubes still waiting to go up, on top of everything else she had already moved before she asked him to help. "Seriously, this is absurd."

"I like the show!"

"But a pinball machine? Really? I didn't even know they made them."

Aya pulled the pinball machine into the attic.

"It was a gift from my grandparents. It was only made in Japan, and in small numbers." She grumbled. "Any chance you could move the boxes faster?"

"This is a very simple spell, and it's relatively new." Philip tried not to remember where he learned it. He didn't want to be reminded that they were all dead. "This is about all I can do at the minute."

"Fine. Pass up the poster tubes then get the spell ready for a box." Aya sighed. "I hope they aren't going to be here soon, I'm only half done."

Philip blinked.

"We just sent up twelve large boxes and a pinball machine. A full-sized pinball machine that barely fit through the door." He stared at her as he handed the tubes up the ladder. "How much merchandise did you get?"

"… all of it."

Philip gaped.

"Right. Find me a 'Spaceballs the Flamethrower', and I won't tease you over this." He grinned in the face of her glare.

Aya sighed.

"Okay, now the box."

Philip kept grinning as he focused, forming the formula in his head, and lifted the box as the spell became powered. It faltered when he heard the door open.

"We're here!" Minori called from the entranceway. "Aya! Is there space for Kuroka?"

"Almost!" Aya called back as she guided the floating box into the attic.

"Why was it so cooooold, nya!?" A new voice called, accented slightly in a manner Philip couldn't recognise.

"Welcome to Canada, eh?" Philip shouted down the hallway, playing up his accent. "Did Minori buy you some Tim's?"

"Yes, she did!"

"So, how much is left?" Minori called.

"Um…" Aya mumbled. "We… might need to kick Philip out of the guestroom?"

Philip snorted as he lifted another box with the spell.

"Okay, well, Philip, I'm sorry, but can I get you to heat up the pizzas? I'll take over while you do that." Minori called. "Kuroka, go ahead at warm up on the couch. Philip can show you where the hot chocolate is."

"The coffee is fine, nya."

Philip blinked as he walked around the corner.

Kuroka was hiding her ears and tails, but she was dressed in the black kimono, with the golden obi sash. Her kimono also did nothing to hide her… assets. Pale skin contrasted with her dark hair. Philip could feel Aya glaring at his back through the walls. He was also certain Kuroka was doing something with her ki to make them more noticeable.

As he pulled the frozen pizzas from the freezer, he did his best not to stare.

For her part, Kuroka regarded him with minor interest. Her yellow eyes watched him, even as she curled on the couch.

Philip settled in to wait for the oven to heat up.

"So, how do you know Kato-san, nya?"

Philip blinked and started. He paused, as he processed things.

"An answer for an answer?" He asked. Kuroka frowned, then nodded.

"Well, Aya is my best friend, known her since I was… hmm… before I was eight, though I don't remember when we met." He answered. "So, the 'nya' you end your sentences with… it is deliberate, yes?"

He heard Kuroka get off the couch, and make her way to the kitchen island, leaning on it. Philip deliberately kept his focus on the oven.

"Maybe it is, maybe it's not, nya!" He could hear her grin.

Philip hummed.

"Based on inflexion, and when you use it, as well as the fact that its plays far too deeply into a stereotype, I suspect that it is deliberate." He said.

"You magicians are too serious."

"My life was in danger earlier today, so I am not in a playful mood, plus I was up due to jetlag."

"Oh? What sort of danger, nya?"

Philip didn't need to see her to know she was concerned. She was technically a fugitive.

"Not something that is going to come back. Magician group and their Fallen mercenaries who stabbed them in the back, and each other, are all gone." Philip shrugged. "Plus, the ancient evil the Egyptian Pantheon is keeping sealed."

"Now, I believe it's my turn to ask a question." He glanced at her. She was leaning forwards on the kitchen island, her arms crossed on the countertop, beneath her breasts. Philip blushed and looked away. "Erm. So, you have a bishop piece, yes?"

Kuroka giggled.

"Yes, two, nya."

"Are you any good with teleportation spells? Specifically, teaching them?"

Kuroka blinked.

"Do you not know how to teleport?"

"Nope. Better at elemental lance and its cousins, plus some basic utility spells. Really good, actually, though I suppose being able to throw around foxfire lances isn't something that would interest you." Philip shrugged. "Spent too much time focusing on combat spells, not enough on how to fight as a mage."

"Show me."

Philip blinked.

"Pardon?"

"I know the elemental spear spell, but I've never heard of anyone being able to conjure foxfire with it." Kuroka stated bluntly. "Please, show me."

Confused, Philip turned to her and complied, summoning a golden spear of foxfire with the spell.

Kuroka, to his shock, flinched. Her eyes snapped wide open, and her face grimaced slightly in pain and surprise.

The spear vanished.

"What was wrong?"

Kuroka stared at him.

"How did you create that spell?"

"Aya and I worked on it for a couple of years, when I was teaching her magic." Philip explained. He paused to put the pizzas in the oven and set the timer. "We based it on the modern platonic elemental readings a scanning spell returned when we scanned her foxfire, and then used a computer to crunch the numbers, using excel and a graph to estimate the best guesses to the right numbers for the spell."

Philip winced.

"Did end up burning the tree in the backyard in the process though."

"But, if you based it on the modern platonic elements, then it only should have told you how much conceptual fire was involved?" Kuroka cocked her head. "Yet, that spell felt like a holy light spear."

"Does that mean a spell version of light spears is possible?" Philip cocked his head to the side in thought. "Don't know enough about how they work, unfortunately. But to clarify, I was using the Roman school's modern platonic elements, which… isn't really a good name for them, since they cover far more than just the four states of matter, the concepts of light, dark, holy, demonic, fire, water, earth, air, etc. The spell is actually very similar to the faebane variant."

Kuroka blinked, with a blank expression.

"Do you want to see the spell formula, for both the foxfire and faebane spells?"

"Please, nya." Kuroka said. "By the way, why are you the one cooking?"

"Because Minori dislikes cooking, and is afraid she will burn the pizza, despite only doing that once." Philip replied as he pulled a pair of books from his bag of holding. "Here, this page in this book is faebane, and here are my notes on the foxfire spells."

Philip blinked as Kuroka's ears appeared.

"So, how about I teach you the basics of teleportation, and you teach me these spells, nya?" Kuroka offered. "While I teach your friend what I know of senjutsu and youjutsu, in exchange for shelter."

"That sounds fair." Philip offered her his hand. He flinched when she grabbed in and pulled him close.

"I look forwards to learning from you." She grinned in his face.

Philip fought his blush down as her breath tickled his nose.

"You enjoy keeping people off balance, don't you?" He did his best not to stutter.

"Nya!" Was the nekoshou's only response.

 

[charclone]

Philip sighed as he opened the door to his parent's house. He might consider it his home on a technicality, but it was not a place he felt safe.

Inside, his father sat insensate on the couch, a beer bottle near his hand, with several more on the floor, the TV playing some sports game. His mother's car was in the driveway, so she was probably home, but Philip had no desire to talk to either of them.

Aya's room had still been mostly packed with paraphernalia and other things, so he had been kicked out of the guestroom, so Kuroka could have some place to sleep. He had spent some time, discussing what she knew of magic, before heading home.

Placing a ward on the door to his room, he sat on his bed.

He vaguely recalled that Kuroka was lazy, in the light novels. The anime had never gotten to the point where she was living in the Hyoudo house, Philip didn't think, and the manga he recalled only went to about the Rizer arc.

He was finding it hard to remember specific details.

What he did remember was that Kuroka was not stupid, merely lazy, as she was able to start teaching her sister senjutus, and now she would be teaching Aya. What he knew now was that she had no real drive, and her knowledge was mostly practical, rather than academic. It would be fine for ki, and senjutsu, but he was starting to doubt her magical abilities, despite her skill.

In all honesty, her laziness wasn't much of a surprise. She was a catgirl, and he distinctly remembered Koneko, in the anime and light novels, was similar in behaviour, if not the same, though he also remembered her constantly eating sweets. Philip had considered asking Kuroka about her, but decided waiting was a better option.

Philip glanced at the time and winced.

His nap, and the jetlag (tele-lag?), had left him wide awake, despite the late hour.

'Well, nothing for it I suppose.' He shrugged, and pulled a book on magic out. 'I can get some studying done, maybe just practice some of the math. Not going to take a risk.'

An idea came to him.

It was debatably unethical, though unlikely to cause harm… directly.

He considered the possibility of things going wrong.

After a moment, he discarded the idea.

'While I probably have the skill to do it, using magic to… hypnotise or otherwise alter a person's mind, even if it was to their benefit, is both a slippery slope, looking at you Molly Carpenter, and certainly a violation of free will.' Philip decided. 'Didn't Rias do that to Ise's parents in the light novels? Yes, I think she did, and it disturbed me at how… willing she was to use it… or was that from a fanfic I read? Why did Santa even give me a book with that in it?'

Philip frowned. Then froze.

'Only my own magic defences, active magic defences, protect me. Welp. I know what I am studying instead. I'd very much like to learn a spell that will protect me without needing to be actively kept up. I'd rather not be mind controlled by any Fallen or Devil that came by… or magician now that I think about it.' Philip thought, as he stored the first book and retrieved another on mental defences. 'Okay, let me see… no, that's is an enchantment beyond my skill for a blanket. No, that is for a potion … ew. Nope. Not touching that. Where would I even get the tongue of a steady enough supply of draugr's blood?'

'I believe I provide some protection.' The voice spoke up for the first time in a while. 'My apologies, I… am not used to being aware this much. Most hosts die quickly, and Azazel seems to have done something to it, it is… easier for me to think. I feel better than I have in a long time, like pieces of me are back where they belong.'

'Didn't Serafall mention something about that? Oh, and aren't you… or rather the Sacred Gear feeding on my energies, proportional to a fraction of my own generation?'

'You ki, I think. Strange, I… vaguely recall something about most eating magical energies.'

Philip sighed.

'Well, any idea who you were? And I suppose that explains why my ki feels so off. I thought it was just a side effect of the Sacred Gear being used to suppress it.'

The voice was silent for several moments.

'I recall flashes, moments too short with no context. My apologies. Yet… part of me was… intrigued when Kuroka flirted with you, and when you awoke to find your friend covering you with her tails.' The voice spoke, with a light, gentle laugh. 'Perhaps I was a… deviant, and that caused the source of the Fallen's ire?'

'Or, as a result of being bonded to me, you have my tastes.' Philip snarked.

'Perhaps.'

'Wait, Kuroka was flirting with me!?' Philip received laughter as her only response. 'Any idea how old she is? Sure, Serafall is attractive, but one; she is capable of looking much younger, and two; she's around five hundred years old.'

'Oh, not interested in your friend Aya?' The voice teased. 'I believe she is… roughly as old as she appears. So, about eighteen. Her laziness could be explained as her being a teenager on the run, finding time to rest.' The voice started. 'Hmm… I'm not sure how I can tell that.'

'So, your skills are appearing before the memories?' Philip refused to rise to her baiting, choosing to change the topic instead. He… wasn't sure what to say about Aya. He liked her, but he just wasn't sure he wanted to even pursue a romantic relationship, especially not with at least two potential apocalypse.

'So it would appear. This irks me. I do not like not knowing who I am.'

Philip hummed, before returning to his studying.

It was only when he yawned, some time later, and inadvertently knocked a stack of papers he had been writing on off the bed that he realised he was feeling tired.

"What time is it?" He thought aloud, reaching for the watch he had dropped on the floor.

He was interrupted by someone banging on his door.

"Philip! Time for school!" His mother shrieked at him through it.

He knew he would regret it, but the idea of tossing a lance of foxfire through it at her seemed amusing to him for some reason.

"Must be lack of sleep." He shook the thoughts of casual murder from his head. "Oh, crap, its Monday, isn't it?"

He groaned and stood, swaying as he realised he felt very tired, more than his earlier yawn had implied.

"Okay, she is not going to bother checking, I don't think." The sound of his parents arguing added strength to that idea. "So… I think I will head to Minori's place, and get her to call me in sick. I… need to fix my sleeping schedule."

 

[charclone]

The snow crunched under Philip's boots. Apparently, it had snowed last night.

His tired mind turned, as he used the frosty air to keep it sharp despite his drowsiness.

'Well, Kuroka can at least teach me teleportation, so it will probably take less time than if I was studying myself.' He thought to himself. 'Though, I worry if she has been contacted by… I think it was the Vali faction? But, wait no, if she had been, she wouldn't be on the run, seeking shelter from sympathetic youkai… oh god, I derailed things already.'

Philip stopped, realising he had walked too far. He turned around, retracing his steps, until he had reached Aya's home. The door was not locked, as Minori's car was still in the driveway, and the wards hummed with power.

"Philip!" Aya cried from where she was on the couch. "Help me!"

"Heeeeeat." A voice from beneath a mountain of blankets on the couch moaned, as Kuroka hugged Aya. "Its soo coooold. How do you live like this?"

"Its not that bad." Aya mumbled from where she was smothered by Kuroka and the blankets. "This is cold."

Kuroka squealed as the space beneath the blankets suddenly became very cold, leaping off the couch, and away from Aya.

"Was that a spell, or are your hands just that cold?" Philip asked, as he hung up his coat.

"Spell." Aya grinned as Kuroka glared at her, the nekoshou picking the blankets off the floor, and curling on another spot on the couch. Aya then blinked. "Philip, what happened!? You look awful!"

"Lack of sleep. Felt too energetic, top awake, to get too sleep." He explained, yawning. "Minori, can you please call the school for me?"

"Sure. I'll let them know you and Aya are sick." Aya's mother grinned, sipping her coffee as she had watched the scene play out. "I'll be gone until six. Can I get you to make dinner?"

"As long as I can use your kitchen to make pancakes. I'm craving the sugar." Philip nodded as he sat on an unoccupied spot on the couch.

"Sure." Minori grinned. "Just make sure to clean up any mess."

Philip gave her a thumbs up.

"Philip." Aya sat next to him. "Are you having nightmares?"

"No." He shook his head. "Just… I'm tired now, but felt fully awake then, from the nap."

"Oh."

Kuroka peered at them from beneath her pile of blankets.

"I'd like some pancakes as well, thank you." Philip have her a thumbs up as an acknowledgement. "So, Aya, how good are you at meditation?"

Aya groaned.

"Better than she admits, but she hates doing it." Philip snarked. Aya elbowed him. "Going to start teaching her already?"

"Yup!" Kuroka grinned. "No time like the present, as I think the Americans say, nya!"

"That was the British. Edgar Alan Poe, I think." Philip and Kuroka stared at Aya. She blinked back at them. "What? I have to do book studies for homework, sometimes its Poe."

"I had to do Dracula." Philio groaned. "That wasn't bad, but the teacher focusing on the… subtext that wasn't really there, however, was bad. Subtext was in Carmilla, though."

Kuroka shuddered.

"I ran into a member of the Carmilla faction of vampires that had become a devil. She was creepy."

"Wait, there are factions of vampires?" Aya blinked.

"Yeah, I know of the Vlad action… or was it the Tepes faction?" Philip said. "And the Carmilla faction, who are at war with each other, but aside from that, those are the only two I know."

"There are also several factions in China, and South Africa. Oh, and one group of English vampires." Kuroka explained. "But I don't know about the Americas."

"Probably some over in California." Philip joked. Seeing the confused looks, he explained. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer takes place in California?"

"Who, nya?"

Aya snorted.

"Old show my mom watched." She shook her head. "Anyway, where do you want me to start?"

"First, just cycle your ki while you meditate." Kuroka waited until Aya was focused on that. Then she took her revenge. She tensed, then leapt the short distance across the couch, blankets still tucker around her, landing across Philip and Aya's laps. "First lesson, learnt to deal with distractions, nya."

Philip looked down at her, her head on his lap.

"You made a mistake."

"I did, nya? I have a counter spell ready, so she can't use that spell again."

"Yup. You are bound in the blankets." Philip shared a grin with Aya. "In other words, trapped."

Kuroka shot out of the blankets and off the couch in and instant.

Aya folded the blankets, and at on them.

Kuroka blinked.

"Nyoooo! My blankets! I'll freeze without them!" Her tone made it obvious she was joking. She probably didn't enjoy the cold, even if the house was heated and far warmer than outside.

"Then stop trying to tease and teach." Aya shot back. "You started it!"

Kuroka grumbled.

"Fine. Philip, uh, I was reminded this morning that I was also to teach you some senjutsu. So, both of you follow my instructions, nya." Kuroka huffed. "First, give me back my blankets, I'm coooold, nya!"

Kuroka had them work through basic movements of ki, nothing complex, just to let her see how well they could move it.

"Philip, are you okay?" Kuroka frowned. "Your ki is… off."

"Probably the stupid Sacred Gear I was stuck with after Egypt, yesterday. Apparently, it feeds on ki." He sighed. "Okay, so, now what?"

"Can I see it?" Kuroka said, using a provocative tone of voice. She winked at Aya. "Your Sacred Gear?"

"Uh, I… have not actually been able to manifest it, since it is kind of weak, these kinds apparently don't manifest normally, since they don't do anything." Philip said. "And I have no idea how to manifest it in a physical form."

"Concentrate your power, ki and magic, where it feels right." Kuroka said. "It should guide you to where it is on your body."

Philip sighed and concentrated.

He closed his eyes and moved his power. He felt an itch on his eyes.

"Okay, anything?"

He blinked.

Aya and Kuroka stared at him.

"What? Does it look stupid?"

Kuroka snickered.

"I'll get a mirror." Aya held back a laugh. She returned a moment later and held it out to him.

Taking the mirror, Philip looked at his reflection. There, around his upper face, over his cheeks, eyes, and forehead, was a pale image of something. Its edges were ill defined, and it was so faint, Philip could barely see it. But he did notice one change.

His eyes had turned yellow.

'Kinda looks like Raistlin Majere's eyes, except without the hourglass.' He thought to himself. The moment he did so, the pupil's changed, turning from black circles, to an hourglass shape. Concentrating, Philip was able to make them change again to vertical slits. He changed them back to hourglass shapes.

"Heh, I can change the apparent shape of my pupils." He snickered. "Okay, now what?"

"I… have no idea, nya." Kuroka sulked. "I guess, try and work around it?"

Philip sighed and relaxed his Sacred Gear. It still didn't do anything, but he wasn't expecting it too.

'The eyes… when they were slits, were familiar.' The female voice in the Sacred Gear said. 'Perhaps I was a creature with eyes like that, or knew one?'

"Also, I can hear the… being inside the Sacred Gear, but neither of us has any idea who they were. She is missing her memories." Philip explained.

"She?" Aya asked. "How can you tell?"

"Voice seems feminine, and she doesn't object to being called female. Could be a gender neutral shapeshifter for all I know, or a member of a mono-gendered species." Philip shrugged. "Anyway, so, now what?"

Kuroka, huddled under the blankets on the couch again, hummed as she thought about it.

"Well, I guess Aya can work on her ki, and you can work on your magic." The catgirl shrugged. "So, what do you know of translocation? Oh, I know! You can start making the pancakes, nya!"

"Yes please!" Aya cheered.

Philip rolled his eyes and got up to cook.

 

[charclone]

"When did I start being the one to make meals?" Philip asked.

"About a month ago," Kuroka replied. "When you made pancakes for breakfast."

"Huh." Philip hummed, as he placed the plate of French toast on the table. "Well, that's the last of them. So, I'm off then."

"You sure you can teleport safely? Isn't the castle in the Dimensional Void?" Aya pouted at Philip. "Why can't I come with you?"

"I'll be fine. The spell will pull me back to the anchor I set up here if something goes wrong." Philip explained. "And Kuroka said she wants you here for training."

Aya pouted.

"Hey, Philip will be fine." Minori reassured her daughter, pausing between bites of her French toast. "He's doing well with teleportation."

"Slow progress." Kuroka corrected. "But still faster than I expected. He can't cast fast enough for combat though. As for you, Aya, we will be looking at how you want to fight, now that you have the basics down."

Aya smiled slightly at the reminder of her progress.

The apprentice, named Rob, apparently, had emailed Philip a week ago and scheduled a time for them to go over the contents of the castle, formerly owned by the magician group. For some reason, an old Palace had been dumped into the Dimensional Void, and they used it as their base of operations.

"Be safe. And if they try to stab you in the back, run and get us, so we can kick their asses!" Aya waved at Philip.

He snorted, then began the spell to follow the anchor on the castle. It was slow, unwieldy, and it felt strange in his mind, a result of it reaching through the D.V. After nearly half a minute, it flashed beneath his feet.

The interior of the Kato household vanished, replaced by the stone and plaster of the castle. Once, it had been a medieval fortification, then, it had been converted into something closer to a palace. Eventually, it was erased from mortal memory, and moved to its current place, a bubble of reality in the Dimensional Void, a place outside reality, inhabited naturally by nothing living but Great Red, though that was a debated detail, with Ophis to consider.

Philip walked out of the teleportation room, past the empty posts, to the main hallway. He glanced out the large windows, illuminated by an enchantment that made them glow, into the D.V. It glowed with no colour, and yet with colours too impossible to describe. It moved as if breathing yet was an empty space.

Philip shook his head and continued down the hallway.

He paused. The castle was silent, as all who know its location were gone, barring two others, as far as he was aware.

He flinched and closed his eyes for a moment, taken back to the memory of the fragment of Trihexa's prison.

There was the sound again. Breathing, and panting.

Philip sighed.

A conjured spell let loose a loud tone.

"I'm surprised that those two are still together, but must they fornicate at every opportunity?" He paused. "Those two are older, both adults, than I, a teenager of fifteen years. Rather ironic, I suppose."

He set off in the direction the shouts of embarrassment and surprise came from, to settle who was getting what from this old and slowly decaying fortress.

---

Aya panted as she backpedalled. Kuroka's claws coming within millimetres of her face. Gritting her teeth, she parried the next blow and drove her own claws, covered in gold foxfire, towards the nekshou.

Who grabbed her wrist.

With a sweep of her leg, Kuroka sent the teenaged kitsune down.

Aya let out a gasp as her back impacted the muddy ground. She just knew her tails would need a good thorough cleaning from the mud.

Kuroka offered her a hand.

"You seem distracted," Kuroka noted. "You miss Philip?"

Aya's blush was all the answer she needed.

"He's only going to be gone the day." Kuroka pointed out.

"I… I just worry about him." Aya admitted, mumbling. "He almost got hurt a month ago in Egypt, and is my only friend… and with all the stuff that's going to happen…"

"Hmm?" Kuroka looked at Aya curiously. "What stuff?"

Aya fumbled.

"Ah… um… stuff we heard. Uh, more stray devils, some working with Fallen, even some reincarnated heroes…" Aya knew she was terrible at lying. She hated lying to Kuroka, but… she couldn't tell her about Philip's past life, could she? Certainly not without him here. "Um… just rumours, but…"

Kuroka narrowed her eyes but nodded sympathetically.

"Your mother mentioned that you were attacked by a group of them when you were eight, and Philip killed one." Kuroka hid her suspicions with a wide grin, leaning close to Aya. "But! Worrying won't do any good. I worry about my sister, but she is safer without me. So! Let's get back to training."

Aya knew Kuroka was also now trying to distract herself, as well. But instead of saying anything about how her plan had instead put Shirone in greater danger, she bit her tongue. She would discuss the issue with Philip once he got back. And if he wasn't back by midnight, she was telling Kuroka, and smashing down the front gate of wherever Philip was being held.

"Okay, so, you have been practising some of the techniques your grandmother sent you, right?" Kuroka asked. "Try them. I want to see."

Aya focused. She didn't verbally respond, instead gathering her qi.

Then she lunged towards one of Kuroka's sides. A mirror image of her lunged towards the other side, appearing in a flash that made it difficult to tell which was real. Further adding to the trick was the fact that the fake could deal damage.

Kuroka smirked, looking for all the world like a smug cat, which to be fair, she was. She pulsed her aura. It was a simple, loud, detection technique, but there was also something off about it to Aya's senses. And then it hit her.

She blinked the stars away. It hadn't hit hard, just enough to disrupt the illusion's structure, collapsing it, while at the same time fouling Aya's lunge. She had stumbled as she landed, and ended up face-first in another mud pool.

The snow had melted, leaving quite a few puddles of mud around the clearing used for training.

Aya pushed herself up, her chin and nose coated in the mud. She glared at Kuroka, wiping her face clean.

"Better, but you need to learn to keep a foe off balance when you do that, so that can't figure out which one is real." The catgirl ignored the glare. "Also, the illusion had four tails, you have three still."

Aya sighed.

"Oh, relax. I'm sure Philip will be more than happy to help you wash." Kuroka teased.

Aya blushed.



A.N. No comments? No one has any thoughts about this story at all?

 

[The One Char]

the forums still kinda small, so not a lot of comments.

 

[charclone]

the forums still kinda small, so not a lot of comments.

True, though my story Libertatis Imperium has way more comments, even when it was about the same size as this one.

 

[The One Char]

True, though my story Libertatis Imperium has way more comments, even when it was about the same size as this one.

Good point.

 

[charclone]

Good point.

I can understand DxD not being as popular as Gate over here, but... I can see you all liking my posts.

 

[Orphiex]

A.N. No comments? No one has any thoughts about this story at all?

Hey, I’m just looking forward to seeing where this ride goes.

 

[Blasterbot]

MC is good so far. Liking Childhood friend. side characters are good. here is hoping that despite going for DxD this is a monogamy sort of story.

 

[charclone]

MC is good so far. Liking Childhood friend. side characters are good. here is hoping that despite going for DxD this is a monogamy sort of story.

Well, shipping is not the main focus of the story.

Not planning on a Harem story either.

 

[Blasterbot]

that is fine as well. prolly have spent too much time paying attention to other sorts of fan fics so my expectations likely come from there.

 

[charclone]

that is fine as well. prolly have spent too much time paying attention to other sorts of fan fics so my expectations likely come from there.

Yeah, I noticed a lot of DxD fics do crossovers, or have the MC/SI replace Issei, or give a character OP powers right at the start. Some of the latter can be well done, like a fic I saw on QQ that gave the MC two twice criticals, and applied the logic of Sacred Gears being able to 'absorb' other things, but it stopped after a point, because the writer had no idea of where to take it.

Too many DxD fics are power fantasy, and while elements of that are present here, its not intentional. Really, these elements will pop up whenever you give the main character powers they weren't born with, or start with at the beginning of the story, or even give them skill you don't have yourself.

 

[charclone]

A.N. Let me just preface this by saying no, its not dead. I have schoolwork for uni. It sucks, but writing is one of several hobbies, not a job, so it has to take lower priority.



"Already have this one." Philip added the book to the box. "You two find anything?"

"Group was broke. Looks like they dumped most of their funds into the expedition that killed them." Rob shook his head. "Good news, no outstanding debts."

"So, who gets the castle?" He looked at Philip. "You're getting the library and a copy of most of the research. Moreal is getting the alchemy stuff, and I'm getting a handful of enchanted items to sell. I think I'm getting the shorter end of the stick."

"Someone call?" The Fallen glanced up from the plants she was inspecting. Apparently, they grew well when surrounded by enchanted books.

Philip glanced at her. Where Rob was tanned, lanky, and fit what some might expect of a travelling mage, Moreal contrasted against him, by being pale and large. She was not what he would call fat, rather, she didn't match the modern-day standards of beauty. She was not ugly, rather, she had a supernatural quality, common among the supernatural, that enhanced her beauty, drew attention away from blemishes, and let her appear more confident in her appearance. But she was not lithe. She reminded Philip of the ancient statues of fertility goddesses, despite lacking that level of girth, not to mention, she was relatively young, he had learned, having been born in the sixteen hundreds.

"No, just mentioning how the stuff was being divided." Rob said to her. "So, how are we dividing up the gold and gems? I'd guess there is a couple grand worth, scattered amidst the offices, labs, and the vault."

"Divide it into four groups by weight. One group is only comprised of things that are of use in alchemy, and Moreal gets those, and the rest is divided between the rest of us. Any time contested can be sold and the funds split." Philip suggested. "That work?"

"Seems like I'm getting the short end of the stick again." Rob frowned. "Yeah, I have the magic items and the money, but you are getting a couple, what, thousand tomes, and money, and Moreal is getting the potion stuff, and the money."

"You are going to end up sleeping on the couch at this rate if you keep moaning about what Moreal gets." Philip poked. "Fine. You can get the castle, but I want the enchanted fabric and that exorcist gun. Not one of the cheap ones, but the one that was modified."

"The one that shoots curses?" Rob looked confused. "Don't you have the notes on it already?"

"Yeah, a physical example is more useful. Plus… I have no idea how to get one in the first place."

Moreal interjected.

"You can have those two, and one of the unmodified ones, but I want some of the copies you are getting, of alchemy." She said. She gave Rob a look when he glanced at her in surprise.

"Only if I can also get a couple of scans of your spear of light," Philip said. "Oh, and it's limited to only the ones I have more than one pristine copy of."

"You have twelve copies of 'An Introduction to the Creation and Usage of Philosopher's Stones'."

"Yeah, and half of them are illegible due to damage, the rest are damaged in some way. I'd need to put them all together just to get a complete text." Philip shook his head. "Okay, of those texts, if you make your own copies, you can take the copies."

"Deal." Moreal gave her lover a triumphant grin. Rob rolled his eyes.

"Okay, well, it's getting late. I'll take these for now and come back tomorrow." Philip yawned.

"So… I get the castle?"

Philip gave Rob a questioning look.

"Home life is shit," Rob grunted. "Father is… not a fan that my mother started teaching me magic. He's an ex-Templar."

"The Knights Templar are still a thing?" Philip blinked.

"Yeah, broke off from the Church, and are more like mercenaries that favour humans, but yeah." Rob shook his head. "I'd rather not head home, and honestly, he and my mother want me out of the house anyway, since I'm an adult."

"Fine, keep the castle, but I get to keep access." Philip shook his head. "I can sympathise with… not agreeing with one's parents and wanting to get away from them. My own are… well, I don't remember the last time I heard a conversation between them that didn't involve them shouting and cursing at each other. Anyway, I'm off."

Rob watched Philip stuff the books he chose into his bag of holding. Within moments he had left the wing of the castle.

"That wasn't the only reason you wanted the castle, was it?" Moreal observed.

"No, but he seemed rather annoyed at any mention of our… activities together." Rob waggled his eyebrows at her. "And those beds we pulled from storage are amazing, and not just for sleeping in."





Philip paused in the corridor leading to the teleportation circle room.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He glanced to his left, out the windows, and into the Dimensional Gap. His view was obstructed by a rather large eye.

'You do not belong to this universe.' The voice was silent, willed into Philip's consciousness.

"Nope." Philip stared at Great Red's eye, nearly pressed against the building. "Ophis would argue you don't belong to the D.V."

Great Red laughed. It was a chuckle, probably quiet for him. But it made Philip's head pound.

He blinked and realised that the massive red dragon had vanished in a heartbeat.

"Well, that was a thing." Pale, he turned and walked the rest of the way to the teleportation circle.

Calling the spell to mind, he grabbed the metaphysical beacon placed in the guest room of the Kato residence. The spell slowly came to life, its power slow, and sluggish. It still felt alien to Philip's mind.

In an instant, it was flooded with power, not his own, nearly causing Philip to lose control of it.

He blinked, seeing the guest room around him. Great Red's snickering echoed in his ear.

"Jackass." Philip sighed.

He stepped out of the guest room, pausing as someone nearly ran into him.

He blinked, staring, as he realised Aya was covered in mud.

She stared back at him, a blush slowly rising on her face. She let out a started sound and darted into the bathroom. Philip heard Minori and Kuroka laugh from the kitchen.

"Aya, do I want to know what those two have been teasing you about?" Philip had a hunch, but it was safer not to jump to conclusions.

"No!" Came the cry from the bathroom, eliciting more laughter from the pair in the kitchen.

Philip shook his head. If she didn't want to discuss it, he wasn't going to push the issue, and risk dealing with an irate kitsune.

 

[KyranKandosa]

Smart man Phillip. Tricksters/fae are no joke, even if they like you.

 

[charclone]

'Besides the basic five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing, there exists the sense of kinaesthesia, sense of time, sense of pressure, sense of magic, sense of self, and many more.' Philip read silently from the book on illusion magic. 'The most common forms of illusion magic only touch upon the basic five, and while these may be sufficient for a beginner, any magician that desires true mastery of illusion, or even just illusion that can affect the creatures beyond humanity, must learn the importance of the other senses they desire to manipulate.'

Philip paused and leaned back on the couch.

'Well, that has… disturbing implications. Making someone doubt who they are.' He thought. 'Hey… voice. We need a name to call you, but you have any thoughts on this?'

'I… feel a tug of some sorts, but otherwise, no. Some of it seems familiar, but, like the fragments of memory, it seems like too much is missing.' The voice in the Sacred Gear replied. 'My apologies. As for a name… voice works for now. I do wish you would work on teleportation instead. I'm hoping you can teleport to wherever I feel the tug from.'

'I hit a roadblock a day after I got back from getting the rest of the library.' Philip sighed. 'Turns out, teleportation is not simple, even with Heaven, the Underworld, and the Dimensional Gap to use as reference points when teleporting. Not helping is the need to translate some of the more advanced spells from devil magic to the Roman school.'

Philip blinked as movement in front of him drew him from the internal conversation.

"Aya… why are you covered in mud, again?"

Aya, dripping mud from one side of her body, sighed.

"Tried a new technique. Turns out, moving really fast in a single leap means its easier to throw a person." She pouted. "Kuroka threw me into a mud puddle… again."

Philip frowned.

"It hasn't rained in a few days… has she been making the mud just for that?" He asked. Then shrugged. "Better than landing on hard ground or a rock I suppose."

"All my clothes are muddy too…" Aya whined.

Philip almost asked her why she was telling him that, before it dawned on him.

"You want to borrow some of my clothes while you do a load of laundry."

"Please? Mom's stuff is… too big. Around the chest." Aya blushed. "It falls off."

"They wouldn't be too big if you didn't try to hide your-" Kuroka started to say.

Aya started and turned, her ears and tails appearing, spattering Philip in mud.

"Kuroka. I blame you." Philip said dryly. "I'll get some clothes. Kuroka, you can explain to Minori why there is mud all over the house, and please stop harassing us. It's getting old."

Kuroka winced.

"Sorry." She sounded sincere. She moved her qi, and the mud on Philip's book vanished. "I didn't mean to start you, Aya. But it's obvious you to like each other, but you aren't doing anything! It's boring."

Philip stood and put his shoes on. He left without a further word.

Aya glared at Kuroka.

"Oops?" The nekoshou winced. "Is it a sensitive subject?"

"You've heard his parents argue, right?" Aya sighed, crossing her arms. "Well… I think the way they act has… soured him to relationships. And I hide them because they are bulky, heavy, and bounce everywhere when I move!"

"That's… sad, nya." Kuroka started helping Aya remove her muddy clothing, moving towards the bathroom. "But you doing nothing isn't helping. I'll admit I… went to far with the teasing, and I'll apologise when Philip gets back, but…"

Kuroka paused. She then cleared her throat.

"Also, I can teach you the technique to keep them out of the way when moving."

"The same one you use to keep that kimono up in defiance of gravity?" Aya narrowed her eyes at Kuroka.

"Yup!" Kuroka was about to say more when they both froze.

A spell was cast nearby. A moment later, there was a second one, and the teleportation beacon Philip has set up in the guest room flared to life. He stepped out of the glow of the teleportation, pale, and his jaw tensed.

"Clothes, here." He said, tossing a short and a pair of pants into a basket near the bathroom door. "I… my father was home, as was my mother. I…"

Philip stuttered.

"…I-I was almost drawn into their argument. I hit them with an illusion spell… they probably won't wake up for an hour and will forget I was there. I am going to lay down for a little bit."

He closed the guestroom door.

Kuroka and Aya shared a look, before Aya threw off the last piece off muddy clothing. Her tails were still muddy, but they could be hidden, and her face was easily cleaned. As she dried it off, Kuroka silently handed her the clean clothes.

---

Philip flinched when he heard the door open.

"You wanna talk?" Aya asked, sitting next to him, where he lay on the bed.

"'bout a week ago. I was… irritated at my father telling me to get up for school. I… contemplated sending a foxfire lance through the door at him." Philip croaked. "There were other incidents, but nothing as strong as that desire to just… kill a problem, so casually. Then, just now, I… wanted to kill them both, when they started trying to drag me in, and just… I hit them with the illusion spell, to make them shut up when they started yelling at me."

Philip gave a shuddering breath.

"I… I didn't feel anything when I killed that Fallen Angel, back in Egypt." Philip started to sob. "I… I don't know if its just that I can do it now, or if that… prison in Egypt changed me somehow, or what, but…"

Aya laid down next to him and hugged him. He returned the hug.

"I'm scared. Not of you, but…" Aya admitted. "I… I worry. I hate that I can't even touch Kuroka, that so much is going to happen soon… I think I might have… given too much away… I said it was only rumours to Kuroka but…"

"But you hinted I knew more than I should." Philip sighed. He sniffled. "Later. I'm too drained, to… done with everything."

They both lay there, taking comfort in each other's presence, for several minutes.

"Kuroka was right. I do like you." Aya admitted after several minutes, blushing.

"Same." Philip was aware of the heat coming from his own cheeks. "… I'm sorry, but… are you really making your breasts seem smaller?"

"Yes. They are uncomfortable and get in the way. Now shut up about them." Aya growled into his shoulder. "Please."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to… sorry." Philip sighed. He rubbed his eyes, noting the wetness. "So… how much did you mention to Kuroka?"

"Uh… just that you heard some things about stuff coming up." Aya said, sitting up. "I didn't mention you being reincarnated, or anything."

She flinched when she heard Philip facepalm.

"I'm sorry! You know I hate lying to people who are trusting me and being truthful!"

"Aya. She is a nekoshou. Remember how good a cat's ears are?" Philip sighed and got up. "Also, the washing machine hasn't started yet. So… Kuroka!"

Aya blinked as the door creaked open, and Kuroka poked her head in, wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Yes, nya?"

Philip stared at her.

Kuroka's false smile morphed into a bashful look.

"We should probably talk." She said. "But first, is my sister in any danger?"

"At the moment, not that I know of." Philip said. "Let's… talk in the living room."

 

[Wargamer08]

An interesting take on DxD. Though I'm not sure how you intend to keep the MC relevant as the setting starts scaling.

So I felt the way Rias dealt with Issei's parents was indicative of the way the setting works. Namely that people are expressly not equal. The less power/ability you possess the less you matter. Normal humans in DxD have less ability to bother supernatural powers then most insects. This of course leads to their total disregard.

The MC himself is starting to realize aspects of this. He legitimately has far bigger issues then his terrible family life, he possesses abilities to solve said issue in any number of ways. Solve the problem and end the angst.

I legit feel bad for the fox girl. She's in DxD and interesting and relevant female characters outnumber the male ones close to ten to one in-setting. Even the church characters resorted to polygamy in the face of the sheer quantity mismatch.

 

[charclone]

An interesting take on DxD.

All the power in the world doesn't matter if you don't know where to use it. Or how. Or that you even need to use it.

And yes, normal humans are rather vulnerable in DxD. Something that I want to play a little with, though they do have options, technically. Exorcists aren't magicians of any sort, having undergone a procedure to close the gap, though they are still weaker than a lot of supernaturals, plus, anyone can learn ki up to a point.

I don't intend to go for a harem with Philip, for several reasons, some have been hinted at already, and its not like such a thing is unheard of. Sirzechs is monogamous from what we have seen. Not guaranteeing Aya will get him though. Not trying to be coy, but I literally have not written any further ahead, and my plans may change.