“Baraquiel. You have around eleven months to resolve this issue with Shuri and Akeno peacefully.”
“...”
Baraquiel could understand what he meant. Or to be exact, ‘who’ he meant.
“Dimori.”
Azazel nodded.
“Yes, brother. If he is indeed in the time chamber along with Yasaka’s attendant, then you have around eleven months to reunite your family.”
Placing a hand on Baraquiel’s shoulder, he left one final message.
“Use that time wisely brother.”
“...”
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|DxD|
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Time chamber, 10 years later
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Tsiiiiiii
“...”
Tsiiiiiii
“Come on…”
Tsiiiiiii
“Come on already!”
“Be patient, Igor. We have just under a minute before we can leave.”
In front of the massive door that led to the world outside, Igor was standing impatiently with his fists clenched, his eyes glaring murderously at the trickles of sand remaining in the hourglasses.
“Damnit. I want to see Asia and Akeno already.”
With how veins were bulging along his muscles, it was clear he was this close to smashing the giant hourglasses apart.
However, Aurelia hurriedly stopped him from doing what would most likely be a foolish idea. Gently grabbing his arm, she placated him.
“Bear with it for a little more, Igor. You’ll naturally see them soon. On the other hand, I also have to go back to Kyoto as well.”
“Huh?”
He turned to face his sister with a raised eyebrow.
“Why are you going there? Need me to come with?”
His concern was evident on his face. Kyoto couldn’t exactly be called a friendly place for her sister, and it would be even more so now that she no longer hid her unique Aryan heritage.
Flattered at his reasonable worry for her, the silverette shook her head.
“No need to do so, Igor. After so long, I have to reconvene with Lady Yasaka and speak to her about a few things.”
“...”
He still wasn’t pleased that she would still go back to an environment where she would be discriminated for being a human.
“You sure you don’t want me to come, sister?”
“As much as I wish for you to accompany me, I’m afraid you may cause some…trouble. We don’t need a political mess so soon into our return do we, ‘Lord Igor?”
Clicking his tongue, the blonde grumbled.
“Not this again…”
“Fufu~.”
Unable to stop herself from letting out a little laugh, Aurelia re-explained her point.
“Igor. Once we are outside, I cannot so callously address you by name like I have in here. By law and tradition, you as the strongest of our people must be addressed as a title befitting of your status.”
Huffing, Igor retorted.
“And there’s also a law that the young must respect the old. I’m too young for you to call me a lord.”
“Please do not try to dissuade me, Igor. As much as you may dislike it, please bear with it.”
“...”
He looked at her. He REALLY looked at her with a slightly displeased disgruntled expression.
“Don’t you worry I’d develop an ego?”
“By all rights, you deserve to have one, Igor. You may be one of, if not the strongest in your generation. Having a bit of arrogance is not wrong for you who possesses the capacity to kill gods-”
Tsiiiiiii…
“Let us continue this conversation outside, Igor.”
The blonde nodded silently as they were enveloped by a white light.
Vwong!
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|DxD|
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August 15, 1999 (Sunday), Forest Region, Kuoh Town, Japan
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The Forest of Kuoh was as beautiful and dense with greenery as always. After it had suffered damage from a supernatural skirmish a month ago, it had gradually recovered under the guided care of Cleria’s peerage and their familiars.
Brought back to its previously rejuvenated state, the forest was teeming with all sorts of wildlife with most of it being harmless. From large herbivores like deer, to tree dwellers like monkeys, the forest had it all.
Just above the forest canopy, a white pillar of light formed before it vanished to reveal Igor and Aurelia in their very differing outfits.
Igor seemed just about ready for the gym with his black vest and dark blue pants. Wearing his shinobi sandals as always, he completed his attire with blue wristbands.
Aurelia was different as she was dressed rather elegantly. She wore a cream-white shirt that was tucked into a modest black dress with white-spotted patterns. Adorning her feet were black heels while on her head was a brown sunhat.
Under the sunlight, she looked immensely pretty and the blonde would’ve thought so were it not for his attention suddenly turning towards the presence of Asia and Akeno who were just barely a few kilometres from him.
He probably would’ve flew away on the spot were it not for Aurelia suddenly speaking to him.
“Before you leave, Lord Dimori, it is my job to emphasise your current standing in both the supernatural world and the mundane.”
“...”
Sighing in slight annoyance, the blonde turned to face her once more.
“Damned politics…”
“Fufu~. Indeed. It is as you call it, Lord Dimori. But as unappealing as you find politics to be, please recognise that you are a walking political minefield. Not only do you have ties with some of the most important key figures in several pantheons and factions, you also possess overwhelming power that many may not hope to possess in their lifetime. Your covert sphere of influence will not be covert for long. As more and more people learn of your existence, it is vital that you possess a certain level of prestige.”
The blonde idly wondered if there really was anything prestigious about him. As far as he knew, there was nothing prestigious about a battle/training junkie who ate like a starved man and could curse like a sailor when prompted.
Even when comparing his looks to Aurelia, it was clear who possessed more prestige. But his wondering was cut off when the silverette continued. And…was that a bit of pride he detected there?
“At the very least, a person of your calibre must at the very least possess a servant or an attendant, which will be me. And as your attendant, it will be detrimental to your reputation if I address you directly by your birth name.”
“...”
Listening to her list a bunch of reasons, he only had one phrase as a response.
“Damned politics.”
He had already grown tired of trying to convince her otherwise. He was content to leave this political stuff to her while he did his training.
“Do what you want, sister. But don’t cross the line. I won’t have my life and actions dictated by politics.”
The silverette gave a nod.
“Fufu~. As you wish, Lord Dimori. I guarantee that it will not come to that.”
“...tch.”
He wasn’t pleased with everything, but at the very least, the interaction between them as brother and sister did not change much. As long as he could preserve that aspect, he would hold in his complaints.
“Then I’ll leave you to it, sister.”
Turning around, an aura of white ki suddenly covered him.
GRUU!
“Come find me when you’re done.”
SHUUUUUUuuuuuuuu…
Watching Igor leave, a teleportation circle similarly formed under her feet.
Vwong!
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|DxD|
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Igor was excited. The thought of meeting the people who called family after ten long years was something he looked forward to for a long time. He could already sense their energy signatures inside the house into the distance, a house that had seen some surprising changes.
For one, there was now a one-car garage with a silver four-door Toyota sedan parked outside. The wooden fence had been completely replaced for strong steel wire fencing, and the patch of lawn that was previously dirt had been replaced with a concrete pathway that led from the door to a small gate.
As the blonde landed, he did not stand on ceremony.
“AUNTY! ASIA! AKENO! I’M HOME!”
It didn’t take long. To be accurate, not even three seconds passed before the door was nearly ripped open to reveal a head of blonde hair.
“Big brother!”
The little blonde sprinted towards the elder blonde and dived into his open arms. Clinging onto him like a koala, her emerald gaze locked onto his with wondrous lustre.
“You’re back!”
Gently brushing away the strands of hair that fell on her forehead, he gave her a light kiss.
“Did you miss your big brother?”
“Yes!”
With her arms tightening around his neck, she was like a child on a sugar rush.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Swinging her legs wildly like she was riding a horse, the pretty smile on her face was more than enough for Igor. Only God knew how much he worried over her safety during his time away. To find her safe and sound was all he could ever ask for.
Feeling that there were no discrepancies in her body, he turned his attention towards the little brunette who was looking at him with a teary gaze.
“Akeno?”
The little fallen didn’t move.
Hik…hik…
She was desperately trying to hold back tears, but was failing in doing so.
“Hik…b-brother…”
The tears that she had managed to restrain suddenly flowed out upon seeing him. Igor smiled softly upon seeing his other little sister cry. Crouching down, he freed his other arm and beckoned her over.
“Come here, little chick.”
“...”
Wordlessly, she ran towards his waiting arm and surrendered into his embrace. The blonde hooked his arm around her legs and picked her up while the little fallen clutched onto his shirt for stability.
“B-brother…hik…”
“Why are you crying? Aren’t I here now? Everything will be fine.”
Shuri silently watched with a smile as her little girl cried into his embrace. His comforting presence allowed her to release all the feelings she tried to bottle up.
Shuri couldn’t fault her daughter. After letting Akeno know that she and Baraquiel were going to separate, it broke her little heart.
The only saving grace was that she wasn’t informed of the explicit reasons. But with Igor having returned, she no longer worried too much about her daughter’s state of mind.
“We’re so happy to see you return so quickly, Dimori-kun.”
With Akeno crying and Asia comforting her friend, Igor looked at Shuri with a content smile.
“Of course, aunty. I had to return here as soon as possible. By the way. Do you know where old man Baraquiel is, aunty? I can’t find his presence here in Kuoh and I was itching for a spar.”
“...”
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|DxD|
.
The moment Baraquiel’s name was brought up, many things happened that immediately caused Igor to be filled with worry. For starters, Akeno cried more. Trying to console her was an affair that took over half-an-hour to resolve.
During that time, she refused to let go of him and it was only when she fell asleep on his shoulder that he could finally lay her to rest in her own bed. Asia appeared to clueless of everything, which meant that whatever happened to Baraquiel was recent.
Igor had asked what was going on, but Shuri had asked to speak with him alone in private. Leaving Asia to watch over Akeno, she had pulled him into her room where they currently stood apart from each other.
Shuri had already imagined a scenario where she would have to explain things to the blonde, but not this soon.
She was unable to meet his serious gaze, a stark contrast to the jovial one he had before. Igor was rather close with Baraquiel, making her fear how he would take the news of their separation.
“Um…Dimo-”
“Did the old man pass away?”
“?!”
Whipping her head up, she saw his hands were clenched, his face hollow as his predetermined thoughts festered in his mind.
Quickly shaking her head, Shuri corrected him.
“No. Baraquiel didn’t die. Nor is he in any mortal danger.”
And just like that, the dark expression on his face vanished.
“Really? Then what’s wrong? Did he not come back or something?”
“He did come back…”
Left unsaid was that it was over twenty days later. Hearing Shuri’s answer, the blonde frowned in confusion.
“You’re losing me now, aunty. If the old man isn’t dead and he did come back, then what’s the problem? What happened over the year I was gone?”
Shuri widened her eyes at his misinformation, but gradually shook her head.
“Dimori-kun. You weren’t gone for a year. You were gone for a month.”
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AN
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If you’re interested in reading ahead, you can find more chapters on my patreon under the same username.