Sam was flying through the night sky with his glowing silver wings. He was using angelic cloaking to keep himself invisible to mortal eyes. A magic more often used by guardian angels. He stayed an extra day in heaven to process what Michael dropped on his unprepared self. Even though he was an agnostic just a month ago, the news hit him like a bulldozer. After all, a gap in the cosmic order will shake anyone. Even now, his mind would wander as he took a wrong turn several times.
"Oh, bollocks!" he jolted as he saw that he passed his house. Luckily, it was just a few meters away, so he flew towards the window of his room and opened it. He retracted his wings and got in.
He wasted no time in changing up and plopping headfirst on his bed.
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"DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING UP THERE?" Sam's eyes shot open to his screaming mother.
"WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?!" he rapidly repeated as he sprang up.
"Why are you yelling at me? what? Is Issei gripping the girly magazines again?" his father called out to his wife. "Let the kid have his time."
"NO, SHE WAS REAL. She was alive and she was naked on our son's bed!!!"
Sam stood on his bed, frozen by the sudden assault on his senses. After a short while, he rearranged the jumbled words spoken by his mother.
"No way! " He bolted out of his room, only wearing a white tank top and blue shorts. He shot himself straight toward Issei's room and slammed the door open, only to see... "I can't believe it! It's true!" a naked, crimson-haired beauty. However, upon closer examination, he froze in place. 'Rias Gremory?!!! Why is she in his bed?!'
"Uh, Sam? Please, get out." Sam came back to his senses and left without a word.
Never in his life did he change his clothes faster. The sister of the Devil King was in his brother's bed. He was feeling concerned for his brother like never before. Issei was a lecherous imbecile, easy to manipulate.
Uriel has already informed Sam of Issei's reincarnation, but he didn't tell him how common it is for the king of a peerage to sleep naked with their servants.
It wasn't a second before he finally put on his blazer and headed downstairs
....
"Issei, it's impolite to leave your mother's cooking get cold, eat up. You too, Sam; you're the older brother, you should know better," Rias lectured.
Issei sat beside her. Miki and Gouro, his mother and father, were on the opposite side. In between the four of them, on the right, sat Sam. He tried his hardest not to focus on Rias. Unbeknownst to him, Rias was doing the same.
"S-sorry," Issei began eating. From Issei's confused demeanor, Sam could conclude that Issei didn't know Rias was in his bed.
"Don't be ill-mannered. Your mother's cooking is exceptional, so savor it. You too, Sam." Rias once again scolded as she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
Although Sam admired Rias' cordial and rather overly polite attitude, he couldn't help but feel offended that she lectured them on how to behave with their own parents as if she knew them.
"I-ssei...Wh-who is this girl?" Gouro asked timidly.
"Oh my! Apologies for not introducing myself, I brought shame to the Gremory name." Rias excessively apologized, "Let's start over; My name is Rias Gremory, I attend Kuoh Academy with your two sons. Pleased to meet you."
"I—I see... Oh my, ha-ha! Are you from overseas? Your Japanese is excellent."
"Yes. I've lived in Japan for a long time due to my father's work."
While Gouro seemed satisfied, Miki held on to her suspicions.
"Rias... Can I call you that?"
"Of course, Mother."
"Just what kind of relationship do you have with Issei?"
"We're just high school classmates who get along well, Mother."
"That's a lie!"
"Yeah, no shit. What kind of a ludicrous excuse is that?!" Sam said.
"Sam, manners!" his father reprimanded. Sam did not pay him a mind as he was still focused on Rias.
"I m-m-m-mean... You were both...! In bed...!" Miki continued.
"Issei said he has been having nightmares, so I offered to sleep next to him."
"Next to him?! B-but you were naked! Both of you!"
"Yes, that's how young people sleep these days, Mother."
"Really? You're going with that?" Sam thought.
"I see...," Miki stammered after a moment. "So that's how young people sleep these days?"
"Mom?! Are you going to accept that?! Really?!" Sam yelled, flabergasted.
"Now, now, Sam. It's a rude way to talk to your mother that way." Rias remarked, looking deep into Sam's eyes, "Teenagers get to all sorts of things; that is not so strange." After a while of deep staring, and even squinting her eyes, Rias held her head in mild pain, "augh."
"Rias, are you alright, dear?" Miki said in concern.
Rias brushed it off, "Yes, mother. I just exhausted myself yesterday, and it just caught up to me."
"Now I get it, she was trying to hypnotize me just like she did with my parents. My mother is out there, but she's not that moronic." In return for Sam's smugness, she seemed just mildly annoyed.
"Anyway, we'd better get going; it's getting too late already." Rias headed out with Issei and Sam in tow.
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"So, Issei told me you were visiting your grandparents the past month," Rias broke the ice while the three walked.
Sam faked an annoyed and confused expression, "Oh, don't remind me. whenever I think about it, I feel like my head is spinning."
At this, Rias raised a brow and nudged Issei's shoulder.
"How so? Can you explain?" Issei asked.
"Well, everything is jumbled. I know what we did and said, but everything seems to fade into a blur whenever I try to recall the details. And there never seemed to be a coherence, like, there was no transition to what was happening. The way I remember it, one moment I would be talking to Grandad on the porch at noon, and the next we would be sleeping in the dead of night. Hell, I can't even remember my trip back home clearly. It's just...ugh...I don't even know."
"Maybe it was boring enough that you forgot most of it."
"Issei, be considerate to your brother," Rias lectured, "you're probably just tired from the trip."
"NO WAY, WHAT IS RIAS-SAMA DOING WITH THE PERVERT?!" A girl screamed, and the three looked to see that they were finally on the academy's grounds.
"Look! Sam-Sama is with them!" a girl said.
"NO WAY! SAM-SAMA'S TAKEN?!" another screamed in anguish.
"I TOLD YOU HE WAS AN INCUBUS!"
"Not this again," Sam groaned, "Issei, I'm moving ahead, you two can enjoy the circus alone."
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"Is that so?" a hologram of a crimson-haired male said, projected from a magic circle. The dark atmosphere of the clubroom makes it look straight out of a corny horror flick.
"Yes, that's what he said," Rias informed, "Do you think the angels messed with his head?"
"Definitely. Based on Samuel's statement, his head was planted with fake memories." Another hologram of a green-haired man entered the view, "However, something is probably in him fighting it, making him disoriented when trying to recall the memories."
"It must've been the same thing that prevented me from hypnotizing him. Do you want me to spy on him?"
"Absolutely not," the crimson-haired male said firmly, "chances are, angels are also keeping an eye on him, and the last thing we want is conflict."
"Understood."
"That's all for now, see you next time, sis."
"Until next time, brother."
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"Until next time, brother." The hologram of Rias disappeared along with the magic Circle.
In the meeting room, stood a crimson-haired male beside a green-haired one.
"I still don't understand why that pansy archangel doesn't want any other devil to know about his little pet project," a twin-tailed woman said, sitting on a chair and holding her cheeks in the palm of her hands while resting her elbows on the table.
"Can you blame him, Serafall? A couple of days ago, we wouldn't have believed Leilah would betray us. It makes sense that he informs only us to avoid trouble." The crimson-haired male explained.
"Sirzechs, you don't really think that your Ria-tan and my So-tan would betray us, do you?"
"You and I know they wouldn't, but Michael doesn't. I just want to avoid conflict, especially since Zekram has gotten all secretive lately."
"If you say so," Serafall said reluctantly, "what do you think, Ajuka?"
"Me? I just hope that Michael would allow us to study Samuel's powers," the green-haired man answered. "That level of trust would surely ensure peace between us."
"You two are a bunch of hippies," Serafall groaned.
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"Rias, are you going to talk to me?" The Queen asked her king, who had been contemplating for a long time.
"I can't just stand here, knowing that an angelic project is roaming in my academy."
"Oh, that?" Akeno sighed, " Brother or not, you heard the king."
Rias smirked, "He said I wasn't allowed to spy on him, but he didn't say we couldn't talk to him."
"Oh, Sirzechs wouldn't like that."
"Yeah, sure thing. Now, you and Sam are in the same class, and you're right next to him."
"You want me to interrogate him?"
"Just talk to him, and take this with you," Rias said, taking a black rectangular device the size of a phone with a touch screen.
"That's the E.M.R."
Rias smirked, "Yes, I've already sent Issei home to get a DNA sample—a single strand of hair would suffice."
"That's effective for reading unstable beings such as strays and beasts or regulars in general—their aura leaks constantly, but—"
"Yes, I'm sure angels took their precautions. Regardless, whatever barrier they put against whatever's inside him, it's still connected to his soul. The soul is where emotions form. All you have to do is throw him off."
"Oh really~?"
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Once again, the teen found himself sitting in class as the teacher had just left.
"Sam-San!"
Sam let out a tired groan, "For the last time, I'm not—Akeno?"
Indeed, one of the school's Onee-Sans is calling out to him from the desk on his right. He had to admit that ignoring her curvaceous body was hard; "What were they thinking when they designed the girls' uniform?!" he thought.
Already, some students' heads turned their way; at this point, Sam stopped giving a crap.
Akeno, however, "Girls, can you give us a room?"
"You fucking idiot?" Sam mentally cursed as students murmured among themselves rapidly. Akeno got out of her desk, got in front of Sam's, and turned the seat sideways before she sat on it.
"I figured you would need a little company."
"Why get rid of everyone else, though?"
Akeno thought for a moment, "Well, I noticed you didn't like the attention you've been getting. Surely, seeing us talk would make the others bother you plenty."
"Oh..." Sam blushed a little.
"Now, the redhead's peerage has lives and friends outside their devilhood; I can't be so jumpy or overly avoidant about every interaction, lest I attract attention or raise suspicions, especially when this is more than likely not an attempt at making friends."
The rest of the conversation quickly followed a pattern: Akeno would delve into topics she thought Sam would blush at the mention of. However, either the bringer of light did not care much, or he was composed beyond Akeno's expectations.
Akeno was growing desperate. "It is time for the old reliable."
"Say, why do you shut down every girl? Guys here would die for one girl to look their way."
"And what am I supposed to do? They don't know me. They only see a pretty face. Besides, none of them are my type."
...
"Is that so?" Akeno smirked as she slowly leaned in front of Sam, "What about me? Am I your type?"
The angel could notice a slight jiggling of the devil's assets as she leaned closer.
"Well...I...I..."
"How about I give you a teaser to help you decide~."
"This is really...you know...fast..." Sam was sweating bullets.
Akeno faked a hurt expression. "What a shame. I really thought my two would get to you." She regained her sly coyness as easily, "or maybe you're the backseat type," she grabbed the hem of her skirt, giving Sam a view of her upper thigh and right cheek.
"Oh, Lord Jesus!" Sam jolted at the scene. His face is burning red.
Now, Sam was never a pervert. He wasn't strange to flirting, either. However, he never reciprocated those attempts because of his reserved nature. Besides, being this upfront and daring? These so-called Onee-Samas painted a picture of elegance and upper-class snobiness. Yet, here is one of them offering herself with no shame.
Sam is trapped in embarrassment to respond or act.
Luckily, a tune rang out of Akeno's breast pocket.
Sam got up immediately, "You better get that...haha, bye!" he bolted out the door.
Akeno took out her 'phone' and smiled, "got ya, hehe."
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School has finally ended, but Sam didn't feel like going home today. Instead, he decided to eat outside. He was sitting on a bench, eating a burger with a cup of soda.
"I have to admit, the park is looking pretty creepy right now. Where is everybody? What the hell?!"
Out of nowhere, the sky turned purple. Sensing something incoming, Sam got up and dashed aside quickly. His eyes widened in panic as much as relief at the light spear thrust into the bench.
"Quick reflexes!" Sam's head shot up at the voice. Amidst the purple sky, a middle-aged man with brown hair wearing a fedora and a trench coat was being carried by a pair of black feathery wings. "It's Odd that I can't determine your kind."
"What is it to you, fallen?" Sam unfurled his wings and launched up.
"My my, would you look at that?" The man materialized a yellow light spear, to which Sam did a silver one, "I got the right target after all." The man threw the spear, but Sam moved aside just in time. "Direct conflict it is."
The fallen angel formed a fist and reared his right arm before dashing toward Sam in a black blur, but as his fist was about to make contact, it collided with a silver magic hexagon produced by Sam's outstretched left arm.
"You can still surrender," The angel mocked.
"To a pigeon? Dream on." The fallen engulfed his body in his own wings and disappeared in a flash, leaving a few feathers behind.
Sam is now on full alert, frantically looking around. He gazed up to see the fallen coming at him with a vertical light spear. Sam moved aside, but the fallen sharpened the spear and struck him, only for it to be blocked by Sam's silver one.
With the two trying to attack each other but being met with an equal amount of defense and dodging, the fallen reverted to a simpler move and kicked Sam in the stomach.
Disoriented, the young angel clutched his stomach involuntarily. The fallen used this to launch multiple attacks as he flew with several punches, digging into Sam's body.
Sam was beginning to pull himself together when the man came at him from above, colliding with him and then descending in one shot, slamming the angel right into the grassy ground.
A cloud of dust and stone exploded. It cleared to a crater where the black-winged man stood over Sam.
PUNCH
"You know?" the crow said.
PUNCH
"I was going to drive a spear through your heart and be done with it." He picked Sam by the collar and pulled him up. "But since a newbie such as you made me work for the kill-" he pulled him closer, "-I'm gonna enjoy every second of it. Oh, and It's Dohnaseek by the by."
Despite his bruises and a bloodied mouth, Sam just spat in Dohnaseek's face. Angered by the gesture, he slammed him on the crater where the angel collided.
"COUGH...You got experience on your side, I'll give you that, but I have something you once lost and will never have again."
"Really?" the fallen scoffed. "Pray tell."
"The light of God." A silver light exploded from Sam.
"Augh!" A scream of pain left Dohnaseek's lips as he stumbled. He rubbed his eyes in the hope of clearing them. "Aaaaaaaaah!" He released another shriek as he felt a sharp burning sensation in one of his wings before dropping to the ground.
Hearing the sound of flapping wings, Dohnaseek attempted to launch himself, but he just became unbalanced and tripped.
"What did you do?!" The fallen's vision finally cleared as he looked up, only to be met with two spears to his thighs, which left him helpless on the ground.
After some incomprehensible grunts, Dohnaseek finally saw his opponent a good distance away from him. Sam's whole body was glowing with a heavenly white aura, but the crow's eyes fell on the giant severed piece of a black wing Sam was holding.
"Here," Sam threw the severed wing in front of Dohnaseek as he landed.
As a last-ditch effort, Dohnaseek hardened his right wing and shot sharp feathers at Sam. They fell like flies in the face of a magic hexagon.
Seeing this, Dohnaseek panicked as he formed a light spear and threw it at Sam. A barrage of light projectiles shot out of the magic hexagon, breaking the spear into particles and advancing toward Dohnaseek.
Dohnaseek was immobilized and in so much pain to escape.
The light hit Dohnaseek with the power of a hundred downpours. There wasn't a single spot of his body spared, and Sam showed no sign of relenting for a while.
"I think that's enough!"
Sam followed the voice to a tree where a figure leaped from the top, landing seamlessly.
"He's already down." It was Uriel.
"Were you chilling there the whole time?!"
"Yes, and before you complain, I would've swooped in if things got out of your hands."
"But?"
"But I wanted to evaluate your skills in a real fight. You did great for your first, but you have to work getting a hold of your mind; that brief moment of panic left Dohnaseek an opening, which if it were left for a stronger opponent than him, you would've been mortally wounded if not dead."
"I honestly expected worse."
"So did I. Now, let's take care of our friend here." Uriel pointed at the unconcious Dohnaseek and the latter disappeared in a flash of light.
"Where did you take him?"
"Heaven's prison; we need him for questioning. He attacked you, and he targeted your brother right after another fallen killed him. These are grounds for investigation, especially with the existing one we've been on for weeks. In the meantime, I'm gonna take you home myself."
"Oh man! Mom is gonna have a heart attack if she sees me like this!"
Uriel rolled his eyes as he knew for certain that Sam was urging him to deal with this. So, with a minor gesture of his finger, the archangel restored Sam to his clean and uninjured self.
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"I don't know about this..." Issei said hesitantly, "Tricking Sam in this way feels wrong."
The rest of his peerage, say for the petite short-white-haired girl, looked at Issei with sympathetic gazes.
The atmosphere of the ORC candle-lit room at night made things all the more intense.
The king who would comfort him the most was not there; they were waiting for her.
"We're devils dealing with heaven here," Kiba—a blonde teen—said in an understanding tone, "We can't confront him head on."
"Yeah, but can't devils sense other creatures anyway? Why do we need that phone thingy? Or the hair?"
"That phone thingy is called the ethereal makeup reader, E.M.R," the voice of their president emerged from a newly-opened magic circle, "And the ability to sense other creatures is a bit of a hyperbole; we can only sense the particles of energy they give off into the atmosphere."
"Prez, you're back!" Issei cheered as he noticed a piece of paper in Rias' hands.
"Welcome back,Rias," Akeno greeted, "What took so long? Normally, the test takes five minutes tops."
"Getting through and using equipment without my brother and his associates's knowledge was difficult."
"What is that?" Issei gestured to the paper.
"As I said: we can only sense the energy a creature gives off, but we can't determine its relation to the creature themselves, where, and how deep it runs. The E.M.R captures the energy particles, the DNA sample helps us determine whether those particles came from the person themselves, the aftermath of a possession, or a Sacred Gear...etc."
"And what does our mystery man hides?" Kiba said jokingly, hoping to ease Issei's guilt.
Rias was hesitant, looking between Issei and her other servants.
"Rias?..." Akeno grew concerned.
"Prez, what's happening to Sam?!"
At Issei's concerned and loud question—more so, a demand—The president found it best to answer honestly.
Rias sighed, "Sit back down, you're gonna need it."
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Sam was getting ready for bed as his mind ran with worry.
"I hope to God that princess isn't sending Issei out there; if what Uriel said is true, the streets aren't safe for anyone."
Just then, a deep sound of flutter of wings was heard.
"Speak of the angel..."
"I have some bad news and good news."
"Well, there haven't been much good news for a while, so go ahead." In truth, Sam was tired and fairly anxious from his encounter with Dohnaseek.
"The bad news is I won't be with you for a long while."
Sam blinked, "what?"
"We got data of a big conspiracy brewing between a lot of disgraced figures from all walks of the supernatural world, mainly the old Satan faction. Whether if Cain, Leilah, or even the fallen angels are involved or not, we don't know. One thing we're sure of is that the dimensional gap is a meeting point. That's why I'm investigating it."
"But what if the fallen angels are involved? I can't deal with that alone."
Uriel shook his head, "Have you forgotten that this town is under the protection of two devil kings? Besides, I'm not leaving you alone; I'm sending you two Sacred Gear users, one of them is the processor of the second strongest Longinus."
Sam was unsure. Yes, having two Sacred Gear users is great comfort for how powerful those can be, but this "conspiracy" could mean something as big as war. Yet, he caused Uriel more responsibility than he was supposed to carry, so he feigned satisfaction.
"Fine, but they better come soon."
"I already enrolled them to Kuoh Academy. They'll come tomorrow morning."
"Wait, they're teenagers!"
"Yeah, second year to be exact."
"Fine, as long as they're well trained."
"Of course they are. And Sam?"
"Yes?"
Uriel gave Sam a sympathetic look with a quivering smile, "Sorry in advance."
"About what?" A chuckle escaped Uriel's mouth as he unfurled his wings, "What's so funny?"
All that's left was the echo of a laugh as the archangel left with a single fluffter.
"Uriel!"