DXD SI : Chapter 26 : The first scare. The first clue. The countdown for someone's demise....
Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters appearing in High School DXD or the Anime or the manga whatsoever.
Kuoh, Japan
–Magdaran Bael–
As he teleported back to Kuoh, he looked at the office space that Cleria had brought him to, and internally sighed. It would seem he would have to cut his trip short, at least for Japan anyway. He had already planned a trip to other countries anyway, but he had a hunch that he was not going to be as relaxed as he was in the past two days, on those trips.
He’d come here with the intention of taking a break and maybe roaming around a bit, but apparently, his very existence was like a trouble magnet. Tempting fate even more was not desirable to him. Plus, he’d had two whole days of fun without an ounce of active training. The passive part was still ongoing, but no active training for two days was a rare thing for him.
Something he hadn’t done in years, courtesy of the resiliency of his devil physique and his power allowing him to heal himself.
He had no idea what Serafall had written in the magical scroll that was presented to Yasaka. Cleria probably had no idea either, but whatever it was, it got Yasaka to pull back her demands, and let him and Cleria go immediately.
Still, as Cleria walked forward and sat in her chair, he stood in place, not moving, not in the mood for any more talks that had other meanings hidden behind the words. That’s why he preferred hanging out with plants more than humans anyway.
“First of all, I would like to apologize for not informing you about the travel ban. Even so, it would have been fine had you not—” Her words were stuck in her throat as he lost control for a split second, disappearing from her office, straight to the Underworld. More specifically, his garden.
___xx__
–Cleria Belial–
She sighed in relief as soon as the familiar visuals of her office were revealed to her. Even after Yasaka allowed them to go, she was tense. Not knowing what was in the letter or what the conditions were was really tense. Thankfully, nothing happened and she was able to successfully get the Bael heir of what would have been a tricky situation, especially since she recognised the person of interest, Akihiko, with a Holy Sacred Gear, standing nearby as well.
Thankfully, Magdaran wasn’t looking to reincarnate him, which would have been disastrous, for this had the potential to become the second biggest issue that Youkai would have with them. The issue with the Nekomata was still fresh in the minds of the Youkai, having eventually required the intervention of the Shinto to stop them from marching straight to Devil properties to burn them all down.
It was the whole reason it had taken her so long to go to Kyoto and retrieve him. For one, he was a Pillar heir, not someone she could command so easily, and secondly, she needed authorisation from Satan Leviathan, who had to do something to make sure that the Youkai did not rebuff her at the entrance. It was strange how Magdaran managed to get inside without resorting to offensive measures. It was as if the Youkai wards let him in.
The recall order from Satan Leviathan, her teleporting to the nearest city, and then flying to Kyoto, and then having to negotiate her entrance into the city, took the better part of the day, leaving her anxious, just outside the wards, not knowing what Magdaran was doing inside the city.
Thankfully, the worst of her fears were unfounded, and now that they were both back safely in Devil territory, she could take a breather.
Now, to deal with the Pillar heir who’d remained strangely silent, “First of all, I would—”
Suddenly, her entire body seized up, her eyes glued to Magdaran, whose face, impassive until now, suddenly twisted into an ugly snarl, his body glowing with the signature power of the Bael, before he left, taking the pressure with him.
Her body immediately slumped in her chair as the Bael heir left, her body bereft of strength as she realised that the Devil she had been talking to all this time was not just anyone. He was strong. Absurdly so.
With trembling hands, she picked up the phone and called Satan Leviathan. Something must have happened for the man to leave so abruptly. It was as if he didn’t even notice when he shattered some of the wards placed on her office. Unauthorised teleportations for people not in her peerage were forbidden here, and he’d broken through high class wards like those, especially built for her security, as if he was taking a stroll.
She shook her head, she had to inform Satan Leviathan about this.
___xx___
Bael Territory, Underworld
–Melantha Furcas–
She hid the concern in her mind as she followed Zephyr Bael, as he took a stroll through the Main compound, intending to do an inspection. Unfortunately, nothing of substance was revealed during the whole moving the garden fiasco that had to be organised, despite opposition from Zephyr, who vehemently opposed hiring anyone remotely associated with the New Satans, when he found out about it anyway.
It was a ploy of her own. She had not received any further orders regarding the Bael Heir, not from Zekram-sama, nor from Zephyr. Yet, she was curious about him. About the supposed next Lord Bael, someone whose childhood was perhaps the most unique in the Underworld. She knew no other child whose mother went through the ritual, choosing to never once resent her child and going through with the ritual until the end, with love in her heart.
Love was a powerful emotion, even more so the Love a mother has for her son, and that, combined with the forbidden ritual, resulted in the being that was Magdaran. He was an experiment of sorts, a way to see if the anomaly that was Sirzechs Gremory could be replicated or not.
Zekram-sama’s orders meant that the boy had to fend for himself from a very young age. The moment another heir was born from the Main wife, he was only given the bare minimum and left to his own devices. She was sure that Zekram-sama had ways to monitor him, but she was taken off the task, told strictly to never approach him unless ordered.
She followed that diligently, of course, she did. One did not deny Zekram-sama and lived in a good condition later. After all, it was well known that Zekram-sama knew more ways to keep a person alive than to kill someone. A life worse than death.
She would always be amused watching Zephyr act as if he were the one who was creative enough to devise all these punishments.
Now, the same man had decided to inspect the territory, which was just him going to the Garden Magdaran had just relocated from its earlier place. If she was not wrong, even the original place was going to be given to him. Something about Zekram-sama’s interest in his gardens and what he would do with it.
She was not privy to all the details, but today was a chance to gain more information about Magdaran. She could have stopped Zephyr from doing this, but why would she? That was not part of her duties. It was never her duty to babysit Zephyr. She was his handler, not his bodyguard.
She was to make sure that he did not take any catastrophic decisions, was capable of maintaining appearances, and was placated, despite not holding any power within the Bael House.
Perhaps, his excuse of taking a stroll would have been more effective had he not flown straight to the Garden.
Right after the relocation, Magdaran had raised wards over the whole place. They likely had a component of proximity detection, as well as the perception scrambling that kept the ongoings in the Garden a secret from the wards. It kept everything hidden from Zephyr, though she had a hunch that Zekram-sama could look into it anyway.
She felt it immediately when they crossed an invisible boundary. She sighed, making sure she was close to Zephyr, as they reached the perception altering boundary. She watched as Zephyr leaned forward and raised his hand, probably about to do something ill advised.
She was just debating whether to stop him or not, only to stiffen as she felt it.
An avalanche of Demonic Power that threatened to swallow her whole. Then, it was gone just as abruptly as it had come.
She immediately took a step back, and turned around, keeping both Zephyr and Magdarn in her sight.
Something was wrong. This was not the power level she expected Magdaran to have. She’d tried to report to Zekram-sama that the boy was likely an Ultimate Class Devil, almost as strong as her, but this?
This felt like a whole different class to her. Does the power of Destruction make such a huge difference? That the Devils in the same power category can be easily suppressed, simply because one had the most destructive bloodline trait?
That must be it because the alternative…
___xx__
–Magdaran Bael–
With a flash, he was back in his garden. More importantly, he was just behind the two idiots who’d wandered too close to his garden. The detection wards had two features. It could detect Devils approaching from any angle, and it could also tell him the rough power levels of the Devil.
The second he received the Ultimate Class devil message from the wards, he left Cleria’s office, his mind instantly going to the worst case scenarios. The sights of the garden ransacked, and the Mother Tree fallen, sent his mind into a rage he hadn’t felt in years.
It was with that mindsight that he reached the garden, and because of that, for a split second, his Demonic Energy ran rampant, tensing both the devils in front of him.
He immediately reined it in, realising that his garden was fine and he’d been back immediately.
The secretary, Furcas, took a step back, leaving him facing the Lord of the House, Zephyr Bael. The man was tense as well; it showed from his body language.
Zephyr turned, slowly, his body still tense, but his face? The expression on his face was not what he expected to be.
He expected surprise, some fear, maybe even anger at hiding his power, but this? A smile so wide it seemed to stretch his entire face was plastered on his face. It was as if he had received the best news of his life.
The man then leaned back, and absolutely howled in laughter, looking straight up, as if he was laughing at the heavens, which was a sentence he never thought his mind would come up with.
What?
“Hahahahaha,” The man continued laughing, as he traded looks with the Furcas, who remained stone faced at everything.
“Lucifer has blessed my bloodline! This is what I wanted from my heir! Come, my son!” The man then had the audacity to march up to him and hug him?
He was so shell shocked by everything that it took him a moment to gently pry the man off from his body.
“This is the greatest gift she could have given me. Soon, the name Bael will be synonymous with the Underworld and its greatest power.” Saying so, the man slapped his shoulder and left hastily, hands behind his back and back proud.
He turned around, as the Furcas left with him, giving him a lingering glance before catching up to the Lord, who was still laughing, even as he left the area.
Leaving him behind. Supremely disturbed about the whole thing.
Yet, even with all the chaos, his mind latched onto the one word.
She could have given me.