The predecessor of [Aspect of Death] has arrived. For those who are new around here, [Aspect of Death] was my first story and the Issei Hyoudou featured there was as you probably guessed, an Aspect of Death.

This story is heavily inspired by the idea of a Dark, anti-hero, cold and apathetic Issei Hyoudou. I assume that you are here because of that.

For those who have read my profile bio, yes, this is planned to be a Grand Fanfiction. Meaning : It will probably have more than 100,000 words if feedback is great.

This story will also be written with my new writing style, so for fans of [Archon], this is a sneak peek of the writing style for the revised chapters. However, I will be writing this in Issei's POV, so it might not be exactly like [Archon], but close enough.

Anyway, let's get on with the chapter!

~ UMBRA ~

PROLOGUE

Before time began, there was only a Void.

Slowly, this Void grew and expanded across the entire universe. Planets, Stars, and Galaxies came to life. However, the universe remained empty, there was no life to be found, simply Planets orbiting around their Suns.

That was until the Void had gave form to two Primordial Beings, Life and Death.

These two beings were made to be polar opposites of each other, their influence battling within the worlds across the universe. When life began creating organisms to inhabit other worlds, Death was there to balance the scale of influence.

Living organisms gave birth to one another, and as they reached the peek of their physical forms, Death was there to claim them.

Centuries upon centuries would pass, and these two Primordial Beings would still continue to fight an invisible battle, unbeknownst to those who have been given life by the Primordial Being possessing the same name.

Eventually, life had spread too far for the duo of Primordial Beings to observe. Fading away into mere concepts of Life and Death, the two seized their battles and balanced out the process of Life onto Death before entering an eternal slumber.

However, even as they sleep, their influence still surrounds the universe. People, Dragons, and even Gods face death as their lives pass beyond their limit.

But as millions of years pass, Death's slumber would be disturbed. The Primordial Being had sensed a disturbance in the balance of power set by it and its counterpart, Life.

Death explored around the vast territory of space, searching for the source of the disturbance. And eventually, Death had found the reason for the disruption of the balance of Life and Death.

Organisms calling themselves 'Gods' had taken matters onto their own hands and became Immortal...

Death was furious.

Earth, a planet filled with various species of life.

Death marveled at the numerous amounts of people, animals and supernatural creatures roaming around the planet. Rarely had Death ever seen such a beautiful sight, however, there was a sight that disgusted it.

Gods, Devils, Fallen Angels, and other mythological deities which ruled over the world. Death frowned at the presence of so-called Immortal Beings. For it meant that they had completely rejected Death's embrace, and this infuriated Death.

The Primordial Being roamed the planet, searching for a Shadow to cast its judgement. Death searched and searched, until it landed on a country titled : Japan.

Death watched in interest as a young woman gently laid down a rucksack with a dormant baby comfortably sleeping on it. The night was dark, and the streets were empty. Only the sounds of the woman's muffled cries could be heard as she ran away from her child.

Soon after the abandonment of its Mother, the baby slowly awoke, before bursting into tears.

"WAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!" The baby cried out, its hands stretching out from the rucksack, searching for its Mother. But to no avail, as the woman had already gotten far beyond its reach.

Death silently hovered above the youngling, a look of pity embracing its misty face. The Primordial Being reached its hand out and gently caressed the crying baby.

"WAAAaaa... Aah... Mmm." The youngling's cries slowly became muffled before completely fading away. Death had an expression of shock at the sudden calming of the baby.

And suddenly, much to the Primordial Being's surprise, the baby snuggled closer to its hand, appearing to be enjoying its embrace.

"Such Innocence..."

Death allowed the youngling to enjoy itself, it would serve as an acceptable distraction as the Primordial Being was tapping into the youngling's destiny. Visions would soon begin to flood the Primordial and multiple possibilities presented themselves.

The Primordial witnessed the youngling transform into a massive pervert in one possible future, and another future illustrated the youngling becoming a smart and calculating businessman.

But Death would have none of it.

Deathly mists began flowing from the Primordial, causing the youngling to stare at the Primordial in confusion.

"With this, our contract is formed..."

The mists faded away as those words left the Primordial's mouth. The youngling's light brown eyes flickered crimson and his brown hair turned a raven shade. At the sight of this, Death smirked.

"Farewell... We shall meet again soon, Umbra."

~O~

Later that night, a couple would stumble upon the youngling, and due to the purity of their hearts, they had sheltered the baby. Bringing him to their household, and even feeding him.

Nozomi Hyoudou, and Hiroshi Hyoudou, these were the names of the two pure-hearted individuals that decided to take the youngling as their own. They had given him a home and a family, both of which he would eventually grow to be thankful for.

The couple had taken the liberty of naming the youngling, and so, they had given him the name of : Issei Hyoudou.

Issei retained his brown features, however, there were some occasions wherein his eyes would flicker crimson for reasons unknown to even the doctors. His family would eventually get used to it after confirming that it wasn't dangerous to Issei's health.

As years would come to pass, Issei would come to develop a cold and calculating personality. He would usually explain things in great detail and always voiced his displeasure in illogical events which transpire around him.

When Issei would eventually begin going to school, he was praised by the majority of the faculty staff and a few of the responsible students. This was because of Issei's inhuman intelligence, as a child he contained the brain of a diligent college student.

However, this also caused Issei to become somewhat of a loner. His intelligence only made him compatible with a small number of students, and while other average students attempted to befriend him, he would only freak them out with his cold aura.

Nevertheless, this didn't bother Issei. Something within him told him that he didn't need friends, he didn't need allies, and he most certainly didn't need women.

Hiroshi was devastated when Issei bluntly told him that he had no interest in adopting a girlfriend in the future, although this gave Nozomi something to laugh at for the next few hours.

Issei's foster father would eventually give up on trying to teach Issei the ways of a pervert after receiving a beating from Nozomi.

How Nozomi was able to beat up Hiroshi was simple, she was a former Kendo Champion. After learning about this fact, Issei was swift in asking his Foster Mother for pointers on the way of the shinai.

She was hesitant at first, but she eventually gave in when Issei attempted to utilize the powerful [Puppy Eyes] technique. The keyword there being 'attempted', he only managed to make his eyes turn a shade of crimson, which immediately terrified Nozomi into agreeing.

Issei was quick to adapt to the fighting style and eventually surpassed Nozomi. He was never interested in actually participating in tournaments and the such either, so his skills would simply be used for self-defense.

With his physical and mental states both at incredibly high levels, Nozomi attempted to teach her Son how to express his emotions a bit more. However, all she received from Issei was a long rant about how emotions held others back.

When asked how he became like this rather rashly when Nozomi became slightly irritated, Issei replied saying that...

'I'm not quite sure myself, perhaps it was something inherited from my true parents? Or perhaps it was just my destiny to be this way...'

I, Issei Hyoudou, was standing merely a few meters away from the gates of the prestigious school that my foster parents had recently enrolled me to. I had never asked them for much, for I could simply provide for myself with the money I've earned from gambling with nobles, however I am not so foolish as to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I began walking. The uniform of this Academy was rather flexible, however the attire for the female gender was outrageous. I wouldn't be surprised if my Father was the one who had designed these uniforms, he was always an admirer of the gifts of the flesh after all.

I had just passed the gates of the Academy, and I'm already getting a lot of stares. Was my uniform too tight?

"Who's he? A transferee?"

"I don't know, but he sure is handsome."

"Damn pretty boy."

What an interesting bunch, however predictable they may be. I could already sense the uprising of the fangirls, and the annoying and persistent glares of the male gender.

{Partner, I just wanted to warn you about the presence of Devils in this Academy.} Ah, right, I nearly forgot about the Dragon living inside of me.

'Tell me, Ddraig. How is it that I came to possess you again?' I asked the Dragon within the confines of my own mind. I could hear Ddraig growl in annoyance, however I would simply ignore it.

{For the hundredth time, Partner, you were born with a Longinus-Class Sacred Gear within you, and that Sacred Gear happened to be the one I was sealed within.}

'Interesting.'

{Is that all you really have to say?}

I simply continued walking and decided to stop speaking with the Dragon. I had more pressing matters to attend to after all.

~O~

"My name is Issei Hyoudou. I'm in your care." I introduced myself with as much emotion as I could muster, which certainly wasn't an impressive amount by any means.

I stared at the class in front of me, curious about their reactions to my enthusiastic introduction. My enhanced senses allowed me to eavesdrop on every whisper uttered by my classmates, such an ability was something I was born with, although it was the least impressive of my gifts.

"He's so badass!"

"What a creepy fellow."

"He has a weird aura..."

Now that last one peeked my interest, someone in this classroom could sense my aura, which means that they had ties to the supernatural. I looked around to search for the source of the voice, and my eyes eventually landed on a stunning woman with crimson hair.

{Be careful. That is a Devil you're looking at.}

Interesting.

{Is that all you have to say?}

~O~

The rest of the day would pass on quite quickly, nothing of real interest happened during class. However, this Academy wasn't nearly as boring as my previous ones, especially when you consider the fact that there are two High-Class Devils in my class.

Sona Shitori and Rias Gremory, both stunning women in their own rights, however the one smart enough to disguise their true name definitely interests me more so than the other.

Now, one would wonder how an imbecile such as myself could know much about the supernatural, but having a Heavenly Dragon living inside of you does have its perks, and instant access to supernatural history was one of them.

Shortly after one of my training sessions with Nozomi-chan around two years ago, a Crimson Gauntlet suddenly manifested on my left arm. Thankfully, Nozomi had went out to get some groceries soon after our training session, otherwise it would've been a mess to even try to explain.

~Flashback~

"I'm going out to buy some ingredients!" My Foster Mother, Nozomi Hyoudou, had shouted out to me. I simply sent her an affirmative nod, signaling for her to go on her short journey to the grocery.

I let out a tired sigh as Nozomi's training sessions were not easy by any means. However, I soon felt a stingy pain around my left arm. This hadn't happened before, perhaps my hand is a bit too worn out?

{BOOST!}

Boost?

{Oh~? Such a peculiar host I've gotten myself this time.} What in the world was that voice? Hallucination should not be an issue that someone like myself should be dealing with.

{Trust me, you aren't hallucinating. I am Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon!}

Welsh Dragon, as in the dragon from Norway? How interesting, I didn't think that such ridiculous creature's could actually exist. It seems that I actually do have much more to learn about this world.

{You are taking this quite well, shouldn't you be more surprised?}

"Well this turn of events is rather interesting."

{Is that really all you have to say?}

~Flashback End~

The sun was setting and the night would soon take the shift. I merely sent the star a short glance before turning my attention back to the pathway in front of me.

Certainly times like these were quite boring, however I at least had some sources of entertainment for now. Such as the cute Devil tailing me, and the Fallen Angel waiting for me to approach her location.

{You realize that she probably wants to kill you, right?}

'I'm sure she does, however that wont stop me from indulging in her fantasies.'

I walked up the staircase to a short bridge, effectively walking past the Fallen Angel hiding behind the bushes. As I reached the top of the staircase, I could hear faint footsteps catching up to me from behind.

"E-Excuse me!"

I hummed in interest at the bold callout and turned around the face the Fallen Angel in all of her glory.

"Yes?"

God, this Fallen Angel reminds me so much of my fangirls, it's utterly toxic. She probably thinks that I enjoy the attention as well!

"S-Sorry, but I just couldn't help but notice that you pass by this bridge rather often, and I-I think I'm in love with you! So please go out with me!"

Gross.

"Apologies, but I'm afraid that I'll have to decline your offer." I bluntly told the gal. Did she honestly think that such an approach would work on someone such as myself? Clearly she did no research. Not that there was anything to find in the first place, but...

"W-What?! B-But I want to go out with you!" She exclaimed, clearly losing her composure. Ha! Judging by this reaction, she expected a desperate pervert willing to go out with someone whom he clearly didn't even know.

"While that is rather flattering, I've no clue as to what your name even is, thus I will have to decline. Farewell."

As I turned around and began walking away, I could feel a rather dubious amount of killing intent coming from her. She should've emitted more if she wanted to intimidate me.

Honestly, I expected Fallen Angels to be much more intelligent. However I suppose I was asking for too much when I expected a challenge from creatures recorded in the bible.

{If you ask me, Partner, I think you should've killed her right there.}

"Hmm~? Why do you say that?" I asked Ddraig, curiosity tainting my voice. What fun would it have been to just end her right there?

{I don't know. I just have a feeling that something bad is going to happen soon.}

"How dare he! He's just a puny human!" Exclaimed the Fallen Angel who had been rejected by the one she 'loved'.

Three other Fallen Angels were present in the room with her, while two of them were laughing at their comrade, the only male was leaning on a wall with his arms crossed, clearly bored.

"Hahahaha! I never expected Raynare-sama to be rejected so bluntly like that!" Laughed a blonde petite Fallen Angel, she wore a gothic Lolita outfit which gave her the figure of an idol.

"Shut up! Gather some of the exorcists, I want that brat's family dead by tonight!"

"Don't you think that's a bit too cruel?" Inquired Dohnaseek, the only male in this group of Fallen Angels. Raynare, as she was called by the blonde Fallen, scoffed and brushed aside a strand of her hair.

"They're just humans, their deaths will have no effect on us." Said Raynare, receiving doubtful glances from her subordinates.

~O~

Nozomi Hyoudou and Hiroshi Hyoudou were home for the evening, they were eagerly waiting for their Son, even going as far as to prepare a cake and cupcakes for the special occasion. It was their Son's first day of Highschool after all.

"He's on his way~!" Informed Nozomi as she read the text on her cellphone. Hiroshi snickered and went over to the side of the entrance to the household. He held a confetti popper as well, to add to the surprise of course.

Nozomi stood up and turned the lights off, the setting of the sun making it hard to see anything in the house, so it was the perfect occasion for a surprise.

A few moments passed before the couple could hear the door being opened. They were quick to prepare for the surprise, and as the door opened and a pair of feet had landed within the household, Hiroshi popped the confetti and Nozomi turned the lights on, all the while shouting 'surprise!'.

But their joy didn't last long, as the light had revealed not their son, but a white-haired stranger in priest's clothing.

"Who the hell are you?" Hiroshi asked the supposed priest, his protective instinct rising up. The stranger smirked and looked at Nozomi with a perverted expression.

"Ooh~? You prepared a surprise for me without even knowing who I was? How sweet~!"

"Hey! I asked you a question you damn fa-!"

"NOO! HIROSHI!"

"HAHAHAHAHA~! YOU SEE HOW HIS HEAD JUST POPPED OFF?!"

"You bastard!"

"Oh~! I'm going to have fun with you!"

Mom : How was your first day? xP

You : Boring. Lessons were too easy.

Mom : Awww, did you at least make any friends?

You : A girl asked me out.

Mom : WHAT?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

You : Your use of caps lock is certainly amusing.

Mom : Hey! Don't dodge the topic!

You : Anyway, is dinner ready, I'm starving.

Mom : Ohhh, you're not going to be asking for food after this feast young man. :P

You : Looking forward to it. I'm on my way.

Mom : Luv you! :D

You : Love you too.

~ THE END ~

Hope you all enjoyed that prologue! Watching Angel Beats and other depressing anime is what really inspired me to make this fanfic, along with some other cold characters from some new anime.

Issei Hyoudou in this story will be a mix of the following :

- Lelouch Vi Britannia

- Ayanokouji Kiyotaka

- Malthael

- Kiritsugu Emiya

- EMIYA/Archer

- Izuru Kamukura

If you recognize all of these characters, you're going to see how much of a depressing badass Issei is going to be next chapter. The only aspects of these characters that were shown in this prologue were Lelouch and Ayanokouji, those are his smart and tactical aspects after all.

Anyway, tell me what you thought of this prologue, I really need to see feedback so I know if I should continue this story or not.

I'll be reading all reviews and feedback, so if you found anything to your disliking in this prologue, please voice it out. Anyway, till the next time!