Prologue: Divine Intervention
Life is unpredictable and you never know what is coming next. And no matter how much a person could prepare himself for its future, life would always find a way to surprise them in the most unexpected manner.
"Welcome to the afterlife, young man. Unfortunately, you have died. It might have been short, but your life is now over. I'm very sorry." Someone suddenly spoke to me in a pure white room while I was confused by the sudden turn of events and my own situation.
Just what is going on here? I started to think back to what had happened moments ago.
If I remember correctly, I had been making my way home from university. On the way, it suddenly began to rain so I started to run but then, all I saw was a radiant light and before I knew it, I was in a room I didn't recognize.
A room surrounded by white walls from every direction. There were two white doors but no windows, and there was an office desk and a chair which was occupied by the sole person present in this room aside from myself.
With a sigh, I looked at the person who could enlighten me about my current situation, the one who announced that my life was over. He was an old man with long white hair and wore some kind of white robes with a black mantle on top.
"… Can I ask something?" The old man blinked his eyes, which were both a deep blue, before he nodded with a kind smile in response to my question.
"Please, go ahead."
"What do you mean when you say I died? And where are we?"
"It's just as it sounds, you're dead. It must be confusing for you but please have no worries, I will explain everything. But before that, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Grahdens and I am what you would call God. And to answer your second question, this place is called the Divine Realm. You could say this is my home."
"…Ha?" That was the only thing that came out of my mouth after the old man named Grahdens answered my questions.
This old man is a god and this place is his home? Is this a new kind of scam or some kind of dream?
"This is neither a scam nor a dream." I blinked in surprise when I suddenly heard Grahdens speak, answering my thoughts. I quickly looked at him as he showed me a little smile on his wrinkled face.
Eh? Were my thoughts just read?
"Yes, I can read people's minds. I didn't do it before to give you some privacy, but I thought you wouldn't believe me so I did it. Don't worry, this will be the only time I will read your mind. I won't do it again." Grahdens explained while I could only nod, speechless as I registered his words in my mind.
If he's saying the truth and that this isn't a dream, does that mean that I'm really dead? But how? I don't remember dying in the first place so how did I get myself killed? The last thing I remembered was a flash of light and then, I found myself in this strange place. Nonetheless, I felt a little uneasy. To have my thoughts being read like an open book by a stranger, it's just creepy. He did say that he won't do it again, so I can relax… Maybe.
"It is a little embarrassing on my part to say it, but I killed you by accident. I am really sorry." Grahdens said as he played with his beard while having an apologetic face. Meanwhile, I just froze at his words and tried to process the information.
"What do you mean by accident?" At my question, Grahdens sported a bashful smile as he started to scratch his cheek with a little blush, making me grow a little uneasy because of his reaction.
"You see, young man. While I was peeping… Ah, I meant observing the multiverse, I saw something that impressed me so much that I ended up launching a beam of light by accident and you were killed by it. Well, for some reason, you're always the one who dies from my mistakes…"
"Eh?" I let out when I heard Grahdens mutter the last part under his breath, but I couldn't properly hear his words.
"It's nothing important, I was just rambling on my own!" Grahdens quickly shouted before he coughed into his fist.
"However, aren't you a little too calm? You died, I thought you would be more confused and upset." I blinked in surprise when he asked his question before I shrugged.
"It's because there is no sense of reality. It feels like I'm inside a dream, and I don't really feel that I died."
"Well, it isn't a dream and you will understand soon." Well, I don't really care, and what I'm really interested about is to know what will happen to me now.
"So, what will happen to me now? Will I go to Heaven or Hell?"
When I asked him, Grahdens shook his head, confusing me before he started to explain.
"No, those places don't exist in this world. Under normal circumstances, your soul would enter what I call the circle of reincarnation after your death, wiping all traces of your memories while you await reincarnation. And then, you're reincarnated in a new body in a blank state, devoid of any memories from any of its previous lives."
So the theory of reincarnation after death is really true. Does that mean that I was also reincarnated at some point, that I had lived another life before this one without knowing it?
But while I was a little interested about it, I quickly shook my head before returning my attention to Grahdens who continued his explanation.
"However, it seems that my light managed to make your soul unable to enter the circle. Also, there is no way I can plainly revive you in your original world with my power as there is such a rule. Truly I am sorry for this circumstance. However, I can reincarnate you in another world."
"Another world? Do those really exist?"
"Yes, as part of my job as God, I have created multiple universes during my life with your world being the first one. Some of them are quite similar to your own world, since I modeled them after it. However, they do have some differences while some others are more... fantastic or apocalyptic would be a good description. In any case, I decided to reincarnate you in one of those worlds."
"And the world I'll be reincarnated to, what kind of world is it?"
"The world I've chosen for you is quite similar to your original one, albeit with a few differences. However, I am sure that you will love this new world. After all, the women in this world are all beautiful, putting the one in your old world to shame…" Grahdens said with a blush while I was a little worried when I saw a wide smile appearing beneath his beard and mustaches.
However, deep inside me, I was a little happy by the last detail. I'm a man, after all…
"Do you have any questions so far?"
"Yes, just a single one. If I didn't want to be reincarnated, what would happen to me?"
"If you didn't, I would have erased your existence." Grahdens answered me with a straight face, making me shiver before I felt my body grow cold. I could even feel my sweat dripping off my face.
Well, it's a good thing that I didn't plan to reject his offer in the first place. After all, I still want to live.
"But I'm sure that you won't regret it. After all, all of your alternate selves had lived fulfilling lives, and I'm sure it will be the same for you… " Grahdens muttered under his breath, his words not reaching my ears as I didn't hear them. He then smiled before he raised a hand, his palm being coated in some sort of rainbow aura.
"I will reincarnate you now. Also, I placed my blessing onto your soul as an apology for the beam of light. Well then, I bid you farewell!" And as he spoke, a bright and warm light surrounded my body before I slowly started to feel drowsy.
"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you but the next time you wake up, you will be in your new mother's womb."
"Eh?!" I let out in surprise but by the time I registered his words and could ask him about what he meant, my consciousness faded away.
When I regained my consciousness after my separation with Grahdens from the Divine Realm and opened my eyes for the first time, I found myself in a weird place with my body being submerged in some kind of liquid, leading me to panic for a few instant until I calmed down when I remembered Grahdens's last words.
Does that mean that I'm inside my new mother's womb?
So, it wasn't a dream and I will be really reincarnated…
While my view was rather blurry, I could somehow see my surroundings but it was at that moment that I really wished I kept my eyes closed. I was in some sort of bag which was filled with a strange liquid and I could see the inside of my mother's womb, that's something I didn't want to see… I feel like I'm in the middle of a gore scene, and if I could throw up, I would have done it right now. However, outside of the gore surrounding me, there was something else in this place that surprised me.
And as I looked straight before me, I saw a baby floating in his own sac and judging by the minuscule appendage between his legs, it's a boy.
I didn't expect to see a roommate sharing this place. Does that mean that he's my twin brother?
I was a little surprised at the thought of having a sibling, especially a twin since I was an only child in my previous life. It was an astonishing discovery. But a brother, huh… What a shame, I would have liked to have a sister instead.
And with a certain goal in mind, I used all of my strength to move my head… and tried to look at the area between my tiny legs.
…
Hell yeah! I still got my dick! My son! My third leg! My Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon! Even if it was only the size of a pinky right now…
But as I was rejoicing myself about my gender, my ears started to pick up something that beat repetitively….
Those sounds… Are they heartbeats?
"▂▂…" But as I closed my eyes and focused, I could also hear her breathings and her voice among others. However, the sounds were a little muffled but despite that, they somehow sooth my mind… I wonder why? And what is that warmness that I'm feeling right now? Is that the rumored mother's warmness? All I can say is that it feels good…
And as I basked in that mysterious warmness, I started to remember my past life. Of memories of the world I left behind for a new one.
Well, it's not like I had any particular attachment to my old world so I'm not really sad, and even if I were to disappear, I'm sure that nobody would miss me anyway.
As far as I remember, I was never close to my family. My father was absent for most of my life because of his job which involved him always traveling overseas, and the only times we would speak to each other when he would come back home, it was only about my studies and nothing else.
Meanwhile, my mother was a doctor in a hospital, so she was barely at home as she spent most of her time at her job place and just like my father, only my studies interested her. But while our relationship was quite distant and neutral, it quickly became worse when my parents discovered my passion for anime and video games for which I spent more time compared to my studies.
Of course, it didn't please my parents that I spent my time over trash rather than thinking about my future, their words, but it didn't help that they both had a negative outlook on the otaku culture, believing that it was a good-for-nothing hobby and a bad influence on my life. After that, they sort of gave up on me before leaving me to my own devices.
I must have really disappointed them, however I never regretted my actions since learning about anime was one of the greatest things that happened in my life, something that led me to dream of becoming a voice actor in Japan.
And when I left my parents' house in order to go to a university to learn Japanese, we ended all contact between us which didn't really change anything for me since they never really talked to me since they learned about my hobbies.
As for my friends, it's not like I had a lot of them. In fact, I could count them with just my two own hands. Because of my Asian origins and living in an European country like France, I was sometimes treated like an outcast and it didn't help that they would treat me like a geek because of my hobbies.
Fortunately, there were some people who would share my passion for Japan and their cultures but over time, we all started to separate from each other, following our own dreams. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's been years since we've met or even talked to each other.
Well, I'm sure that they don't even know that I died.
…
Well, it's not my problem and I don't really care. I should just forget about them. I died and left their world, and now, I will be reborn as a new person who has nothing to do with my previous world, and live a new life with a new family and identity.
However, just how long will I stay in this place?
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"
Gah…! What was that sound?!
And during the next seconds that followed the high-pitched scream, I felt the water that submerged my body go away, confusing me.
Just what's going on?! Don't tell me that my mother is going into labor?
And in the next following seconds, I felt my body being moved into some sort of tunnel. A wet and gooey tunnel but also warm… and really tight! Gah…! She's crushing my body!
After spending a long and agonizing time which lasted only a few minutes, the top of my head finally popping out of my mother's body as I felt the cold air touching my head before something else touching it.
Is that a hand? Maybe it's the doctor's hands…
"▂▂▃▃▅!"
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"
I think it's because my ears are still filled with liquid I was submerged in, I couldn't comprehend their words nor their language. And because of the light illuminating the room, I couldn't open my eyes.
It's too bright, I think I'll become blind!
"▂▂▂▂▃▃▃▃▅▅"
"▅▅▅■■■■."
And as I kept my eyes closed, I felt my entire body slowly being pulled out from my mother's vagina, feeling more of the cold air with all of my body little by little. Even though it was a grotesque place, I miss the warmth that enveloped me when I was still inside.
And when my entire body was pulled out, I felt a towel being wrapped around it before I was moved into somebody's arms, carrying me and also cast a shadow on me which shielded my eyes from the light, allowing me to finally open my eyes.
"… Umarete kite kurete… arigatou…" I was a little surprised when I heard her voice which I could hear clearly despite having my ears filled with liquid. And for some unknown reasons, her voice felt… familiar. And this language… Isn't that Japanese…? Does that mean that I'm a Japanese couple's child?
While it was good news for me as I loved the Japanese culture, I didn't really care. I don't know why but I was more focused on the expression on the woman's face as she was staring at me with a wide smile and teary eyes, and once our eyes met, her tears started to fall down before she hugged me closely.
It's warm… and soothing…
That was the only thing I could think as I was wrapped in her arms, and started to fall asleep off. Well, I'm sorry but I'm a little tired right now so I'll take a little nap now…
I never thought that the life of a baby would be such a tough and boring one.
It has been now seven months since I was reincarnated into this world by Grahdens, seven months where I spent my entire days either sleeping, soiling my pants, being breastfed by my mother, being bathed and cared for by my parents. It was just seven months of pure humiliation.
There was also the fact that I wasn't being able to speak and I hated being motionless. It was difficult to move with this infantile body, and I had to spend several weeks lying on my back until the day I was finally able to lift my body and move around.
For the moment, I can only move by crawling like a turtle and rolling over myself but it's good enough– Hmm?
And in the middle of my inner monologue, I was interrupted as something pushed my back from behind. I tried to look back only to see that it was a brown-haired baby who was pushing his head against my back while cooing.
Hi, it's my crybaby little brother. What do you want?
"Gabui!"
Sorry, but I can't play with you right now. I'm busy thinking about my new life. If you really want me to play with you, then you must stop crying in the middle of the night for no reason. It bothers everybody here, especially me since I'm sleeping just beside you. Ah… I really want my own bedroom and cradle.
And it was at this moment that I wished I could talk, or even for my little brother to understand what I was thinking. Maybe it's possible since we're twins, as if there was a psychic link between us.
But contrary to my thoughts, my brother continued to push his head against my back while laughing.
"Ahaha!"
Well, he's a baby, so it can't be helped. And it would be hypocritical of me to blame him for crying every night whenever he was scared or pooped his pants since I do the same thing when I soil my pants. Alright, as an adult, I must show maturity and tolerance towards him.
After all, he did help me a lot as his identity enlightened me on the world I was reincarnated to. If it wasn't for his name, I would have never known that I was in an anime of all places.
My little brother's name is Issei. When I heard it the first time through my parents' mouths, I was quite confused as I felt it was familiar until I remembered when they spoke his full name, Issei Hyoudou.
I never thought that the other world Grahdens talked about before I was reincarnated would be the world of an anime, and among all of them, I had to be reincarnated in High School DxD whose main character is my current little brother.
It's not like I hate this anime, in fact, I liked it. However, I do have some problems with my current situation. First of all, I only watched the anime like two or three times, and that I didn't watch it for the story but for its erotic aspect instead, so I don't remember much of the plot which is a big problem for me since I won't be able to predict the future events.
All I could remember from High School DxD was, it was a show about fighting, boobs and… succubus? Or was it devils?
Well, it's not really important. The most important matter right now is that I'm Issei's twin brother, in other words, the main character's twin brother. Doesn't it means that I will be involved in the plot of the anime?
This is quite troubling… And maybe because of my birth, I may have affected the plot and will affect it in the future, so I can't rely on the small memories I still possess of the anime. Wait a sec… if I remember correctly, wasn't High School DxD a light novel originally? Great, so it doesn't really matter if I watched the anime as it wouldn't cover all of the plot in its entirety.
This is just fantastic. Alright, I think I'll just go with the flow.
Also, there is the fact that High School DxD is also a fantasy anime with some fights in it. So, it means that I will have to fight against monsters in the future? That's kind of scary…
I do like fighting with people, but only in a sporting context like martial arts competitions. I used to do karate in my previous life so I know it. However, fighting against monsters and risking my life in the process. That's something I never thought would happen to me…
No, wait a minute… Now that I'm thinking about it, I may be able to avoid fighting or the plot as a whole. Even if I'm the main character's brother, if I run away from this family and don't get involved in Issei's life, I may be able to…
No, I don't think it's a good idea. I've seen enough anime to know that the main character's family will always be involved in their lives in some weird way. It's like a general rule or their destiny to be involved, even if they are secondary characters.
Shit… Why do I have to be Issei's brother? Is that karma? Is it because I was a bad son to my old family that I'm currently being punished by being Issei's twin brother? Damn it!
I shouted in my mind as I repeatedly hit the soft carpet with my hand until I stopped when I glimpsed Issei who tilted his head, staring at me with curiosity behind his eyes.
"Ahi?"
Yeah, you're right… I don't have the right to blame you for my fate. After all, you're as unlucky as me since you're the main character. Ah, man… We both have it rough, don't we?
However, what should I do from now on? If I knew this would happen, I would have watched more anime and read some light novels involving isekai…
"Ise, Sakuya. Look over here." When I heard someone call my name, I looked back to see a brown-haired man wearing a pair of glasses, who was taking a picture of us with the camera in his hands. He was my new father.
Sakuya, huh… As expected, I'm still not used to being called by that name. It didn't help that this name sounds a bit effeminate, even if I know that it's a unisex name since I've seen it being used for both sexes. Well, I just have to adapt myself to my current situation, and it's not like I have a choice in the first place.
Although, I have to say that living with them was a whole new experience for me.
I thought as I looked at my father who was taking pictures of us in all sorts of weird positions like a paparazzi.
My father, whose name was Gorou, was often out of the house because of his job. It didn't help that my brother and I were often asleep when he was home. However, he would often try to spend as much time as possible with us whenever we're awake. Also, he loved taking pictures of us with his camera which, for some reason, I feel like he always has in his pocket, ready to take pictures of us at every moment.
Meanwhile, my mother, whose name was Miki, seemed to be a full-time housewife since she was always by our side. Maybe she left her job to take care of us herself, instead of hiring a wet nurse. Like Gorou, she would care for us with my father when we're awake and was always with us, even when she had to do something like housework, she would always take us with her or be somewhere where she could always watch over us. Recently, she started to make clothes for us as a hobby and read us some picture books.
Well, they are good parents to have, that's a fact. They always had a warm smile on their faces when they were with us, and they loved to cuddle with us, something that they do anytime they could.
But I have to say, it felt weird for me to be loved like that. And it was a little hard for me to think of them as family at first, despite the fact that we were related by blood. But little by little, I started to appreciate them for their kindness.
Now that I'm thinking about it, where is Miki? I haven't seen her since I woke up.
"I'm home!" Ah, there she is. So she went out when I didn't notice.
"Welcome back, how were the bargain sales?" Gorou said as we all looked in the direction of the entrance where we saw Miki who had a wide smile on her face, carrying several bags in her hands.
"Yes, I managed to buy a lot of stuff at low prices. Also, I didn't come back alone." She said before she gestured with her head behind her where we saw a black-haired woman, carrying something in her arms.
"Ah, Hikari-san. Good morning." Gorou greeted the woman who I recognized as our neighbor, Hikari. She was a friend of my parents and she used to visit us in the past. There were sometimes when she wanted to try breast-feeding me or changing my diapers, much to my embarrassment.
However, the last time I saw her, she was pregnant and seemed like she would give birth soon. But now, her belly bump has disappeared… Then what she's holding in her arms, is that her child?
"Hello, I came to visit with my daughter."
"We met on the streets when I was on the way home." Miki said as they both entered the living room and then joined us on the carpet.
"Hi, Sakuya-kun, Ise-kun. Do you remember me? It's me, Hikari-oba-san." Hikari asked us as she knelt before us while I simply hummed as a greeting and affirmation. However, Issei ignored her as he crawled past her in the direction of our mother, dejecting Hikari while Gorou chuckled at her.
"Don't feel bad. At least, Sakuya is remembering you." He said in an attempt to cheer Hikari up, which worked as she nodded before she started to pinch my cheek with a smile on her face.
"You're right. Thank you, Sakuya-kun. You're making your aunty happy."
"Hikari-chan, is that your daughter?" Gorou asked as he pointed with his finger to the baby Hikari was carrying in her arms, who in turn nodded with a wide smile.
"Yes, isn't she cute?" She said as she placed her baby on her laps. It was a little girl with a little tuft of chestnut hair on her head. She also had violet eyes, and she was sucking on a white pacifier.
"She's really cute. How old is she?"
"She's two months old. Sakuya-kun, this is my daughter, Irina-chan. I hope that you will become her friend in the near future." Hikari said as she looked at her daughter who was looking at her, sitting on her laps while I slowly crawled in her direction.
And once I was in front of her, she directed her gaze in my direction, meeting my eyes with her own violet eyes full of curiosity behind them before she held her arms in my direction, as if she wanted to touch me.
"Ara ara~ It looks like she likes you." Hikari said as she looked at us with a smile, a look that was shared by both of my parents while I let out a little hum.
I guess I should introduce myself. Hello, Irina. I'm Sakuya Hyoudou, nice to meet you.
I thought as I held out my hand, touching Irina's which made her giggle while a little smile appeared on my face.
Irina, Irina… For some reason, the name is a little familiar. Guh… It's been a long time since I didn't watch the anime, so I have trouble remembering everything. Irina…
…
Alright, I don't remember at all. Maybe I will in the future.
I thought before I noticed Miki approaching us while carrying Issei in her arms.
Now that I'm thinking about it, didn't the plot start when Issei was in high school, when he didn't know of the supernatural side?
If this is the case then, can I assume that I won't be involved in the supernatural and be safe until then? Hmm… It sounds a little far fetched but I really hope that this hypothesis is true.
Just in case, I should prepare myself for the future. I already died once after all, and I don't want to die again. But what should I do?
…
Alright, I'll let the me of tomorrow plan everything. I don't really want to think about my future right now. And if my hypothesis was right, I have at least fifteen years to prepare myself, even though the sooner the better.
I wish I could use Google right now...
DxD Chibi: Sakuya's first words
During a certain day in the Hyoudou household, Miki and Hikari were both watching over their children who were playing together.
"Ufufu~ It looks like Irina is confused." Hikari remarked as she looked at her daughter whose confused gaze kept alternating between the Hyoudou twins.
"You're right. However, while they do look identical, they have some differences which I'm sure will become more relevant once they grow up."
"So, they aren't identical twins?"
"No, they are fraternal ones." Miki answered Hikari's question as she looked at the twins who were playing with Irina before a little smile appeared on her face.
"Hey, don't you think that Irina would be looked after by one of them in the future?"
"It would be great." Miki said as she giggled before she noticed Issei hitting Sakuya who had his eyes closed several times on his forehead while laughing.
"Issei, don't bully your brother." She quickly said as she tried to stop him but she momentarily stopped when she saw him glare at his brother.
"Kamikorosu…"
""Eh?!"" The two parents let out before they saw Sakuya slap Issei on his cheek, much to the surprise of the parents who were both shocked by his actions. However, Miki quickly shook off her shock as she quickly carried Issei in her arms.
"Issei, are you alright? Here, here…" Miki asked her youngest son who started to cry from the pain before she tried to sooth him, leading him to slowly fall asleep. Meanwhile, Hikari didn't take her eyes off of Sakuya who was looking at his little brother with a satisfied expression as she was in shock.
"Hey, Miki-chan. Didn't Sakuya just speak right now?"
"Oh yes, he did!" Miki screamed as she turned her gaze at her eldest son, a little upset that he slapped his little brother but also understandable since it was Issei who was bothering Sakuya in the first place.
"Hey, Sakuya. Can you say Mama?" She asked him with hope in her eyes. However, Sakuya only tilted his head as if he was confused by her words.
"Baba?"
"No, Sakuya. It's Mama. Mama."
"Ma…" Sakuya started to say, making Miki lean forward in expectation.
"Yes, ma…" But as she muttered under her breath, she never noticed the small smirk on Sakuya's face.
"Fuba!" He suddenly shouted, much to his mother's frustration as she started to poke his belly with a pout on her face which made Sakuya laugh. Meanwhile, Irina was also laughing with her mother.
A/N: And that was the prologue chapter of High School DxD Hallowed Blade, the remastered version of DxD – Hallowed Blade which will feature more details and developments than its 'prototype'.
It's been such a long time since I didn't write because of several problems in my real life so please, be tolerant. And I'm really sorry for the low quality.
And also, a great thank you for RoyalPercival who volunteered himself to become my new beta-reader.
For those who don't know yet, I have joined a Discord server created for writers and readers who read anime, manga, (fan)fiction and others.
If any of you write fanfiction or original stories, feel free to join. We also accept readers and beta-readers too.
Here is the link: dis (space) cord.g (-) g (slash) V54 pcwA (Just remove the space and the -)
I am often available on the server and always open for some random talks or answering any of your questions.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy the story and like always, don't expect a masterpiece.
Until next time, see ya.