About 38 years ago, Bludwan was just a normal human boy…well, as normal as a boy born with thirteen fingers on each hand could be.
That's right. Bludwan was born with a rare deformity, one thought to be impossible.
Because of the circumstances, his father had always told his mother—
"Let this cursed child die in obscurity; can't you see? He is nothing but a curse! A curse that God has brought upon us!"
His mother fought back against her husband's demands…
But in the end, at the threat that her husband would leave her, she gave in, and prepared to toss her own flesh and blood into an unforgiving city, hoping he would indeed die in obscurity…
At the age of four months old, Bludwan was tossed into the sewers of the very cityhe was born in, as if he were nothing more than a piece of trash.
That city?
It was Bucharest, Romania.
As he cried for his mother, no one came... He cried for hours on end, terrified and alone, eventually losing the strength to do anything at all.
His body grew colder, and his vision blurred... even for as young as he was, he knew...
He was going to die.
And he would have, if not for a nun who saw his mother that very night, as she carried him toward what she believed would be his final resting place.
At first, the nun thought it was nothing more than a mother taking a stroll with her child, but when she looked into the mother's eyes, she felt a strange sense of dread.
She didn't want to believe that anything bad would happen, so she ignored it…
But after a few hours, she couldn't get the look the mother wore out of her mind, so…
She walked.
In the very same direction the mother did.
And she found a cloth… with a babe wrapped inside.
As tears flowed from her eyes, she reached out to him, dirtying herself in the sewage that his cloth had absorbed, but even so, she only held him tighter as she spoke.
"Oh, God… what has this child done to deserve this?… why has your grace forsaken him?"
On that day.
In the arms of the nun,
Even if God had forsaken him...
Bludwan felt the warmth and kindness of another for the first time.
The brown-haired nun brought him to the orphanage she worked at. It was there he learned the name of the nun who saved and raised him… Anna-Meri.
The workers at the orphanage treated him like any other child; after all, they had too much on their hands already to treat him any differently.
He grew up… friendless, of course. "No one wants to be friends with a freak!" was the most common response he got whenever he even tried to make any.
So kids came and went, chosen by parents looking to adopt, but he was always overlooked…
He spent his days looking out the windows of the orphanage, wondering if one day, maybe he too could have a family.
But even he knew that day would never come.
The years passed.
And on the first day of his second year of high school, a new girl arrived at the orphanage, about a year younger than him.
Her parents had died of unknown causes. He paid her no mind. 'She would be just the same as all the others.' he told himself.
And so he attended his classes, and for a whole month… his life went by like it usually did, with him fighting off bullies, but they were never a problem, after all, for some inexplicable reason, he was born with monstrous strength…
But then something changed.
One rainy day.
As he was about to head home from school, he saw a blond girl being pushed around by some upperclassmen, saying things about "showing her a good time" if she went with them.
Eventually one of the boys grabbed her by the sleeve, forcefully tearing it.
Without thinking, he jumped in and beat them all bloody using his strength.
As he left their beaten bodies in his wake, he turned to the girl.
She was soaked by the rain, so he did what any gentleman would and gave her his umbrella.
As her wet hair covered her eyes, she said nothing, so he told her to get home safe as he dragged the unconscious upperclassmen away…
He didn't look back that day, thinking that once again he made someone scared based on how she didn't say a word…
But…
If he would have waited that day, he would not have seen the look of a scared girl; he would have instead seen the admiration in the sapphire eyes the girl had as she stared at her savior walk away while she clutched the umbrella he gave her like a lifeline.
For a whole week he lived his life like normal, unaware that the girl was looking for him…
but when she found him, it turned out that the blond girl he saved that fateful day was the same one who had moved in a month ago.
And so it was then when he learned her name…
Maria.
Every day from then on, she looked for him, even when he hid from her.
She started conversations, invited him to play games with her, she genuinely just wanted to spend time with him.
But he pushed back, keeping her at arm's length, not really knowing what to do about her.
Then about a year later.
During a late-night shift at his part-time job, he saw two men fighting—one with pointy ears and sharp fangs, the other with bat-like wings…
Right as the man with the wings was about to be struck down, he jumped in and caught the fanged one in a full nelson like an idiot, holding him in place long enough for the man with the wings to charge a magic blast—
Piercing both of them through the chest.
Bludwan died that day…
And yet… he opened his eyes once more.
But this time as a devil.
It turned out the man he saved was a devil that was attacked by a vampire... that same man became his master.
His master was a kind one. "You saved my life," he told Bludwan, "so it is only fair that I return the favor."
It was because of this experience that he finally allowed himself to open up to Maria—letting her into his life not just as someone who was there…
but as a real friend.
And one day, in a grassy field filled with flowers… he asked her one simple question.
Bludwan sat on a red and black picnic blanket as he looked at Maria licking her lips as she stared down a sandwich in her hands.
"Hey…Maria?"
Maria stopped just as she was about to take a massive bite, her mouth hovering over the bread.
"Um, yeah?" A bead of sweat slid down her brow, 'Did… he see me take his sandwich?'
"Do you…ever wish that your parents were still here?"
Maria froze at his question…
But eventually she lowered the sandwich in her hand.
"Sometimes…"
Maria took a deep breath and exhaled. "But… it's fine."
"Fine? How could it possibly be fine?… Maria, you would have a family if—"
"They were still alive?" Maria cut him off as she turned to look at him, the wind gently blowing her hair.
She raised a hand up and tugged a couple of strands of her hair behind her ear.
"You're right, I would have a family if they were still here, but they're not."
"Bludwan, all things in life must eventually come to an end…that is simply our fate as living beings."
Bludwan sat there frozen. 'How…how could she say something so cynical?'
"But who the hell said I don't have a family?..." She pointed a finger at him, her face soft as she gave him a smile as radiant as the sun. "From where I'm sitting, my family is right across from me."
Bludwan blinked. "What?"
Maria's soft smile twisted into a cheeky one. "You heard me; I decided to adopt you."
"But…"
Maria narrowed her eyes.
"I'm older than yo—"
Maria shoved the sandwich in her hand into Bludwan's mouth. "Rule number one in this household, littlebrother, no talking back to big sister."
Bludwan took a bite from the sandwich, gulping it down fast, "but…" Bludwan's complaints died in his throat as he looked at Maria's eyes
He sighed, "...fine."
She smiled. "Good…by the way you owe me a sandwich," she said as she took a bite of the same sandwich Bludwan just ate from…
Bludwan just sighed once more but smiled nonetheless as he looked at her. "Alright."
And so, as a servant of a kind master, Bludwan grew his magical prowess, rising above even the bishops of the peerage even though he was just a pawn.
Through that time, he and his master grew close. Brothers in arms would be the only way to describe them. The only reason Bludwan pushed himself so far was to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the person he could truly call his brother. Bludwan even introduced Maria to him.
The three becoming almost inseparable.
But after a few years of everything going right…
Maria told him something...
She was pregnant.
But the child was not human…
Nor was it that of a devil…
The baby was a Dhampir.
For the first time in Bludwan's life, he was scared for someone other than himself.
To give birth to a child carrying the blood of a vampire mixed with anything was like throwing yourself into a fire—no matter what you did, it would only produce disastrous results.
And of course…
Maria knew that.
"Bludwan… no matter what happens…the child I bear is one of love." Maria said to him.
"But Maria, that baby… it will just get you killed!" Bludwan said, his tone filled with fear.
"I know… but that is fine with me." She walked up to him and brought his head down into her shoulder as moonlight illuminated the dark room around them.
His tears flowed down, soaking her shirt.
"Because I know what I've done is not wrong."
"Bludwan… if I leave this child too early…Please make sure it's ready for whatever it may face." she said, her voice quiet.
Bludwan froze. "Don't speak that way, Maria…"
He clenched his hands into fists.
'Don't you dare talk… like someone that's already dead.'
Maria stayed quiet for a moment, as she quietly stroked his hair.
Then she spoke,
"Promise me, Bludwan… please." she said, her voice cracking at the very end.
On that fateful night, Bludwan agreed to her wishes…
Hoping that he would never have to act upon that promise.
Four months into the pregnancy, his master found out about it and was ecstatic—asking who the father was, but Maria chose not to say.
So his master went and looked around…
And found out that the child…
…was that of a vampire.
After that, Bludwan did not see him for half a month…
He worried deeply, hoping for his friend to return safely every passing night.
And he did…
But not in the way Bludwan would have ever expected.
At the end of that month, Bludwan made his way to Maria's home as he always did.
And in that house, he found his master…
screaming at Maria.
Calling her a traitor to her own kind. Worse than dirt for procreating with a vampire of all things. Bludwan did not know what to do, so he stayed outside the room… frozen in place as the two most important people in his life screamed at each other…
Eventually his master's screams stopped...
And Maria screamed in terror.
Hearing it, Bludwan came back to his senses and threw the doors open—
—And found his master with a blade raised above Maria's stomach.
Bludwan did not think. He only moved. He grabbed a fire poker from the entrance and…
Ran his master through from behind.
Tears flowed from Bludwan's eyes as soon as he realized what he had done.
He instinctively let go…
And his master's body fell backwards right into Bludwan's arms, his friend's blood staining his hands.
All Bludwan could do...
Was to scream in terror.
On that day, Bludwan was branded a stray devil. Without wasting any time, he fled Romania, leaving Maria behind—hoping that she would live a happy life with her child, that her lover would take care of her and that she would be left alone by those who chased him, in hopes of finding him and one day killing him…
It was only years later that he found out Maria had died.
Right when she gave birth…
Her son was born with a powerful Sacred Gear he could not control. And in turn, that Sacred Gear killed her—and everyone else involved with his birth.
The name of this boy…
.
.
.
.
.
.
Was Gasper
.
.
.
.
Gasper Vladi
*****
Bludwan stood there, looking at the wound he had just inflicted on Gasper.
Gasper stood there panting.
Slowly, Gasper turned his head to look at the wide-eyed Issei. "Why the hell… are you still here?" he said, his voice strained.
"I'm… Sor—"
"There's nothing to be sorry about…" Gasper cut him off. "You just…got real bad luck, huh?"
He took a deep breath.
"NOW GET MOVING!..."
Issei clenched his fists. 'God…I really fucked up this time, huh?…'
"YOU IDIOT!!"
Silence fell over the area.
Issei shut his eyes...
And turned around, taking off in a sprint.
A lone tear fell from Issei's eye.
'That boy…'
The image of Gasper getting cut straight across the chest protecting him flickered in his mind.
'He's… going to die...'
.
.
.
.
'Because of me…'
Even after everything he had seen, even knowing this was far beyond him…
Only one thought filled his head.
'Why?…'
Issei clenched his teeth.
'Why am I… so pathetic?'
.
..
...
As Gasper watched him leave, he let out a slow breath and turned back to Bludwan.
They stared each other down.
Bludwan raised a single finger and pointed it right at Gasper.
'You have grown strong…'
The faces on Bludwan's sides slowly sank back into his head, returning it to its normal shape as he closed his eyes.
Then four slits appeared—above and below both eyes.
They opened.
And four new eyes looked out at the world.
Slowly, he opened his main eyes—both of them a mix of three colors: blue, red, and yellow.
'It is for that very reason… that it must be me that does this.'
At the tip of his finger, a flame appeared. Followed by a spark of lightning then the fog of frost.
"SHOW ME, GASPER!"
All three elements spun on his finger as he released his demonic power, three magic circles forming around his hand.
"SHOW ME WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!!!!"
Gasper, seeing the elements converge onto that single finger, simply closed his eyes and extended his own finger.
With a smile.
'With the amount of demonic power he's pouring into that… yeah. No doubt about it. He's not holding back. This is all of it.'
'I should dodge…'
He slowly opened his eyes to look at Bludwan...
...and froze.
The smile he was wearing...
It was full of pride—his eyes were burningwith something that looked less like bloodlust and more like…
An expectation...
An expectation aimed squarely at the person standing before him.
On the tip of Gasper's finger, a vortex of water droplets pulled inward, forming a sphere.
'But that's…'
'…HOW LOSERS THINK!'
The elements on Bludwan's finger smashed together. A purple light took form at the tip as purple lightning enveloped his entire being.
A small pebble near Gasper's foot shifted… and without a sound, shot into the water sphere on his finger—
—and turned to dust.
For air to exist, a contract must be formed.
One binding together a fundamental necessity required for life itself. And once the conditions for this contract are met, oxygen mixes with nitrogen and various other gases to create the air we breathe…
But within those gases lies one exception.
Water vapor.
The air surrounding Gasper lost all humidity.
And so… when one removes that one exception at an exponential rate…
Leaves on nearby trees began to wilt and die. As they fell, they too were pulled into Gasper's water ball.
Life will respond in kind.
Gasper's eyes were covered in shadow. "Since… we're going all out…"
He raised his head slowly—a crazed grin spreading across his face, his eyes bloodshot, blood falling from them and from his nose, only to be pulled straight into the sphere, turning it a deep red.
Bludwan's smile grew as he looked at that grin. 'This is it. There's no point in holding back…'
'…SO I'LL!!'
The sphere stopped growing at the size of a basketball.
"...Then I'LL…!" Gasper shouted.
Demonic power burst forth from every pore of his body—
All of it gathering in one place.
The sphere.
Forcing it to shrink…
To the size of a water droplet.
"USE IT ALL!!!"
"USE IT ALL!!!"
.
..
…
Sona wove through the trees, her senses spread wide as she followed a thread of magical residue.
'Where could they have gone?…'
Thirty seconds.
She had been gone thirty seconds to help out a bystander.
And yet those two were nowhere to be seen.
'Gasper… you better not be dea—'
Her eyes went wide as she stopped in place.
"Is that… that's Gasper's presence!"
'Am I going crazy…? Why do I feel so much demonic power comi—'
Two voices cut through the silence at once.
"USE IT ALL!!!"
"USE IT ALL!!!"
.
.
.
For a second…
Silence returned…
Then the world went purple.
BOOOOM!!!!
A wave of wind tore trees directly from their roots.
Sona hastily threw up a barrier—
—And cracks formed along it instantly!
The pressure tore her glasses clean off her face as she looked toward the source.
And there they were.
Gasper and Bludwan, standing across from each other—
Laughing like maniacs as they pointed forward.
Between them, a purple beam and a red vortex ground against each other for dominance!
Sparks leapt outward, incinerating any trees left in their vicinity.
The very ground beneath their feet began to crack, taking the form of a spiderweb!
As the beams pushed on each other, they sent multiple waves of wind and energy flying!
'What the hell did I miss?!' she thought, trying to keep herself upright.
And at the center of the chaos…
Something began to take shape.
A sphere of raw energy, pulsating with both of the beam's colors, suspended perfectly between the two beams.
The more the beams pushed back against each other…
The bigger this sphere grew!
Until it stopped.
Finally…
Reaching its maximum capacity.
In an instant the sphere swallowed both beams whole.
For a fraction of a second, its form held.
But it was futile.
In the very next microsecond.
The sphere's form broke sending a dark red and purple pillar into the sky…
The beam approached the barrier…
And smashed straight through it!
SHATTER!
The bright purple sky…
SHATTERED LIKE GLASS AS THE PILLAR CONTINUED ITS ASCENSION TOWARDS THE HEAVENS!
Its ascension kicking up a tornado of dust around it!
.
..
****
Rias sighed, leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed.
"Finally done~" a smile spread across her face as she felt her muscles relax, a mountain of papers sitting in front of her.
'And yet…' she opened her eyes, and turned her gaze to a clock hanging on the wall.
"Still no sign of Gasper…" she sighed in annoyance.
"He couldn't take any other day to go out for a walk?"
Rias blinked.
And her eyes narrowed.
'That's weird…why is the clock purple?'
Then something flashed in her peripheral vision.
She then turned…
Only to face the window.
A dark purple glow reflected off her eyes…
As she stared at a pillar of dark purple shooting into the sky.
Rias blinked.
Then blinked again.
'...crap.'
*****
..
.
Dust blanketed everything.
What had once been a park was now nothing more than barren ground.
Sona pushed a tree branch off herself and looked forward.
Nothing but smoke.
But then—
Whoosh!
Gasper burst out of it.
And in front of him…
And Bludwan burst out to meet him.
Both lunging straight at each other!
Gasper threw an uppercut at Bludwan's midsection —
Bludwan threw a punch right at Gasper's face —
BAM!!!!
Both landed at the same time.
Both stumbled back.
But neither went down.
Sona got to her feet, raised a hand, a circle forming at her fingertips—
Then she froze filled with disbelief.
'His eyes…'
As Sona stared at Gasper's eyes.
She saw…
Nothing but pure determination.
BAM!
They clashed again.
Fist meeting fist, the sound reverberating across the barren field.
They pulled back.
And struck again…
And again,
And again.
AND AGAIN!
Their fists turning into fast blurs as they kept clashing!
Sona shook her head and steadied herself getting ready to fire…
But then—
she slowly…
let her hand fall to her side.
'Why…'
'Why is Gasper's face…'
'So full of joy?'
BAM!
Gasper and Bludwan's fists clashed once more… but their bloody fists slipped off each other—
BAAAAAAM!
Striking each other's faces as their arms crossed midair.
They both went limp for a half second.
The moon illuminating Gasper's bruised face as he stared up at it.
Then he dragged his head back down and slammed his left foot into the ground, stopping himself from falling.
Bludwan planted his right foot and straightened as best he could.
Gasper leaned forward and threw a punch.
The punch landing cleanly on Bludwan's nose.
Bludwan reeled back and threw a hook striking Gasper right on his side.
"AHH!" Gasper gasped hard as the air left his lungs.
Bludwan retracted his fist and followed it up with a left uppercut.
Gasper's chin snapped toward the sky, blood spilling from his mouth as he smiled at the dark above him.
And in an instant Gasper's left foot blurred forward.
The heel of his foot hitting Bludwan right in the chin!
Bludwan took several steps back, as Gasper retracted his extended leg, planting it on the ground, and lunged at Bludwan with a fist draw all the way back…
Once he got close enough Gasper extended his arm, digging into Bludwan's face as the blood painted his fist red.
Bludwan running on pure adrenaline raised his right knee.
BAM!
Slamming his knee right at Gasper's abs!
"Gah!" Gasper bent over the knee practically folding.
Bludwan raised his right arm and brought it down elbow first right at the back of Gasper's head!
BOOM!
Gasper's eyes went completely hollow, his open mouth leaking blood.
But then his eyes retained their shine, he planted both feet on the ground and swung his head back up pushing Bludwan's elbow off him…
BAM!
The back of his head hitting Bludwan right on the chin, sending a tooth flying!
Bludwan watched his tooth as it slowly rose into the sky…
And snapped his head back down looking straight into Gasper's eyes—
And brought his right fist up in an uppercut.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bludwan roared.
Gasper pulled his left fist back and—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" roared right back.
BAM!
BAM!
Both hits landed.
Bludwan's fist digging into Gasper's midsection, while Gasper dug into Bludwan's face…
Both stumbled back.
Bludwan dropped his head low, breathing hard… then extended left hand…
A purple lightning spear took shape
Gasper stepped forward.
His right fist igniting in yellow light.
They both took a step forward…
And lunged!
Gasper brought his fist forward…
And Bludwan brought his spear forward…
…the moment stretching as if frozen in time, as Sona stared on.
Gasper stared at Bludwan… his eyes carrying an intense dark flame…
And Bludwan… carried that same dark intensity in his own gaze.
Bludwan's spear reached first, Gasper stopped his fist and ducked, the spear leaving a deep gash on his left shoulder.
Now underneath Bludwan's extended arm, Gasper drew his fist back, bent forward, and swung upward.
POP!
CRACK!
Hitting the very center of Bludwan's elbow.
His arm went limp as the spear began to fall to the floor slowly dispersing.
But his arm…
Was bent the wrong way entirely.
But the thingwas even with his arm now broken..
Bludwan didn't even make a sound.
Gasper pulled his right hand back and raised his left, Hamon igniting across his knuckles immediately.
He looked up at Bludwan's face—
And his eyes went soft.
On Bludwan's face was not a grin of excitement or even a smirk of a man trying to rile up his opponent…
What was there..
was a soft…
smile.
Gasper brought his fist forward…
'Thank you…'
.
.
.
.
.
.
A beautiful smile broke out on Gasper's face.
.
.
.
.
.
.
'For pushing me so far.'
…And struck Bludwan's chest.
For a moment…the world seemed to stand still.
As Bludwan stood frozen.
…a crack had appeared on his face.
Bludwan took a step back
And through that crack, something shone through…
A yellow light.
More cracks followed, spreading slowly across him.
He raised his right hand and looked at it as the cracks formed across his fingers…
And for some reason
'it's…warm…'
A warmth similar to that of the sun spread throughout his whole body.
He smiled, as his fingers began to turn to dust…
'Gasper…'
His legs…he couldn't feel them.
But he ignored it..
And simply closed his eyes.
'Your mother…'
'Would be proud.'
...
..
.
On February 1st, 2007..
Bludwan…Has died.
.
..
...
Sona stared forward.
Gasper stood there, looking up, his fist pointed towards the sky, as dust glowing a radiant yellow blew upward.
The moon illuminated his very being…
Sona stepped forward…
Gasper, hearing the sound of footsteps, he slowly lowered his head and turned to the sound.
"Oh… hey—" Gasper took a step forward in her direction…
And immediately began his descent to kiss the ground.
Sona's eyes widened as she moved forward and caught him in her arms, his head resting right on her shoulder as she kept him upright.
"Um, Gasper?" Sona moved her gaze to his face…
She sighed.
His eyes were hollow.
But…
"zzz~".
Sona slowly gained a smile purely on the absurdity of the situation. "Couldn't even say hello before trying to give a heart attack, could you?"
And so with one more look at the barren land Sona opened her wings.
And took off into the night sky.
On February 1st, 2007..
Gasper Vladi…
Has…Retired.
.
.
.
←—TO BE CONTINUED—
*****
AN: YO! YO! YO~!!!!
Sup, just here to ask, do you guys like the longer-form chapters or the shorter ones? Let me know.