She did not know his story. If his family abandoned him, she would replace them. If they were gone from this world, she would become his family. She made a vow to herself to always care for him, to be the person he could always rely on in this life.
"I'm here. I'll always be here…Igor."
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|DxD|- Chapter 12- Vitality
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April 19, 1991, Kuoh Town, Japan
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Diehauser Belial was a man of repute who defied the political order. Sixty years ago, his father died in the Scramble and he took over as the patriarch shortly after. He withdrew his clan from the war and used the ensuing chaos to quickly gain political power.
He had become a thorn in the eyes of the Great King Faction, a collection of old nobles who refused to accept that times had changed. The current status quo was now a delicate balance. His clan was still going strong, but the gradual incline made the speed slower than he preferred.
Today was a new day and he was going to visit this new anomaly called Igor. This boy was a piece that could potentially act as a breaking point. His existence would be a constant implication to Cleria. But he was curious, curious to see if he could change this black pawn three paces from promotion towards their side. Given the boy's age, he didn't expect to glean much from him, but where there were crumbs, there would always be bread to be found.
"Well would you look at that. We finally arrived, Cler. All safe and sound. No assassinations, no plots, and no accidents. We even burnt a few calories as a bonus. I'm sure your little belly will be glad."
Cleria swatted away the finger poking her stomach. She was covered in a thin film of sweat. Behind her, she carried a large hiking bag stuffed with who knows what her cousin packed inside.
"Did we…did we really have to walk all the way here?"
Her breaths were laboured. It wasn't because of the bag or the walk itself. It was because Diehauser had the bright idea of depriving her of all her magical enhancements with an ugly choker meant for prisoners!
"From the looks of things, we had to. You've been skimping on your training haven't you, Cleria?"
He moved his finger around while she helplessly tried to shove it away.
"Stop…teasing me!"
Her cheeks puffed up. This stupid cousin was always trying to annoy her. He woke her up before the sun even rose and they had to walk almost twenty kilometres. Her feet were killing her. The soles of her shoes were eroded by the roads and gravel. She hated every step of the way—
"Ah?"
Cleria was gradually suffused with the familiar power of her demonic energy. It was a satisfying tingly feeling like sitting on a vibrating chair. When she opened her eyes, Diehauser was watching her with a smile. Hanging from his finger was the choker.
"Feeling better?"
"Hmph."
She walked past him towards Shuri's home. The hiking bag felt lighter than a feather rather than the bag of rocks it was before. There was temptation to throw it on the ground, but since this was Igor's gift, she begrudgingly carried it along.
She let herself in through the unlocked gate and walked on the paved path. Shuri's home was modest, but it was well-taken care of. Scarcely had she covered half the distance did the door open.
Shuri was in her gown and she looked visibly fatigued. Her skin was noticeably pale, a stark contrast to her rosy pink. Cleria's words of greeting were quickly changed.
"Shuri. What happened to you?"
Shuri widened the door and gestured for them to step inside.
"Come in. I will tell you what I can."
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|DxD|
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Shuri explained to Diehauser and Cleria that Igor was put in a deep sleep. She did not elaborate on the reasons why. Only that there was some lingering spiritual damage.
Earlier that morning, she realised he needed light in his life, something to counteract the darkness consuming him. There was a method she had learned which would make the person experience the happiest memories in their lives through a dream. It was not a dangerous procedure, but it was especially draining if the person had accumulated too much negativity in their lives.
Igor's matter was one of great privacy and not something she would share. Shuri was careful to recount what she could and was honest from the beginning in stating certain parts were private.
Devils were wonderful at spotting deceit and it only got better with age. Cleria was old enough to be her grandmother, not to mention Diehauser who could be her ancestor. She was barely into her late twenties, a complete child to them.
The conversation was not as tense as she expected. If she was honest with herself, from the moment she saw them carrying all those gifts, it had deviated from her expectations. Diehauser was amicable. She was prepared for something different for her first meeting with the Belial patriarch. Perhaps he'd make some demands or insist Igor be taken away. She'd heard from Cleria how he couldn't be reincarnated so it stood to reason they'd insist on taking him away.
But far from anything, Diehauser only requested to observe him rather than have him abducted like she believed. He'd insisted he was fascinated with his unique energy and wanted a closer look. And lo and behold, he remained true to his words.
Moments ago, Shuri led the duo upstairs to the spare room. In the centre, Igor peacefully slept beneath the covers while Diehauser analysed him with barely restrained excitement.
"Cleria. Can you feel it as well? There's no tertiary vein structure or newly-manifested organ in his body. His energy is coming right from his blood."
"Really?"
Cleria stepped forward. Her eyes glowed white just like her cousin's. Shuri stayed quietly on the side in slight surprise while they both conversed over Igor. There was so much joy from Diehauser's voice it formed a stark contrast to the gentleman he was in the living room earlier.
"You're right, cousin. It's actually in his blood."
"I know. This is completely unheard of for a human."
Diehauser was filled with glee. From the moment he took a closer look, he had to hold himself from laughing out loud at the sheer elation. Igor, this sleeping boy, was like a vault of secrets. Supernatural energy like mana in humans would flow in special auxiliary veins that form a new network sometimes layered over their circulatory system.
The only unique exceptions he was aware of were wielders of sacred gears and artifacts and that was because those were powered mostly by lifeforce and emotions, an energy system he still had yet to figure out the specifics of. But that was a mystery to solve for another day.
"Look at this. It flows in synchronization with his heartbeat."
Does that mean the faster his heart beats, he gets stronger? If so, how far can his heart rate rise? Is he constrained under normal human norms or has his heart mutated?
"Let's see…"
Diehauser lowered his head over Igor's chest. The Belial Clan ability was Worthlessness. If the concept of something was understood, it could be made worthless. His mastery allowed him to make all other sights entering his vision worthless, keeping only what he wanted to see.
"Step back a bit, Cleria. I need to see something."
Diehauser attempted to peer into Igor's heart. It was where the golden energy was the most concentrated, yet it was a curtain that prevented his sight from peering further inside. No matter how he tried to look past, Igor's heart was no different from a golden lump he couldn't see through.
This setback didn't displease him. Rather, he found it amusing enough to smile.
"Shuri. I suggest you never designate Igor as a normal human. This energy of his is everywhere from his brain to the soles of his feet. It extends even as far as the roots of his hair and his…please hold on a moment."
He inspected Igor's head with keen precision. His eyes glowed and with each passing second, the corners of his lips twitched in disbelief.
"This…"
Igor's hair was a mess on the pillow. Diehauser took a few strands into his hand and brought them closer to his face. The strands were smooth like freshly spun silk that glowed in the sunlight. It wasn't the appearance of Igor's hair that drew his gaze, but what was within it.
He let go of the strands one by one until a single barely visible piece remained. It would be easy to miss it if the air he exhaled didn't rustle it every few moments. Diehauser looked at this one strand with such intensity it worried the others. Yet he wasn't focused on them. Rather, it was the astonishing discovery that had almost had him laugh out loud.
"It's in his hair. This energy exists in his hair from the follicle right down to the very last tip."
He held a palm to his forehead in sheer surprise and astonishment.
"Can you believe it?"
It was a rhetorical question. Diehauser didn't wait for a response from either of the two women. He was deep in thought trying to find some information from his mind. He had read many encyclopedias from authors of different races. He'd visited the supernatural world and even got to meet some more elusive races.
Some could manipulate their hair like additional limbs, but that relied on conscious energy input, not passive energy traversal like Igor. Rituals that involved hair existed, but that mostly tied to the person's identity. There were the Nazirites who believed their power came from their hair and signified their oath to God, but there were no documented cases detailing energy flow in hair.
"Cousin. Is there—"
"Shush."
What caught Diehauser's attention by the highest overall was Igor's vitality and cellular division. His regenerative turnover resembled an infant. Normally such a thing would come with severe repercussions, perhaps promote cell disorder and cancer now or later, but this energy of his seemed to reinforce this division.
He was still young and growing so he couldn't predict Igor's lifespan until his body's natural growth slowed down in his twenties, but if he had this energy to reinforce his cell division, he perhaps might live to a hundred-and-fifty.
[Maybe even two-hundred. Who knows?]
He restrained his glee behind a small smile. Oh how he wished Igor was awake at this very moment. He needed to see him in action and get a proper feel for his energy in motion. If he could just fire an energy blast, it would answer just a few of the great many questions lingering in his head.
Unfortunately, this would be too intrusive and this wasn't the best time.
"Shuri-san. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity."
Igor was unlike anything he'd seen before. He was an enigma, a very exciting enigma. Just these few short moments spun a new web of enquiries he had for the blonde. He would enjoy solving him.
"A word of advice however. Don't take him to a hospital. He's too…unique."
His smile was slight like that of a man who knew more than he let on. Diehauser only left that subtle word of advice when he instantly vanished from the room, leaving the two women in silence. Only Igor's soft breathing filled the quiet. What was he dreaming about?
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AN: Chapter 13 is available on the forbidden website for all free members. On p@treon, just look for HolyGambler. Otherwise, until the next chapter and thanks for reading.
Chapter 12
END