He squeezed out those stiff words before vanishing like the wind. He would have to return here in another three years, but he'll see if he can't foist that onto Shemhazai. Handling embarrassing things was absolutely not his forte.
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|DxD|- Chapter 16- Descendant
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Kuoh Town, Japan
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A heat haze fell over the town of Kuoh. The sun was so unbearably hot it stung right at the back of the neck. In Shuri's home, all the windows and curtains were open. Her closeness to the forest meant it was very cool compared to the rest of town.
Igor was in the living room with Akeno. The little infant happily clung onto his leg like a koala while he swung it around. Her happy squeals of laughter were infectious. The blonde spent most of his time reading volumes of Dragon Ball.
Once in a while, he would glance at the little girl and wiggle his leg a bit like a swing. She'd cling on for dear life while giving out the cutest giggles.
"Come here."
He put his book down and leaned over to pick her up. She'd left a trail of saliva all over his shin. He put her on his lap and like the devious miscreant she is, she quickly grabbed his hair.
"Hihihihi~!"
She giggled, exposing her little front teeth. He poked her on the side, making her flinch and let go.
"Let's see how you like this then!"
He lifted her shirt and blew into her stomach. The rumbling noise sent her into another fit of giggles.
"Since you keep pulling my hair, I'll eat you. Raaawr!"
"Hihihihihi~!"
He was grateful to Shuri. She gave him a home and food to eat. She trusted him with her daughter and she was with him at his lowest points. He owed her a great deal. No matter how long it took, he would find a way to repay her.
"Oh? Are you playing with big brother? Are you happy to spend your time with Iga~?"
Shuri walked in and behind her stood a very tall man. When Igor looked up, his smile faded away. The sun suddenly ceased to exist as if dark clouds blotted it out.
[What…?]
If the energy coming from Shuri was a small wave on the beach, then this man was a tsunami of power. The aura around him wasn't a misty haze, but a roaring spring of ink spilling all over the room. In Igor's eyes, he was a shadow figure with only two white spots for eyes.
"Papa~ papa~ papa~!"
All of a sudden, the room turned back to normal. Shuri was standing behind the couch with her hand on his shoulder. Her expression was one of worry. Igor didn't know when he'd begun sweating. Everything happened too quickly.
Akeno was in her father's hold and playing with the collar of his coat. It was too much of a contrast from the monster his instincts were telling him he was. Igor knew right on that spot. That man wasn't a human.
That very same man leaned over and extended his hand for a greeting.
"And you must be Igor. My name is Baraquiel, Shuri's husband and Akeno's father. A pleasure to meet you."
"..."
Igor wordlessly took Baraquiel's hand. He almost swatted it away out of fear. Is this what Shuri meant when she said the supernatural world was filled with powerful people?
He swallowed every single trace of desire pleading for him to run. He had absolutely no chance in winning against this man. He could remain calm only because this man was Akeno's father.
"You're…strong…"
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|DxD|
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Ten years of peace. Ten years of factions licking their wounds. The confirmed death of the War God Ares was a catalyst that turned the page of history. To date, no one knew how it happened. No divination magic or any amount of tugging at the strings of fate could explain how a god died, never to be revived.
The infamy of the Ariyans amongst closed circles saw a rise again, but only briefly. There was only so much speculation that could go on before people lost interest. No one would care for an extinct race…except one was seated before him.
Millennia of experience had taught Baraquiel how to remain composed. When he set foot into his home, he'd felt an energy signature he believed he would never sense again. When he stepped into the living room, his level of suspicion saw a sharp rise.
Blonde hair and blue eyes—all Ariyans shared that trait, but that alone would not be enough to peg the boy as a race of blessed humans. But the way the boy's eyes glowed yellow was the final nail on his suspicion.
[To think I would witness vitality again after eight centuries. Is this what Yinglong meant by the sun rising from the west?]
The boy was the sun alright. A sun that would decimate his family if left alone. He could envision the consequences if he were found. Pantheons would race to erase him from existence.
"And you must be Igor. My name is Baraquiel, Shuri's husband and Akeno's father. A pleasure to meet you."
The boy took his hand and Baraquiel subtly scanned him. It was not a disguise. Igor was approaching ten years of age. So did that mean he had parents somewhere? Perhaps a small group survived the extermination? Questions, questions.
"You're…strong…"
Oh? Well this was intriguing. Baraquiel found himself almost showing the barest hint of a smile. Perhaps he could come to like this boy. But first, he needed to have a conversation with Shuri. The chances were slim, but still existent. If anyone else sensed that Igor was a descendant of that race, the Scramble might be triggered again and undoubtedly, he and his family would perish, perhaps Grigori too. As harsh as it was, Igor's fate needed to be discussed. Though he suspected what his wife's decision would be.
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|DxD|
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Four thousand years ago, humans were a united force to be reckoned with. They could live for half a millennium and had power far-surpassing numerous other races. They shared a language no other race could speak or understand—Adamic, as it was called. A few hundred years after the Great Flood, humanity had become a great superpower.
Their downfall came when greed consumed them. They wished for more power, to recover the divinity their ancestor Adam once had, the power to influence the mountains and rivers through voice alone.
All the tribes and clans that existed then came together to construct a massive tower that pierced the skies. No one knew the ongoings in that tower, but it prompted God himself to act. Out of all the clans, only one did not participate. It was a clan led by a man named Ariya.
On that day, God descended and divided the world. Humanity was scattered and knowledge of Adamic was lost. Humans could no longer understand each other, but Ariya and his clan were spared.
Not much is known about the world from that time period, but Baraquiel explained as much as he could to Shuri. After the Great Flood, the Great 'Reset' as it was referred to, many supernatural races were still recovering from that catastrophe, including Heaven and the Underworld.
Two centuries later, the Ariyans, as they were soon called, vanished into their realm and were never seen again. Sightings of them over the past few thousand years were so rare they had become legends. Baraquiel had only seen Ariyans three times in his life and the last time was during the Scramble when seven of them dared to attack Olympus and kidnapped Ares.
To this day, Olympus has yet to recover. The sheer scale of the battle is rumoured to have made the Greek Realm uninhabitable. Many gods were injured with curses and strange magic that would take them years to resolve.
If anyone hated the Ariyans, it would be Olympus, but other pantheons and factions could not be excluded. The time chamber artifact and the death of Ares meant if any Ariyan was found alive, an unimaginable fate awaited them. This was the fate that awaited Igor if he was found. Baraquiel would not put it above the Shinto Gods to personally eliminate Igor if they discovered him.
He communicated all of his concerns to Shuri and she listened quietly. If he was still unsure if Igor was an Ariyan, then his wife informing him he could seamlessly speak three languages was definite proof. He was a descendant of that man.
"Husband…"
Shuri uttered quietly. Her elbow was on the table, her hand hovering over her mouth in quiet surprise. Her amber eyes shimmered with sadness in them. Her other hand clutched a fistful of tablecloth within its grasp.
"What do we do?"
Baraquiel sat next to her in the kitchen. It was late at night and the children had gone to sleep. He knew Shuri had come to care for the boy. He'd seen it in their interactions.
"He's a child, Baraquiel."
"I know."
He responded grimly amidst his wife's silent tears. The logical solution was for Igor to join his ancestors or be sent away.
"Is there no other way?"
"..."
He fell quiet. Was there no other way?
"None that work."
If the worst came, he could take his family into Grigori once Akeno was older. Hybrids were ostracized, but as his daughter, she would be treated with the utmost respect. For Igor however, there was nowhere for him to go. In a century at most, he would be discovered if no measures were taken.
"Go to bed, Shuri. I'll come up with something once I know more."
Baraquiel gave his wife a kiss on the forehead and got up. Shuri wiped her tears and also got up. She would give it a few days, maybe a week before she told Igor of his heritage. He had just gone through a crisis. She did not wish to burden him with another one so soon—
"?!?!"
Shuri raised her head with such force her tears scattered. She looked upstairs. Her senses pierced into all the rooms. With each moment, her breaths stalled.
Igor wasn't there anymore…and so was her husband.
'Go to bed, Shuri.'
[No!]
The table skidded across the floor and banged against the counter. Shuri was speeding out the kitchen before the first squeal of metal legs against ceramic.
[Don't you dare, Baraquiel. Don't you dare!]
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AN: Well…that quickly went sideways. Baraquiel better not do something stupid or Mama Shuri might tear him apart.
That's all for today guys. Thanks for reading. I'll come back with number 17 next week. Thanks for reading
Chapter 16
END