Chương 24: Chapter 20- Investment

By then, he could assuredly leave his family in Igor's protection while he tackled the biggest issue weighing in his heart—how to combat against the Shinto Gods.... … |DxD|- Chapter 20- Investment …... April 30, 1991, Kuoh Town, Japan. Another bright Monday arrived. The clouds parted, revealing the sun in all its morning glory. Its rays pierced the windows of many households, signaling the start of another week to workers and children. Igor was up before dawn. His skin was fresh as if moisturized by dew drops.

The weeks had darkened his skin into a healthy rosy colour instead of the sickly white it was before. The wide branches of the spruce tree nursed him beneath its shade. This tree had become the daily meeting spot between him and the old man. Igor opened an eye before closing it again. Judging by the light, it'd be another hour before Baraquiel came. He felt nothing but gratitude to the old man. He taught him a lot about his clan, his energy, and the supernatural world.

Igor didn't understand much—only that you shouldn't blindly trust anyone. Then again, Baraquiel lived for thousands of years. He wondered what it was like to live that long. Igor sat cross-legged on one of the branches. His mind was focused on circulating the energy in his body. Vital Energy—according to the old man, he was the only user in this era. Having it in his body felt a little bit like having electricity flowing through his veins. If he focused, he'd feel the 'sloshing water' in his body.

He knew this was his blood. It was amazing how he could follow the flow and map out his whole body. He could 'see' it flowing through his body and passing through his heart all the way to his scalp. His heartbeat was very, very slow. Relaxed, he could place roughly ten seconds between each beat. It felt… surreal to have this much capability. He could run alongside cars, leap on top of houses, and had hours of stamina. He could track scents by… how many kilometres was it? [Was it two or three?] He was too energetic to listen last week. It was fun learning all that he could do, perhaps the most fun he had since… ever.' Do not forget how you came to possess this power, boy. You got lucky. Luck rarely comes a second time.'

"..." That's right. He should never forget how he survived. If that stray chose to kill him right away instead of… —he wouldn't be here today. Only by getting stronger can he guarantee something like this would never happen again. A faint golden yellow outline surrounded him. His heart beat like the steps of a jogger. With each rise in his heart rate, he felt stronger and more aware. The world was brighter. He could see, hear, and smell further. Blood rushed through his body in waves.

His heart was an engine that pushed it all in powerful bursts. Each rise in his heart-rate sent a stronger flow across his body. The faint outline steadily solidified until it became a gentle fluctuating cloak. His blood ran hot like water close to boiling. Each breath was white with steam. Strands of air hovered under the heat of his aura. His body rippled with power. This was the most optimal state he could maintain for the next few hours. Any further and he'd start burning himself out.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. His eyes opened. They were bright just like the aura around him. His senses—hearing, smelling, pressure—they all combined with his sight to give him a sort of three-sixty-degree vision. He couldn't explain it even if he tried. It was like having eyes all over his body, but also being able to see himself from another person's perspective. However, it meant nothing if he still couldn't see Baraquiel sneaking up on him.

Igor almost lost control of his energy when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. Baraquiel's weight jolted the branch and for a moment, Igor wished it would snap since it would teach the man to not sneak up on people.

"Are you planning on tiring yourself before we even begin, boy?"

"Old man…" His clenched fist relaxed. He swallowed his displeasure and withdrew the aura around his body. His hair draped over his shoulders once more like falling curtains.

"You came early today."

"I did." Baraquiel gestured with his hand and a large stainless steel lunchbox plopped on Igor's lap. Igor took the lunchbox. He masked his scowl beneath curious sniffs. Predictably, he could smell nothing inside because of a damned magic seal holding everything inside including the heat.

"There's chilli in this, right?" He inquired carefully. Igor prayed it wouldn't be the same old treatment.

"Of course there is." Baraquiel responded with an amused smile. He almost chuckled when Igor groaned no different from a patient suffering from constipation. His dear wife still hadn't forgotten the little 'stunt' Igor pulled last week. She still treated him well, dotingly even. Of course, she had taken the time to air her displeasure through little incidences. Her favourite method was adding spices to his food. Igor had yet to learn how to lower his passive senses so spices were especially strong to him.

Not to mention his sense of taste.

"Even if you know it has spices, you still have to eat it, boy""..." Igor grimaced. He couldn't exactly decrease blood flow to his nose and mouth. He didn't think he could in the first place. And Baraquiel still wouldn't tell him how to humanise his senses.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue. He just had to be quick with it. Open the box, and shovel everything down his throat.

"Fine. I'll do it." Baraquiel felt a bit sorry for the poor boy. Just a tiny bit. Shuri's pettiness in truth, was not just a way for her to air her grievances, but to give Igor memories he could look back upon with a laugh. The boy would have to go back to the time chamber and he would be there for fifteen months according to his words. Having something to think about other than vengeance and pain would steer him from the dark side.

"Cough! Cough!" Igor coughed the moment he scooped the first handful of rice into his mouth. He'd made the mistake of inhaling. Now, the spices had scorched the back of his throat.

"Bear with it, Igor." Baraquiel pitied him. He reckoned he could cover the bare bones of everything by Wednesday. Thursday would be Igor's final day and he would depart. He playfully urged him to eat, deliberately ignoring the boy's teary glare. His wife had taken great care in cleaning him up. Disregarding his vitality, Igor was possibly the healthiest boy on the planet.

"Hiiygghh!" Perhaps a bit too healthy. Baraquiel suppressed a chuckle at Igor's raspy laboured breaths. One could swear he swallowed a fly based on his reactions. It was a miracle he hadn't dropped the lunchbox. The heavy smell of spices were slaughtering the boy. He was shovelling rice with his bare hands with such speed his knuckles knocked on the steel with each scoop. His cheeks were puffed to the brim like a hamster's. He looked like a dunce and so very, very… innocent. [Sometimes I forget his age.] Self-awareness beyond his years. Will and determination surpassing men centuries his senior. A level of understanding seen in young men. Baraquiel's mind drifted towards the morning after the night that changed everything.

'I…understand.' In place of a child who would've begged and pleaded, Igor replied with those two words when he told him he'd have to return to the time chamber. That very same child now had his cheeks wet with oil and rice. The parallels dimmed his gaze. Subconsciously, he treated Igor as an older lad, but then again, who wouldn't? Perhaps it was his wife who truly saw him for the child he was.

"Shuri loves you." He began rather suddenly. It was funny that in these few minutes of peace amongst chirping birds and rustling leaves, he would have such serious thoughts. Igor looked up with reddened cheeks. It was normal he'd be surprised. Baraquiel had come to learn that behind everything, Igor was a very shy child.

"I know I've taught you a bit about the supernatural world. I'm sure in that brain of yours, you've asked yourself what your part is in all of this and the true reason why we are helping you." Baraquiel looked Igor in the eye. They shimmered with quiet guilt. It seemed he hit the nail right on the spot.

"I will be truthful to you, Igor." A part of him questioned why he ruined this moment, but was there really anything as a perfect time? Rather than wait, it was better to let Igor fully understand where he stood in this family.

"To me, you are an investment. You are a budding disaster I want to weaponize for the sake of my family. If I train you to grow strong enough, I know there is a chance you will protect this family. But my wife? She's different." Baraquiel unknowingly smiled. He could still remember the day Shuri saved him despite knowing what he was. Even when he told her his name, she was still stern enough to tell him to stay in bed. What an idiot she was. He stretched his hand and placed it on Igor's head.

He could never be kind like Shuri, but he would use whatever means necessary to ensure she never changed.

"I have no doubt in my mind about this. To Shuri, you are Igor. Just…Igor." He gave him a soft pat on the head.

"Never forget that.".

END