2 I.2
Shinjiro stared at the door with blatant confusion.
At first glance, there was nothing particularly wrong with it. It was dilapidated, for sure. The cracks and uneven planks of wood made for a very worn out sight. But that wasn't enough of a reason to garner his confusion.
No, despite the fact that the door was a bit old looking, the bigger problem was that it was there at all.
He hadn't moved into the house that long ago but he was sure of it.
This door... wasn't there the day before.
And now that he thought about it a bit, he'd never even gone in this corner of the house. Perhaps it was another example of him breaking out of being hypnotized? He wasn't sure. The day before he'd simply glazed over this way and moved on to his bedroom.
But today....? Today it really stood out.
So even if he had to go school in a few hours, he was really tempted to explore what this basement was about.
The owner of the house, the one whom was backing him, clearly didn't want him down there. They wouldnt have made him forget about it, otherwise. So while it was tempting, it was also dangerous.
He licked his lips, weighing his options on a mental scale.
On one hand, he could deal with this later. He could simply get ready for, and go to school. Increase his stats, gain a useful class, and come back to this when he felt confident. It wasn't like he was on a timer. The basement would be there even if he waited months.
On the other hand... he could just go down. Maybe there would be some clue to his backer down there. A clue to utilizing the three stats he had no real knowledge on. For humans, magic, chi, and even using holy power required either a teacher or a really high talent.
Without being sure of his own talent, the prospect of gaining some actual power was... enticing, to say the least.
Then again... if his mysterious backer didn't want him in the basement, they wouldn't have put it there in the first place. Hypnotizing others couldn't be a guarenteed thing, could it? Even a simple clue let's the human mind spiral into conclusion after conclusion. Something like this would've eventually raised alarm bells.
...And if he was honest with himself, he was just rationalizing a decision he'd already made. Between the choice of boring old school or a chance at using genuine magic, who could blame him?
So it was no wonder that by the time he'd made his choice, his foot was already on a step going down.
A secret basement, it seemed.
The stairs creaked and groaned under his weight, threatening to fall under him with each step. With one focused step after another, he stepped into the cold stone floor and found...
Not much.
Well, at first glance, at least. For a moment, nothing in particular caught his eye. The boiler and pipes strewn about here and there, going in and out of the walls was commonplace for basements after all.
Yet, there was still a few things of note.
An unconscious bag sat upon a meditation mat, lines and symbols strewn about its leather.
In the back, opposite of the boiler, was a simple wooden table and a chair. On top of the table sat a worn out parchment. As it was in the middle of the wall, the entire room seem to center on it.
But above said table was what really caught his eye. A rack where a bonafide spear sat, simply collecting dust. There was something about it's black spearhead that sucked him in, the darkness akin to the night sky.
Shinjiro blinked, taking all of this in before letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Not knowing what to expect, he was pretty much ready to run the moment something seemed slightly off.
Luckily, there was just a few odd items here and there.
He hummed to himself, considering which item to check out first. He didn't have much time though, since school was starting soon and he wasn't dressed...
'Might as well check everything out quickly then, in that case!'
Stepping further into the room, he stepped over the meditation mat, picking up the odd looking bag on his way.
Setting the bag on the table and reluctantly choosing not to take the extremely tempting spear off the wall, he settled into the chair and picked up the parchment.
A shiver went down his spine.
It was a concise note... addressed directly to him.
--
Shinjiro,
If you're reading this, you've finally awakened.
Do not worry, none know that you are my kin.
Sadly, though you inherited my power, your choice to be human has tainted it. You have to train to gain strength, like the weaklings do.
This is annoying, but I have accepted it.
I would have my subordinates train you, but I don't trust them around you. I would train you myself, but I have always been strong. Instead, I left for you a few items to facilitate growth that I forced my subordinates to make or give up.
Soon, we will take back our home.
Become strong. If you are weak, he will kill you when the time comes.
Do not die.
--
His mind whirled with the implications of the letter. The person backing him was someone related to him- someone who was clearly entrenched in the supernatural, and someone who... hadn't truly abandoned him.
While he didn't care for finding out who his parents were before, it would be a lie to say he didn't long for family relations once. He, too, was once a child after all. Some would say he still is one.
Now, learning that his relatives didn't abandon him, but were secretly watching over him? It made his mind swirl with questions.
Did his family actually care for him, and were simply protecting him from this... man? Who was this man, and why did they think he'd have enough strength to defeat him one day? What 'strength' did he inherit? The system? That power from the void?
Too many questions. And more and more piled on as he read the letter again and again.
Yet, no matter how he thought about it, none of it made sense.
Especially that line about being human. He didn't choose anything, so why did they think so.
The whole thing was giving him a headache, so he set the letter aside.
All in all, he learned at least a few things. One, whoever his family was, they'd been looking over him this whole time. So at least he probably wasn't being watched by a malicious person.
Two, eventually he had to face a great enemy, and he'd need to get stronger to do so. Though, he was already planning to become strong, so the only thing this did was add more fuel to the fire.
And finally, he'd apparently been given an avenue to growth.
Looking over to the bag, he opened it up and reached in, pulling out just a few simple items. It was clear how one of the items could help him grow, but the other two puzzled him.
The first item, the one that would obviously help him grow, was a positively ancient looking book. It was in terrible condition, with pages and almost sticking out of its leather cover. And speaking of the cover, there was a single word on it, but in a language he'd never seen before. The only thing likely keeping it together were the metal caps binding the corners.
That had to be a magical book of some kind, he figured. And since it was so old, that was probably one of the items his family member forced their subordinate to 'give up'.
The second was a... silver rosary? For some reason...? That tied into his Faith stat, sure, but what was he supposed to do with it?
And finally, the last item was a pair of wrist bands and ankle wraps. Both were a simple black with no defining features.
The letter did say their subordinates made a few things, so perhaps it had some special properties. Maybe it was weighted in some fashion like that one world with wish granting dragons. Or perhaps it made him undetectable magic-wise.
He'd figure it out later. No point speculating for now.
While he didn't know what to do with the other two items, he damn sure knew how to open a book.
Or... did he? Trying to pry the book open just resulted in him fruitlessly pulling at the cover. No matter how much effort he put into it, it didn't budge an inch. 'Maybe it needs key... or something?'
There was a small hole on the cover, maybe he had to stick something in?
Rummaging through the bag, searched every inch of it for something to put in, but there was nothing left. He furrowed his brows, staring at the cover in mild frustration.
Tilting his head back and forth, he fiddled with the hole, seeing if his finger would fit in-
"Ow," He muttered, slightly shocked at the sudden sharp pain on his fingertip. Slowly, the pain faded, but his blood flowed out of his finger and into the book's slot.
Blinking, he watched in fascination as the unreadable title shifted it's ink around to fit into a word he understood. One that caused a budding seed of excitement to blossom in his chest.
'MANA' It read, in black bold lettering.
Excitedly, he attempted to open the book once more and... it worked! So the key was just a bit of his blood. Perhaps it was one of those binding rituals he'd seen in fantasy stories.
...He was doing too much speculation today. Not having all the answers was frustrating.
But not annoying to dampen his mood as he read. Because while it wasn't the type of book he was expecting, he realized, it was better than nothing.
Rather than being a magic book, detailing a list of spells or how to utilize magic at all, it was a book all about mana- the energy that fuels magic in the first place. And most importantly, how he could feel for and control his own.
Intrigued and eager to learn how mana worked, he meticulously began to read each and every word, taking nothing for granted. Ignoring the odd buzzing sound he could hear gaining volume in the background, he took to his studying with intensity.
The first step was always the most exciting, in his opinion.
---
A/N: Oh! Just to get this out of the way, this story isn't harem. I know, I know- 'a DxD story without harem, whaaaat?!'
I just don't like writing harem. It's difficult to get it right and the payoff isn't worth the effort.
