Chapter 8: The Answer
Eric stepped into Ishtar's golden throne room with the grace of a young man, having transformed from a boy into someone who now held a clear sense of purpose. There was an air of determination surrounding him as he entered, his unwavering gaze set firmly ahead. He had mentally prepared himself all night for this day, a day that was not only significant for the goddess but also for him.
While the weight of his purpose dominated his thoughts, a small, selfish part of his mind couldn't help but linger on the main aspect of this day—the fulfillment of his deepest desires, the ones that had appeared all those years ago when he had first presented his queen piece to her.
Today marked the moment Ishtar would become more than a goddess to him; she would become his queen, his mother, his everything. After today they would be linked for all time, inseparable, always loved... cherished. It was almost like a dream. But so was all his time in the temple.
His time in the temple had been a journey of enlightenment. He had absorbed knowledge, skills, and, most importantly, the understanding of his own role as a vessel for his goddess. Now, he was more than just a servant; he was to be her partner, her perfect companion, molded for her desires and needs.
To be given such an honour as being the partner of his goddess was a duty that weighed heavy on his mind, doubts occasionally plagued his mind about his worthiness and the role he was about to undertake. But these worries were always addressed by the goddess. He had learned that when Ishtar decreed something, it was not up for questioning. She was his purpose, his guiding light, and he would do whatever it took to make her dreams a reality.
When Eric reached the foot of the divine throne, he knelt before Ishtar, his head bowed in reverence.
"My most beautiful goddess."
Ishtar gazed at Eric, an expression of satisfaction evident in her divine eyes as they roamed over his transformed body. She meticulously observed every aspect of him, ensuring his vessel was prepared for what was to come. Her divine vision traced over his figure, pausing at a particular energy signature at the centre of his being. A signature that she knew held the key to their escape.
For a brief moment, Ishtar's eyes flashed gold as she honed in on that energy signature tracking it as it tried to reach out towards the case sitting next to her. The other pieces in the set radiated the same signature, inextricable linked to one another.
The signature deep in his body was seemingly trying to form a connection with the pieces but it was one that was broken and spotty at best.
That would soon change.
"Come over, Kiang,". Her delicate hand beckoned her soft voice sensual and hypnotising. Her address was one of endearment she had come to cherish since her plans had evolved. It was a sentence she had not thought she would ever speak again, for she had no desire for another beloved.
Eric's body rippled with power as he stepped forwards and started to slowly ascended Ishtar's divine throne, another by product of the years spent under her moulding and perfection. He was bare-chested, allowing the subtle play of muscles beneath his slightly tanned skin to ripple and captivate the goddess's gaze as he moved closer, as he knew she liked.
Eric's eyes held love... devotion... reverence and so much more as he made his way closer, all of which Ishtar observed as he made his way up.
As Eric finally stood before her waiting for her command, Ishtar's thoughts ventured back to the evil pieces, the linchpin of her escape plan. She had dedicated seven years to their study and modification, understanding their intricate design. She would admit their creator was truly a genius for what he had created.
The key to their power was the energy signature embedded within Eric—the very core of the chess set, the king piece.
These pieces had been designed to influence and ultimately transform a person's soul once placed inside. But they could only succeed if the target's soul wasn't strong enough to resist the evil piece and that was the brilliance of the evil set and her key to freedom. The stronger Eric was, the stronger the pieces became, pooling a section of his power that could be used for the process, each piece being able to hold a certain amount of his power.
The evil pieces worked by implanting a piece within a beings soul. Once inside the energy that had been stored within the piece would explode out, converting the soul of the target, reshaping it into the energy that was supplied by the king piece, AKA 'Devil energy'.
If the targets soul was too strong, the energy within the piece would be unable to convert the whole soul. The soul was linked to the body in ways not many knew, but one must understand that the soul shaped one's body, not the other way around. Once a soul was converted in full, almost instantly, their body would follow in short and quick order.
To not convert the soul near instantly and entirely with the stored energy would lead to a rejection, a pain unlike any other and worse yet a high likely hood of failure and death as the energy within the piece was consumed tearing apart the persons soul.
Her imprisonment was a result of her own arrogance, and escaping it required a unique strategy. The runic barrier that held her was intricately linked to her magic signature, which was synonymous with her soul. Escaping meant changing her magic signature, something impossible as long as she was bound to the barrier. If she did it herself, the barrier would automatically adapt to her ministrations, leading her back to square 1.
That's where the pieces came in. Ishtar needed to almost instantaneously change her magic signature, completely disrupting the barrier around the temple and not giving it time to adapt.
This was where Eric's role came into play.
She had invested these years meticulously molding him physically and mentally. His body was now capable of bearing a fraction of her immense power, a prerequisite for her plan, for it was impossible for him to take in her full being as he were.
It was a delicate process. Her powers over the years altered the evil pieces design, converting them from power conduits into something different... more like a circuit.
As she explained to Eric, these pieces would no longer store his energy to change then tie a being to himself, as they originally did. No, instead as his piece connected to her, her power... her being would flow back, pouring into him so as to create a feedback loop. Reengineering the power that coursed through them both, meshing and melding together to make something new, something that connected them on a deeper level.
Making them something different.
In a precise sequence, his energy would merge with hers and then be returned to him, altered and amplified. The intricate circuitry of this magical power would flow through the golden patterns laid out in the mended cracks of his old pieces, transforming them into something new.
The first part of the plan required Eric's body to be strong enough to sustain at least 30% of her total power, something she had strived for and finally achieved recently. This served to prevent the feedback from overwhelming his physical form and atomizing him within an instant. By instantly taking that much of her power into himself, it allowed her to send the remaining 70% of her magic into the evil pieces, reinforcing and restoring them while at the same time instantly converting the rest of her energy before she would be reformed.
This process was not without drawbacks, including a consistent pain to Eric's body as he adjusted to her power that would continuously be looped back through their connection. This pain would continue until his body grew toi evolve and adapt to said power; something which would take a long time. Yet, he bore this burden willingly, knowing that it was a small price to pay for her freedom.
His willingness to take on such a pain for her freedom caused a soft spot for him to blossom within Ishtar that day; one that would only continue to grow in the future she was sure.
From the beginning, Eric had been nothing more than a plaything, a slave for her amusement. His past was but a canvas for her molding, his identity reshaped into an obedient follower… obedient and devoted.
But now, he had become a device for her freedom, someone who would be bound to her, their destiny shared as they walked forwards. Eric would not remain just a servant; he would be her partner in the truest sense. He would be shaped and molded into something more than human, a being worthy of her... her perfect half... her perfect love.
She would make sure of it.
The transformation would be slow, deliberate and most importantly... irreversible.
Ishtar's gaze lingered on Eric, the anticipation of their shared destiny palpable in the air. The room was charged with a sense of transformation, power, and destiny, as the first step towards her escape was about to begin.
"Come, Kiang," she said, her voice echoing with authority. "It is time that you begin your ascension."
"Yes, my Queen." Eric responded with unwavering devotion.
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Notes:
Just some notes, here. I hope this explains what's happening as well as my thoughts on the evil piece system in DxD. I read the light novels for a hot minute when I was younger and first off.
1. Issei isn't that bad a protag. I see so much hate thrown his way, but in the Light novel, I swear to god, he was much better. Sure he was a bit perverted, but damn he's got a heart of gold. Also explains pretty clearly why he didn't start banging Rias and the rest left right and centre after like the first major arc. (Pretty convincingly) (Always hate when authors try to get on high horses, shitting on Light novel protags because of stuff like "being a pussy", especially when they have a good reason, outside of being dense as all hell. You know outside of the whole, this is a light novel for general audiences which doesn't include r18 scenes because, censorship, it's specifically written that way.)
2. Rias, isn't really as bad as so many portray her to be. I feel like at some point people just decided to start bashing her and it became the norm. There are so many reasons why you could bash her character especially if you logically look at a lot of the stuff that happens in volume 1 ect. But still I don't think the hate is super deserved.
3. I really hate reading DxD novels where the MC is reincarnated by Rias or a different devil, but he is like OP. I mean the rules of the system say, "if you are not strong enough you can't reincarnate them" It's not about using 8 pawn pieces to get the job done for Op characters. It's literally not possible if you weak. I see it happen all the time and it pissess me off these days. I hope my explanation of how this is working makes sense to people. (At least I tried to think of a actually reason and consequences of such an action.)
Anyways, Zevren out!