The year is 90622, son of Kuragari, Shinji Yuu is celebrating his 16th birthday. This birthday is especially important to demons as it marks the beginning of huge development of power; from the age of sixteen until seventeen is where demons achieve the majority of their base strength at an astonishing rate. Usually, the 17th birthday marks the pinnacle of a demon's power, making this year the most anticipated among parents. Shinji is enrolled at Izar Academy, known as the school of the best and named after the founder – Demon Lord Izar. He left home with a smile, excited for his first day back, as this year is completely different to the rest. The second-year classes are ordered by family status, putting Shinji in the top class without any of his friends in the former years – except for one.
Stepping into class the next day, he didn't recognise a single face. He sat in his assigned seat but before he even had a moment to think, the boy in front of him turned around, catching Shinji off guard.
"Who are you!?" The boy exclaimed, seemingly excited.
"...Who are you?" Shinji responds the same.
"My bad, my name is Katashi, Katashi Murano"
"My name is Shinji, Shinji Yuu."
Katashi squinted at Shinji, observing him. His white hair, tipped with blond that spiked up slightly but not fully. His dark-red, almost black eyes and small but noticeably sharp black-Ish horns. His Ridged and clearly pointed teeth and sharp eyebrows. He resembled much of his father.
"Yuu... I KNEW IT!" Katashi practically yelled "You are Commander Kuragari's son, aren't you?"
"U-uh, yeah"
"YOU MUST BE REALLY STRONG, RIGHT?"
"Well, yes, but... not quite, can you please just keep your voice down?" Shinji resorts to a whisper, embarrassed by the attention Katashi has drawn to him. "It was actually my birthday only yesterday so I've still got room for improvement, I'm only a B- Class right now"
Just as Shinji finishes speaking another student walks into the classroom and immediately locks onto Shinji.
"SHINJI!" She shouted before somehow almost instantly appearing next to him. She was Shinji's old friend whom he has known since he was young – Kasumi Niwa.
This did not help bring all eyes off of Shinji, sure enough it made everyone even less likely to turn away; Kasumi being nothing short of an interesting sight, with ears of a feline on top of her head, eyes as green as grass grown in the depths of the fairy kingdom, a mouth bearing almost ordinary looking teeth despite the rest of her appearance, and wavy, dirty-blonde hair that faded to brown, reaching her waist in length. Katashi looked like your average demon in comparison, ignoring his much smaller horns.
"Kasumi? I-it's been a while, huh? I guess we're in the same class this year!" Shinji responded, not necessarily happy but not unhappy either. With that, the teacher arrived and Kasumi escaped back to her seat. "Meet me at the fountain afterschool!" She whispers to him, energetically.
The teacher called out the student's names in alphabetical order in terms of surname, there were seven other students called until Katashi's name was called. When done so, each student would repeat their name and tell everybody their class.
"Aki Ide, A- Class."
"Katashi Murano, I'm B- Class."
"Kasumi Niwa, uh... A Class, yeah, I'm A Class."
Shinji was in shock, not only because his childhood friend is already an A Class, but because she isn't the only one so far ahead of him. "That's fine, Katashi is on the same level as me, we can grow in strength together." He thought to himself with a hopeful smile.
"Shinji Yuu, B- Class" Again, all eyes were on Shinji, but for different reason than before; his classmates recognise his family name, once again giving people higher expectations of Shinji.
School ends and Shinji goes to the fountain as Kasumi asked, but brings Katashi with him. They arrive to see Kasumi next to a tall, dark-haired demon that he definitely recognised; it was his new classmate, Aki.
"Oi, Shinji!" Kasumi waved at Shinji after spotting him and Katashi.
"I'm confused, why is he here?" Shinji asks.
"Oh, Aki? He's my brother, did you not know?" Kasumi replies.
"No, not that I remember, since when?"
"Since a year and a half ago," Aki speaks, "Her father married my mother."
Shinji nodded, realising how out of touch he and Kasumi have been over the past few years.
"Thats so... COOL!" Katashi blurts out, "The two STRONGEST in our class are BROTHER AND SISTER!?"
Everyone laughs at Katashi's only interest seemingly being strength and they all start to get along. Later that night, Shinji takes them all to the top of the tallest hill, right by his house and they watch as the day fades to night, and the stars fade to light.
…
A month passes and the four of them had become great friends. Even in such a short amount of time, Kasumi has risen to A+ Class and is said to have Archdemon potential and the others have noticeably changed, all except for Shinji.
Shinji and the rest are at the top of the hill once again, it's become their meeting spot; they are waiting on Katashi to arrive with snacks.
"I'm here and I'm NOT late, DON'T say I'm late!" Katashi shouts, emerging from the slope of the hill. A few hours go by as they talk and enjoy themselves.
"You know, there's something I want to show you at the top of this hill, but I can't until around the time of my 17th birthday" Shinji says.
"Why wait so long?" Katashi asks.
"It doesn't exist until then."
"Then I guess we will just have to make sure to come back then." Aki says with a brief smile on his face.
"Wait... is it that-" Kasumi is cut off by Shinji, "Shhhh."
Kasumi smirks and then laughs, causing everyone else to do the same.
"So, Shinji, has your class increased yet?" Katashi speaks out of nowhere.
Shinji feels a sense of brief fear rush over him after hearing the question as he thinks that after hearing that he hasn't grown at all, everyone wouldn't want to be his friends anymore.
"Well... To be honest with you... I haven't grown whatsoever..."
"Damn, I thought you would be at least B+ Class by now!"
…
-I can already see it, he doesn't like me anymore, does he? -
"You are right..."
-All because my stupid self can't live up to my dad. -
"You are weak..."
-I guess it was fun while it lasted.-
"Oh well, not that it affects me" Katashi says,
"He is lying..."
"It's not like I would think of you any different over something as stupid as that."
"He is lying..."
Y-yeah, I guess so, besides its still about 11 months until my birthday.
"Nothing will change in that time..."
-What was I thinking, I was just being paranoid. -
"Your class will never increase, Shinji, YOU ARE A DISSAPOINTMENT..."
…
One day later, Shinji met with Aki to walk to school but Aki noticed something was different about him. "Shin-"
Before he could say anything however, Kasumi and Katashi interrupted, meeting the two of them at a cross section in the road. Later in school, Aki physically pulls Shinji away from the others and asks him what's on his mind.
"It's just... Why hasn't my class improved at all yet? Everyone else's has and it's been a month already" Shinji questioned himself.
"Look, Shinji, you said it yourself – It's been a month and only a month. Some people Just grow at a slower rate than others, relax." Aki replied.
"I get that I really do, but there's more to it." Shinji reluctantly stated, "There was this voice, like in my head, but it wasn't my own it was completely different. It was calling me weak and..." Shinji paused and took a breath.
"And what?"
"It told me I am a disappointment; funny thing is it's true." Shinji started to walk away, "You wouldn't get it."
"Oi, Shinji wait a minute-" As Aki shouted for Shinji, Kasumi's attention was caught and she approached him.
"What's going on, where's Shinji going?" Kasumi asked.
"I don't know, don't go after him though, I think he wants to be alone for now."
...
The rest of the year passes by with little to no mention of each other's classes. Aki is the oldest and so he reached his peak class before the others at A+, Demon General Class. Kasumi, however, surpassed that and reached S- Class therefore receiving the title of Archdemon. Katashi improved to A- Class making him an above average demon. Finally, it was Shinji's birthday, but despite everyone else's growth, Shinji's Class still remains at B-.
Despite their son's strange lack of improvement over the development period, Kuragari and Ikehara think no different towards Shinji. However, that doesn't mean that they aren't, in a way, disappointed that their son who was expected to be so much turned out to be so little. But, as any good parents would, they love him no less and do not blame him at all. Shinji on the other hand believes that he is truly a disappointment and a failure, especially due to the ominous voice in his head reminding him.
Shinji stared at his cake while his parents watched in concern.
"Come on son, it's supposed to be your day." Kuragari broke silence.
"Don't let it get to you, try the cake." Ikehara suggested.
Shinji faked a smile and ate some cake as tears formed in his eyes, "It's good, thanks." Before the unhealthy silence resumed, Katashi knocked on the door. Shinji had planned for the four of them to meet at their usual hillside spot to show them that something that he didn't reveal.
"Happy birthday" Katashi said whilst him and Shinji awaited their friends atop the hill.
"Thank you, but why are you saying it again out of the blue?" Shinji asked.
"He hates you..."
"Well, because since it is your birthday that means you've reached your peak class," Katashi dropped the bombshell that Shinji was dreading, "So what is it?".
"Don't tell him..."
Shinji didn't tell him.
"Wait, actually forget that, this way is cooler," Katashi broke the brief silence, "I unlocked the Class-Scanner skill!"
"No, don't!" Shinji pleaded, unheard by Katashi.
"So, your class is-" Katashi's jovial smile faded into a distasteful look of disgust, "Still a measly B-, I guess I thought too much of you, Weakling Shinji..." His expressions, tone of voice, way of speech, personality, all had changed. His true nature had been released; the real Katashi Murano.
"You really are a disappointment, aren't you?" Katashi glared at Shinji.
"I warned you..."
Katashi blasted and disintegrated Shinji's legs with a strong demonic spell, Dark beam pulse. The concentration of dark magic caused a slow-spreading poison to infect Shinji's body, ultimately dooming him.
"You really thought we were friends, didn't you?" Katashi laughed at the dying boy, "You were supposed to be our key to The True Demon Lord with your predicted class, however I truly am sorry for taking out my anger of a failed mission on you and, y'know, ending your life." Katashi practically spoke to himself as Shinji, in a state of pain and shock that he could have never precedented, was trying to process the betrayal of the one person he would call his best friend.
"You must not die, Shinji..."
The voice spoke. The voice.
"There is dormant power within you, I can unlock that power for you..."
-What? I have... power? -
"Accept me, accept my contract and you will never die"
-Never die?-
With no other choice but death ahead of him, Shinji complied with the mysterious voice.
-Tell me of your contract, whatever it is I'll do it. I want to live! -
"Very well. In exchange for eternal life and incremental releasement of your hidden abilities, you shall kill The Demon King..."
-The Demon King!? One of the two Supreme Rulers of All life! Even so, I accept your terms, strange voice-
"From now on I am your master. You are now blessed with the curse of immortality..."
"As much as I would love to watch you die in pain, Shinji, I need to break the news to the others. Goodbye, friend." Katashi snickered, walking away.
...
"Hey Katashi where's-" Kasumi noticed Katashi's distressed expression, "Wha-what's wrong?".
It-It-It's Shinji! He's... He's dead!" Katashi expresses with fake concern and tears.
Kasumi and Aki were lost for words, staring at Katashi, before having him guide them to where Shinji was – Atop the city's tallest natural peak.
Before they arrived, Shinji awoke. His legs had regenerated, a perk of immortality, and his eyes focused on the Aurora above. He stood up and watched, mesmerised by his favourite sight, when Aki, Kasumi and Katashi arrived at the peak.
"This is what I wanted you to see." Shinji spoke in a calm and dead voice, still in pain as the poison itself hadn't subsided, only the effect had, "I'm sure you've seen it before, the Aurora Borealis."
Before Aki or Kasumi said anything, they looked at Katashi. The horror and repulse in his expression was indescribable.
"WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?" Katashi yelled, unable to continue his facade, "HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO STAND!?"
"I am immortal" Shinji states, with the same calmness as before.
"THAT'S NOT- THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Katashi continued to rage in confusion.
Whilst Kasumi was still grasping the situation, Shinji made sharp eye contact with Aki and with a brief nod Aki, who had trained for combat his whole life, understood what to do immediately. He swiftly materialised his primary weapon, Crimson Rapier, and within a 2 seconds, he had already sliced through Katashi's neck, decapitating him and undoubtably ending his life.
"A-Aki... Wha-what just happened..." Kasumi asked, in shock and confusion.
"I don't know, other than that Katashi isn't who he said he was and tried to kill Shinji, I know nothing." Aki responded.
"Thats... half of it." Shinji sat down as he explained almost everything that led up to this point, including his deal with his unknown master.
"Immortal - like The True God and The Demon King? Who is this Master of yours?" Aki questioned in response.
"My best guess is it's the True God." Shinji states.
"Why do you say that?" Kasumi asks.
"That's because the primary condition of our contract is that I kill The Demon King."
"I see... Only an Immortal can kill an Immortal, and The True God wouldn't want to be the one to do that themselves." Aki realised.
"That all makes sense, but why would The True God choose a demon to kill their own king instead of say The True Hero?" Kasumi asks.
"The True Hero is known to be a disciple of The True God, if any follower of them were to do it, it would be assumed that it was by The True God's command." Aki connects the dots.
"Yet despite the logic, Master insists that he is not The True God." Shinji ends the speculation. "True God or not, I have a purpose now. Aki, Kasumi – will you join me on my path to defeating The Demon King?" Shinji stood in front of the two, awaiting an answer.
After a brief moment, both Aki and Kasumi gave a solid "Yes" of certainty.
"Thank you both, and I know that I have all of eternity to complete my objective and do realise that you don't, but we will not start our journey yet."
"If not now, when?" Aki asks.
"After the school term ends, its important you know?" Shinji smiles.
As the three of them laugh after a traumatic situation, something is blown out of Katashi's open pocket. Aki, having the sharpest senses, noticed and picked it up and read what it says. Seemingly written in Katashi's own blood, the paper read "For the Demi-Gods" and nothing more.