Fanfiction by: Echless.
Narrative (Reality) Manipulator in DxD.
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A terrifying, deep abyss.
That is what it was: an all-encompassing darkness, nothingness, void. It seemed to be called such.
Yet, within this abyss, lifeless puppets could be seen falling. There was no end to it.
It just seemed to be an endless pit, and the fall itself was eternal. If there were an end, it would undoubtedly be an endless sea of nothingness even below.
Such a place was where Raynare arrived.
Where am I? Who am I? What is this place?
She paused, looking around. Fear gripped her as her lips quivered. If she remembered correctly, the last thing she saw was red, then white.
Now… It was black.
She was already terrified beyond belief.
Of course, she remembered what had happened. She felt anger, despair, shock, and every other negative emotion all at once.
"...!"
Suddenly, she was startled, hearing weird voices in her head. Wait… who is speaking into her head?
The confusion deepens.
[Alright, alright. I've had my fun. Messing with dead people isn't really funny anyway]
[Immersion mode: OFF]
Suddenly, the world was clearer to the still-falling Raynare. It wasn't that the world brightened; she was still in the same nothingness.
But the weird, splitting voice in her head had stopped, which made her feel relief for a moment before eventually panicking.
[It's no use. Even if you struggle with all your power, it's no use. You have no choice but to accept that you're dead]
Me? Dead? No way. I can't possibly be killed just like that. I am—
SNAP
Something seemed to snap. That's when things got darker for her. Suddenly, the limited sight she had dimmed considerably.
Now, she couldn't even see the horizon or the puppets falling with her.
To add insult to injury, she felt something splitting—her soul. Physical pain would be more welcome than this.
Like her soul was being torn apart.
ARGHHHH!
She screamed, wailed, cursed, and even uttered arrogant words. However, nothing. The pain continued.
It didn't increase. No. It remained constant, as that was already the worst possible punishment.
Perhaps, if she possessed resistances to this kind of pain beforehand, then it could be manageable.
There's nothing like adapting to it because this is your existence, your very core, the idea of you existing, your entire reason.
Such was being destroyed.
Nobody can adapt if the very concept of their existence is being destroyed.
Not to mention inflicting such pain upon her. Then surely, he must be "god."
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally broke. The light in her eyes was lost. She now appeared expressionless.
The pain still hadn't gone.
She just couldn't express the concept of pain anymore, but she was still being destroyed. She could still feel the pain.
Raynare just couldn't express it anymore.
[How does it feel to lose your sense of self? Don't worry. It wasn't only you who experienced it; your followers did too]
Raynare didn't reply anymore. She remained silent. Listening, however, her nonexistent hand shifted. It was towards him.
[What? Broken already? At the very least, you lasted longer than your goons. Fine then, if you manage to hold your sanity intact until the end of my narration, I'll bring you back to life]
He said that, and she trembled violently.
SNAP
Once more, she felt pain. Her entire self was reverted to its previous state. The light in her eyes still hadn't returned.
She gritted her teeth.
[This is the place where "dead" people return too. Hell? Bullshit. Welcome to the realm of the dead. The end of everything: Naraka]
Naraka.
Hell, if anything, was just a medium. It was nothing more than secondary to the true abyss.
For worlds that were nothing but stories to a higher dimension, this is the very end of a story.
A place for people who die in a narrative.
They are taken outside the world, never to return and influence the story's continuation.
[To those in the upper realms. This world is nothing but a story which they can alter as they please. In other words. They're gods above the gods of that measly world]
[Changing Fate? They can do it with a thought. Destroying the world? They just need a thought and a sentence]
[Enslave humanity? They need a thought]
[Deciding the fate of trillions of lives. Hehehe. To those cruel upper-dimensional beings, it's as easy as a snap of their fingers]
[Raynare, Kalawarner, Mittlet, and you, Dohnaseek; you four exist as nothing but mere stories people like me can influence at will]
[So? How is it? My explanation?]
If anything, from what they understood, he was using that to boast of his own ego. But there was nothing wrong with it.
To a mere drawing, you can proclaim yourself "god"; they live in a world you can vastly influence to your liking.
Are you not akin to such an existence?
Raynare trembled once more. Only then did he finally realize she'd held on.
It was really surprising. However, he didn't hate it. His appearance, which was earlier akin to a dark fog, slowly solidified.
He was humanoid, appearing more human than a "god," even more mundane. He wasn't particularly handsome, simply average.
Heck, he was even wearing white pajamas. Yet, no one would think such an average person was "god."
[I can see your thoughts, you know?]
She paused but didn't shy away from it.
There was nothing to be shy about. In front of "him," hiding anything was meaningless.
[You wish to serve me?]
Suddenly, "he" raised his eyebrows, saying that. She, Raynare, and the remaining three nodded.
He was talking to them simultaneously. He was in four places at once.
Seeing their expressionless resolve, a smirk crossed his features.
[A promise is a promise, I guess. Very well then, I love smart people anyway. So, let's return to the real world]
SNAP
Another snap.
With that, the endless void of black. Naraka suddenly brightened. Starting from a white point of origin,
it extended to the endless black, painting it endlessly white for a moment before dimming back.
Once they came, too. They were back in the real world, in a different place.
Different, as per their surroundings. It was a modest living room with subtle lighting.
A few couches were arranged in a semicircular arc, and a television was running static.
He was sitting on one of the couches while they were sprawled on the floor.
It wasn't until they realized they no longer felt pain that they immediately adjusted. Snapping to attention, they knelt on one knee before him.
The person they greeted sat cross-legged on the couch, rubbing his eyes as though he were sleepy.
Doing things like this usually made him tired. Yet, their emotionless eyes found no fault with this.
He waved at them, as though to shoo them away as them being here was disturbing his sleep.
"Now you're back to life. Just wait till I call you. Manipulate a few and find somewhere to stay. I plan on enrolling in Kuoh Academy."
"Ah. You know what, I'll send the rest straight to your mind."
Saying that, they all received the information in their minds, nodding and even further bowing their heads before disappearing.
Ever since coming back from the void, they felt… released. For odd reasons, they now felt detached from even their own affiliation.
They had surpassed the notion of even fallen angels.
By this world's standards, they were still low-class. However, they had become something different.
Their souls had received drastic changes, and they were revived with their spiritual bodies.
That is… their spirits given semi-material life.
Void Angels.
Angels that cannot be physically attacked, only by attacks effective against spirits. They are, after all, something closer to Angels of Death.
But the wording to use here would be Low-Class Metaphysical Angels.
Neither holy nor demonic. They simply exist as truth or falsehood, with the ability to influence even more than gods and devils can dream.
Closer to the True Red and Infinite.
They are so.
Appearing on the rooftop of their lord's apartment, they looked over the cityscape below. They felt no emotion, nor lingering attachment.
Now, they existed as his messengers, and he had told them to wait until further notice. All procedures would be handled by them.
Their Lord must be enrolled in Kuoh Academy tomorrow.
"Lady Raynare, how do we proceed?"
Dohnaseek said that, adjusting his fedora hat as the cold night breeze blew against their faces.
"Kalawarner, carry out our lord's mission and get him enrolled before dawn. Dohnaseek, you are to guard our lord; Mitlet and I have other matters to attend to."
"Yes. Even if it's faint, the ability to manipulate 'truth,' 'reason,' 'fate,' 'entropy'—a far deeper power than the measly power of light we once flaunted."
"We shall use our new powers for your good, my lord. I swear."
"We swear."
Their fanaticism was now directed toward him alone. The perpetual end of this world had only two futures they could see, and neither would end well for those unprepared.
They saw eternal reign under him.
Even the almighty "gods" of the next world would bow before him. Second, is the most terrifying: a world-end scenario.
But as beings of the Void, they were not scared of mere destruction. They had survived nothingness, regardless of whether it was under his protection.
They had held onto their sanity for a long time.
If everything ends, they will simply return to Naraka, to which they should be somewhat accustomed.
With the power of truth, they had seen the true nature of this world, and now they despised it.
A joke of a world. A world wherein the fated one was the person he is. This world, even if headed towards a good future, was the type they could not stomach.
With the power of fate, they had seen the world.
Ah~ Eternal ruin is sweet.
Oh~ Eternal damnation is beautiful.
Everything that leads towards the final destination, that is the end, is sweet in their sight. And even in its reign, they welcome it.
It would be nothing but an honor for the truly less privileged, be they humans, gods, angels, fallen angels, dragons, and machine gods alike.
Meanwhile,
The person they deeply respected slowly opened an eyelid in tiredness.
[I merely granted them the power of truth, reason, fate, and entropy. Why are they so hyped?]
[Oh...]
Then, slowly, he came to a realization. He had given them too much. Way too much.
Being able to manipulate the truth meant whatever they said could become the truth.
Reason, being able to understand any phenomenon, instantly grants them the ability to discern all.
Fate, being cut off from the world's narrative, means fate cannot touch them.
Finally, entropy, being the disordered source of energy that allows for the manipulation of a cosmic force, unifying all others.
Such was the power he granted them.
[...I overdid it]
He said so nonchalantly. Whether reign or destruction, he was on neither path yet. All he currently needed was a good, long sleep.
He might be a reality manipulator, but he still had his human tendencies intact.
Like that, …
He slept until morning.
"Hn… Haah."
Stretching his hands wide, he rose from the couch. He had the option of sleeping in his room; however, he slept here on a whim.
Groggily, he rubbed his eyes, blinking before his eyes fell on the person kneeling beside the couch.
"Oh, it's you, Dohnaseek."
"Yes, my lord. Preparations are underway. You may attend anytime from today if you wish."
"Oh, is that so?"
It had only been a night, and he could tell they had become quite accustomed to their new selves as Void Angels.
It was a concept he thought looked cool on paper. But he'd never expected it to actually work.
Even though they were low-class, limited in their ability, most high-class would find it hard to beat them.
Even if they die, they will simply return to Naraka and continue existing until they possess a way to return to the material world.
"How is it, Dohnaseek, to be freed from death?"
"It's a sublime feeling, my lord. Never have I expected I would wield this level of ability. It makes my previous self look like a joke."
Saying that, he stood up, heading to his room and motioning for Dohnaseek to stand down.
Ren Augustus Luceris.
That was his name, or rather, the name inscribed on the power of his pen. And naturally, he embraced it.
With a name like that, he was expected to become something like that woman. But, yes, he was undoubtedly far from her.
He was still very far. The distance was even further than the sky and the earth. It was a distance that surpassed dimensions.
But it wasn't time to bother with that.
He had yet to fully experience the world. World End or Salvation—it wasn't hard. Maybe the World End agenda would be pursued later.
For now, he wanted to take things leisurely.
He had waited for over a month in Kuoh. Disguising himself was easy; he had narrative powers and could manipulate his own narratives.
Ren simply made it so nobody noticed his existence; even the devils could not recognize him.
From there, he watched all the scenes from afar, slowly altering the narratives. But since he had just arrived, he could not alter the fate of the world that much.
Even now, Fate was rejecting him and trying to correct the world by banishing him.
The original future had been changed. Gaia was changing things in the fated one's favor.
Moreover,
"Your willingness to go this far, even blocking clairvoyance-related abilities, even going so far as to oppose my writings."
[Nevertheless, I suppose I can let you off for now. I'm not in the mood to kick-start a world-end scenario yet. I'm not ready to fight outer gods and their spawn.]
He let Gaia go.
But now, in hindsight, it was actually a good thing he gave them the abilities they have.
And the reason for applying to Kuoh now of all times was because of a particular scenario.
[Transfer Student Scenario]
Especially if that world was like this one. He would attract attention.
Then, the more he is recognized, the more he would be able to fight fate directly without triggering an apocalypse.
"Oh, yeah."
After tidying up, and putting on his shirt and trousers, he suddenly remembered something.
"Dohnaseek, let me experiment on you!"
Ren suddenly ran out of his bedroom door toward the living room where the gentleman still stood at attention.
His expression twitched slightly, but he didn't question it.
"Anything," Dohnaseek said.
"Don't worry, I'm not ripping apart your existence this time."
Ren dismissed this, then he summoned an archaic feather pen, as he began writing in the air.
[Void Angels possess something known as Void Essence]
He wrote that in the air and then looked at Dohnaseek.
"Did it work?"
"I don't think it did."
"Hmm. Does this new setting contradict my original setting?"
"What is it you're trying to do?"
"Hm. I was thinking of a temporal ascension for myself."
"You want to don the powers of a Void Angel temporarily?"
"Yes. That."
Ren then tapped his feathered pen in the air for a moment before looking squarely at Dohnaseek.
Should he use it?
The true powers of [Reason] were being able to manipulate logic.
For Raynare and the rest, they possessed the power to understand any logic, as long as it was within their comprehension.
But when it came to him, he could manipulate logic and make things illogical.
'But I can only manipulate "logic" occasionally. And now that fate is fighting me, it would be a bad move.'
"Oh, wait. Why was I bothering myself…? I'll be borrowing this."
Ren said that, holding a ball of light in his right hand. That was the power of light.
'That's the power of light.'
The power the previous one once flaunted. Why did his lord need such a thing?
After all, Ren possessed almost omnipotent powers. Yes, they also knew that he was constantly battling fate. But compared to the abilities Ren had, light was but a mere trifle.
"You fool. Don't you know that the romance of men is to physically engage in supernatural fights?"
"Ahh… you were always a supernatural, so you wouldn't understand."
So, Ren wanted to fight using spears and beams of light. Dohnaseek understood. No, to say he understood was false.
But he had to understand.
"[Authority of Reason]" is truly an absurd ability.