"Get out of my way!"
"Run!"
Shit! Did it have to be now?
"Waaarghhh!"
[Warning. This is not a drill. Monsters appeared in the city. Evacuate immediately. Evacuate im- Aaaaaaaaaah!]
This is the second time for me.
I have seen this scene before. Portals opening and monsters appearing out of nowhere.
There are also many other things that will happen in the near and far future. But my story has nothing to do with them.
Well, maybe it does a bit.
The monsters came to Earth, and people started awakening.
But not at once.
At first, those over the age of eighteen started awakening. And it would continue to be that way for a while longer.
Everyone would receive some kind of power the day they turned eighteen.
Great news for those who don't know their birthdays!
Unfortunately, I was fifteen when this "catastrophe" happened.
And I was in the middle of the city where the first portals were opened.
Not that it mattered. I ran away back then.
Humanity adapted. Don't we always adapt? We created guilds and associations like in those... you know what they are.
Anyway, we lived as if this didn't happen. Of course, every young boy or girl started dreaming of having a strong power and defeating these monsters when they turned eighteen.
Just like I did. How naive I was.
Three years passed, and I became eighteen.
And my power was... nothing!
I had no powers.
Ahh... I remember the curses I used...
When my friends asked me what my power was, I couldn't even answer.
Not that they would mock me, this is real life, not a... you still know what it is.
In the end, I couldn't become a "hero." I couldn't even become a helper.
Until that day...
One day, when I was cursing my fate just like any other day, someone approached me.
He offered me a contract, saying that he could give me powers.
What kind of power, you ask?
Magic power.
The powers on Earth weren't like that. They ranged from "I have the power of hitting the hoop with every shot in basketball" to "I have the power of fire."
But none of them came in the form of magic, just a single power.
Additionally, I was in a sorry state for the last three months, so don't judge me for jumping at the offer.
Well, of course, I read the contract. It said that I would receive a power in return for my soul. And he would take my soul in ten years.
I even asked why, and he said the power he'd give me would be engraved on my soul.
So, when I received that power, it would dwell in my soul forever. And the only way for him to get the power back was to take my soul with it.
How could I know the soul and the body were one?
Of course, I am joking. I knew the consequences. I would die.
But it was okay. Instead of living like a nobody for 60 to 70 years, I would prefer living as somebody for ten years.
So, I accepted the offer.
For the next ten years, I lived like a superstar. I couldn't become the strongest, but I was at least among the strongest 50 on Earth.
Ten years passed that way, and the man came back. That was when I learned I was deceived.
"You will become my servant from this day on," the man in the trench coat said.
Yes, he was wearing a trench coat. I should have already mentioned it. Maybe not? I know it was fishy, but not for the same reasons you have.
"What? Why would I be your servant? Just kill me and take my soul."
"Huh? When did I say I would kill you? If I do, your soul will also be lost."
Is this another one of those "you know what it is" things?
Like, "I was given magic power by a demon only to learn that I was deceived to be a servant so I washed his dirty underwear."
It seems like a good title, but no. I didn't wash anybody's underwear anyway.
He took me to another dimension. The world of the demons...
The second I stepped into that place, I realized why I wasn't the strongest on Earth. The power engraved in my soul belonged here.
If I were to train here, I would be the strongest on Earth in a matter of months.
But I didn't think I would go back. The contract didn't specify a time frame, meaning I would be here for a long time.
Longer than I could guess back then...
Do you want to talk about "How to train your demon?"
It is easy. Give part of your power to a human, and he will become a demon in time.
As I trained, I became a demon under him.
I was also okay with it. I wasn't used as a rag or anything. It was just like working in a guild.
The only difference was that our guild leader was a DEMON.
And it turned out that when I became a demon, my life span was also extended. How convenient.
I worked under him for a long time. Really long time.
Then I learned the truth.
I heard it when two demons belonging to another department in our "guild" were talking.
"Are you done with your monthly quota?"
"Yes, I got four this month. Lucky!"
"Really? I could only get two."
"Two is still good. I heard someone couldn't get even one."
"It is getting harder these days. Before the Earth was invaded, it was much easier."
"Of course it was! They didn't have powers back then anyway. You could mark any baby's soul back then. But now, we can only mark those who are weak."
Well, I don't remember the full dialogue. But in short, here is what they were talking about:
They marked babies' souls so that they wouldn't get any power at the age of eighteen.
It turns out that I actually had powers. It was only suppressed so that I would accept the demon's offer.
I was already strong in the demon realm at that point, but I was still a servant. Even if I wanted, I couldn't even end myself.
Not that I wanted it.
But what I could do was learning what kind of power I had.
With training, I learned my power. It was even a strong one.
Not that it mattered. It was too late to train it.
But it was okay.
Why? It is easy. Because of what happened 100 years after that.
After the Earth and the demon realm were merged, a big fight occurred between two demons.
Luckily, I was on the winning side.
One day, after winning a battle and invading an enemy base, I was looting their castle.
And I found what I would give my life for. A book, or maybe a grimoire.
But it wasn't a simple grimoire. It was the grimoire of time.
The idiot who owned it probably didn't know its worth.
Can you guess what happened when I used it?
Of course, you can. You are the sharpest tool.
I ended up in this freaking chaos!