{Present — Airi Children's Home, Airi Town}
A little over a week after the whole blessing incident, Soren noticed the caretakers paying him a bit more attention than usual. At first, it wasn't a problem. The attention came with perks, like extra books they specially sourced for him and subtle changes to his diet.
They were adding more protein, and most of the food items were things he actually enjoyed eating.
Those were the benefits.
"Ah, Soren, are you heading to your room?" Rui asked as the boy rubbed at his eyelids.
"I'm sleepy, Rui," he said. He was a little tired, but most of it was an act. "Good night, Rui."
"Want me to tuck you in?" Rui asked. He immediately shook his head.
"I'm a big boy now," he puffed out his cheeks. "Do that for the little ones."
Rui chuckled, finding him adorable.
"Brushed?"
Soren nodded, and the caretaker let him head off to bed.
The real issue was that he was practically under surveillance all day. From the moment he woke up to the moment he went to sleep, both caretakers kept a close eye on him, curious about what he read, what he ate, and what he did.
Most of it was because of the blessing. They wanted to see if it had changed anything in him, or if Soren would start showing something truly extraordinary.
The problem was that most of what he already did was considered extraordinary. The two women were just greedy for more.
At random times, Soren would deliberately show a little something, just enough for them to leave him alone and go brag about it to the other women they knew. It wasn't exactly proper behavior for people of the church, but in a way, he had become their pride. The orphanage hadn't produced a holy power wielder in a long time, and most people had begun to overlook the place. Now, with Vasco personally blessing Soren, both the church and the orphanage were slowly regaining their old reputation.
'They're asleep,' Veylith confirmed once Soren finally returned to his room. 'Deep sleep.'
Since this was an orphanage, privacy wasn't really a thing. The rooms were shared among four kids, and Soren's room was no exception.
'Anyone outside?' Soren asked. The dragon took a moment before answering.
'No. Everyone's inside the building.'
That was enough to reassure him. He placed his pillow, adjusted it to roughly match his height, and covered it with the sheets to make it look like he was sleeping.
Matching the exact height was tricky. He'd been growing a bit too fast lately. He was already about as tall as kids nearly a year older than him. It wouldn't mean much compared to adults, but among children, it was noticeable.
Kids grew fast, then slowed down, only to hit another growth spurt around puberty. Most went through two or three major spurts in total.
With Soren, it felt like he was already brushing up against his second.
'Make sure to close the window immediately,' Veylith reminded him. 'If cold air gets in, someone might wake up.'
Soren nodded and carefully opened the window, making sure it didn't make a sound.
They were on the second floor. Not high enough to guarantee death, but more than enough to cause serious injury if he fell the wrong way.
Still, he was confident.
He climbed out and stood carefully on the concrete windowsill, then softly closed the window behind him.
'Don't slip.'
The reminder was unnecessary. He already knew exactly what would happen if he did.
Slowly, he pressed his body against the frame and edged to the right. There, close to the window, was a mango tree, one of its thick branches leaning just close enough.
Steadying himself and taking a deep breath, he pushed off the sill and leapt. His heart spiked as he hung in the air for a split second, but despite the height, he managed to grab the branch and cling to it with all four limbs.
'What are you, a cat?' Veylith scoffed. 'Still better than falling to your death, I guess.'
Soren ignored the taunt and focused on getting down.
The rough bark scraped his skin, tearing it in a few places. It burned, but he didn't have the luxury of caring about that right now.
He couldn't stand up. He was afraid that if he did, he might fall. So, with all his limbs wrapped around the branch, he moved forward like a worm, crawling along it.
It was a painfully slow process, and if anything, it only made the scratches on his skin worse. Still, he kept going. With enough time and effort, he finally reached the trunk of the tree.
He grabbed onto another branch sprouting from the trunk and stood on it, using the crown of the tree to help maintain his balance.
'Take that branch,' Veylith muttered as Soren glanced to his left.
There was a branch there that looked healthier than the rest. It wasn't dry, wasn't very old, and had enough elasticity to it.
Agreeing with Veylith's judgment, Soren carefully moved toward it and grabbed on.
'Careful.'
He held the branch with both hands and tested its strength.
'It holds,' he told the dragon.
'If you fall, make sure you don't crack your head, neck, or spine,' Veylith replied.
Letting out a soft, dry chuckle, Soren tightened his grip and let his body drop.
The branch bent immediately, making his hands slide as his body slipped downward.
'Tighten your grip!'
He did, feeling sharp abrasions tear into his palms. For a split second, he feared he might fall and break something.
Thankfully, the fear was unfounded. The branch held, and his grip lasted just long enough.
With only about half a floor's height left between him and the ground, he made the bold decision to let go.
His body hit the cold, grassy soil with a dull thud, pain flaring across him.
Thankfully, it wasn't a severe fall. Most of the pain was manageable.
'No broken bones. Congratulations,' Veylith quipped.
Soren grumbled as he pushed himself off the ground.
He sighed when he saw the scratches and abrasions covering his hands and legs, along with the bloodstains dotting his clothes.
"This… is going to be troublesome to explain."
'Worry about that later,' Veylith snapped impatiently. 'Hurry.'
'Yes, yes.'
To be fair, Soren was just as eager.
It had been a long time since he arrived in this world, and after all the preparation, he was finally ready to awaken Veylith's power.
He ran quietly through the empty grounds, heading toward the nearby jungle.
For a moment, he wondered if this was really the smartest place to awaken his gear. Devils or fallen might sense it.
But this was still his best option.
He couldn't do it in the church or the orphanage, and anywhere was better than Kuoh for something like this.
So he chose the jungle close to the building. After a few minutes of running, he reached a deeper part where no one would be able to spot him from afar.
'Sit,' Veylith instructed. 'You need to be calm and focused for this.'
Soren took a moment to rest before proceeding. He needed steady breathing. Without it, focus would be impossible.
After about five minutes, both his heart and mind had settled. He sat down on the ground, legs crossed.
'Recall how the holy energy felt during the blessing,' Veylith guided. 'Try to sense the remnants of that power, excluding the barrier protecting your mind.'
Soren relaxed and tried to remember the sensation from the blessing. Truthfully, he hadn't felt much at the time. There had been discomfort, but it was hard to pinpoint.
'Focus,' Veylith said firmly. 'Remember where the power seeped in, then sense what's different there.'
At first, Soren expected it to be around his right arm, where Veylith resided. But as he paid closer attention, searching for anything unusual, he felt a faint heat around his heart and his arm.
The warmth near his heart was less than heartburn, yet stronger than most other sensations. As for his arm, it carried the same uneasy warmth, subtle but unmistakable.
'Good,' Veylith felt Soren tugging at the energy and guided him further. 'Now fully focus on it, and try to make it circulate around your body.'
Easier said than done. The moment Soren tried to spread it, the heat immediately weakened.
'No,' Veylith interjected. 'Don't expand it by breaking it apart and spreading it. Focus on the spots where you feel the energy. Like pressing a fountain pen onto paper. Concentrate on one spot and let the energy flow on its own.'
The explanation was rough, but Soren understood the idea.
Veylith wasn't the best mentor. Unlike the other Heavenly Dragons, who had countless battles and experience, this was the first time he was guiding someone.
Even so, Soren followed surprisingly well.
He understood that the energy was like ink or water, and the body was the paper. When enough gathered in one place, the paper absorbed it and spread it outward. With just a little motion, the droplet moved, soaking everything around it.
So that's what he did.
He focused on one spot, strengthened the energy there, and let it flow naturally. Slowly, it spread through his body, seeping into everything inside him.
And when it did, he finally felt it.
The strongest presence was around his heart, with a direct path leading to his right hand.
It was as if the energy had a primary connection between his heart and his right arm, while the rest of his body received only a secondary flow.
'Good!' Veylith's voice grew louder in his mind. 'Now feel where it's strongest and try to bring it out.'
Soren focused everything on his right hand, keeping the flow from his heart steady.
He wasn't entirely sure, but it felt like the heart was his soul's anchor, and the arm was Veylith. A connection between the two, reacting to each other.
His hand began to shake, small tremors he couldn't control.
'Focus on the energy!'
He did.
The energy grew stronger, hotter, and at some point, painful. But he endured it, letting the power slowly leak out of his arm.
With effort, focus, and pain, something finally changed.
It wasn't just a sensation anymore. He could see it.
Unlike what he remembered from the show, where green or blue light appeared when Ddraig's or Albion's gauntlets manifested, this was completely different.
His hand didn't glow.
Instead, it began to sweat.
And the sweat wasn't water. It was a blackish-purple goo.
It looked vile, but he trusted the process.
The goo seeped out from the pores of his right hand and wrapped itself around his wrist, palm, and fingers, creeping up his arm just below the elbow. Like living clay, it began to shift and reshape itself.
The dull, rounded mass sharpened, edges forming where none existed before. Slowly, the mold hardened, glowing faintly with dark purple light as it finalized its shape.
At last, after the long process, he saw it.
His gauntlet. His Sacred Gear.
A dark, armored gauntlet. Entirely black, with no secondary colors, no orbs, no ornate designs like the other Dragon Longinus.
It looked like petrified bone or carved obsidian, worn and weathered, as if it had endured countless battles.
The only hint of color was the faint purple, the same hue tied to Veylith's dragon form. Smoke-like energy leaked from the gauntlet, curling around it and giving it a gothic, almost mystical presence.
Ghastly. Terrifying.
And yet… beautiful.
With the gauntlet in place, Soren felt a kind of power he had never known before.
Cold. Sinister. And strangely intoxicating.
"Veylith?" he called softly. "This worked, right?"
"This is a success, isn't it?"
The dragon, however, didn't respond. Soren found himself staring at the eerie yet magnificent gauntlet in a daze.
After a few minutes, realizing how comical the cool but edgy-looking gauntlet seemed on his small, child-sized frame, he called out again.
'Veylith?'
Still, no response.
This time, worry crept in. Had something gone wrong during the awakening? Had it somehow harmed Veylith's soul?
Without the dragon's presence, the gauntlet would be useless.
'Vey—' he tried again, voice slightly nervous.
And then, finally, the dragon responded.
"Gahahahhahahaha!!!"
This time, it was loud—physically audible—echoing through the jungle. "Finally! Finally I can let out my strength! Finally I can taste this world"
Purple smoke erupted around him, shaking the trees and sending the birds fleeing in panic.
"Finally I can interact with this accursed world!"
Soren wasn't shocked by Veylith's words, but by the fact that the dragon's voice wasn't just in his head anymore. It was real. Audible. Tangible.
"You did it, boy! You did it!" Veylith roared in delight, tasting the world through the purple smoke that leaked from the gauntlet.
"You can talk," Soren said, smiling. "So, you're a little more free now?"
"I am!" the dragon laughed. "The void expanded a millionfold! I can change the scenery, the scent, the warmth… even taste the outside through the gauntlet!"
Soren was pleased that his partner finally had some freedom. But with that freedom came questions.
"So?" the boy asked. "What exactly do I get?"
Veylith cackled. "Flip your armored hand, palm facing upwards."
By now, Soren had learned not to ask why. He obeyed.
"And ask yourself: what can I do with this power?" Veylith said, confusing him. "Ask yourself."
Soren did as told and formed the question in his mind.
'What can I do?'
And the answer… appeared.
Yes. It physically manifested.
From his palm, a stronger, sharper shade of purple smoke leaked, twisting into words before him as if forming magical text.
{Basic Skills: Dragon Aura, Dragon Shot, Holy Mind Protection}
{Core Skills: Imprint, Wretch}
He froze. "What… is this?"
"Your current abilities!" Veylith answered immediately. "I've seen your memories and glimpsed this world. They have things called video games, computers… tools that make visualization easier. So, I made it so you can keep track of your powers."
Soren considered that. Was this like a system, a game interface? Veylith laughed at the thought.
"No. It's not like that," he explained. "It doesn't give you power by completing tasks. You still have to train, fight, and awaken your abilities yourself. This is just a log—an easy way to see what you can do and what each ability does."
A little disappointing, perhaps, but Soren was grateful. Veylith was making the gear more manageable for him.
"Focus on any skill," Veylith instructed.
Soren obeyed, concentrating on the first skill. The words changed —
{Dragon Aura: Envelops you in Veylith's aura, increasing strength, stamina, and durability, while spreading a sense of dread to most beings.}
Impressed, he moved to the next —
{Dragon Shot: Compresses Veylith's draconic power into a sphere and allows you to shoot it at any target. With mastery, you may change its shape and direction mid-flight.}
"Gahaha!" the dragon laughed, loud and triumphant. "As you train and grow, you'll gain more abilities. You haven't even unlocked your wings yet. When you do… oh, you'll see. Even more strength, even more power."
Agreeing silently, Soren scrolled to the core skills.
{Imprint: By stepping over the shadow of an individual, you may copy one of their abilities to use once, or up to three times.}
That did sound amazing to him, even with the numbered usage. But it also raised a question—
'Why once and thrice? Can't I store every power or ability for three uses?'
The dragon chortled. "Focus again and expand the explanation."
Soren hadn't realized that was an option. He refocused, and sure enough, the explanation expanded.
{With specific abilities that are considered singular moves, you can store them once. An example is Dragon Shot.
Abilities or skills that can be used in multiple ways can be stored for three uses at once. An example is Dragon Aura, as it has multiple effects.}
'That… does make sense.'
{Imprint skills can be regained immediately by stepping over the shadow of the individual again. There is no limit to how many times you can copy abilities, but the slot must be refilled after use.
Current skill imprint limits:
Unary: 5
Ternary: 3}
"So, I can refill the same skills immediately if I step over the shadow again?"
"Precisely!" Veylith said. "You can store five single-use abilities and three triple-use abilities for now."
"For now?"
"Yes," the dragon explained. "As your power grows, the limit will increase. When I had my body, there was no limit to the number of powers I could steal and copy. The same could happen for you if you grow strong enough."
That was more than enough motivation to push himself. But for now, he focused on the final skill.
{Wretch: Allows you to steal the core power of an individual whose shadow you steal permanently.
Shadows can only be stolen from deceased individuals, and once a power is stolen, it can never be erased.
Permanent: 1}
Currently, he could steal one power permanently, which meant that slot would remain filled. He couldn't take another until the limit increased.
"Core power,"' Soren repeated. "Does that mean the very essence, like bloodline powers?"
"Yes," Veylith answered. "Like the Power of Destruction from the Gremory line, which can be used in countless ways. But you'd have to find a dead Gremory… or whoever's power you want to steal permanently. And remember, you can never get rid of it. It's yours forever."
That wasn't an issue externally, but in practice, it was tricky.
Stealing a powerful family's bloodline power could land him in serious trouble. Take the wrong one recklessly, and he might miss the power he truly wanted later. Every Wretch use had to be deliberate.
'There's a lot to think about before even using Wretch,' Soren muttered in his mind, and Veylith agreed.
"Indeed. We can't just take any random power. We have to choose one that will help you grow," the dragon stated.
For now, Soren needed to head back and consider his options carefully. It had already been two hours since he escaped to the forest, and if he didn't return soon, he might get caught.
He focused, and the gauntlet disappeared, the blackish-purple goo seeping back into his arm through his pores.
'I cannot get used to this,' he muttered, scrunching his nose.
Veylith laughed. "You will, eventually."
As Soren made his way back, he finally asked the question that had been on his mind.
"What exactly is this gear called?"
It wasn't a simple Sacred Gear. Considering its power, potential, and Veylith's raw capabilities, it had to be at least a Longinus-class, high-tier, if not one of the strongest. But it didn't have a name yet; God hadn't planned for it to exist—this was Veylith and Soren's doing.
"Considering it pulls in shadows of the dead… Shadow Wretch," Veylith said. "The Sacred Gear: Shadow Wretch."
Longinus-class Sacred Gear: Shadow Wretch.
Soren couldn't deny it. He liked the name.
As they walked back, he muttered, 'Make sure not to speak out loud. Converse through your mind when we're around people.'
Veylith grumbled. 'I am not an idiot, boy.'
They jabbed at each other lightly, but all around them, the world had no idea what was coming. The awakening of a new Dragon Emperor—the Black Dragon Emperor—was imminent.
The scariest part? The world didn't even know a third Dragon Emperor existed.
And one cannot prepare for a threat they aren't aware of.
Truly the worst kind of threat.
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{A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters for this story (60+ total).
Till Chapter 34 available on Pat reon for this story and till Chapter 78 available for DxD: Heir of Asura.}