Chapter 6: Back Home

I removed some things from my storage ring and used them to make a more comfortable bed so Akeno could sleep.

I looked around the old and abandoned shed we were currently in. It had spiderwebs and lots of dust, but the area I was around was cleaned by Akeno, presumably using magic.

Knowing that Akeno would sleep for some time, I cleaned it more. Starting with the spiderwebs. 

As I saw the spider, I shivered slightly, remembering the spider beast I faced the day we were teleported away, but I quickly squashed it and continued cleaning.

About half an hour later, the shed looked cleaner than before.

Sitting down on the wooden floor, I started thinking. 

I'm weak. 

That was the main thing I thought of. 

I could have dealt with the Vampires better if I had been stronger without Akeno dying. I didn't care that I also died that day, but the fact that Akeno died made my anger rise.

I need to get stronger and faster. The ten years I had before everything happened, I slacked off too much, thinking everyone around me was strong enough so I wouldn't need to stress about getting stronger. 

I even felt something terrible would happen, but I still slacked off. I knew that nothing could have changed that day without my swords. 

No, if I were strong enough to kill at least that one devil that teleported us, everything would have changed. 

I needed to find a way to get much stronger in a short amount of time.

"Think Elijah, think..." I muttered to myself. What's the best way to get stronger despite my problems?

I have started learning magic to combine it with my reinforcement and augmenting, but that won't be enough, and I still haven't been able to do it.

I started to think of other things and remembered that Aunt Shuri told me about Touki. Touki is, in essence, the external manifestation of one's Ki, which would be wrapped around them as an aura. Using this, a person achieves heightened offense, defense, and speed.

It could boost my augmenting, but the problem is that I don't know anyone who could teach me how to use it.

I could try that in the future, but I need something I could do now and without anyone's help.

My mind went back to everything I learned from my mother, aunt, uncles, Arthur and Le Fay. But I couldn't think of anything that would work until I remembered something from my previous life.

All the monsters found in the gates naturally slowly disperse mana from their crystals and seep it into their body, letting the muscles and bones absorb mana.

That is how they naturally grow stronger, but could I use it? A human would destroy their muscles and bones trying it, but I'm not human anymore.

If this worked, my body strength would greatly improve. This would be risky, but I had a lifeline in the form of five extra lives if it killed me.

I looked over at Akeno, who was soundly asleep. It's best to do it while she isn't awake. Otherwise, she would be worried.

I closed my eyes and focused on where my mana was the most concentrated, near my solar plexus.

I didn't waste time and dispersed my mana and let it seep into my body, letting the muscles and bones absorb mana.

"Argh!!!" I let out a pained scream but quickly covered my mouth with both hands. 

I looked at Akeno; she stirred a bit but didn't wake up.

"Cough..." I coughed out a bit of blood. 

I looked at it with a wry smile for a few minutes. It felt like I was being electrocuted, and at the same time, someone was pouring lava on my bones and nerves.

"I'm fine..." I muttered to myself. It wasn't that bad... I could get through it.

I resumed the process again. It was slow and painful; I could barely see any progress, but after about 12 hours, I noticed minuscule changes. 

If I would guess, I would need to repeat this every day for around three or four years to complete this, depending on how long I spend doing it.

Having nothing better to do, I should continue.

...

..

.

Hours flew by, and I continued the process of infusing mana into my bones and muscles, but Akeno still hadn't woken up. 

I checked on her just in case, and she was completely healthy; she seemed to lack sleep, so I let her rest. 

For all I know, she could have not slept even a bit when I was out cold.

Eating the dry rations and taking and drinking the water, I scrolled through my phone. Thankfully, supernatural phones seem to have good batteries; otherwise, the battery would have died long ago.

I went through different train rides as our next stop was Russia, and I wanted to take a train ride across the country until we were close enough to teleport to Japan.

After a while, I put my phone back in my storage ring, and seeing as I had nothing else to do, I continued the infusing process.

The Infusing Process doesn't sound so good... I need to think of a different name for it!

"..." Unfortunately, I could not come up with anything good, so I left it in the back of my mind for the future me.

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.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Akeno woke up on the second day, and we started preparing to leave this place and go for Russia.

I made some progress in the infusing department and am more than 1% done with it. This progress is due to having nothing else to do and will likely be slower.

"Are you ready, Akeno?" I asked.

"I'm ready, but are you sure we won't be attacked again?" She asked.

"I'm confident we won't be attacked," I replied. There is no way anyone would attack a train? Right? "Anyways, let's not waste more time."

Akeno nodded and started the teleportation magic. 

Our vision was covered by the light, and when it faded, we were in an alleyway.

I took out my phone and checked our location, "We are near the station, and the train will leave in one hour. Let's get more supplies while we wait."

For the next hour, we bought some stuff we would need until I saw a cargo train going in the direction we wanted.

"Maybe..." I mumbled loud enough for Akeno to hear, and she followed my gaze to the incoming cargo train.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked in an unsure tone.

I nodded, "We could hide in one of the carriages." 

"Okay, then let's go." 

We quickly looked around for anyone who would be watching before running towards the train. 

I augmented my legs and jumped onto one carriage that had no top while Akeno flew inside.

It had different wooden crates inside but had enough space so we could move around.

Seeing as we didn't have anything else to do, I took out something I bought a while ago.

"Hey, Akeno, want to play Uno?" I asked, showing her the box of cards.

Uno existed in my old world, and even after the gates appeared, it was a fun game to play when you were taking a break during gate hunts.

"Uno?" Akeno asked, tilting her head.

I explained the game's rules, and we played while we had nothing to do. I wouldn't be surprised if the devil created this card game, just like paperwork.

Seriously, if Lucifer didn't invent paperwork, then he was a shitty devil. 

...

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I shuffled the deck of cards and dealt seven cards. We picked up our cards and observed them. 

The starting card was a red number two. Akeno will have the first move as I lost in a rock-paper-scissors match.

The first card played was a red number seven by Akeno. I responded with a '7' of my own, in blue.

Soon, the cards were flying onto the discard pile, colors and numbers changing rapidly.

As the game that could destroy even the best of friendships continued, I pulled out a pull-four card with a smirk, but Akeno countered with a smirk of her own, putting her own pull-four card.

It was like lightning shocked me, and I started picking up eight cards with tears streaming down my face.

...

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.

It was almost the end.

I had two cards left, while Akeno had three. I had a red one and a red stop. 

The card on the top was a red one, and I could already taste my victory.

My hopes shattered when Akeno placed a color change card, "Green." She said.

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue and picked up one card.

Then, a second.

Then, a third.

It continued until my two cards became eighteen. 

Then, the 19th card was finally green! 

I placed it down and looked at my cards, but Akeno had a sadistic smile on her face, "Uno!" She said and placed a green seven card on me...

"Oh, come on!" I yelled and was close to just throwing my cards in the air. All those cards and I don't have even a single seven?

I once again began to pick up more cards and understood that Lady Luck hated me.

After another twenty cards, I got a green number one card and placed it down.

As if to mock me, Akeno's last card was also a one, not a green one, but a red one...

"I win!"

We continued to play a few more games, with me winning one! I guess I won't be gambling in this life...

Maybe I should have bought the luck enhancement ritual that guy was selling... Well, it's too late for me to go back and buy it. 

Maybe I'll buy it next time I'm in Russia.

...

..

.

In the blink of an eye, almost a week passed, with me following the same routine of meditating for a few hours while doing the infusion process and playing UNO with Akeno.

At this point, I started hating this game. I don't know if my luck is awful or Akeno's luck is amazing. Out of ten games, I would win two on a good day.

Making sure we packed everything, I looked at Akeno, "Let's go." I said, and she nodded, unfurling her wings, and I augmented my legs.

Then, with no difficulty, we left the moving train and landed on the ground as the train passed by us.

Finally, we are returning home. I worried about how Akeno would do after we returned, knowing that Aunt Shuri was dead.

We didn't waste time as Akeno started casting the teleportation spell, and the next moment, we were back in Japan.

I took out my phone and saw that we were in Kyoto. It's not the exact location we wanted, but it's close enough. We can go to Kyoto Sation, take the train and be home before nightfall.

If I remember correctly, Kyoto is governed by the leader of the Kyoto Youkai Faction. I think the leader's name was Yasaka, a nine-tailed fox.

I hope the Youkai Faction isn't in a bad relationship with the Angel Faction or the Fallen Angel Faction. 

Who am I kidding? After everything, I should assume every faction is at each other throats.

We didn't waste time and walked towards Kyoto Station, but when we arrived, Lady Luck struck again, and the trains were canceled for the next three hours. 

Seriously, what's with my luck?

I sighed deeply, "Well, it looks like we need to wait a bit longer." 

"Can we go get some real food then?" Akeno asked while tilting her head lightly.

"Sure, why not? We haven't had a good meal since Italy," I replied. The only thing is to exchange the rest of my Euros for Yen. 

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.

It took some time, but I found a place we could exchange my remaining Euros, leaving me with around 15,000 Yen. 

Thanks to magic, Akeno had learned we could clean ourselves and our spare clothes so we wouldn't look like two homeless kids.

"So, Akeno, what do you want to eat?" I asked.

"Hmmm..." She hummed while thinking as we continued to walk, and the smell of grilled meat hit our noses, "Maybe barbeque?" She said, and our eyes focused on the restaurant the smell was coming from.

"Yeah... That smells... I mean, sounds good." I said, my mouth watering from the smell, especially after eating dried and canned food the last few days.

We entered the restaurant and noticed every table had its own charcoal grill, meaning that we would cook our own meat.

The restaurant wasn't that big, but a few customers were already cooking and eating their food. A mix of students, families, and the elderly.

A nice elderly lady led us to our table and started the charcoal grill after we ordered our meat without even asking any questions about two kids entering alone. 

We waited for the charcoal to heat up, and in the meantime, we got our meats and sodas delivered. I almost made a mistake and ordered an alcoholic drink, but thankfully, I stopped myself; otherwise, it would be awkward.

When the grill was hot enough, we were about to grill our meat, and the lady approached us again, "I'm sorry, all of the tables are full. Would it be okay for these two to sit with you?" She asked in a polite tone.

I looked over to see a man in his late twenties and a red-haired girl our age. The man stepped forward, "I'm sorry for this. If you would allow us to sit here, we will gladly pay for you."

"It's okay. You can sit here with us," I replied.

After I replied, the red-haired girl sat down beside Akeno, who looked at her weirdly.

"Lady Rias, I will step outside for a moment to make a call." The man said.

I looked at the red-haired girl I now knew the name of and wondered if she was the daughter of some kind of bigshot and if that guy was her bodyguard. The way he moved was like someone who was ready to fight back at any moment. 

"So what are you two doing here alone? Where are your parents?" Rias asked us the moment the guy stepped outside.

Akeno's face was covered by her hair at the mention of parents probably thinking of Aunt Shuri, so I decided to answer. 

"Our parents are home. We were currently returning home from our trip but stopped by to eat first."

"Trip? Did you also attend the Manga and Anime event here in Kyoto!?" She asked with stars in her eyes.

"No..." I replied, and instantly, she lost the stars in her eyes.

"Oh, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Elijah, and this is-" 

"I'm Akeno." Akeno interrupted me while looking at Rias with slight hostility.

Rias didn't notice or didn't care and cheerfully replied, "I'm Rias! If you weren't at the event, then you missed out on a lot. Look at this new manga I got!" She then pulled out a manga.

While Rias was in her own world talking about mangas, I looked over to Akeno, and our eyes met.

'Why do you dislike her?' 

'I just don't like her aura.'

'Huh?'

It was the conversation we had without saying a single word, and I looked over to Rias. 

"I even got the newest volume of Two Piece signed!" Rias continued talking about her manga.

She is just a normal child like Akeno. What could be wrong with her aura?

"Two Piece, huh?" I said while thinking that it sounded familiar to one of the mangas in my old world.

The only manga I read was Dragon Ball, and it was only the first volume before I decided to fully focus on my hunter training. 

After Mana and the Gates appeared, the popularity of mangas and anime decreased, especially the ones involving anything magical. Most people focused on growing stronger rather than reading fictional books.

Hey, maybe I should write my own now that I'm in this world, a manga about a guy getting cursed by a demon in a world with monsters and gates.

It could actually sell.

Putting that in the back of my mind for the future, I enjoyed the meat. 

"Hmm... I should grill the next one less." I muttered to myself.

"You really seem to like mangas?" I asked Rias.

"Yes! I want to live in Japan someday and even attend a Japanese school!" She replied, "How about you two? It must be fun living here." 

"Yes, it is," Akeno replied, but she didn't even look at her, and the tone she said it somehow made it sound like an insult. 

"Umm..." I was really surprised at how Akeno seemed to not like Rias at all, even if they just met, "We haven't seen much of Japan as we used to be homeschooled and we just returned from... A trip to Europe."

"Yes, we even visited Rome. There was a nice restaurant near the Vatican; maybe you could visit it if you ever go there." Akeno added.

"Ekhm..." I fake coughed, "So, how is the food?" I asked.

"It's good." They both answered. 

As we continued to eat and Rias continued to talk about anything Japanese-related, Akeno started to slowly cool down and not act like she wanted to kill Rias.

I see that as an improvement!

"It was even difficult for me to go to the event, especially with my brother worried for me. Over the last month, he became even more overprotective of me. It's so annoying." Rias grumbled as we ended up talking about her family.

I had a sad smile as she talked about her family. Even when we return home, it won't be the same. 

As I was lost in my memories, suddenly, I felt a chill up my spine, and my instincts were yelling at me. Someone powerful was behind me. 

Rias looked behind me, and her eyes widened, "Big brother!" 

I slowly looked back, and I could feel the sweat on my forehead. There stood an older male version of Rias.

He didn't even flare his aura, but I still could feel a strong destructive force coming from him. I seemed to be the only one feeling it.

I also didn't see anyone except for us here.

"Hello," He said and looked at me and Akeno. He noticed my nervousness and said, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I have been helping your parents find you, and after Souji called me about you being here, I contacted them immediately; they will be here soon." He said.

"Well fuck..." I said, not knowing if what he said was the truth, and if it wasn't, I knew we wouldn't be able to fight this guy.

"Haha." He chuckled, "You certainly don't sound like an angel. But refrain from speaking like that near my little sister." He said with a threatening smile.

"Angel!?" Rias said in shock.

I ignored her and didn't take my eyes off the red-haired man and positioned myself so I could draw my blades at any moment. Even if I knew we couldn't beat him, I could stall him for a while so Akeno could escape, "Then who are you? I have never seen you."

"I used to be Sirzechs Gremory, but now I go by Sirzechs Lucifer," He said, still with that smile.

"Well, double fuck for that," 

"What does fuck mean, big brother?" Rias asked, and Sirzechs closed his eyes, still keeping the smile, but a minuscule aura escaped him, sending shivers down my spine, "A kid your age shouldn't talk like that." He said.

"Yeah, sorry about that!" I replied with slight panic.

"Soooooooo... Our parents are coming here, and you won't take our souls or anything like that?"

"Hahahaha," He laughed, "Don't worry, we don't do that anymore." 

Well, he isn't what I expected from Lucifer. Actually, now that I think about it, there was something about the Original Lucifer dying and another taking his place, so this isn't the uncle my family doesn't talk about but a random powerful guy that took his place.

"Wait, wait, Elijah is an Angel?" Rias then looked at Akeno, "What about Akeno!?" 

"Elijah here is the son of Gabriel, while Akeno is the daughter of Baraqiel," Sirzechs said, and Rias looked as if she was stuck by lightning. I could guess Akeno would want it to be Holy Lightning.

"T-T-The seraph Gabriel and the v-vice governor Baraqiel!?" She stuttered out, looking at us.

"Why do you look like that when your brother is Lucifer?" I asked with a deadpan tone.

"That's..." She looked down and blushed red like the tone of her hair. 

"Anyways, where did everyone go?" I asked.

"Oh, it's just some magic to make them leave and a barrier so no one would enter," Sirzechs answered. 

"So you made everyone leave this place. I feel bad for the owners." I muttered loud enough for him to hear.

"Oh, don't worry, I know the owners."

"..." Of course...

We didn't manage to say anything else. I was slammed out of my seat by a bullet. 

"You're safe, you're safe, you're safe, you're safe, you're safe!" The bullet said over and over again.

I got a better look and saw who it was... My mother...

My throat felt dry, and tears started forming in my eyes, "M-Mom, I-I'm back." I stuttered out as all the emotions burst out at that moment.

"My baby boy, you're really back! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for not being able to protect you." She said while crying.

Hours seemed to pass, and I didn't notice the new arrivals in the restaurant. 

Uncle Michael, Uncle Azazel, and Uncle Baraqiel were all there. 

It may have only been almost two months, but it felt like years.

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.

"Mom is alive!"

"Aunt Shuri is alive!" 

We both said in unison when we heard that Aunt Shuri was alive. Unfortunately, she was in a coma but alive.

"You really gave us a headache, brats; you know how many times you escaped us when we were so close to you," Uncle Azazel said while drinking the alcohol he ordered. 

"Huh?" I looked at him, confused.

"Ah, never mind. What I'm interested in is how you created your swords." He looked at me. 

"Azazel!"

"Azazel, they just returned. Don't ask them about-"

"I saw a few feathers in that cave; you used them, right?" He asked, ignoring everyone.

"What are you talking about," I tried to avoid the question for today.

"Don't avoid the question. I had my doubts at first, but after Romania, it confirmed it. It's the only thing you could have used for them."

"I-"

"Then show your wings." 

"Azazel, what are you doing?" 

"Hey, hey. I just asked him to show his wings."

I sighed, knowing I would find out sooner or later, but I didn't want to show it a few hours after reuniting.

I stood up, and my hands were shaking slightly. What would Mom think about me after seeing what I have done? I knew it was necessary for us to survive, but still, I was scared.

I chuckled mentally. I'm a grown adult mentally, but I'm acting like my body's age.

I felt the sword handles in my hand as I took out my swords while the broken halo appeared above my head. 

"Oh my..."  I heard a loud gasp and saw my mother covering her mouth with both hands, "It's all my fault." She quickly hugged me, "I'm so sorry. If I stopped him, then this wouldn't have happened," She cried.

"..." I stayed silent for a while, "It's not your fault, Mom. We returned safe and alive; that's the only thing that matters. It's just wings; I can live without them."

Even while I said it, I knew it was a lie, and I wanted to have them back again.

"Interesting. Can I have the swords for a moment?" Azazel asked and got punched in the head by Baraqiel.

"Azazel, this is not the time for it." He said.

I let out a sign, and a small smile formed on my face. I missed this.

I quickly augmented my hands and, with a flick, threw the swords straight at Azazel.

"Hey, are you trying to kill me brat?" He asked, catching the blades with ease.

"As if that would kill you," I replied, rolling my eyes.

He grumbled something before observing the blades, "They are truly made out of your wings, huh... One Pure and one Fallen... I guess that's where your attitude comes from..."

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We spent a few hours eating and talking like nothing ever happened. I also heard the adults talking about the Old Satan Faction and that the group of people that attacked us that day were part of it.

Me, Akeno, and Rias sat near each other, so we talked about different things. Mostly Rias about different mangas and asking us about Japan, but it was funny seeing her so obsessed with Japan.

I like Japan, having lived here for almost eleven years. Especially the food! There may be a lot of things here in Japan, but since my reincarnation here, I haven't explored Japan much, so the food is the first thing I think about. 

I should explore the country more when I'm older. Maybe I will attend a normal school for a while since I attended a hunter academy in my previous life.

I heard from non-hunters that High School is the best. I guess I will do what I'll do in the future.

"Hey, we need extra meat!" The gluttonous Akeno said, holding her hand up.

"Seriously, how much more can you eat?" I asked without thinking. 

"Did you say something," She asked with closed eyes and a smile while I heard some lightning crackle from her.

"Of course not..."

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As everyone was about to leave and return... home. It was weird thinking I would finally sleep in my own bed tonight.

Anyway, I needed to talk with Uncle Azazel about something. Actually, I wanted to tell him something so he could tell it to Uncle Baraqiel instead of me.

"So what did you want to talk about that you didn't want the others to hear?" He asked.

"...I awakened my Sacred Gear," I said and saw his eyes widen slightly.

"What is it? Show me," He looked like a kid finding a new toy.

I showed him my hand, and the tattoo appeared? 

"V? Five? Is that all?" He asked.

"It used to be VIII."

"Used to?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"After I got my heart pierced by that spider-like humanoid beast and died, it changed to VII," I said, and his eyes widened.

"You don't mean to say-"

"Then I died again while fighting. It changed to VI..." I paused for what I was about to say. Some killing intent leaked out of me, but I quickly pulled it in, "But before I died for a second time, Akeno also died. My Sacred Gear brought her back to life." I sighed, "Anyways, I wanted you to tell Uncle Baraqiel about it. As her father, he should know about it."

"I don't know if I should be amazed at the power of your Sacred Gear or-"

I interrupted him again, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, but I don't know how Akeno is. Thankfully, Aunt Shuri is alive, and it will make it easier for her." After saying that, I returned back to my mother, and we teleported back home. 

She didn't leave me for a second and hugged me even when I was going to sleep as if I would disappear again if she left me for a moment.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

If you enjoy this story, remember to vote and leave a review if you haven't.