6 year time skip…
The church in Kuoh had been my home since the start of this new life. It stood alone, large and worn by time, its faded walls and creaking floors a testament to years of neglect. No visitors came, likely assuming it had been long abandoned. It was just my mother and me, surrounded by the quiet hum of nature, the scent of aged wood and candle wax lingering in the air.
Despite its condition, I loved this place. It was where my mother had built a life for us, despite the cruelty of the world that had cast her aside. The church in Italy had forsaken her, condemning her as impure after she was taken by a man—who, according to the goddess, was already dead. They believed she had willingly broken her vows, shunned her without question. Yet, instead of bitterness, she devoted herself to this forgotten sanctuary, thanks to Cleria, who allowed her to run the church. Apparently she ran this town like its mayor.
Cleria didn't visit often and never really entered the church, but she was kind enough to send people from town to help with repairs as the place was rather big for on my mom and I to fix. It was because of her that this place, though old, still stood strong.
I understood more than I let on. I had lived another life before this one, carried the knowledge of this world—or at least, the fragments of it I could recall. I was fairly certain this was that pervy harem anime, High School DxD when I heard I was in the town of Kouh. I didn't know much about it, just bits and pieces—like the fact that this world had crazy powerful dragons fighting over some dimensional void, and that it was filled with all sorts of mythological gods. The most painful truth, though, was knowing that the God my mother believed in was dead in this world.
She could never know that.
Aside from that, my knowledge was patchy. I knew Kuoh Town was where the plot began. I knew the main characters—Issei, Rias, Sona, and their peerages—but I didn't remember all of their names or even how most of them looked. Maybe if I met them, something would jog my memory.
But back to the point—I was a child again. And no matter how much I retained from my past life, some things were different. I couldn't always hold onto the maturity that once defined me. I laughed when I found something amusing, pouted when things didn't go my way, and found joy in simple things I hadn't appreciated before.
One of my favorite things was helping my mother restore the church.
There was something deeply satisfying about cleaning away dust, painting the walls, and bringing life back to the place that sheltered us, though men Cleria sent did most of the restoration work. My small hands weren't always steady while I helped, and sometimes I made a bigger mess before fixing anything, but hey with mistakes come learning. My mother would watch me with that soft, knowing smile, her patience endless.
The garden was my second favorite place.
The churchyard had been wild with weeds and tangled roots in the beginning. I made it my mission to restore it, little by little, with my mother guiding me. She taught me how to tend to the soil, how to recognize which plants needed extra care.
I genuinely loved it—it gave me a sense of peace. Feeling the dirt between my fingers, watching tiny sprouts turn into flowers and vegetables, knowing that our work brought even a little beauty back to this place… it made me happy in a way I hadn't expected.
Despite our isolation, my mother refused to let me grow up confined to the church's walls. She insisted I go into town sometimes, even if I preferred staying by her side. She wanted me to make friends, as she was worried I wasn't bringing any back from school.
That was how I met Irina Shidou.
She was loud, excitable, and full of boundless energy—a stark contrast to how I usually behaved it's a little embarrassing to admit that I thought she was a boy at first but she was quick to amend that misunderstanding with a smack to the head.
I showed her the church one day as she wanted to visit my home. At first she thought it a little odd that I lived at the church, but she got used to it pretty quick. She, like me, enjoyed the time at the church, thanks to the help of Cleria, her hired help, and hard work from mom and I, the place turned out nice and cozy place. The main hall stayed that of a place for worship and prayer but all the rooms were renovated especially the bathroom that took the look as a bath house, it was huge. I'm still confused to this day how Cleria did it but I'm happy she did.
Irina made herself comfortable, following me home after school to pray. She was just as devout as my mother though sometimes I think she only came for our awesome bath. After her prayer, she would talk my ear off about her day, her friends, and her dreams of joining the church like her dad.
We didn't talk much at school as we were in different classes, but she made sure to catch me up on her day after though.
I listened, but I rarely spoke as much as she did. I didn't have much to say about school or friends, mostly because I didn't have any. But I didn't mind her presence. If anything, I found it… comforting. She was my only friend, after all.
Through her, I met Issei Hyoudou.
That had been an experience, solidifying my theory of being in Highschool DXD.
I found it a little odd that she was friends with him. I didn't remember her being part of his harem—then again, I didn't remember much about the series in detail. I had assumed that every girl Issei met eventually fell for him and joined his harem, though it could happen later in the story as it would seem Issei made the incorrect assumption of her gender as I did in the bigginning. Guess I'll just wait till we are older and see if Irina starts talking about being apart of a huge harem.
Meeting him in person, though, helped me realize that I definitely wasn't interested in getting to know him further. The only thing he talked about was his obsession with boobs.
The only good thing to come out of meeting him was figuring out that we were the same age, meaning that the plot—the whole supernatural madness that defined this world—would likely begin in our second year of high school.
My favorite time was night, when the world was quiet, my mother and I would sit by the fireplace that had been built with the help of Cleria's workers. My hands would be dirt-stained from the garden, my body warm and relaxed from the day's work. She would hum softly, a song without words, and I would rest my head on her lap, letting the peace of the moment lull me to sleep.
One day, Irina brought her parents to visit the church.
I didn't mind. The church was open to everyone, after all. But the moment they arrived, I could feel Irina's dad, Touji, eyeballing me from across the room.
At first, I thought her father was trying to intimidate me for being close to his daughter. That would've been understandable. But after noticing the way he kept giving me that quizzical gaze like he was wondering what I was doing there. I figured he knew I wasn't exactly human, but common man I'm a kid and I'm sure he could tell I was still in a dormant state.
Irina had mentioned that her father was working for the church, so I'm guessing he has some sort of training in the supernatural as the goddess made it obvious the church trained in such matters. I think the churches have something like exorcist on their side, so maybe he was one of those.
I had my theories that due to being in Kouh Town, I was most likely a half fallen angel or half devil. More likely a fallen due to my ability to stay in the church, but that could also be due to my bloodline still being dormant.
He never spoke about it, though.
And so, I said nothing either.
He only observed me for a little, and after meeting my wonderful mother, I think he realized that if she was the one raising me, there was little chance I'd ever be a threat.
So life continued.
I kept tending to the church, working in the garden, and humoring Irina whenever she appeared.
Present day
I knelt in the garden, carefully patting down the soil around a newly planted herb. The warm air carried the scent of earth and blooming flowers. I found peace in moments like this, in the quiet hum of nature surrounding me.
Then, as always, Irina shattered the peace entirely.
"You're always digging away at this garden," she groaned, flopping down beside me in the grass.
I smirked faintly, not looking up. "Well, it is quite peaceful here. Now that the church is fully fixed, the garden is all I have to keep me busy." I said as I also glance back at the beautiful white church behind me.
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Do you ever do anything fun?"
I thought for a moment. "This is fun. And mother loves these flowers."
Irina groaned dramatically. "You're such a mama's boy."
I chuckled under my breath, dusting off my hands as I sat back on my heels. "I can't deny that. She is the best, isn't she?"
She grinned. "Pfft… what a weirdo."
I rolled my eyes but didn't argue.
Irina rocked back onto her elbows, staring up at the sky. "Hey, So-Chan?"
"Hm?"
She hesitated before speaking. "Do you ever feel… different?"
I stilled for half a second before schooling my expression into something neutral. "What do you mean?"
She shrugged, eyes still on the clouds. "I dunno. My dad says you're special, but he never tell me why—just that I'll figure it out sooner or later."
I smirk slightly. "Well, isn't that ominous? But I'm sure he's just complimenting my good looks. I did inherit them from my mother, after all."
I said as I brush back my blonde hair exaggeratively and winking at her with my stormy grey eyes.
Irina snorted with a slight blush. "Please. You're nothing special."
I rolled my eyes, flicking a small clump of dirt at her. She yelped, swatting at her sleeve.
"You jerk! That's so gross!"
I smirked. "You interrupted my work. Actions have consequences."
She shot me a glare before breaking into laughter.
We joked around for a little before she left me to my garden.
As I relaxed and stuck to my work, I felt a sudden surge of energy unlike anything I had ever felt before. I could feel it rushing through my veins, like something inside me had finally woken up. My back burned, the itch intensifying until it was almost unbearable.
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm as I stumbled away from the garden.
My mother was inside the church, sending up her mid-day prayer, and Irina had left just an hour ago. Good. I didn't need an audience for this.
There was a dense forest behind the church, untouched and overgrown. The townspeople rarely ventured there as we are pretty out of the way.
The deeper I went into the forest, the stronger the energy within me grew. My back burned, the itching sensation escalating until it felt like something was trying to rip its way out. My breathing was heavy, my muscles tensed from the unnatural pressure building inside me.
Then, without warning, pain exploded through me.
I gritted my teeth, staggering forward as the sensation became unbearable. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before—like my bones were shifting, my body reshaping itself against my will. I dropped to my knees, gripping the dirt beneath me as sweat dripped from my brow. My vision blurred, as the pain intensified.
Then, with a final snap, the pressure vanished.
I exhaled sharply, my breath ragged as I slowly pushed myself up. The weight on my back was new but strangely natural, like it had always been a part of me. I hesitated before turning my head.
And there they were.
Two large, jet-black wings stretched out behind me, feathers dark as night, seeming to absorb what light filtered through the forest trees.
I flexed them slightly, watching them move with ease, like they had always been there.
I stared for a moment before huffing out a small laugh.
"Well… at least I'm not a devil."
That had been a worry. If I had ended up with devil traits, stepping into the church would have been a problem. But now? I felt fine. No discomfort, no unnatural resistance. The church was still home.
Still, there was no denying where this power came from. That awful man had been a Fallen Angel. Luckily, He was long dead, and frankly, I was glad for it. He had hurt my mother after all.
And as for the Fallen Angel faction?
I didn't owe them anything.
I wouldn't go out of my way to hate them as they aren't all to judge, but I also wouldn't forget the pain my mother had suffered because of one of their own.
With that in mind, I took a deep breath and focused on my thoughts.
Retract.
The warmth in my back shifted, and within moments, the weight disappeared. My wings folded into me, vanishing without a trace. I rolled my shoulders, feeling the absence but knowing they were still there, waiting.
I smirked slightly to myself. That's convenient.
For now, though, I needed rest.
By the time I reached the garden, my body felt heavy with exhaustion. My arms ached, my legs dragged slightly.
I could hear my mother's voice inside the church, humming a soft tune as she worked on cleaning the shrine.
I slipped inside quietly, making my way straight to the bathroom as I didn't want her seeing me in such a state.
A shower would help, and after that, I'd take a nap.
The warm water soothed my aching muscles, washing away the sweat, dirt and blood from my back.
Once I was dressed, I barely made it to my bed before collapsing onto it. My body sank into the mattress, exhaustion claiming me instantly.