I kissed Roxy on the forehead, her scent still in the air, and dressed with a calm expression. It was the kind of quiet moment where everything around you slows down, like the world itself is waiting for you to do next. I turned to her and spoke quietly to her. "I'll be back soon," I said, and left the room. I felt her gaze on my back. I quickly focused and teleported a second later.
The forest I was transported to was dark, but beautiful. It was an old forest, with massive trees whose crowns almost touched the sky. The silence here was almost unnatural. It was as if no one had ever spoken in this place, as if no man had ever lived here. The air was so heavy that it did not move, no wind. I closed my eyes, taking in only the sounds of the forest mingling with my breath. Slowly, I reached my hand out in front of me, as if to take everything in this world into my hand.
The system interface opened in the air, pulsing with gold, alive and almost breathing. As I scrolled through the categories on it, my eyes narrowed when I came across the "DxD" box. That was it. After a long time, I finally found what I was looking for. It wasn't just an ordinary world, it was an entire universe based on something I knew. I unlocked it and a list of worlds opened up. Some I recognized immediately - fanfictions, alternate realities that had little to do with what I remembered. But some I was drawn to. They were worlds I'd only heard of before, and maybe... maybe they held something I'd never understood.
My memory of the original world of High School DxD was a bit fuzzy, after all. I'd only seen the anime, and that was a long time ago. But the feeling that I had left something behind and needed to move on still guided me. There was an unfamiliar attraction, something that drew me to this place, to this world. Maybe it was just curiosity, maybe fate, who knows.
I quickly scrolled through the list. There were all sorts of world variations, branching lines of realities that diverged from the original story. When I finally found what I was looking for, I decided. "Canon," I selected. The original lineage, the basic direction of the world. I was ready, even though I knew it might be risky.
"The shadow soldiers I created stay here," I uttered calmly, as if it were a given. Their eyes only flickered softly in response in the darkness. "If they are needed, they will come. The shadows connect us, and they will always find me."
The system responded with a quick flash of a message.
Y/N]
[Do you really want to enter this world? I didn't have to think. Without hesitation, I clicked "Yes."
The system interface changed color. The golden color was replaced by a deep darkness that immediately drew me in. I could feel my consciousness sinking, losing my form and returning to the void. It wasn't a fall of the body, it was a fall of consciousness. It was a return to something I already knew. Emptiness, loss, rebirth.
Then the text reappeared:
[The world you were in: Mushoku Tensei... Code X01e13541LOD. Time suspended here. You may return at any time.]
[Warning: You have successfully changed the fate of this world. Title: Lord of Destiny.]
[System now becomes part of you.]
[True race detected: Paradox Primordial.]
I gasped. It was as if my consciousness had stumbled upon something I never expected. It was like a shock when the system revealed the truth of my existence.
[You are the Primordial Paradox, a being born in the beginning. Creator of fate, time, death, life. Everything that ever was, is, or will be, came from you. You are absolute. Everything that was, is, or will be exists because of you. You are the first, you are everything. The eternal paradox, creator and destroyer, alpha and omega. Death will not end you - you will always come back. You are reality itself.]
[Create new destinies, my lord.]
The system message disappeared and I was left in absolute darkness. There was nothing, nothing around me. Yet I felt I was not alone. It was as if I was connected to the whole universe, as if I myself were the universe. The air around me began to ripple, as if it were breathing and vibrating.
And then, in this deep stillness, a voice came. It was soft, feminine, like a caress that went straight to the soul.
"Rachel," I thought to myself. It was as if this voice was not just part of the system, but something more. Something that accompanied me, as if it were protecting me.
I closed my eyes and focused on the transition process. I knew that this transformation wasn't just a change in reality, it was a change in being itself. I felt everything around me begin to change, my soul reforming for the new world. It was like I was passing through infinite layers of existence.
Then, like a flash, a new screen appeared, bright and shimmering, shining like the sun at the edge of the endless universe.
[Choose your starting existence in the new world: High School DxD]
A number of options flew past my eyes: Demon, Fallen Angel, Reincarnated Human with an artifact, Demigod Entity. There were so many choices, each with its own power and danger. But I knew I wanted to be myself. None of these roles were right. Paradox Primordial. My appearance would remain the same as before.
I also chose that I would be an "Orphan" — an ordinary human with no past, no family, no history. Just me, free and independent. My mind was still the same — exceptional, almost incomprehensible. This allowed me to be truly free.
[Chosen fate: Orphan. Living on the edge of the city of Kuoh. Age: 17. Enrolled in Kuoh Academy.]
[External appearance adapted — human, youthful, inconspicuous.]
[System access: Limited. Emergency access activated through thoughts.]
[Memory: Retained. Race: Hidden. Aura: Hidden.]
"So... the game begins," I thought. As the words left my lips, everything around me exploded with light, blinding me, shattering my consciousness, and transporting me to the new world.
When I opened my eyes, I felt a hard surface beneath me — a sofa. A small, modest apartment, nothing extravagant, but comfortably cozy. The table beside me had a folder. Documents. Official stamps. My new name, new birthdate. The system had arranged everything perfectly, as if it were all part of some plan.
My true self remained hidden, deep beneath the layers of this new reality.
I smiled. The irony of life. The Lord of Fate, the creator of reality, in the body of an ordinary high school student.
My gaze fell on another document — the application for Kuoh Academy. I start tomorrow.
On the table lay a phone. A bank card. Some money. New name: Mephistopheles Darkness. A beautiful name, right?
I explored the apartment. Modest, but thanks to my magic, I had adapted it to my needs. I created barriers that prevented anyone from detecting the magic emanating from here. Slowly, I looked at the phone and felt a bit like an old man trying to understand modern technology.
And then, after a moment, I decided: I'll go out. And buy something to eat.