Property of the Kairen Family, Hamburg, Germany
That winter morning was so cold and cozy that Izumi refused to get out of bed.
It was a day unlike any other.
He didn't sense the presence of demons beyond the borders, nor was his sixth sense alerting him to the presence of cats on the street. He tried to enjoy it as much as possible, just sleeping, because as soon as he opened his eyes and fully awoke, the old routine would return.
The clumsy and weak footsteps of a child echoed through the hallway of the house.
Ichiro, a child of only eight years, ran through the house with a contagious smile. His eyes wandered around the house as he moved anxiously towards Izumi's room.
His expression, to adults, was nothing good. He was definitely up to something.
The child finally arrived at his destination.
Ichiro, as always, felt small before his brother's bedroom door. It was made of smooth wood, almost two and a half meters tall. Purely aesthetic, as no one in the house was that tall.
Ichiro stood on tiptoe to reach the small gap that would help him unlock the door. Afterward, he pushed the door, which slid to the left and revealed Izumi's room.
It was small, not befitting that door at all. However, it was enough for Izumi. The dark blue walls were illuminated by a blue lamp, which made it easier to relax.
The room lacked a wardrobe, having only a few blocks and planks holding shoes and some kimonos, with Izumi's casual clothes being kept in drawers under the bed. The TV was still on, showing a German news channel.
"Brother!"
Ichiro shouted, shaking Izumi roughly.
"Brother, brother!" he insisted, his voice thin and still developing. "It's serious, brother!"
"Go away, Ichiro! I have work later. I can't play today," Izumi mumbled.
"It's serious, Izumi! I don't want to play... Well, I do. Buuut..."
"Go away!" he complained, turning his body and the blanket towards the wall, his back to his younger brother.
Big mistake.
Izumi frowned in momentary anger, which quickly disappeared and gave way to a light and rested face.
"Humph," he grumbled, puffing out his cheeks, raising his right eyebrow in doubt.
Running his curious and irritated eyes over his older brother's bed, Ichiro found the solution.
Izumi made a big mistake by turning his back. He had left his foot out, stretched exactly towards Ichiro.
The child looked at his brother's face, trying to ascertain if he was asleep again. Noticing that Izumi had fallen asleep again, Ichiro flashed a mischievous smile on his small face.
The child maliciously rubbed his fingers on his older brother's bare feet, activating a defense system of the human body commonly called tickling.
Even for a Sefirah of Izumi's level, it still worked. The twenty-three-year-old adult woke up laughing uncomfortably, contorting his body to escape his younger brother.
"Seriously, Ichiro!"
"Seriously too, brother!" Ichiro maintained a confident and cheerful expression. "Dad called. They're coming."
Izumi lay back down on the pillows, trying to interpret his brother's words.
His blue eyes awoke, something like the reflection of the sea mirroring a cloudless morning sky. He jumped up, discarding his morning laziness and getting out of bed.
Wearing only a pair of white socks, black sweatpants, and a blue sweater, Izumi ran through the hallways of the house faster than Ichiro to wake him up.
Rushing down the stairs, he came across the glass door that led to the snow-covered lawn in the backyard.
"Good morning, Mom!" he greeted his mother, Ayumi, who didn't even see the blur of her eldest son.
When she looked for him and finally found him, Ayumi saw Izumi sitting cross-legged in front of a statue.
The statue revered Satoru Kairen, an ancient ancestor of Izumi and also the first Sefirah to confront all seven demon kings face to face.
Satoru, in the statue's representation, was sitting and leaning on his katana, with the back of his neck resting on the hilt. Both arms rested on his knees, his hands touching with fingers interlaced except for the thumbs, which touched more distantly. Satoru's eyes were closed, and his expression was calm, almost asleep.
Izumi sat cross-legged in front of the statue, keeping his spine straight and taking in a good amount of air.
Resting his hands on his lap, palms facing upwards and his left hand underneath, he closed his eyes and calmed down. A blue energy shone through his skin, concentrating into particles at his navel.
[Do you wish to access the plane of Asiah, the world of manifestations?]
A neutral voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female, questioned, seeking Izumi's confirmation.
'Yes,' he affirmed mentally.
[Accessing the world of manifestations of the Servant of the Seas, Izumi Kairen.]
A blue point of energy illuminated Izumi's dark vision, replacing the absence of light with an illuminated space.
Before his eyes, the morning taken by the German winter was replaced by a unique sky; stars shone in the most diverse colors, flowing like rivers of light emptying into the lost horizon.
Izumi was in the center of a lake, surrounded by trees of pure energy, above a circular platform carved from marble. Cracks in the ground perfectly formed the Tree of Life of the Sefirot.
Seven points of light shone five meters above Izumi, circling the marble platform. The lights, which were once perfect spheres, materialized thrones of energy in the air, causing seven banners to cascade down from the seat of each one. Each banner bore a different symbol, outlined by the absence of light.
Subsequently, the three banners on the right had: at the tip, an axe illustrated with the banner beside it having a goblet as its illustration, followed by a banner that exalted a beautiful flower, unrecognizable to humans.
It was a species of plant found only in the realm of angels.
On the left side was: at the tip, a banner with a torch. Beside it, a banner with a staff accompanied by a banner with a trumpet.
And, concluding the seven thrones, the seventh throne and the one in the middle of them all: the largest and brightest of the thrones, such that it allowed the fall of a banner with an illustrated sword.
Izumi cleared his throat with saliva; the pressure of the thrones alone was enough to make him cry. So, what would the sensation be when their owners appeared?
Well, the answer to that question quickly presented itself.
Seven countenances emerged from the thrones, traces of energy outlined their bodies, leaving their bodily structure translucent. The only thing with color were their eyes. All seven had a pair of light blue eyes, similar to a clear sky.
[Servant of the Seas, descendant of the great lord of the waters, Izumi Kairen. Do you understand who stands before you?]
"Yes."
"Then kneel," ordered the voice from the throne of the staff.
Izumi had no choice. After the order, his own body fell to the ground, praising the thrones.
If for demons there are seven sins, for humans there are seven virtues. The seven fragments of the creator himself, the brightest light in the universe. Something that would reach any human with just a glimpse.
The Seven Archangels.
[Initiating servant evaluation…]
A floating window rose to the sky, projecting perfectly above the platform.
Gradually, the pop-up window fragmented into seven rectangular windows, falling in front of the archangels' eyes.
Outside Izumi's plane, Ayumi and Ichiro watched him attentively, sitting on benches looking from afar.
Both anxious, the mother was anxious because her son would attract more attention. After that meeting with the archangels, Izumi would become more powerful, thus attracting more attention from the demons.
While Ichiro, being only eight years old, was only anxious for his brother to become stronger. It was a source of pride.
"Did Izami call?" Ayumi asked.
"Yes," Ichiro replied, smiling. "Dad said two agents are coming to take big brother to HQ. So, he told him to wake up. He said he would know what needed to be done..."
Ayumi sighed, resting her chin on her right hand. She was clearly unhappy with the situation.
The angels whispered in their celestial language. Izumi couldn't put together a sentence, not even understand the tones and pronunciations.
[The Seven Archangels are close to a conclusion.]
[...]
All the missions Izumi carried out, from the first to the most recent, his great and small deeds. Moments of luck or misfortune in the gacha system. Everything was being replayed on the screens, like first-person videos, from Izumi's own point of view.
[Archangel Raphael, lord of healing, suggested a rapid evolution.]
[Archangel Gabriel agreed.]
Smaller pop-up windows appeared for Izumi from time to time, announcing the archangels' major decisions.
[Archangel Uriel made an objection.]
Izumi reacted to that objection by becoming distant, tense, and yet, maintaining confidence in the face of everything.
[Archangel Uriel tested his trust and faith in the powers of the divine. The great Archangel of flames accepted an evolution of the Ace card.]
[Archangel Sariel accepted his promotion.]
[Archangels Remiel and Zadkiel neither objected nor accepted. They are awaiting the final vote.]
Archangel Michael, the one sitting on the central throne with the sword banner, remained silent. The leader and most powerful archangel chose to watch Izumi a little longer.
[The leader of the Archangels is impressed by your determination to destroy demons. But, your lack of faith in God troubles him…]
"What argument do you give us for this lack of faith?" Michael asked. His voice was more imposing and deeper than all the others.
Izumi swallowed hard, but didn't wait long for an answer. The archangels desired something that defined Izumi's way of thinking, so thinking too much would make him inconvenient and undisciplined.
"They use the excuse of free will, however..." Izumi began. "Even you interfered. You helped humans while God only said: I cannot interfere. Therefore, thinking like this... Even you are more gods than He is."
[Michael suppressed his comparison.]
"I understand your point of view," Michael stated. "I have my verdict."
[The Archangels approved the evolution.]
The seven thrones suddenly vanished. The floating windows became one, hovering in the air in front of Izumi.
[Your evaluation has been completed.]
[Congratulations!]
One window overlaid the other.
[You have received permission from the Seven Archangels to evolve your Ace card. However, to do so, you will have to renounce your current strength.]
[About]
Name: Izumi Kairen
Potential: 97
Magic: Mayim
Suit: Spades
Emblem: Ace
Rank: E
State: Servant
[Do you accept the sacrifice?]
"Yes."
[Potential reset… Potential 97 > Potential 1]
Izumi felt a massive amount of energy leave his body.
[Your abilities will return to level one. Do you accept this choice?]
"Yes."
With each question and action, Izumi became more anxious, and certainty disappeared.
[All your abilities have regressed to level one.]
[All your stats have regressed to one.]
[Processing…]
Izumi filled his lungs with air and then emptied them.
[The Sefirah Izumi Kairen has been bathed by the sea throughout his life. The waves brought him calm, just like the sea of blood created by the blood of defeated demons. You are temperamental, just like the sea, you can be a tsunami if angered. However, you maintain emotional control above all else.]
[The waves of the sea have enveloped you.]
[You have received assistance from Archangel Sariel.]
[Your Ace card has evolved… Your power has been renounced.]
[Congratulations! You have evolved!]
[You have obtained a new Heritage: Charity!]
[Congratulations! You are no longer a servant…]
[New subtitle acquired: Minion of the Seas.]
'From servant to minion... I don't know if much changes,' Izumi thought, looking at the windows, relaxing his shoulders, and letting his face fall.
[You have been reborn. Your attributes have regressed to the beginning… From this point onward, you will have an easier time evolving!]
[Returning to the world of Aziluth…]
Izumi felt pushed backward.
Time distorted, the fall seemed contrary to gravity itself. In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed: the small lake was now once again the statue of Satoru.
He shook his head at the confusing surroundings, his eyes scanning the lawn, feeling the snow touch his skin.
His whole body trembled with cold. He was feeling completely inferior, because he really was. Everything Izumi had fought to achieve in the last five years had disappeared for a new cycle.
Now, even that snow, which previously didn't have much effect, was enough to make him faint from the cold.
Running inside the house, where he would escape the cold, Izumi came across two men in black suits in the living room talking to Ayumi.
They maintained the same expression from the beginning of the conversation: serious, calm, and distant expressions. At a glance, one of the men saw Izumi pass through the kitchen and walk into the living room.
"Young Sefirah..." the man greeted, bowing his head imperceptibly.
Izumi returned the gesture by bowing as well and, in addition, mumbling a "Hey."
"Have you already completed your evaluation in the plane of Asiah?"
"Yes."
"And then?..." The man gave Izumi the opening to answer, but he was just looking at the air, distracted and worried. "What's the verdict?"
A pop-up window appeared in front of Izumi, outlined in red with a spade symbol—the Ace—in the center.
[Remember to open the dealer's choice window to use your new Heritage.]
[The Archangels eagerly await your next awakening.]
[About]
[Name: Izumi Kairen]
[Potential: 1]
[Magic: N/A]
[Suit: Spades]
[Emblem: Ace]
[Rank: D]
[State: Minion]
"I was accepted and..." he swallowed hard, seeking courage to accept it. "I lost everything in the process."