A New Morning [High School DxD]

[ryuan]

AN: Based on small snippets on SV. This one have only the non-crossover elements.

I became aware before I woke up. Dreams of a life I lived beforehand in my mind were fragmented and had some random choice bits I didn't knew much of their purpose. Ideas, memories and concepts that I knew while lacking most context and necessary concepts to truly make sense of them.

So when I started to stir and wake up I was assaulted by LIGHT. Powerful, searing, transcendental and many other qualifiers that couldn't be translated into english surface to my mind.

AWAKEN MY SON, AT TAKE YOUR PLACE AT MY SIDE.

His voice was thunderous and powerful, the very space vibrating in the wake of his power.

"I am here father", I said. I didn't question how I could speak a language, just like how I didn't question how I already had memories of things that never could be again, of a person who doesn't exist anymore.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD MY SON. HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

"Alright I suppose", I said, before gathering all courage I had to make this request. "Could you please tone it down a little, I find myself I either need to turn my back to you or contort my body far away not to be seared by your LIGHT."

There was a pause, and either an instant or an eternity later, things shifted a little.

There was still LIGHT but it was somehow muted, and the presence in front of me wasn't too much in my face so to speak. I could look at the one in front of me without having my vision blinded by the LIGHT, even if there was still more than enough LIGHT that looking directly would blind me. Still I could make out a shape behind the light that looked both familiar and not. Familiar in the sense that an humanoid shape could be distinguished, unfamiliar in the sense that I had never seen the one in front of me before in my life.

The light muted some more and I could finally look around my surroundings without being blinded. While before I had to either turn my back or bend my body in such a way to prostate myself in order to avoid being blinded and seared away by the LIGHT, now it was only necessary to look down at around chest area of the one in front of me.

Twelve pairs of wings of LIGHT shone on his back, and as I tried to look up to see his face I saw the searing LIGHT once more. Avoiding looking directly on his face I saw there was some kind of crown, a Halo of light above his head. Avoiding my eyes from his face, I nodded.

"Thank you for your consideration father", I said before looking at myself.

I also recognized my form as that of a humanoid, shrouded in Light that I could see through. Differently from the memories I was born with, I had no imperfections in the form, and while I couldn't see my face I had this distinct impression that I was sculpted to an ideal of beauty, if only because I was his son.

"What now, father?"

YOU ARE MY FIRST BORN SON, THE BEARER OF LIGHT. YOUR NAME IS HELEL, LUCIFER THE MORNING STAR, AND TOGETHER WE SHALL MOLD CREATION

I nodded. Better than to stand around doing nothing and being bored I suppose. Besides I would spend time with father, what else could I want?

...

Wait a minute. Lucifer Morning Star?

Oh. Ohhhhhhh.

Yeah I see where this is going, and I want no part in it. I wonder what creation will look like if I don't throw a bitch fit and rebel.

Hmm, need to ask father if the memories I have were intentional or not.

 

[ryuan]

AS I RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY, YOU TOO SHALL HAVE YOUR REST. YOU HAVE UP TO ONE DAY TO REST, BUT YOU CAN RETURN ANYTIME YOU WISH. DO NOT DILLY DALLY IN YOUR TRAVELS AND RETURN ON SCHEDULE.

"I will father. Don't worry, I took all precautions possible in order to interact with humans. I shall be discreet and try not to step in your Counterparts shoes during my vacation."

MAKE IT SO. WITH THE ADVENT OF HUMANITY THINGS BECAME MORE DELICATE, SPECIALLY SINCE OTHER FACTORS MIGHT COME IN PLAY. THEY MIGHT NOT LIKE SOMEONE ELSE COME TO THEIR BORDER OF EXISTENCE UNANNOUNCED. SPECIALLY ONE OF YOUR CALIBER.

"Well, even without the seven seals this body of Dust is quite fragile, so I doubt I can be more than an annoyance to those with actual power. Still I will make sure to keep a low profile. I will of course intervene if things escalate beyond mortal capabilities to handle things, but what's the worst that could happen?"

. . . YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT.

~~O~~

It's been a while since my Vacation, and I had some crazy adventures while bound in my frail body made of Dust. I made friendships, vanquished foes and gathered vital intelligence about father's potential foes. Now all I had to do was to return home and resume my duties.

A step to the left and-

*CLANG*

"Ouch! What's that?" I looked around and there was some kind of pocket of True Void floating around the region, sealed away by a barrier. "Didn't I finished cleaning those Void Pockets already?" Shaking my head to clear my headache I looked at myself and saw my body starting to disintegrate.

It was a good thing I was already in the process of shedding my body of Dust, because that looked painful as fuck.

"What are you doing there?" I looked to my side and saw some strange creature. It was some kind of dragon with two pairs of wings and was massive by human standards. "I don't really like the look on your face."

As I stared at the dragon with my bleeding eyes I saw that he was free of SIN, so I decided to let him be for now. I would talk with father later for allowing some of my brothers and sisters to own a pet in the outskirts of Creation.

"Hey! Don't ignore me you little shit!"

I turned my gaze back to the dragon, before snorting. Certainly I could feel his strength, but I really didn't had time for this. Now, where can I exit this place without spilling True Void all over Creation?

"Oh, that's it! You're going down you arrogant fuck!"

Before I could liberate any of my seals the dragon charged at me and took a large bite out of my body, leaving only a little bit bellow my neck floating on the Void.

"Hah! Shows you not to ignore the Great Red!"

It was at that moment that the last shreds of my dust body evaporated from contact with the True Void and my true form made of Light came into being. In an explosion of power that sent the dragon far away I regained my former splendor. It had been almost a Day since I wore that Dust body, and to be honest I prefer my own true form.

By Angels standards I was tall, with a form literally sculpted to the ideal of beauty by father himself, with long red hair and brilliant golden eyes. Father said I resembled him to most of my family, which I had to take his word for it because I never could gaze into his face without being blinded by his LIGHT. Sharp jaw and somewhat delicate features, I had a look that in other worlds proclaimed me a 'pretty boy', a 'dangerous pretty boy' at that.

"Great Red, was it?" I said to the creature that was quickly approaching me. "Know your place."

I had disappeared from it's sight, making him confused before he realized the True Void had disappeared and replaced by my Light. I had became so great that he could fit into my palm, and with a swift grip I crushed him on my hand. I felt the creature resist for a while, before I applied some more pressure and I heard the characteristic crunching sounds of bone breaking. Strange for a creature not made of Dust to behave with the same trappings of a mortal.

Appearing in a smaller form tall enough to look at the dragon eye to eye I let my Light's presence wash him over. "We will talk more later, Red. About you having some manners, but right now I have more important things to do."

With my new form I could easily slip past the Void Pocket without causing problems, leaving Red stewing on his defeat while I returned home to Heaven. As usual I metaphorically 'jumped over the fence' and appeared directly at my father's throne room. He might not be entirely too pleased with popping up at his side like this all the time, but he's already used to it, besides it's been almost a Day since I saw him (the whole issue with the Denarian doesn't count!) and I don't want any pomp on my return. I already recharged my batteries, no need to make my return an spectacle.

As I appeared on the throne room at father's right side the first thing I realized was how empty it was. Normally there were a couple of Cherubs and Thrones singing and providing with constant background music, but the place was eerily silent. Did father had to deal with foreign counterparts and left my brothers and sisters to themselves? It would explain why that Void Pocket was still there. Still I wonder what exactly made father leave Heaven in a hurry.

That was until I heard alarms blaring all over Heaven, and in no time a couple of angels came and I was surprised at the fact that I couldn't recognize any of them. Perhaps they are third or even fourth generation? If so then father probably managed to iron out the kinks of...

Wait a minute.

"Why are you all wearing bodies of Dust?"

All angels looked between scared and angry for some reason, but none dared to come closer to me, until another one came making the other angels part away to let him through. That one I recognized.

My little brother had a dour expression on him, and he was about to open his mouth when he took a good look at me and took a step back, startled, as if seeing me for the first time.

"Michael? What's wrong? What's all this ruckus?"

His voice came out with a whisper, and I could hear the hints of a quiver. "Helel? How could that be?"

"Michael, what happened? I don't understand, I came back from my Vacation and several unknown angels come to greet me, but they are all either fearful or angry by my presence. You came before any of them could say anything, but it's clear they all have hostility against me. What's going on?"

"Helel, please. C-can you show me your Grace?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded. "That's an odd request, but if that can help I will do it."

In an instant, I let my Grace flow through all of Heaven, letting it expand as far as it comfortably could. To be honest, it was good to stretch my Light after so long spent as a being of Dust. My Grace was powerful, and while it was no LIGHT, but out of all angels that father created it was the one that came closest to him. Once I expanded my Grace for long enough, I retracted it in a practiced motion, as it was rude to walk around with your Grace so in your face ever since father created Heaven for us.

Once my Grace retracted, I blinked at seeing most of my brothers and sisters genuflecting, while I saw my younger brother with tears in his eyes before he took hesitant steps towards me. When he came close enough to me, he took me in a crushing embrace and I knew he was close to breaking down in front of everyone.

"It's really you. You're really back! I missed you so much brother!"

Awkwardly I patted him on the back while trying to sooth him, dreading the news he would give me.

 

[ryuan]

In the human world a wave of electromagnetic radiation hit all over Earth as a massive solar flare came, with most of the world facing the sun being bathed in Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis. If the humans at the time had any warning to record this phenomenon they would notice a little peculiarity in it. A similar phenomenon could be felt on the underworld where the devils lived, as massive lighting storms and resounding thunder blared the skies of that dimension.

To those lucky enough to have such instruments or had the necessary power to interpret this phenomenon, they would be surprised at it's content. The humans due to what this could possibly mean and the many questions it would provide and the many questions it would bring. The same could be said for the underworld where the devils dwell, if for entirely different reasons.

I would only notice the effects on those two worlds later, but something much more important was occupying my mind at the moment.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN FATHER IS DEAD!"

Michael winced at my tone, and so did all of Heaven as my fury spreads across all of Creation.

"It is as I said brother. When the whole issue with the Denarian was resolved we waited for your return, but you never came back. As the Days passed our numbers diminished as we fought against The Adversary, until the last battle where my brothers and sisters fell. Father managed to chain Satan to the abyss placing numerous seals to hold him at bay for Eons to come, but the strain diminished him greatly and would take many Eons to restore himself."

"But, but, I was away for less than a Day! I also sent messages back home regularly to reassure everyone I was alright, specially after the Denarian incident! And I have gotten replies all this time whenever I moved to my next destination. By father's Grace, I even came back earlier than schedule!"

"I don't know what happened brother", said Michael in his, by now usual, dour expression, "but a whole Eon passed since you were last seen. As Satan had taunted that he had killed you and you never returned, father believed Satan told the truth, and in his grief he decided to remake Creation once more without waiting for your return. He created another angel in your likehood, and named him Lucifer in your honor."

"Father..."

"He spent much of himself to create our newest brother, and while I felt he would never substitute you his existence managed to sooth father's will even if Lucifer differently from you was a creature of Pride, but father allowed it for most part. Since father already had the proper template for Creation, he made it by himself instead of asking for our help, taking six Days to complete it and resting on the seventh. He had plans for humanity in order to improve your Fruit of Life and Fruit of Knowledge hybridization plan regarding creatures of Dust. Before that though, Lucifer betrayed us since his pride grew to such heights as to wish to become the new ruler of the congregation, and with a heavy heart father cast him away to the underworld with the angels who followed him in his rebellion."

I closed my eyes, palming my face and letting out a silent scream of frustration. So in the end 'Lucifer' did managed to betray father. "Please continue."

"Of course even cast away he caused trouble. We later found out he was contacted by Satan who managed to slip past some of his consciousness from the Abyss, and urged Lucifer to damn the human race with an infusion of SIN. Years later, he had built an army and decided to storm the gates of Heaven. To make matters worse, the creation of the new types of angels using more and more Dust in their composition made the inherent sin in such constructions to become too great, as some angels became overcame with lust and took the children of Adam as their wives. When they were feeling charitable."

I scowled at that. "I can't see father taking this well. The whole Creation made of Dust was an experiment in evolution to see if he could eventually evolve beings to be his equals, and when I suggested new calibrations on our brothers and sisters in order to allow such possibility and for the expansion of our numbers without the direct aid of father I didn't had that in mind."

Michael nodded. "He became furious, and cast them aside from his LIGHT, creating a new faction of dissidents, the Fallen. The only good thing to come out from that event was the fact that the Fallen didn't held, and still don't hold any lost love to the devils, and fought them just as much as us."

"So it's a three way war. What else?"

"While we weren't looking, beings arose from the Void Pockets, a dragon named Ophis the Ouroboros Dragon, and later the Great Red the Apocalypse Dragon. As diminished as father was he couldn't deal with those beings immediately so he let them be."

"What about you brother? You were also made of Light just as me. What happened that you had to wear a body of Dust, if only a much more advanced one than the one I wore before my departure?"

At this my brother looked ashamed. "I tried to fight those beings by myself, taking no heed to the fact I was exhausted fighting my former brothers and sisters while helping father fix Creation, and got greatly wounded in the fight. It was necessary for me to be put into a Dust body in order to slowly heal. Father said it would take at least a few Eras before I got back to my full strength."

"I still can't believe that father died, how that came to be?"

"Another creature came from the Pocket Dimension, this one powered by Satan. Called Trihexa father went after this creature alone and managed to seal it away only after placing several seals on it, even more than what Satan himself had in order to tightly bind it in the Pocket Void since father dared not to open the Abyss to throw another prisoner inside, predicting that either a mad beast with terrible powers or an empowered Satan would come back to end Creation."

I took a deep, steadying breath before sighing. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't let weakness show right now. Not in front of my brother, who had to endure such hardships while I was out having wacky adventures.

"It's alright brother, I'm back now. Everything will be alright now. I will help make Heaven great again, and I'm sure that Satan didn't thought I would eventually return. We can pull this through."

"It's been so long brother, that I almost forgot what it means to have hope", he said with a tired smile, "but you're the light bringer, not that pretender Lucifer. If there is someone that can help Heaven, that angel is you."

I nodded before summoning a bottle of Celestial Wine. I watered it down for my brother while I took it raw.

So I came back from my Vacation only to find my home in disarray and father dead, my brothers and sisters running around clueless while two other factions are besieging Heaven. The humanity that I had envisioned alongside father and spent Eons testing and improving got corrupted and diminished from their potential due to SIN, and there is a possibility that Satan would return earlier than my brother predicted.

And the one with the closest possibility to unfuck things was dear old me.

No pressure.

 

[ryuan]

The whole of Heaven were watching my brother, either on the throne room itself or on the firmament of this realm. My brother Michael was seated on father's throne, and had a neutral expression on his face. The other angels were jubilant that my brother looked so happy after so long, which made me ashamed to be away for so long that the dour, sad expression on my brother's face became so iconic that a more neutral expression shows his pleasure.

Where did the child who laughed with me at the Most Resplendent Fields Of Shade And Trees went? The brother who once got drunk on Celestial Wine by accident and started to sing off key on the throne room? Where did the fun loving and full of smiles little brother of mine went?

As I pondered those things my brother's gaze passed through the ones on the throne room, as I stood on his left just as I did with father.

"Brothers and sisters", he started, "it is to my great pleasure to say that one of our own had returned after a long absence. Like the prodigal son who returned to his home in the bible, so did our lost brother who was once thought dead but was found alive."

I stared at my brother unamused at the comparison. I mean, seriously?

"My older brother came from a time before Creation itself was born, and helped father managing and molding Creation for many Eons before I was born. He alongside me he is the only other living angel who fought against the original Satan bound in the Abyss", I could hear gasps all around the room, likely mimicked by those outside. "Because of that I have an announcement to make."

"I am stepping down as the leader of Heaven. Effective immediately."

Wait what.

"Wait what?" I said out loud before realizing what I did, turning to my brother and harshly whispering to him, "that wasn't in the script, you were only supposed to re-introduce me to Heaven and the new angels, not push your job on me!"

"This was your job to begin with", he said half to me, half to the rest of the congregation, "in the time before Creation you lead the angels of the time, teaching them, guiding them, giving them a purpose. You helped father mold Creation, helping calibrate and define the laws of the world. The Fruit of Life and Fruit of Knowledge were originally a creation of father that you helped improve and allow for an effective hybridization. You are the only being in Creation that, if it becomes necessary, can recreate all of Creation once more on your own."

He stood from the throne and stepped down to our level. "Your true power already eclipsed my own before I was confined to this body of Dust to heal my wounds. Your experience will be invaluable in guiding the new future of both the Heaven and the world bellow. Before when father was alive he let you shepherd Heaven knowing that you would do a good work, your only symbol of office the silent approval of father and the respect you gathered from your brothers and sister. Please brother, guide us once more like you did so long ago."

At those final words he knelt in front of the throne.

Somehow, someway, I think the one named after me would be rolling in his grave. Slowly I ascended the throne step by step. I would be lying if I said I never had imagined myself sitting on this throne, but I would also be lying if that wasn't due to a childish thought that it looked really cool.

Once I sat on the throne, I let my gaze linger on my brothers and sister. Aside from Michael I didn't knew any of them, something which weighted heavily into my heart as I had know all my brothers and sisters who were created by father directly, even giving opinions on the looks of some of them, and now they were all gone. Some died on the earliest incursions made by Satan, either in battle or through corruption by SIN. Most, however, died at a later date when I went missing in the time before father made this new Creation. I at least hoped that some of them lived long enough to see this new Creation bloom.

I saw some Archangels, none of them I recognized even if I could feel their power. Some, when looking at the right angle, would make me remember of their namesakes that perished a long, long time ago.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Once I opened my eyes I addressed the congregation.

"I never asked for this."

I let those words sink in for a moment before continuing.

"When I went to my travels I went so with the knowledge that I would return to my brothers and sisters waiting for me, either to ask for my help with this or that or to show off some new thing I missed in the Day I was gone. I would return to father's kind embrace before going back to work on making Creation the best it could be giving that it was made of Dust. I would tell stories of my travels and give important information to father so he could better defend Creation from our enemies, such as The Adversary. I would help my brothers further evolve just as the beings of Dust were designed to do in order to become closer to father. If I found the right one, I would even find a wife as this form of love became available to us."

That last bit clearly scandalized a few angels, making them murmur around the throne room. I let them talk for a few moments before silencing them with my gaze.

"I never asked for authority. I helped father because that's what a dutiful son would do, because that's what I wanted to do, because I loved father with all my heart. I helped my brothers and sisters because that's what family do, because I too loved them with all my heart. I helped design and improve on the creatures of Dust, the first humans, because they were to be father's finest creations, his hope to one day evolve beings that would be his equals. I asked him to allow to improve on my brothers and sisters as I took wanted them to get closer to father, and I wanted to also stand at his right side, the place of honor reserved to those who were his equals. I did all of that for love and duty, not to be raised above others and hold dominion over father's works."

"Yet now I sit here at his throne. I could never have predicted something like this would happen, but I need to accept this responsibility and make official what was already done before. So I accept my place as the new God of Heaven as my duty to all of Creation, in order to protect and guide what father loved. None of you save Michael knows me personally, but I ask you to trust me to guide us to a brighter future, and I vow in father's name that I will work hard to earn the respect of all of you."

At the last of my proclamation I saw that some of my brothers and sisters started to kneel, until all of them in the throned room had knelt, and I could only imagine that all in Heaven watching this would be doing the same. Hopefully, at least.

I closed my eyes and let some tears fall down my face as I tried to be strong right now. "The God has fallen, long live the new God."