-----(Amir POV)-----
It's been a week since I woke up in this new body, in this new world.
I thought things would feel drastically different, but they're… normal. Or at least as normal as life can be in a small Middle Eastern country in the mid-2000s.
It's February 2003. And considering the fact that this universe is supposed to be an exact replica of the one I know, I should be the same age as Rias, since; if memory serves; the story begins in 2012.
Things are peaceful for now, but tensions are rising throughout the region, and knowing that Lebanon will be bombed in three years doesn't exactly help with the stress.
Most of my days are spent wandering around the nearby city, trying to absorb its rhythms, old stone buildings, the smell of diesel and roasted nuts, the sound of shopkeepers bartering, and also trying to assimilate my new memories while adapting to using Arabic. Instantly obtaining knowledge of a language doesn't mean I'm comfortable using it. Fluency doesn't magically make someone confident.
Thankfully, the orphanage is near one of the bigger cities, which means a lot of people know at least a bit of French, something I studied in my previous life. It's still strange to call it a "previous life," considering I never died, but… moving on.
I'm not going to school, which is honestly a blessing in disguise. I may not remember the high-school curriculum perfectly, but middle school? Yeah, no. Hard pass.
The orphanage can't afford schooling, so the sisters do their best to teach us. Considering Arabic gets a little easier for me every day, they're doing a great job.
No one has really noticed my change in personality, which was weird at first, but with this many children, it makes sense. The sisters simply don't have the time or energy to watch everyone closely, so the differences slip through unnoticed, even if I stand out.
And I do stand out.
Apparently, being in a world like DxD means that green, blue, pink, or otherwise unnatural hair colors aren't as rare as you'd think. I've seen the occasional blue-haired passerby. People stare, but not for long. Most just assume the person is a foreigner and move on.
That's how it is with me. My preference for French reinforces that idea.
People assume I'm some pompous foreigner… until they hear my name.
Why, you might ask?
Well, messy, shoulder-length cherry-blossom-pink hair, crimson eyes, and features a bit too perfect to be human tend to raise eyebrows.
Seems I picked up the hair from my devil side and the eyes from my ancestor. Every time I look in the mirror, I can't help but picture a younger Marluxia with different colored eyes. Probably done on purpose by good old ROB so I'd fit the Kingdom Hearts aesthetic better.
I haven't tried contacting the supernatural or traveling to Scala ad Caelum yet. The reason? Fear, honestly.
If this region is under the Abrahamic pantheon, and the strong presence of Christianity and Islam suggests that it is, that's terrifying. If I slip even once, a fallen angel, devil, stray exorcist, or perfectly normal exorcist, any member of those three factions, might decide to spear me through the stomach Issei-Shish-Kebab style and frankly, I'd rather not.
So I'm holding off. At least until I'm confident I can continue learning Arabic and blending in on my own.
Because the moment I leave? I won't be coming back. Not anytime soon, anyway.
Opening a gateway to Scala Ad Caelum would release enough magical energy to be noticed by anything supernatural with half-decent senses, at least that's what I'm assuming, and that would mean that I'll be locked out of earth until I got a lot stronger.
So for now, I'll live life normally. Learn what I can. Visit places a nine-year-old can reasonably go. And once I'm done… I'll disappear for a few years, learn, train, and return only when I can say with complete confidence that I am strong enough to matter, and safe enough to stay alive.
-----(Switch)-----
I turned another page of the book in my hands, ignoring the curious eyes around me as best I could. The words of Khalil Gibran's poem drawing me in and helping me relax and forget about the truth for a bit. Who would've guessed that I would like this kind of litterature, ay?. It's been three months since my "reincarnation," and I've noticed something interesting.
I'm smart.
Like, really smart.
I was never this sharp in the past, so it's either the effect of being in a child's body… or the benefits of my bloodline kicking in.
I first became suspicious while learning Arabic. I assumed I was progressing quickly because the sisters were good teachers, but compared to the other kids, I'm way ahead. To the point where I have to deliberately act dumb sometimes; dumber than I already do to maintain the "child" image; so people don't start getting weirded out.
That made me actually reconsider what my bloodline grants me. I initially saw it as a neat little boon, but the effects are impossible to ignore now.
This is huge.
The actual definition, 'talent in all things kingship' is vague. What does that even mean? What do you expect a king to know?
That train of thought led me to remembering a certain scene from Fate/Zero: three kings at one table, each with a different vision of kingship. Artoria's talents would be combat and a bit of governance. Gilgamesh would lean toward charisma, engineering, and infrastructure. So what about Iskandar?
It clicked.
Talent in all things kingship means exactly that. Iskandar was known as a conqueror, but people forget why even those he defeated followed him. It wasn't just charisma.
It was culture. An enhanced understanding of culture.
Iskandar immersed himself in the cultures he encountered, learning everything he could so he could speak to people in a language they understood, not literally, but figuratively and spiritually. A way for him to touch a man to his soul, inspire him to dream again. His talent was general knowledge, charisma, strategy, and combat, all woven together. But knowledge, learning. That was his greatest weapon.
Ajuka is considered weaker than Sirzechs, yet he can match him temporarily through pure intelligence and understanding alone. That fact is proof enough of what intelligence, understanding and enhanced learning can do.
Even if the only benefit I get is enhanced learning speed, that alone makes the path ahead infinitely easier.
This talent is something I'll have to develop. Something I'll use extensively.
And I swear I will.
-----(Switch)-----
I've had my first encounter with the supernatural.
It was… underwhelming.
Not sure what I expected, dramatic music? A holy aura? A sudden fight? But it wasn't this.
A supposed "priest" visited the orphanage to give mass. But the pistol at his side? I'm very sure it doesn't shoot bullets. Press X to doubt.
He came and left quickly. Nothing changed. Which makes me think he was here to scout. Maybe looking for potential exorcists or church servants, of the supernatural kind, obviously.
Fanfics love to ignore logistics, but they exist. A smart human with no powers is still useful in bureaucratic roles.
If he found someone promising, he would invite them to become servants of God and then take them to the Vatican or a major monastery nearby.
I can't remember when the allegations against certain institutions started, but behavior like this probably didn't help.
In any case, this sudden visit pushed my schedule forward. I thought I had more time; Lebanon isn't exactly a major country; but I was wrong.
Palestine maybe, since it has so many holy sights but this visit was out of nowhere. Shows that I still have a lot to learn huh.
It's a good thing my devil side is locked and dormant. Otherwise, I'd likely be dead, or at least hospitalized, after a shonen-style awakening.
The biggest problem is my Sacred Gear. If any agents of the Grigori come across me, they'll figure it out. Then it becomes a race: me reaching my dimension vs. someone killing me first.
This visit forced my hand. Maybe I was too attached to normalcy. Maybe I was lulled into comfort. Maybe I was delaying the inevitable.
Doesn't matter.
I'm a target, and it's time to leave.
Tomorrow will be my last day on Earth for a while.
Let's say goodbye while we can, shall we?
-----(Switch)-----
Birdsong echoed across the orphanage grounds as the sun rose beyond the horizon, painting the sky a soft gold. The other children slept peacefully, curled under worn blankets, their dreams carrying them who-knows-where.
As for me?
I was zipping my small bag closed, heart pounding quietly in my chest. I had stayed awake all night just to make sure I could leave at dawn.
I cracked the dormitory door open. The hallway smelled faintly of old wood and incense. I peeked out and checked, no adults nearby.
Good.
I stepped out and padded down the hall, the tiles cold under my feet. Each creak of the old building felt painfully loud, even though no one stirred.
When I reached the front gate, the morning breeze hit me—cool, gentle, carrying the distant sounds of the city waking up: car horns, a vendor shouting, a radio playing Fairuz in someone's kitchen.
I paused.
A surprising wave of nostalgia hit me. Brief, bittersweet, but real.
This place was never truly mine… but it was my first home in this world.
And now I was leaving it behind.
The sisters, the kids who I'd come to see as little cousins, siblings was a bit too close, the kind neighborhood grandpa, the middle aged woman that ran the local 'دكان'.
I'll miss them, even if only slightly.
شكراً على الذكريات والحب يلي فرجتوني ياه. وداعاً.
{A/N: Alright, that's the third chapter with heavy AI influence just to show that you can write something that has AI but still doesn't feel super robotic. Anyways, a calm little transition chapter that I think was good. I also added a bit of lore just for the hell of it. I know that I didn't really show the MC making any meaningful connections with people but that was intentional. First, I don't want to add OCs unless they have a major role, and I feel this made sense. If you knew you were leaving soon, than you wouldn't try and get close to people that you're never going to see again. That's it for this author's note. Hope to see y'all in the next one.}
{Translations:
-دكان = shop: usually used as a term referring to small convenience stores in Lebanon.
-شكراً على الذكريات والحب يلي فرجتوني ياه. وداعاً. = Thank you for the memories and for the love you showed me. Goodbye. : A short and simple farewell, no need to write a poem to express your feelings}