~Several Minutes Later~
Once Lavinia recovered from discovering that Soutarou had spent nearly a year politely ignoring every terrible lie she told, she moved the low table aside and placed several cushions across the living-room floor…
Mamako sat behind Soutarou with her legs folded beneath her while Lavinia settled opposite them…
Lavinia’s posture changed almost immediately.
The embarrassed older sister disappeared…
In her place sat an experienced magician whose attention focused entirely upon the child before her.
Lavinia carefully explained, “Before I teach you how to shape your power, we should determine whether any of your energy comes from a Sacred Gear.”
Mamako tilted her head and curiously asked, “What is a Sacred Gear?”
Lavinia considered the question and then she considered it a little bit longer before she finally explained, “To put it simply…
They’re special powers placed into human souls by the God of the Bible.”
Mamako’s eyes brightened in understanding before murmuring, “God is…
Real…?”
Lavinia continued, “Yes…
But more importantly some are simple…
some are powerful…
And a very small number can become dangerous enough to threaten or kill Gods.”
Mamako’s understanding vanished and she blinked before cautiously saying, “Those all sound very different.”
Lavinia slowly nodded and admitted, “They are.”
Soutarou resisted the urge to laugh.
Lavinia turned her attention back toward him and explained, “There isn’t a spell that can simply tell us whether you possess one…
Usually, the easiest way to find out is to try calling it forth.”
Soutarou’s gaze sharpened slightly…
He’d known he was spiritually gifted…
But he’d never known whether a sacred gear rested inside that spiritual power… He hoped one did…
Unfortunately the possibility felt unlikely…
Still…
Unlikely wasn’t the same as impossible.
Lavinia lifted one finger and instructed, “Close your eyes…
Think of yourself possessing power.
Not merely magic…
Imagine the strongest version of yourself that you can.”
She paused before gently adding, “It can also help to focus on a strong emotion…
Something you desire deeply enough that your soul would answer.”
Soutarou closed his eyes…
At first, he tried imagining strength in the abstract…
A stronger body…
More magic…
The ability to crush any enemy standing before him…
Yet nothing happened.
Then his thoughts shifted as he changed his approach…
Mamako crying alone in the bathroom where she thought he couldn’t hear…
Lavinia returning home exhausted and injured…
Irina telling him that she might someday move away…
His father’s photograph resting above funeral incense…
The absence of his mother…
The blank space where his memories should have been…
The old fear inside his chest tightened.
‘Power to keep them.
Power so nothing can take anyone, anything away from me again…’
The reservoir within him surged…
Warm golden light flickered around Soutarou’s shoulders before spilling down his arms in thin streams…
Mamako inhaled sharply.
Lavinia’s eyes narrowed with sudden concentration…
For a moment, the golden radiance gathered around Soutarou’s left hand as though something intended to take form…
Then several thin black sparks snapped through the light.
The entire glow collapsed…
Soutarou opened his eyes…
His palm remained empty.
Lavinia watched the last golden particles fade before thoughtfully saying, “No Sacred Gear manifested…
That reaction came directly from your own power.”
Soutarou looked at his hand.
‘So I really don’t naturally have one.’
The conclusion didn’t disappoint him as much as he expected.
If anything…
It only made him more certain of his future direction…
‘Heh… I’ll just steal some and make my own if that’s the case.’
Mamako leaned forward until her cheek almost rested against Soutarou’s hair…
Mamako curiously asked, “Can anyone try?”
Lavinia nodded and casually replied, “Yes, but most humans don’t possess a Sacred Gear…
Nothing will usually happen.”
Mamako straightened and enthusiastically said, “I’ll still try too!”
Lavinia smiled and agreed, “Of course, Mako-nee.”
Lavinia repeated the instructions, “Close your eyes and imagine yourself with power…
Focus upon something you desire strongly enough that it could shape that power.”
Mamako closed her violet eyes…
For several seconds, nothing happened…
Then Soutarou felt her hand reach backward and settle upon his head…
Mamako’s fingers gently moved through his hair…
Her expression softened…
Soutarou didn’t even need to ask what she was imagining.
All before the room exploded with power.
*WHOOOM!*
Red and blue light erupted from Mamako’s body in two separate pillars…
The windows shook inside their frames…
The table scraped across the floor…
Every hanging photograph throughout the room rattled against the walls.
Lavinia’s eyes widened as she immediately raised a barrier around Soutarou…
The pressure continued climbing…
Blue energy gathered around Mamako’s right hand…
Red energy gathered around her left…
And with a pair of sharp metallic sounds, two swords burst into existence.
*SHING!*
*SHING!*
The first sword possessed a plain blue blade with a simple silver guard and dark handle…
The second mirrored it almost perfectly, except its blade shone with a deep red color that seemed to pulse alongside Mamako’s heartbeat.
There were no elaborate decorations…
No ancient words carved into the steel…
No visible signs explaining what either weapon could do…
If anything, they both looked almost ordinary…
Except for the immense power pouring from both.
Mamako’s eyes snapped open…
She looked down at the blue sword in one hand…
Then at the red sword in the other…
Mamako blinked before innocently asking, “Oh my…
Are these mine?”
Lavinia remained completely silent…
Soutarou stared at the swords…
A forgotten image flickered through his former memories…
Mamako Oosuki standing with two absurdly powerful blades…
Soutarou’s gaze turned wary.
‘No way…
No…
She’s never been an Oosuki.
She’s Mamako Takashina.
This universe probably just has an unusually aggressive sense of humor…
After all this still falls within DxD logic…
It is a sacred gear after all…
Very funny Big G…
Bet you’re rolling around in your grave laughing at me…’
Mamako carefully lifted the red sword and worriedly asked, “How do I put them away?
I don’t want to accidentally cut the floor.”
The simple concern finally pulled Lavinia out of her shock…
Lavinia hurriedly instructed, “Imagine them disappearing!
Don’t swing either one!”
Mamako stiffened before immediately closing her eyes…
The two swords dissolved into red and blue particles almost as quickly as they had appeared.
The overwhelming pressure vanished with them…
Silence returned to the living room…
One photograph slipped from the wall and landed face-down upon the carpet.
*Puff.*
Mamako opened one eye…
Lavinia stared at the space where the swords had disappeared…
Mamako nervously asked, “Was that bad?”
Lavinia slowly shook her head and answered, “Not bad…”
Her voice became quieter as she added, “Just extremely powerful.”
Mamako looked toward her hands…
Lavinia gathered her thoughts before carefully explaining, “I can’t identify what your Sacred Gear is from one manifestation…
But the amount of energy released during its first appearance was far beyond an ordinary Gear.”
Lavinia’s sapphire-blue eyes became serious as she concluded, “It’s at least an upper-tier Sacred Gear.”
Mamako barely reacted to the classification…
Instead, she immediately looked toward Soutarou and hopefully asked, “Does that mean I can use it to protect So-kun?”
Lavinia’s serious expression softened…
Lavinia warmly answered, “With training…
I believe you could protect both of us.”
Mamako’s entire face brightened…
Soutarou stared at her radiant smile before helplessly sighing.
‘Of course that’s the only part she cares about…
She discovers an unknown power and immediately asks whether it improves her ability to protect us.’
‘As expected of Mamako-nee…
Still… I can’t say I hate it…’
~Later That Evening~
After that airhead Mamako spent nearly fifteen minutes apologizing to every photograph disturbed by her Sacred Gear, Lavinia finally began Soutarou’s first proper lesson.
She placed a small crystal upon the table between them and explained that it would react to released magical energy…
It would simply give Soutarou something visible to focus upon while he learned to draw power outside his body without flooding the entire room.
Lavinia raised one hand and patiently explained, “There are many different systems of magic, Sou-chan…
Different races and organizations developed their own methods, and even when two spells create the same result, the way they reach it can be completely different.”
Mamako sat beside them with a notebook open upon her lap…
Lavinia lifted one finger and continued, “Human magic usually relies upon calculations and formulas.
A magician understands the phenomenon they want, constructs the correct process, and supplies the magic needed to complete it.”
Mamako carefully wrote several words before raising her hand…
Lavinia blinked at the gesture before politely calling, “Yes, Mako-nee?”
Mamako stared down at her notes and confusedly asked, “What kind of calculations?”
Lavinia paused…
She looked toward the ceiling…
Then toward the crystal…
Then back toward Mamako…
Lavinia uncertainly explained, “The ones needed for the spell?”
Mamako’s confusion deepened while Soutarou pressed his lips together.
Lavinia hurriedly continued, “Devil magic is different…
Devils naturally shape their demonic power through imagination…
The clearer the result and the stronger their intent, the easier it becomes for their power to create what they picture.”
Mamako slowly nodded…
Lavinia added, “Holy magic relies more upon faith, prayer, ritual, and order…
It follows sacred laws and authorities rather than merely forcing a result through personal imagination.”
Mamako’s pencil stopped, Mamako looked at the page, then she looked at Lavinia and Mamako blankly murmured, “Huh…?”
Lavinia’s shoulders lowered, before Soutarou finally stepped in and simplified, “Human magicians write instructions…
Devils picture the finished product…
And holy users ask the system or God to approve an established process.”
Mamako’s eyes lit up as she quickly wrote the explanation down before proudly saying, “That makes much more sense!”
Lavinia stared at Soutarou while Soutarou stared back.
Lavinia quietly asked, “Would you like to teach the lesson, Sou-chan?”
Soutarou shook his head and generously answered, “You’re doing great.”
Lavinia puffed her cheeks a bit before a small smile betrayed her amusement.
She pointed toward the crystal and instructed, “For now, don’t attempt a spell…
Focus upon the energy inside you…
Draw out the smallest amount you can and allow it to touch the crystal.”
Soutarou closed his eyes…
The reservoir had become easier to find over the previous year…
It still felt like a lake hidden beneath his ribs…
Dark…
Vast…
And far deeper than the small body containing it had any right to hold.
Soutarou reached toward it with his intent…
The energy responded immediately as a warm current surged through his arm before Lavinia abruptly warned, “Slowly, Sou-chan.”
Soutarou attempted to reduce the flow, but instead the crystal blazed like a miniature sun.
Golden light flooded the living room and forced Mamako to shield her eyes.
Lavinia placed two fingers against Soutarou’s wrist and firmly ordered, “Stop.”
The energy cut off and the crystal continued glowing for several seconds before slowly dimming…
Soutarou slowly opened his eyes and then looked toward Lavinia before Lavinia looked at the crystal and then at Soutarou.
Lavinia carefully said, “That wasn’t the smallest amount you could release.”
Soutarou frowned and honestly replied, “It felt small though…”
Lavinia remained silent while Mamako lowered her hand and proudly declared, “So-kun has so much power that even a little bit is amazing!”
Lavinia rubbed her forehead and tiredly muttered, “Mako-nee…
Please don’t encourage him to overload the tools.”
Mamako apologetically whispered, “Sorry…”
They tried again, then again…
On the fourth attempt, Soutarou managed to draw out a thread rather than a flood…
Golden light gathered around the tip of his index finger and stretched toward the crystal in a thin wavering line.
The crystal glowed softly…
Lavinia’s posture became still…
The energy was unmistakably sacred…
It wasn’t borrowed holiness…
Nor something like a human magician mimicking the properties of light through a formula…