To Be Whole Again

(A/N: Sorry for the late chapter, he's pretty thick as an excuse.)

"By right of birth... because it was yours to begin with. As a pure blooded-devil of the noble house of Gremory. I hereby proclaim you a High-Class." Julian kneeled and received his certificate from Sirzechs with a solemn nod, showing it to the guests in passing.

He kept himself from smirking as it was a serious ceremony. But really, the only thing his certificate displayed was "by right of birth." So, by all means, it would almost certainly look like an abuse of power to the unknowing and the disbelieving. Even more as he didn't he never showed his wings and his magical signature was hidden.

But in the end, it didn't matter. The public would get to know soon enough that he was 'qualified', if just in term of strength.

Speaking of people, despite the ceremony being late into the evening. There was a massive crowd in the ceremonial hall. As every promotion ceremony was public, everyone could come to witness it if they so want. And as words travel rather fast in the underworld. Plenty of people wanted to see the 'lost-and-found' scion of Lucifer.

Thunderous applause resounding through the hall. Mostly lip service for one of the demon kings child. Though the some of the female the spectator looked a bit too enthousiastic in their cheers.

After the hall quieted down, Sirzechs smiled and stepped back while waving his hand. A black pillar materializing and rising from the ground from the act.

"Your name was always destined to be written on this pillar one day. As his mine and every devils having attained High-Class. From one manner or another... This is merely formality at this point. And you know what to do." Sirzechs announced and gestured with his hand to Julian.

The teen in question stood up and reached for the pillar, the familiar red aura of a devil flaring around his hand.

*BATHUMP*

A loud heartbeat drummed out and echoed across the room. Washing over the everyone present akin to thunder.

With the beat, letters began to inscribe themselves on the slick surface of the pillar. Each letters shining a bright red, the same baleful red the aura of a devil was.

The letters combined to form a name. Though it wasn't what one would expect.

"JULIAN GREMORY"

—————

Julian gazed impassively at the name the pillar imposed on him.

He didn't feel averse to it. After all, it was what he was for devil society. For it his other name didn't matter.

And at the same time, it was a part of him... Of who he was — a Gremory.

And now, receiving the set of evil piece from his father along with a soft smile. Seeing the uncountable number of people present to attend to his "promotion". Somehow, one thing appeared clearer than ever — his identity.

Indeed, it had been growing more and more blurry in his mind, a cognitive dissonance installing itself between all his different name and his past self. From the him that wandered life through a mist and the him now. The him now and the person he was in his previous life.

But now, with the shining reflection of another of his name, of the last piece of his identity boldly shoved into his face. It was like the last piece of the puzzle was found, making any uncertainty and the dissonance melt as a result.

Now, who was he exactly? It was simple in the end.

He was formerly a genius researcher with some wits who somehow conquered the world. Sacrificing his childhood and his golden years for the greater good and because of his own stubborness. A guy who decided to off himself out of a lack of purpose, betrayal, and depression. And despite what he had told himself at the time, not out of simple boredom.

After that, he had been a broken soul who took his chance at another life with the help of some Goddess of death. With the hope to get a slice of happiness or for things to change... for him to heal. And when it didn't immediatly work, that it realized it was still suffering, the soul drowned himself in denial, out of misplaced guilt, of misplaced morals... Locking his true self along all of his desires in a carefully crafted box. So that existing would stop hurting, so that maybe if he did that, his problems would disappear, heal with enough time. And the act lasted for a whole 17 years...

But now he realized, now that he wasn't just ignoring all of himself all together. Now that the lock that was hiding the box from his very own awareness was forcefully broken...

He realized that it was so simple, that he had been overthinking the entire time. Like he was so prone to do.

He was Julian Håberjorgen. A Marquis, and a Gremory all at the same time. Son to Sirzechs Lucifer and an unamed Seraph. A devil, an Angel, and a Nephalem. All at the same time. A fragile mortal at heart, and former in soul. A guy with some deep traumas and some not so subtle holes in his upbringing. He was still the very same guy still struggling for a sense of purpose and a shot at happiness. A guy a bit too stuck on the past and what was when he should be focused on what could be.

He was all of that. All at the same time.

He had many issues, that was a fact. But identity was not one of them.

And now that he was made aware of it. It all clicked together, a simple truth resonating with himself. A truth putting his mind at ease. Putting things a bit more into perspective...

—He was himself—

—And he simply was—

*CRACK*

Reafirming the truth in his own mind made the sound of glass breaking ring through his being. The sound of a fire roaring to life and shattering its weakened prison boom out of his heart.

It seemed he unlocked some of his latent trait.

——————

~Last day of the training camp.

"Koneko-Chan, this is the last day. And I can't say I'm satisfied with your progress. But anyway, I resolved myself to test each one of you today. And you're the first." Julian sighed in 'disappointement'.

"Here's what we'll do. We both are going to go all out and duke it out. Simple right?" Julian asked to the more worried than angry Koneko.

"Only this time, contrary to previously. I'm not going to pull my punchs. At all..." Julian closed his eyes and sneakily casted a rather strong dampen pain spell on the younger girl.

"We begin in three..." Still with his eyes closed, Julian reafirmed once again his will to go through his plan.

"Two..." Koneko took a stance and deep breathes as determination could be seen faintly in her unwavering eyes.

"One..." Julian reopened his eyes, his face looking relaxed as he shifted minutely on his feet. Before he simply vanished.

—————

Koneko's eyes widened as she was lifted of her feet, her arms bending unnaturaly as they took the brunt Julian's kick.

The world blurred and dozens of trees broke before her back was stopped cold by one of them. Releasing a light gasp, her body shook lightly from shock as she regained her bearing.

Taking in her broken arms, she flinched as she prepared for the intense pain to catch up. It came, and she startled as she realized it was more bearable than she thought.

She didn't have time to ponder on the oddity further, immediatly sending a high kick out of sheer practice and reflexe at Julian who appeared at her side.

He easily caught her foot. A taunting expression on his face. "Is this all you can do? A simple kick and you're already done?"

A dark expression on her face, Koneko didn't answer. And using what she learned from the very person before her. Used a split second to analyze the situation to make the best move possible.

Using the leverage from her awkward position, she twisted and struck his head with her other legs. Making it barely budge but achieving the release of her foot from Julian's grasp.

Regaining her footing and finding her arms healed, she profited from the sure stun her kick provided and hit multiple place with heavy blows in an instant.

A punch to the kindney, a palm to the jaw, an elbow to the diaphragm, a side kick to a knee. Each times, her strike who would otherwise be incapacitating or even deadly, didn't have the desired effect. Julian looking like he barely felt the attacks. Despite the very real shockwave they created each time they connected.

"Good. But still too weak." The blond bully grunted, slapping her away lazily. The blow way weaker than earlier.

Koneko gritted her teeth, humiliated. In a rare show of emotion, she picked herself from the ground and said in defiance. "This isn't fair!"

Julian paused as her words registered. "Not fair?"

Julian shook his head. "I expect Riser to be of similar strength. But maybe you're right. Maybe I expected too much of you."

"The other would have done better. But I guess it's not really your fault." Julian shrugged.

The words stabbed at her heart and made her mind slowly freeze in the cold grasp of fear.

Was it true? That everyone else would have been better?

"Since continuing is a futile endeavor. Why don't we do something else? I'll restrain myself to your level, no trick this time. And we'll spar only with everything I taught you. This will show your actual improvement much better. What do you think?" Julian proposed.

Koneko nodded mutedly, her mind replaying the previous words endlessly in her head.

And thus, each taking position. They spared. A flurry of strikes, blocks and counters being exchanged at supernatural speed.

They were both of the same speed and the same strength.

But Koneko was distracted. And Julian was just better.

"Follow my waist when I'm punching, not my eyes."

"Should have redirected that, not blocked."

"You should add more variety to the direction of your strikes. Like from the side, can't mitigate the strength of the blow with rotating my body this way."

And again and again she was pushed back, not landing a single true attack on Julian even once.

Julian stopped the spar after some time. "Stop, I saw enough."

Koneko froze mid kick and slowly lowered her leg, apprehensive and fearful of the boy's verdict.

Julian stayed silent for some time, seemingly pondering on something before frowning. "Koneko-Chan, you made great progress on your style of fighting and your technique. Heck, I think you're the one who had the greatest growth on this aspect."

Koneko was not reassured at all. And with reason.

"But sadly, what you showed here on this last day. It's not enough. If you go fighting with Rias and the others against Riser and his peerage as you are right now... You'll be more a liability than anything else... You're just not strong enough."

Koneko's gaze slowly fell to the ground and she clenched her hands into fist.

"Don't feel too bad about it, it's not you — Rias, Akeno, Kiba and Issei all have something special. Sacred gears for the boys, strong magical potential for Akeno and Power of Destruction for Rias. They are the exception, not you." Julian enumerated using his fingers and shook his head.

She stayed silent, listening with a bit of hope that he wasn't going where she thought he was.

"Don't worry, I'll arrange something with Rias. You'll at least have the best seat for the match." Julian passed a hand through his hair.

"You can continue to train by yourself. Our time together today is over. You were a good student." Julian smiled genuinely one last time her way and started walking away.

Her body began to shake, as if she suddenly caught an intense cold.

It was as if her worst nightmare coming true. She was being left behind, abbandoned. Because she was a burden.

"Please don't." The faintest of whispers left her lips.

She almost killed herself to the task for more than a week and that's what she get? She listened to everything he said, like everyone else. Trained even more than the rest of them.

Yet, it was not enough?

This was unfair, it was maddening...

It was terrifying.

As the cold thought settled in, she directed all her attention toward the person who caused it.

She had to do something! Anything! She absolutely couldn't let him tell the others of his verdict.

But how!?

She had to show him that she wasn't a liability. That she could perfectly fit in with the rest.

Fuelled by visceral fear, and a good dose of anger and resentement. She grit her teeth and let her hold over her instincts slip.

Said otherwise, she stopped thinking.

And just acted.

—————

~Julian's PoV

He was feeling like the biggest piece of trash as he walked away. Expecting and hoping for something — anything to happen. Or else, all his set up would have been for naught.

He did not lie a single time to Koneko. Just told her the cold reality as it was. it was true that she would be more a liability than anything else if she fought.

He wasn't doing all of that for nothing, he reaped no pleasure by mentally torturing Koneko. He doing all of that for her. Because he considered her his pupil — his first ever true student in martial art. He really wanted to help her realize her full potential, as well as to simply help her with her struggles and fears.

It wasn't his problem nor was it his business before, but now that she was under his wing? It was. It wasn't something exclusive to Koneko either, it extended to all the member of the peerage. But right now, it was about her.

Maybe he was doing it wrong, maybe he was too harsh. But it was the best opportunity for the problem to come out and be resolved naturally.

He didn't really care for what would happen after that. His motives were only that.

Even then, his noble motivations didn't keep him from feeling all kind of sour.

Suddenly hearing a feral growl behind him. Julian stopped his stride, raised an eyebrow and turned himself toward the sound. Putting on his business smile.

"Kone—"

*OOF*

Julian folded in half as he was sent skidding back dozens of meter across the ground.

Coughing blood and nursing a bruise on his abs, he chuckled darkly. "Guess I deserved that."

Wiping the blood off his lips, Julian took in the situation. And it was as he expected.

Koneko stood in the middle of the field, hand still extended from the punch.

Two fluffy white cat ears on her head.

And a tail trailing from her back.

Three little will-o-wisp flame floating arround her.

Julian opened his mouth to say something, only for him to snap it shut an instant later. His face becoming dark and his mouth twisting in a grimace as Koneko realized what she had just done. And in result immediatly broke down in panic and started crying. Her Nekoshou's traits instantly receding.

Julian took a deep breath and steadied himself. His apparent distaste for the situation was not diriged at anyone else but him.

The coming talk would be painful in all kind of ways. But thankfully, he was prepared for it.