Lost Demon

The classroom buzzed with a comforting kind of chaos.

Laughter ricocheted off the walls, blending with the screech of chair legs and the soft thuds of bags hitting the floor.

By the window, a group of students argued loudly over who had forgotten the group homework again, their voices tangled in a blur of mock outrage and playful teasing.

At the back, someone forced open a stiff window with a low creak, letting in the late morning sunlight and the faint, distant chirping of birds.

Pens tapped in an absent rhythm against desks. Pages turned with dry flutters.

Near the front, a girl let out a high-pitched shriek—half laughter, half irritation—as her friend teased her over a test score.

*Suu...

The door creaked open, cutting through the noise just enough to draw a glance or two.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Noel-kun."

"Good morning!"

The young man offered a mild smile and made his way to his seat with an easy, unhurried stride.

Settling in, he twirled his pen between his fingers, glancing at the half-finished homework from yesterday.

His thoughts wandered.

This life is insane.

He sighed.

The past weighed heavy.

It had been five months since he woke up.

I died.

But I don't know how.

I'm alive—transmigrated into another body.

Again.

The strange part is, this time, I didn't end up in another world.

After some research, I quickly confirmed: this was still the world of DxD.

More than that—my past life, or rather, my past body, existed.

It wasn't a multiverse. Not something like that.

And there's something else—a gap in my memory.

When I first opened my eyes, the only image in my mind was—

A balance scale and a feather.

A bronze scale, ancient-looking, radiating an air of indifference and inevitability.

A feather, delicate and light to the eye.

It was like a dream, fleeting.

Whenever I recall it, my chest tightens. A faint anxiety I can't explain.

I don't know why.

And that bothers me.

But even so...

There's no point dwelling on it.

"Ugh, Mondays."

A groan drifted from beside me, heavy with despair.

I turned to him and said, "It's only a little less than a month before graduation. You should cheer up."

I offered a smile, hoping to lift his mood.

"You don't get it, Noel," he muttered, resting his chin on his palm.

"Even if we graduate from middle school, high school won't be any different. Same boring classes, same repetitive schedule... and Mondays."

"Haha…"

I gave a wry smile, nodding slightly. I understood.

"Anyway, did you do your homework?" he asked, holding up his notebook.

"Not yet. We still have five minutes, anyway."

His face froze.

"What?! I thought you would've done it by now. I was planning to copy yours!"

"Don't blame me," I replied with a shrug. "I almost forgot too."

I smiled again as he turned away, frantically scanning the room for someone else to save him.

My gaze dropped back to my notebook.

Boring... how nice.

—————✗—————

The night air carried a lingering chill—the kind that whispered of winter's end, yet held just enough bite to remind you it wasn't over.

Above, the sky stretched out in a deep, ink-stained blue, nearly black, scattered with faint stars blinking over silhouetted rooftops and distant hills.

A gentle breeze rustled the bare branches of cherry trees threading through the nearby forest.

Their buds remained closed, sleeping still—waiting for spring's signal.

"Hyahaha! Another delectable human! It seems my luck is good tonight."

A grotesque voice echoed a few meters behind me, wet and scratchy like torn flesh dragged across stone.

"How pitiful," I replied, not bothering to turn right away.

"It seems intellect really isn't something strays are known for."

I glanced over my shoulder at the stray devil that had been trailing me since earlier.

Its appearance was monstrous—humanoid in shape, but bloated and mismatched.

A pig's head sat crooked atop a thick neck, tusks jutting from a snarling mouth.

Its limbs were thick and matted, like a lion's, twisted by fat and muscle warped in all the wrong places.

The fact that it never once questioned why I led it into this secluded forest only confirmed one thing:

Strays were nothing but hunger and impulse.

"You...!"

Its already revolting face twisted further in rage, nostrils flaring wide.

With a guttural roar, it charged—each footfall shaking the earth, the weight behind it like an angry bull.

Then—

Just three meters away from me—

Its body froze.

Completely.

Mid-stride. Mid-snarl. As if some invisible chain had yanked its limbs tight in an instant.

"W-what…?"

Confusion twisted across his grotesque face, his body locked in place—completely motionless.

Five months.

That's how long I've had to train my time magic.

I can't use demonic energy anymore—this body's human, after all—but death energy seemed to respond to me just fine.

It was a painful endeavor.

Every practice session felt like my head was on the verge of bursting.

Thankfully, the pain dulled with repetition.

It was like forcing yourself to do a hundred push-ups a day after a lifetime of never moving. Agony at first—but as long as you didn't break, you only grew stronger.

"Y-you!"The stray's voice cracked. "What did you do?!"

I glanced at him again.

Pathetic.

So weak I doubted I'd gain anything useful from him.

"Whatever."

Pierce.

Thin threads unraveled from my wrist—silent, dark, and sharp—extending in a line straight to the devil's skull.

The moment they connected, his body crumpled like a marionette cut from its strings.

Limp. Lifeless.

My threads crawled across his remains, devouring the last flickers of vitality. Flesh withered to dust in seconds.

When they reached his soul—

They hesitated.

Tugging at it, hungry.

I held them back.

It was uncomfortable—resisting the pull—but I'm not ready for the Netherworld's attention again.

Thinking back to the night the reapers attacked me, I could only come to one conclusion:

The souls of the humans I killed... they should've gone to the Netherworld.

When they didn't, someone must've noticed.

Traced the disruption and found me.

Even if it was a stray, I'm not entirely sure whether the souls of devils created through devil pieces are considered human or devil.

Do they go to the Netherworld?

Or the Underworld?

It was unclear.

Still… it's better to be cautious.

I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen.

[9:53 PM]

"…Let's try to find another one before eleven. I've got class tomorrow."