Japan smelled different. The air here was lighter, tinged with the faint sweetness of sakura petals despite it being autumn. I stepped off the train in Kuoh Town, backpack slung over one shoulder, a transfer form in my hand and a dozen questions in my mind.
It had been a month since Sicily. Since I became a Campione. Since the mirror embedded itself into my soul.
I hadn't used its power again—not yet. But it pulsed. Sometimes at night, sometimes when I stared at the sky. And then, out of nowhere, it showed me her. Crimson hair flowing like fire, eyes sharp and dangerous. Kuoh Academy. That's where I needed to go.
I didn't understand it at the time, but the mirror didn't show things without purpose.
The school itself was beautiful—modern architecture with a traditional flair, surrounded by trees and a pristine campus. It was once an all-girls school, or so the admin office told me, but they had opened it up in recent years. I handed in my forged paperwork—courtesy of some divine trickery and my newfound Authority—and was placed in second-year Class B.
That's when I saw her.
Rias Gremory.
She sat near the window, staring outside as if she were bored of this world. She barely glanced at me when I was introduced. But I felt it—a pressure, subtle but ancient. She wasn't normal.
Of course, I already knew that.
The mirror had shown me glimpses. Devils. Fallen Angels. Sacred Gears. I knew what she was, even if no one else around me did. And she knew I wasn't just some transfer student. Her gaze met mine as I sat down behind her.
"You smell like divinity," she whispered, her voice low enough that only I could hear.
I gave her a lazy smile. "You smell like trouble."
For the first time, she blinked—surprised.
Class went by uneventfully, though I caught more than one person glancing at me. Whether it was because I was new, or because Rias had acknowledged me, I didn't know. But I could already feel the pieces moving.
Later that day, I explored the town. Kuoh was quaint, peaceful. But beneath that peace, the air hummed with hidden power. I sensed devils watching from rooftops, fallen angels lurking in shadows, and humans too blind to notice.
As night fell, I stood at a park near a shrine. That's when I heard the flutter of wings.
She descended slowly, a black-feathered beauty with eyes like dusk. She smiled sweetly, almost sadly.
"So you're the anomaly," she said. "The one that wasn't supposed to appear."
I tilted my head. "Fallen angel, right? You here to welcome me or kill me?"
"Maybe both," she answered.
I felt the divine energy gather around her, a lance of light forming in her palm. And for the first time since Sicily, I let my Authority rise. Golden sparks danced along my skin.
Her smile vanished.
"What... are you?"
I stepped forward, the ground cracking beneath my feet.
"A godslayer."