Chapter 1: A New World
Nanami awoke with a start, a dull ache in his head and a strange weight in his chest. As he blinked away the remnants of sleep, he scanned his surroundings. The room was unfamiliar—walls adorned with posters of scantily clad women, shelves crammed with books and model kits of Gundams, and a desk cluttered with school supplies and game controllers. It looked like a teenage boy's room.
What the hell?
Nanami slowly sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. His body felt strange—familiar, yet different. As he caught sight of himself in the mirror across the room, he froze. He looked younger, like he had just stepped out of his high school years. The years of wear and tear from exorcising curses were gone. His muscles were still defined, but his face was softer, less weathered. This was his body, but from the past.
Is this some kind of dream? Nanami thought. But it didn't feel like a dream. It felt too real, too vivid. He raised his hand to his temple, his head pounding slightly. Suddenly, a rush of unfamiliar memories flooded his mind—memories of a boy who lived in this house, went to Kuoh Academy, and had a normal teenage life filled with games, school, and girls. But… now this is me?
Nanami shook his head, trying to make sense of everything. How did I end up here? He vaguely recalled talking to someone—a being of pure white, but the memory was hazy, like trying to recall a dream slipping away the moment you woke. Whoever it was, they had placed him here. But why?
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Nanami stood up, heading toward the bathroom. As he washed his face, he stared at his reflection, still trying to grasp his new reality. His blonde hair, shorter than he remembered, fell in his face as he rubbed a towel over it. This body was younger, stronger. But it was still his body, just... reset.
After getting dressed in the uniform of Kuoh Academy—a black blazer with white piping, a red tie—he grabbed a satchel from the floor and left the room. As he walked down the quiet street toward the academy, he couldn't help but contemplate his situation.
This world… it's different. From what he gathered in the back of his mind, everything seemed normal on the surface. But some memories felt off. There were mentions of things Nanami didn't quite understand—devils, angels, fallen angels, but he brushed them aside as delusions or fantasies.
As he neared Kuoh Academy, Nanami felt something strange, an energy that was unsettlingly familiar. It was faint, but it gnawed at him—like a curse. So, my cursed energy still remains in this world. A part of him was relieved. He'd need it to survive, but it also meant that whatever dangers lurked here wouldn't be so easily dealt with.
I'll deal with it after school, he thought, clenching his fist slightly. He had to figure out how to tap into his cursed energy in this new world. For now, he had to blend in.
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POV: Rias Gremory
Rias sat in the Occult Research Club room, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of a chess piece on the board in front of her. She had felt it earlier—an energy that was both foreign and familiar, demonic but… odd.
"Do you feel that?" she asked, looking up at Akeno, who was standing near the window, her face turned toward the school courtyard.
Akeno nodded, her usual calm demeanor unshaken. "Yes. It's faint, but distinct. It's demonic energy, but not like anything I've ever sensed before."
Rias frowned, leaning back in her chair. "It's strange, isn't it? It feels like demonic energy but... not quite. Like it's been altered in some way."
Akeno smiled slightly, her eyes glinting. "I have a feeling things are about to get interesting."
Rias leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Whoever or whatever this is, we need to find it. Keep an eye out for anything unusual."
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POV: Sona Sitri
Sona adjusted her glasses as she glanced over the papers on her desk, but her mind was elsewhere. There was an energy that she couldn't ignore—demonic energy, but there was something off about it. It didn't feel right.
"You sense it too, don't you, Sona?" Tsubaki, her vice-president, asked quietly.
Sona nodded. "Yes, something's changed. That energy… it's demonic but… different."
"It's not one of ours," Tsubaki added, her expression serious. "Do you think it's an outsider?"
"I'm not sure," Sona said, her tone thoughtful. "But whatever it is, it's worth investigating. I want you to monitor the students today. See if you can pinpoint the source."
Tsubaki gave a curt nod, and Sona sat back in her chair, her mind racing. What could have such an unusual demonic aura? Whoever it was, it certainly wasn't an ordinary human, that much she was sure of.
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POV: Nanami
By the time school ended, Nanami's mind was swimming with the events of the day. The teachers and students treated him as though he belonged here, and he had played along, piecing together the life of the boy whose body he now inhabited. But the lingering sense of his own identity never faded. He wasn't just some high school student. He was Nanami Kento, a Grade 1 Sorcerer from another world.
As he walked home, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Something—someone—was observing him, though he couldn't see who. His cursed energy thrummed beneath his skin, reminding him of the world he came from.
Once inside his new home, Nanami immediately went to his room and sat on the floor, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and began to focus, trying to reach out to the cursed energy within him. He felt it, still strong, still present. At least I still have this, he thought.
As he concentrated, the memory of his encounter with the white silhouetted being resurfaced. He tried to recall the conversation, but it was as if it was being blocked from his mind—fading but vivid, like a dream slipping away the more he tried to grab hold of it.
"Who are you?" he muttered to himself, but the silence that followed offered no answers.
He pushed the thoughts aside for now. He needed to master his energy in this new world. And whatever came next, he had to be prepared.
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End of Chapter 1