DxD: Lost in Time

Hisashi's POV~

The Frozen Forest loomed ahead, its icy winds biting into my skin as I dashed forward. Each step echoed with purpose

I wasn't here to run. I wasn't here to hide. I was here to face the darkness that had haunted me for far too long.

Using a low-hanging branch as a foothold, I propelled myself upward, my eyes scanning the terrain below. The ground quaked beneath me, but I didn't falter.

My grip tightened around my sword as the air grew heavier, the weight of the coming confrontation pressing down on my shoulders.

A shadow moved in the distance.

My target.

I landed softly on the snow and squared my stance as the hunched figure emerged from the shadows. Slowly, it straightened, revealing itself in full. My stomach churned as I locked eyes with the twisted reflection of myself.

"I am here to settle the score," I said, my voice steady but cold.

It tilted its head, a sick grin spreading across its face. "You seriously want the power, but what for?"

I didn't flinch under its gaze. "What do you mean, 'What for?' I'm going into war."

The creature chuckled, low and menacing. "Let me rephrase that. Why are you joining the war? Is it because staying low is impossible, or is it because you want to prevent death?"

I didn't hesitate. "Both."

It barked out a laugh, the sound reverberating through the trees. "Too bad. That's not the answer I wanted."

Before I could react, it surged forward, its speed blurring the distance between us.

The creature's sword glinted in the pale light as it swung toward me. My instincts took over, and I raised my blade just in time to parry the strike. The force of the impact sent shockwaves up my arm, but I held firm, gritting my teeth.

"You knew beforehand that I am you," it hissed, leaning closer as our blades locked.

"You know what you must do to gain control of hollowfication, but I can't just *give* you that power."

I twisted my wrist, breaking the deadlock and slashing toward its waist. It deflected the strike effortlessly and retaliated with a punch aimed at my face. I barely managed to redirect the blow to the side, countering with a quick flick of my sword toward its legs.

The creature leaped back, avoiding the attack with an unnatural grace. Before I could press forward, its foot connected with my chest, sending me sprawling across the frozen ground.

Pain flared in my ribs as I forced myself to stand, but my opponent didn't give me the luxury of recovery. It closed the distance in an instant, its blade arcing toward my heart.

I couldn't dodge in time.

The cold steel pierced my shoulder, and a searing pain erupted as blood spilled onto the snow. My vision blurred, but I clenched my jaw, gripping my sword tightly. With a defiant roar, I thrust it into the creature's ribs, feeling the resistance as the blade bit into its flesh.

It recoiled, but the wound was already beginning to heal. "Your reaction time is pathetic," it sneered, a smirk tugging at the corners of its mouth.

I gritted my teeth, wiping the blood from my face. "You talk too much."

Our battle resumed, swords clashing in a relentless rhythm. Every time I faltered, I adjusted. Every mistake became a lesson. I had to trust my instincts, to let go of hesitation. "You've grown," it admitted, its voice almost approving. "But you're still too weak."

Before I could respond, it disappeared. My senses screamed a warning, but I was too slow. A crushing blow landed on my back, shattering bone and sending me hurtling through the air. The world spun as I descended, bracing for impact.

The world blurred as I fell, a sense of dread settling deep in my chest. The cold lake water enveloped me with an unrelenting grip, dragging me down into its dark depths.

Panic set in. My lungs screamed for air, but my body wouldn't respond. I struggled, kicking and thrashing, but the harder I fought, the more the water seemed to tighten its hold.

'I can't breathe!'

Desperation clawed at me as I reached for the surface. It felt impossibly far away, a faint glimmer of light distorted by the dark currents.

Suddenly, something latched onto my leg, halting my frantic movements. My head jerked down, and there it was my hollowfied self.

He smirked, the corners of his lips twisted into a psychotic grin, his eyes glowing with malice.

Wisps of dark red energy coiled around my limbs, binding me.

"No!" I choked out internally, my voice muffled by the water. My vision blurred, the edges darkening. I felt myself slipping further, not just physically but mentally, sinking into an abyss far deeper than this lake.

The next thing I knew, the world shifted.

Gone was the water, the suffocating pressure of the lake replaced by an eerie, infinite black void. I was standing, or maybe floating, in this space where nothing existed. No sound, no light, just the oppressive silence that gnawed at my sanity.

Then, a voice pierced through the emptiness.

"Adrien!" That name, my name from my previous life, echoed, startling me. 'No… not this. Not now!'

I spun around, but there was nothing. The darkness rippled, and a vision materialized in front of me.

I saw him, a younger version of me, standing tall in a high school uniform.

His black hair was unkempt, one eye sealed shut while the other glimmered with faint light. A girl with vibrant blue hair stood beside him, her playful smirk barely masking her affection.

"So you finally decided to go to our school," she said, crossing her arms.

"Yup," Adrien replied, his tone light yet uncertain. "You wouldn't stop nagging me about it."

"Hehehe… it worked, right?" she teased.

It was the happiest moment of his–my life. The joy, the camaraderie, and the love we

shared all radiated from that scene. But deep down, I knew how this would end.

[This was the happiest moment of your life. You were with the girl you loved, so close to

reaching your goals. And then it all crumbled the day you lost something important.]

---

The vision warped, the joyful atmosphere twisting into something sinister. Her laughter was replaced by sorrowful cries.

"I don't think this will work out, Adrien," she said, her voice trembling. "I've done all I can to love you, but I've been dishonest with myself…" Her words cut through me like the blade I held in hand.

"I never loved you," she added, her voice cracking but final.

Where did I go wrong?

'Damn you!' I growled in my mind. 'She is nothing to me!'

[Yet because of her, you've built up these walls. Unreasonable insecurities. You shut

everyone out. Natsumi, Serafall… all of them.]

---

I clenched my fists, the memories threatening to overwhelm me.

"Enough!" I roared, the void quaking with the sheer force of my will. But the voice only

laughed.

[You can't even let them in. What makes you think you deserve to move forward? If you can't beat me, you might as well kill them all.]

The dark space returned, oppressive and suffocating. Silence reigned, save for the echo of a desperate voice.

"Hisashi, stop this!"

My eyes darted toward the sound, and I froze. Emerging from the shadows, someone held my mother by the neck, her body limp and struggling for air.

'Mom!' My heart thundered in my chest.

"You broke your promise!"

The accusation snapped my attention to the left.

Another figure stood there. A woman with a sword pressed against her heart. Her wide eyes glimmered with shock and disbelief, the expression of someone betrayed by someone they trusted.

'No…'

Then I saw them. Asami, Kaito, and Shinji stood in front of me, unmoving yet close enough to feel real. A sinister voice slithered through my mind, its venomous words clawing at my resolve.

Kill them.

Without thinking, I glanced down at my hand. A crackling Ki blast pulsed within my grasp, primed to obliterate everything in its path. My body trembled as I stared at it.

The light shifted, illuminating the figures. My breath caught in my throat.

The shadows didn't conceal strangers, they revealed versions of 'me'. Hollowfied versions of myself, consumed by the dark influence within, with a twisted smirk.

[They hold a place in your heart, don't they? Yet you won't even give them a chance. So why not kill them? Perhaps you'll finally open up to them once they're gone.] The voice turned cold and mocking.

[That's what will happen if you lose to me!]

"No!" My voice echoed through the void, raw and defiant. I clenched my fists, my Ki blast dissipating into harmless energy. My body shook, but I stood my ground.

"I WILL ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE, EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE!"

"Atta boy. That's the will of a true king. What will you do though?"

I lost consciousness for a moment, and when I came to, an enemy was already poised to strike, their knife inches from my skin. Instinct took over as I dodged left, desperate to save myself.

But in the blink of an eye, a magic circle materialized from every direction, surrounding me. My eyes widened as I recognized the emblem etched into them—the Sitri insignia.

'What is happening today?!'

The ominous voice echoed in my mind, cold and deliberate.

[What would happen if your loved ones decided to betray you?]

I suddenly felt an unfamiliar weight press down on me. It wasn't the weight of their attacks; no, it was something far worse. Time seemed to slow around me, and yet everything around me moved in fast-forward.

'Time Manipulation!?' I realized, my heart pounding.

In the midst of the chaos, I saw her. The one who had activated the magic circle. My instincts screamed at me to act, to fight back, but instead, I powered up.

"HAAAAAAAAA!!" My shout filled the air, just as the attacks closed in on me.

I had no choice but to do it in the nick of time.

But this time, something inside me hesitated. I didn't retaliate, didn't try to fight back.

"What is wrong with me?" I muttered to myself. "They could never betray me without reason, and I haven't given them one."

The strikes came, each one aimed at a vital area. I braced myself for the pain, but it never came. I opened my eyes, confused, only to find my inner hollow facing me directly.

Red light flooded my vision, piercing the deepest corners of my mind.

"The Blood Moon?"

I heard the hollow's voice, cold and mocking.

"I had to risk a lot to turn you into an opponent worthy to challenge me for the throne. It would be boring if you kept losing…"

I floated there, now changed from every fiber of my being. I could feel it. The surge of power coursing through me. All the limitations that were once present in my mind had vanished.

I am not suffocating anymore.

---

Okay guys. We gotta talk about stuff. I just raised a poll a few days ago and I need your opinion. A lot of people are reading my work but I think I got 2 or 3 comments on the poll.

Like... Why are you guys not voting. In my opinion now is the best time to get Grayfia as his woman. This can go two ways.

1. Hisashi can just let her go like in Canon, she will marry Sirzechs.

2. Hisashi can make her one of his few wives.

Either way, she will defect to the Anti Satan Faction early. Oh, a little warning. If you choose option 1 then Hisashi won't steal her away from Sirzechs. I won't change my damn mind.

Happy Reading Everyone and remember–

It's your choice that matters.