Highschool DxD: Shadow Sovereign

I grabbed a leather-bound journal from the desk drawer and flipped it open, pen in hand. The weight felt right. Expensive. Dante had taste, I'd give him that.

What the fuck am I?

I scratched the words onto the blank page, then immediately crossed them out. Too dramatic. Too existential. I needed facts, not philosophy.

Transmigration hypothesis:

Better. Start with what I knew.

1. I died. Stabbed in the street. Complete memory of previous life intact.

2. Experienced void/nothingness after death.

3. Now inhabiting body of Dante Valac, devil nobility.

4. Memories of both lives present and integrating.

5. Personality blend of both Elijah and Dante.

6. Magical abilities functioning - perhaps enhanced by transmigration.

I paused, tapping the pen against my lips. The room felt too quiet, too still. Like it was holding its breath, waiting for me to make a decision.

Possible causes:

I listed them quickly, letting the ideas flow.

- Random cosmic accident

- Punishment/reward from higher power

- Dante's shadow manipulation created pathway during training

- Void Sight connected to actual void between worlds

- Some asshole playing games

- Reincarnation gone wrong

I snorted at the last one, drawing a line through it. Reincarnation implied being born again, not hijacking someone else's body mid-life. Though "hijacking" wasn't quite right either. This wasn't possession. I hadn't replaced Dante—I'd merged with him. His memories, his abilities, his instincts all remained. Just with my consciousness and experiences layered on top.

Or underneath? Hard to tell where one of us ended and the other began anymore.

I flipped to a fresh page.

Immediate concerns:

1. Maintaining cover - can't let anyone know I'm not 100% original Dante

2. Learning to control magical abilities properly

3. Understanding devil politics and Valac family position

4. Testing limits of Essence Drain safely

5. Identifying potential allies and threats

I stared at the list. Practical steps, sure, but they didn't address the question burning in my gut: what did I actually want?

In my old life, I'd wanted basic shit. Money. Women. Respect. Not getting stabbed behind my back. But now? Now I had wealth, status, power beyond anything I could have imagined. The playing field had changed completely.

I wrote a single word on the next page:

CONTROL.

That was it. The core of what I'd always wanted. In my old life, I'd never had it. Always someone higher on the food chain. Always someone ready to put me down. To take what I'd built. To remind me that I was nothing.

Never again.

I wouldn't be at anyone's mercy. Not my father's. Not devil society's. Not fate's. I would build something no one could take from me.

The shadows in the room stirred, responding to my emotions. I watched them curl around the legs of the chair, stretching toward me like hungry animals. With a casual flick of my wrist, I shaped them into a crown that hovered above the journal, then dissolved it back into formless darkness.

A knock at the door broke my concentration. I closed the journal and slid it into the desk drawer.

"Enter."

Ariel stepped into the room, carrying a silver tray with what smelled like tea and food. Her movements were smooth again, her energy apparently recovered from our earlier encounter. She'd changed into a fresh uniform, her long black hair now pulled back in a neat ponytail that emphasized the elegant line of her neck.

"Lady Selene suggested you might be hungry, Young Master." She set the tray on a small table near the window. "You haven't eaten in three days."

My stomach growled in response. I hadn't noticed the hunger until she mentioned it, too caught up in the chaos of my situation.

"Thank you." I moved to the table, gesturing for her to sit in the chair opposite mine. "Join me."

Surprise flickered across her face—a slight widening of her red eyes, a momentary parting of her lips. Dante wouldn't have invited her to sit with him so casually. Another slip I'd need to be more careful about.

"That wouldn't be appropriate, Young Master."

"I insist." I pulled out the chair. "Consider it an apology."

That got her attention. She froze halfway through pouring the tea, the stream pausing mid-air.

"An apology?"

"For my behavior when I woke up." I met her gaze directly. "It was... unbecoming. Taking advantage of your concern was beneath me."

The teacup filled to the perfect level before she set the pot down. Her face revealed nothing, but I caught the slight tremble in her fingers.

"There's no need to apologize, Young Master. You were disoriented. Lady Selene explained about the Essence Drain. It's a natural part of your development."

"Maybe." I took the cup she offered, our fingers brushing briefly. "But kissing my maid without permission isn't. Regardless of magical abilities awakening."

A faint blush colored her cheeks. "I... didn't exactly refuse."

"No, you didn't." I sipped the tea—some exotic blend I couldn't identify but immediately enjoyed. "Which makes my behavior even more problematic. You're in a position where refusing me would be difficult."

She finally sat, perching on the edge of the chair like she might need to flee at any moment. Her eyes studied me with an intensity that made me wonder just how much she saw.

"You've never concerned yourself with such power imbalances before." Her tone remained respectful, but the observation was pointed.

I arched an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Just that..." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "The Young Master I know would have either ignored what happened or turned it into a joke about my irresistibility to him."

Smart woman. She'd already noticed the differences in my behavior. I needed to tread carefully.

"Near-death experiences change people." I shrugged, selecting a small sandwich from the tray. "Three days in the void gives you time to think."

"So you remember what happened while you were unconscious?"

"Pieces." I took a bite, buying time. "Mostly sensations. Darkness. Emptiness. A feeling of being... unmade."

Not entirely a lie. The void after my death had been exactly that.

Ariel nodded slowly. "Perhaps it has given you a new perspective."

"Perhaps." I finished the sandwich in two more bites, suddenly ravenous. "Or perhaps I'm just tired of being predictable."

That earned me a small smile—genuine, reaching her eyes in a way that transformed her face from merely beautiful to breathtaking.

"You've never been predictable, Young Master. Infuriating, reckless, brilliant—but never predictable."

I laughed, the sound startling both of us. It felt good—natural and unforced. "High praise coming from my keeper."

"I'm not your keeper." Her smile faded slightly. "Just your protector."

"And my mother's spy." I kept my tone light, but her eyes widened. "Don't look so shocked, Ariel. I've always known where your primary loyalties lie."

She straightened in her chair. "My loyalties are to House Valac."

"Which means Lady Selene, since she's the true power behind our family's continued relevance." I poured myself more tea. "I don't blame you. It's a logical choice."

"You speak as if you're separate from House Valac."

Dangerous territory. I needed to backpedal without being obvious.

"Not separate. Just... clear-eyed." I leaned back, studying her. "My father chases old grudges while my mother plays the long game. And I've been playing the fool, letting everyone underestimate me. It's time for a change."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What kind of change?"

"That depends." I smiled, letting a hint of intent show. "How do you feel about ambition, Ariel?"

"Ambition is the lifeblood of devil society." Her answer came quickly, rehearsed. "Without it, we stagnate and decline."

"A diplomatic non-answer." I chuckled. "Let me be more specific. How do you feel about my ambition? About the possibility that I might not be content with House Valac's current standing?"

She was silent for a long moment, weighing her response.

"I think," she said finally, "that House Valac has been underestimated for too long. And that you, Young Master, have far more potential than anyone realizes."

"Including my parents?"

Her lips curved into a smile that held none of her earlier warmth—this was the smile of a predator, one that reminded me she was far more than a simple maid.

"Especially your parents."

Interesting. Very interesting.

"And if I decided to stop hiding that potential?"

"Then I would continue to serve as I always have." She rose from her chair in one fluid motion. "By protecting you from threats—including the consequences of your own actions when necessary."

I laughed again. "Keeping me alive despite myself. A full-time job."

"One I excel at." She began clearing the tray, though I'd barely touched most of the food. "You should rest, Young Master. Your father has requested your presence at breakfast tomorrow. He'll want to discuss your training schedule now that you've recovered."

The mention of Lord Alexius dampened my mood. I'd need to face him soon, to play the part of his son convincingly while navigating the complicated relationship they shared.

"Ariel." I caught her wrist as she lifted the tray. "What I said before—about knowing where your loyalties lie. That wasn't an accusation. It was acknowledgment of reality."

She didn't pull away from my touch. "Reality can change, Young Master."

"Call me Dante when we're alone." I released her, noting the slight catch in her breath. "If we're going to be allies in whatever comes next, we might as well start with honesty between us."

"Is that what we are now? Allies?"

"Would you prefer something else?" I let my gaze drop briefly to her lips, then back to her eyes.

The blush returned to her cheeks, but her voice remained steady. "Allies seems an appropriate beginning, Dante."

"Good. Then as my ally, I need you to tell me something honestly."

"If I can."

"When I collapsed during training—did anything unusual happen? Besides the obvious."

She hesitated, then set the tray back down. "Your shadow... separated from your body for a moment. It stood over you like a guardian before dissolving into the air. I've never seen anything like it."

That wasn't in any of Dante's memories. "Did you tell my parents?"

"I told Lady Selene. She asked me to keep it between us."

Another piece of the puzzle. The shadow separation might have been the moment when the connection between worlds opened—when my soul found its way into Dante's body.

"Thank you for telling me."

She nodded, picking up the tray again. "Will there be anything else?"

"Not tonight." I moved to open the door for her. "Rest well, Ariel."

"And you... Dante." She paused in the doorway, her profile outlined against the light from the hallway. "Whatever happened in the void changed you. But perhaps it changed you into who you were always meant to be."

After she left, I returned to the desk and retrieved the journal. Her words echoed in my mind as I opened to a fresh page and wrote:

Who am I meant to be?

The question had never mattered in my old life. Survival hadn't left room for existential bullshit. But now, with power, resources, and knowledge at my disposal, the possibilities stretched out before me like an uncharted map.

I added another line beneath the question:

Whatever the fuck I want.

Then I closed the journal and tucked it under my mattress. Tomorrow I'd face Lord Alexius and begin the performance of a lifetime. I'd need to channel every bit of the original Dante's mannerisms while subtly introducing changes that could be attributed to my "void experience."

A delicate balance, but I'd always been good at adapting to survive. 

And this time, I had magic, money, and connections on my side.