Dimensional Nephilim Ch 1 (Patreon)

A/N: This is a new story I've been working on, on the side. Let me know if you all like it and would want to see more or not. I could probably update this every week or two. Chapters would be longer at 4-5k words.

Summary:

Dimensional Nephilim - A wandering Soul drifting through the void ends up being reborn as a Nephilim and declared the future savior of the multiverse by his mother and grandfather. “Is this really Highschool DxD?” “Holy crap! Batman is on TV and he’s real!” “Wait? I have to go where!?” SI/OC – DxD/DC/Multi Crossover

C 1

Marcus was walking down the streets of Gotham heading to school. “Yes mom I'm fine! And yes I'm eating enough.” Marcus said into his phone.

Marcus knew that his mother could be a little bit (very) overprotective of him. He was her first and only child after all. His mother was reluctant to let him move to Gotham and attend school on his own—sort of. He did have a ‘roommate’ of sorts….

“Yes, Grandfather is fine too and he's also recovering at a steady rate. We think that it will only be a few months longer that we're stuck together and I couldn't be more grateful. I'd like to live my life without him always seeing everything I do.” Marcus said as he passed by a group of girls dressed in the same uniform as him. He ignored their blushes and giggles as he passed by them. He'd grown used to a lot of girls acting that way when they saw him. He was well aware that he was supernaturally handsome.

18 years ago, Marcus had died. He didn't really remember much about his own past life though. Just minor fragments. His mother claimed it was because his soul had somehow ended up drifting in the void and was on the verge of being whittled away by the endless nothingness.

And wasn’t that a terrifying concept?

By the time she rescued him, most of his personal memories had already been erased. That was probably for the best. It allowed him to truly embrace this new life as his own.

Marcus wasn't sure why his mom was drifting out in the void at the time, but he was incredibly thankful that she was. From what he understood, she took his soul into herself to protect it and then left the void. Because his soul was that of a Human, she couldn't just reincarnate him into one of her own race. Nor could she make him a full human again because she wasn't one either. So she found a middle ground. His mother told Marcus that she found a “donor” who was more than happy to give a bit of his essence to his mother in order for Marcus to be reborn.

That was the nice way of saying his mom banged some random human and used his sperm in order to create a half human hybrid vessel for Marcus’s soul…

17 years later Marcus was reborn as a baby and raised by his mother and members of her “faction.”

From there, he had a very interesting childhood to be sure. But eventually, all kids grow up–or regrow up in Marcus’s case and he wanted to get out and see the world. This world also had much more advanced science and technology than his last one, so he wanted to go to an advanced school where he could get a good education.  Hence, he ended up attending Gotham City academy. He was able to get in as a Wayne foundation scholarship student as well!

His mother claimed that Marcus’s father in this life was “Really Really Smart!” That's why she chose him. Marcus didn't entirely believe that though since she'd yet to tell him who the guy is.

“OK, mom. Yes, I'll be safe. Gotham isn't even that dangerous for me, but I'll be on the lookout anyway. I'm well aware how crazy this city and the people in it can be. That's part of the reason I'm here after all. To help its recovery. OK, mom. I'm almost at school. I've got to go now. I love you, bye.” Marcus ended the call with a sigh before slipping his phone back into his pocket. He was almost at his school gates.

‘Stop, Marcus!’ The voice of his grandfather echoed in his head. Marcus paused on the sidewalk, stepping closer towards the edge to not impede foot traffic.

‘What’s wrong?’ Marcus asked in his head. His grandfather usually remained silent unless it was important. He had been a bit more vocal lately as he had been regaining more and more of his power.

‘I sensed a stray hidden in the busy crowds nearby. Unfortunately, it has vanished.’

Marcus frowned as he eyed everyone walking nearby. No one particularly stood out to him. He was also surprised that a stray, of all things, would actually be in Gotham City. With all the heroes patrolling the city every single night, it wouldn't be able to lie low for long.

‘I’ll keep an eye out,’ Marcus replied. ‘It could have just been passing through.’

‘Doubtful. This one radiated…hunger.’

Hunger meant that the stray had completely fallen to its baser instincts and started feeding on humans. Marcus would have to be on the lookout for the abomination. Unfortunately, he couldn't go searching now. He was a scholarship student at Gotham Academy, and truancy was not tolerated without a legitimate excuse. He could lose his scholarship if he intentionally missed classes. With one last gaze at the city crowds walking by, he turned and headed to his school.

A few minutes later, Marcus passed by groups of students as he entered the academy grounds. Gotham Academy was enormous, bigger than some universities even. The most elite middle school and high school students in the city and even the country attended here. For a lot of students, it doubled as their homes, as it was even a boarding school. For students like Marcus who lived in the city, though, he just commuted here.

"Good morning, Marcus!" A preppy voice called out to him. Marcus let out a sigh. He now totally understood how Sasuke Uchiha and Kiba Yuuto felt. Especially when the fangirls never seemed to take a hint. This particular fangirl had been hounding him for almost 2 months now. That was almost the entire time he'd been attending the academy!

A younger girl with blonde hair skipped up to Marcus. Following behind her, as always, were her two ‘friends.’ Although they were less of friends and more of this girl's followers.

The younger girl who approached him was Alice Winston. She was arguably the most popular girl in the academy because her father was filthy rich and a big name in Gotham. Not as big as Bruce Wayne of course, but close.

Marcus honestly wouldn't have minded going on a date with Alice, but she was just too young for him and always gave him strange vibes. What's more is that no other girls had ever openly approached him on school grounds after Alice had ‘staked her claim on him.’

"Good morning, Alice." Marcus said while putting on a practiced smile that didn't look as strained as it really was. The girl might give him weird vibes, but she had never out right antagonized him. His mother had also raised him to always be cordial with people. "You seem to be in a good mood." Marcus noted.

Alice smiled and looked up. "It’s bright and sunny today! That’s rare for this dreary town, you know. In fact, I feel like ever since you arrived here, the days have gotten brighter!" Alice declared with a small blush on her cheeks.

‘They have…’ Marcus thought in his head with a laugh. The presence of himself and his grandfather in Gotham had helped purify some of the City's evil taint. The longer Marcus stayed, the more sunny days the city would start to have as the lingering miasma ebbed away.

"It must just be a coincidence." Marcus said with a small laugh. "I heard Gotham was actually a beautiful city when it was founded. I'm sure it just had a few bad years of weather.”

That was an understatement. When he had first arrived in Gotham a few months ago, the evil taint in the city had become so potent that it formed an almost permanent fog that darkened the sky itself over the city. It was not natural at all. Metropolis was only a hundred miles away and it was always bright and sunny there…

"You're right! But you make MY day brighter at least!" Alice said to him with a small blush.

Ok…Marcus had to admit to himself that that line was pretty good. If it was coming from any girl but this one it probably would have worked on him if he was being honest.

"Woah! Did she actually just say that line out loud!? How corny!" A young boy's voice called from nearby on the campus lawn.

Alice turned red-faced and frowned at the kid who interrupted them. "Shut it, Dick! Can’t you see I'm having a nice conversation with Marcus here!"

"Maybe try being less thirsty, then, Winston! Since the second he enrolled here, you’ve been all over him! Give the guy a break!" Dick Grayson replied to her. That was another reason Marcus was hesitant with this girl. If Dick Grayson–who was Marcus’s favorite Robin in his past life–didn't trust her, then Marcus was even more hesitant to do so himself. Whenever Dick and Alice were in the same vicinity, they would always fight.

Dick flipped Alice ‘the bird’ and snickered again before he walked off.

Marcus laughed at Dick Grayson's audacity. He could see Alice hatefully glaring at the kid's back until he left.

Her two groupies looked like they were about to go and throttle the kid, but Alice waved them off. She turned back to Marcus with a pout. "That kid is always annoying and never knows how to behave!” Alice whined. “He's nothing like you Marcus! You're so much more mature and nice!” Alice said as she praised him once again.

"I can’t believe Bruce Wayne adopted a rude kid like that!" Alice's first female lackey commented.

“Yeah! He’s like, so totes annoying!” The second one added.

Marcus actually found the interactions between Dick and Alice to be funny. Dick was 13 and Alice was 15. They were closer in age and maturity than Marcus who was close to turning 18 himself.

“So, Alice? Did you want to ask me something?” He was going to be late for class unless they got on with it.

“Oh, r-right.” Alice replied with a small stutter. “There’s going to be a small party at my mansion later tonight. I was wondering if you would be going? Please? It would mean the world to me if you came!”

“Everyone who’s anyone will be there!” One of the girls added.

“Yeah. You need to come! Alice is going out of her way to invite you! You should be grateful!” The other one said.

Marcus sighed. She'd never stop hounding him unless he agreed. “Alright, I'll go.” Marcus said. Although he wasn't planning on going alone. Marcus considered bringing a date to the part so that Alice would finally understand he wasn't into her. Now he just had to find one in time…

“Awesome!” Alice smiled brightly at him. “I'll text you the time and address. See you tonight!” She said as she spun around and headed towards her first class with a skip in her step.

Marcus watched her go before he headed towards his own morning physics class.

…

“Morning, partner,” Marcus said as he plopped himself down in his seat. The physics teacher liked to pair up all the students for classwork and the girl next to him was his.

“Mornin’…” the blond-haired girl said with a yawn. “Sorry. I was up kind of late.”

Marcus frowned. “That’s three nights in a row, Artemis. Are you okay?” He asked.

Artemis was a fellow scholarship student, and her missing so much sleep wasn't good. If her grades slipped because of her lack of sleep, she could get kicked out.

“It's... it's nothing.” Artemis said. She did her best to avoid his eyes.

Marcus sighed. He couldn't help unless she opened up.

“So I heard you and the bratty Queen Bee of the academy are going out now?” Artemis asked him.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. How had she heard that news already? “All I agreed to was to go to a party at her house. We're not dating. How'd you even hear that news already? She only asked me like 15 minutes ago.” Marcus said.

Artemis smirked. “Gotham Academy is a den of future snakes. Gossip is everywhere, and rumors spread fast. Especially when it has to do with the ‘popular kids.’ News about them always travels the fastest.”

“Well, in this case the news is wrong. I'm never going to date that girl. Something about her kind of gives me the creeps and she's barely 15 while I'm almost 18.” Marcus said.

Artemis leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. “You're new to Gotham, so you don't know, but the Winston family is a big deal. Alice Winston being the sole heiress is an even bigger deal! She's basically a future billionaire. You should be careful around her. You might be really handsome, but you're just some poor boy who can't even afford tuition from her perspective. There's no reason she should have been hounding you this long.” Artemis finished with a frown. Marcus agreed with her on that.

Marcus took her words into consideration. “You think I'm really handsome?” He asked her with a smirk.

Artemis sputtered. “Wah–that's what you took from my warning!?” She said loudly with indignation.

Other nearby students turned and looked at her oddly for her outburst. Artemis covered her face with her hands in embarrassment for making a scene.

Marcus laughed. “Yes.”

Artemis playfully punched his arm. “Don't pretend you don't know. You're tall, have wavy blond hair, and you clearly work out. And then there's your stupid perfect face. You're almost supernaturally handsome if I'm being honest. It's a bit unnerving…” She trailed off.

Marcus nodded. Yep. He knew all of that.

Also, this was the most Artemis had ever actually spoken to him! She was usually a lot more reserved and only talked when necessary for classwork.

He found her to be intriguing. The fact that she was moonlighting as a vigilante every night was also pretty interesting…

“I think you're really beautiful as well, Artemis.” Marcus said, and the girl sputtered with a red face. If she was going to be honest, then he decided should as well. Female superheroes always had the best bodies and Artemis was no exception!

‘Will you be adding this girl to your non-existent harem?’ His grandfather teasingly asked him.

Marcus sighed internally at the teasing. When he had first realized he had been reborn into DxD, he of course immediately fantasized about getting his own harem. His grandfather had heard those thoughts, and immediately told Marcus’s mother. They both had a good laugh at his expense. They jokingly told him to go for it if he thought he could pull it off…

Artemis blushed! “You! You can't just say that to a girl out of nowhere like that!” Her face was red and she avoided looking him in the eye. Marcus thought that was pretty cute. She spent her nights beating up criminals on the streets but still blushed when a boy called her pretty.

“Here's an idea? Why don't you go with me to Alice's party?” Marcus suggested. “I wanted to go to the party with a date to finally show Alice that I wasn't interested in her.” Marcus said. “I am interested in you though.” He added.

“A date?” Artemis asked. She'd never been on a date before… The fact that the date would double as a way to piss off the bratty rich girl was also a bonus. The first time Artemis had ever spoken to Artemis, the rich girl had called her a “jumped up peasant who was lucky to even be allowed to attend their prestigious academy.” Needless to say, Artemis hated the little bitch… “Ok. I'll go with you. That doesn't mean we’re boyfriend and girlfriend though. I’m a bit busy in my life for a full time relationship right now.” Artemis added. To her Marcus was just a regular boy and she didn’t want to drag him into her insane family drama.

Marcus nodded. If that was how she wanted to start out, then he had no problem with that. “Great then. Let’s exchange contact info and we can meet up again tonight.”

The physics teacher came into the classroom shortly after that and they had to focus on the class. They promised to work out their meet up time through texts later.

…

At lunchtime, Marcus had found a quiet spot for himself outside in the grass. He munched on his sandwich as he contemplated what had happened today. Somehow he had managed to get a date with an actual superheroine. Not that she was a particularly big name at the moment considering she was just starting out her career, but still.

‘You made the better choice. The soul of Alice Winston is almost black. She’s borderlining on becoming pure evil.’

Marcus blanched at his grandfather’s words. ‘You couldn't have told me earlier!? What the hell!? I've never run into anyone with a black soul before!’ He exclaimed internally. He wasn’t able to see souls himself…yet. Black souls though…not even any of the Fallen Angels he’d ever met supposedly had black souls. Black souls belonged to people who revelled in inflicting pain and misery on others. Basically deranged serial killers!

‘You need to learn how to judge people on your own. It was an important lesson. I will be leaving you soon after all as I have almost recovered completely inside your Sacred Gear.’

And Marcus was glad for that! It wasn't that Marcus didn't appreciate the constant voice echoing in his head. It was fine when he was younger and didn’t have a libido. Now, though? He'd just gotten his first date and it was with a really hot girl as well! He wanted to enjoy his own life without constant scrutiny!

‘Am I cramping your style…?’ His grandfather asked him with trepidation in his voice.

‘Kind of…’ Marcus replied in his head.

‘So many of my followers would say the very thought of such a thing is blasphemous…’

Marcus shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich. Those followers probably wouldn't think that if they had his grandfather in their heads 24/7…

“Hey there, Marcus!” A voice he'd heard this morning called out to him. Marcus looked over and saw Dick Grayson walking over to him.

Marcus wondered what he wanted. “Hey Dick. What's up?”

Dick sat down nearby him on the grass. “Just checking in and things. How are you liking Gotham and the academy?”

“The academy is great, and the teachers are top-notch. Gotham itself isn't so bad. When I moved here two months ago, I was under the impression the city would be a lot more… dangerous? Haven't really seen much crime though, and I've never seen Batman either. The media made it seem like that guy popped up everywhere.” Marcus said. He intentionally brought up Batman just to see Dick’s reaction. To Marcus’s surprise though, Dick didn't so much as flinch when he mentioned the Dark Knight of Gotham. This kid’s acting was superb.

Dick was instead concerned by Marcus's comment. “You probably shouldn't be going to the places Batman goes anyway. He goes after criminals and supervillains, so he'll mostly show up in the seedier parts of town. Everyone knows that.” Dick added.

“Dang. Wanted to see if I could get his autograph. They're really rare, you know.” Marcus said. The caped crusader was actually one of his favorite heroes. In both his old life and this one.

‘If I was at my full power again, I’d offer the man a Sainthood. Then again, he would probably reject it knowing who he is…’ His grandfather added. ‘All of the lives he’s managed to save while not ever taking a single one himself…No one else has ever done what he does.’

Marcus agreed. He knew Batman would immediately reject the offer though even if it came from his Grandfather himself. That was just the kind of man he was.

‘And that’s why he would deserve it…’

Dick laughed at Marcus’s inquiry. Dick knew that Bruce hated giving out autographs as Batman. He’d only ever do it if it was a small child asking. Batman would usually acquiesce because he had a soft spot for kids and wouldn't want to crush their dreams.

“So,” Dick said, changing the subject. “I heard you finally caved to Alice and are going to her party?” He asked with some concern. Something about Alice always creeped him out and Bruce had been investigating the Winston’s for a while now. Their family had ties to a pretty bad group that Bruce had ordered him to stay away from at all costs!

“Yeah, I’m going.” Marcuis said. And then he laughingly added. “But not with her! I'm going with a girl called Artemis. She’s my physics partner and she’s way hotter than Alice!”

Dick sputtered hearing that. “Y-you agreed to go to Alice's party. Personally invited by the girl herself in front of the whole school…and you're taking another girl!?” dick asked dumbfounded.

“Yes. That's pretty much it.” Marcus shrugged. “Something about Alice just weirds me out.” He wasn’t sure what to do with the knowledge that she might also be a serial killer either. Her family was incredibly wealthy and probably owned Gotham’s police. Maybe he could find a way to mention it subtly to Dick so it got back to Batman? That was something for Marcus to think on.

Dick stared at Marcus in shock. ‘The balls on this guy!’ He praised Marcus in his head.

Marcus was going to snub the most popular girl in the whole school at her own party by showing up with another girl. Dick had so much respect for Marcus at this moment! Dick came here to warn him about her family, but now he needn't have bothered. “Dayuuuuum. Respect, Marcus! So much respect! I wish I could go to the party now to see Alice's face, but unfortunately it's for High Schooler’s only.” Dick was still in the middle school division of the academy.

MArcus shrugged. “You probably won’t miss out on much. Just some good ol’ High Schooler underage drinking and whatnot.”

Dick nodded at Marcu’s words. Bruce would absolutely not approve and that’s what made Dick want to go himself so badly…

…

Marcus passed by the small crowd of students rushing home to enjoy the weekend. Quite a few of them were gossiping about Alice Winston's party later. She, along with most of the other elite students, had already left campus via limousines.

After school ended, Marcus had a few hours to kill before he'd meet up with Artemis so he decided to take a walk around the city. He wanted to see if he could find that stray from this morning before it wracked up a noticeable body count… This city was currently his home and he wasn’t going to permit one of those monsters living here. The only annoying thing was that low-class Stray Devils were hard to search for. Because their demonic powers were so miniscule without their kings to supplement them, stray’s couldn’t be sensed unless they were close by.

Marcus walked down the street and decided to head towards the seedier sections of town. If that stray was still in the city, he had no doubt it would be there. Every block he walked, Marcus would release a pulse of magic that acted similar to short range echolocation. It was less of a spell and more of a learned skill. It was also useful, because the small pulses didn’t use that much of his own magical reserves. He'd done this for around 20 minutes and 20 blocks so far. He'd yet to find anything though.

Marcus walked another block and let out another magic pulse. This time his senses picked up another magic signature nearby!

Although…it didn't feel like a Stray Devil. It felt purely human. Magical humans were rare, but he supposed there had to be a couple in a city the size of Gotham.

A magical human, or homo-magi as they referred to themselves, wasn’t what he was looking for, so he shrugged and kept walking. Each additional street he walked down, he kept up his ‘pinging.’ Marcus eventually searched all of the areas around his academy and found nothing. He decided to search the ‘seedier’ areas of Gotham next. Stray’s tended to hang around areas like that more often than not anyway.

When he sent out another pulse, he was surprised to find the homo-magi he'd sensed earlier was following behind him! His senses told him they were on a nearby rooftop.

Marcus acted casual and walked into a nearby alley. He added a bit of power into his legs and jumped upwards! He easily cleared the second story and landed on the rooftop. The same one that his little magical stalker was on.

“Eeeep!” The voice of a girl came from behind a nearby chimney. They clearly knew they’d been caught following him.

“Any reason you're following me?” Marcus asked out loud.

After a moment of awkward silence, the girl hiding behind the chimney answered him. “I was just curious is all. I've never met another magical person besides my dad. I wondered what you were doing and what spell you were casting every block?” She said as she stepped out from behind the chimney.

Marcus noted that she was young. Probably in Middle School and around Dick’s age. She looked vaguely familiar to him. “What’s your name? I'm Marcus. And you shouldn't follow magical people unless you're sure that they're good people.” Marcus scolded her. “This is Gotham City! A young girl like you shouldn’t be going around following someone she doesn't know just because I can also use magic…”

“Just you saying that means you're a good guy. The younger girl replied cheekily. “I'm Zatanna by the way. Zatanna Zatara! So how come you're going around using that spell over and over?”

Marcus now realized why she looked so familiar. She was a future member of the justice league. Although, that seemed to be a long ways off because she didn’t look older than 14 right now. She looked slightly older than Dick who was only 13 himself.

Marcus wasn’t exactly sure which iteration of the DCU he was in. Judging by the fact that it was combined with DxD, it was probably an AU of some kind anyway. The ages of Dick and the other well known sidekicks made him suspect he lived in an offshoot of Young Justice. Although Artemis was a bit older here than she should have been for that universe… There were lots of similarities and discrepancies at the same time.

Marcus focused back on the young Zatanna. “I'm searching for a Stray Devil I sensed earlier in the city this morning. It's dangerous and not a task for kids. You should go home.”

The girl pouted at him. “Hey! I've helped my dad with magic before. I've even fought a few bad spirits that haunt people!” She said proudly. “...What’s a Stray Devil?” She added.

Marcus facepalmed. The supernatural community was impressively hidden in this world… Or maybe her dad just never mentioned it to her. Marcus didn’t know how much the justice league actually knew about the Supernatural. They mostly fought mundane villains…or aliens.

“A Stray Devil is a dangerous being for a kid your age. Just go home and let me continue my search.”

Zatanna shook her head vehemently. “Nuh uh! Not happening! My dad’s the ‘magic guy’ of the Justice League and just the term ‘Stray Devil’ sounds magical. As his daughter, I therefore have to help!” She explained while looking proud of herself.

Marcus sighed. She had no idea what she was in for. He wasn’t her parent though, he supposed she could come along if she wanted. He’d make sure to at least keep her safe when she inevitably freezes up.

Marcus shrugged at Zatanna. “Whatever.  Follow me and I'll explain. We'll stick to the rooftops from now on since this is the more dangerous part of town. We don't need some stupid gang members on the streets to try and mug us.” Marcus said before he turned and hopped across the alley to the next building.

“etativel em teL!” Marcus heard Zatanna chant behind him. He watched her hover across the alleyway and land next to him. She gave him a grin as she did so.

“Your magic is you saying words backwards?” He asked her. He vaguely remembered that being a thing.

She smirked and put her hands on her hips. “Yep! Are you jealous of how awesome it is?”

Marcus shook his head. “Not really. In battle it's pretty much useless…” It was incredibly gimmicky and slow to cast after all.

“What? Why!?” She asked with a pout. Her dad told her that they're magic was awesome because it was so diverse!

Marcus left to the next rooftop before he explained. Zatanna followed after him. “It's too slow. I know of a lot of creatures out there that can move so fast that you won't even be able to say a single word before they're on you. Unless you have a way to make yourself talk and move faster, you'll be instantly defeated.” He explained.

Zatanna frowned. That was a weakness of her magic. She knew that. Even with practice, saying things backwards took time. Zatanna knew against fast villains and speedsters, she was basically useless. Her father would never be able to beat someone like the Flash. That's why he joined the justice league though. So his allies could cover his weakness. “We can agree to disagree.” Zatanna said smugly. “So what’s a Stray Devil? You didn't answer me before.”

Marcus sent out another magic pulse. He didn't get any hits on his senses besides Zatanna standing next to him. “Stray Devils are reincarnated Devils that have gone rogue from their masters. Usually it’s because they didn’t read the fine print and realize that they were signing away their freedom for immortality and power. Most reincarnated Devil’s are fine with that trade off, but some aren't.” Marcus explained as he hopped to the next roof over. He was getting a pretty good workout doing this over and over.

Zatanna frowned. “Reincarnated? What does that mean?”

Marcus explained it to her. “Modern Devils created a system where they can turn humans or other creatures into Devils. Granting them the same magic and near infinite lifespan. The price for this? Eternal servitude towards their high ranking Devil masters. It’s not even as bad as it sounds. Most of the new age high-class Devils aren’t even evil. Most of them anyway… They mainly use the system as a way to make their mortal friends or lovers immortal as well.” Marcus explained.

He could get behind that concept at least. He had a couple friends where he grew up that he would be sad to lose due to aging.

Zatanna furrowed her brows. She'd heard of demons, but not Devils. Unless it was THE Devil that was. As in Lucifer himself. Marcus didn't sound like he was talking about him though. “And Devils are…?” Zatanna asked. She wondered if her dad knew any of this.

Marcus sighed. Either Geovanni didn’t explain anything to his daughter properly, or the man just plain didn’t know either. If it was the latter, then that would make the man one of the most sheltered mages in the world…

‘It's possible he and therefore the Justice League really know nothing. Devils also aren't very active in America because of the church's influence here.’

Marcus supposed that was possible. Even he was surprised that a stray was in Gotham of all places after all. Most Devils in the human world preferred to be in countries where the church's influence was minimal. That’s why Rias and Sona went to Japan after all–or maybe that was just because Rias was an Otaku.

“Devils are a race that was directly created by Lucifer and Lilith in order to fight against God and his Angels.” Marcus explained to Zatanna.

She gaped at him. “The Devil is real!? God is real!? Angels are real!?” She exclaimed in shock. “Like, actually real!?”

Marcus smirked at her as he sent out another magic pulse. He got a hit this time. He felt a dark and vile magical presence. A nearby dilapidated warehouse was housing the Stray Devil he'd spent the past hour searching for. “You're about to find out.” Marcus said to the girl. “Although, I still recommend you leave. Stray Devils eat…humans.” Marcus said somberly.

“You couldn't have mentioned that sooner!?” She exclaimed. “Now I absolutely can’t leave!”

Marcusn jumped off the rooftop he was on, and landed a few stories below. Right in front of the warehouse. He saw a dried trail of blood on the ground that started from outside and led inwards. The stray had already claimed at least one victim…

“nwod taolF!” Zatanna landed next to him a moment later. “T-they eat humans!?” She asked him again. “Isn't that really bad? We should call my dad!” Zatanna said as she looked at the warehouse with trepidation. “It's in there?”

“Don't worry.” Marcus said. “This one is weak. I'll be able to handle it no problem.” he could feel that this one was truly the low of low-class. The bottom of the barrel.

“Handle it?” Zatanna asked. “Are you going to kill it?” She didn't know how to feel about that. On one hand, there was supposedly a man-eating monster inside the warehouse in front of her. On the other hand, the justice league and her dad never killed unless they absolutely had to.

Marcus noticed her frown. “Killing is wrong, but it's the only way to handle most strays. Once they go feral and mutate into monsters, they will never be able to return to their old selves. Believe me, the church and Heaven have tried. There were some Stray Devils who were turned against their will and escaped their masters. The church willingly takes them all in. The best they can do though is put them out of their misery and cleanse their souls.”

“Do you work for the church or something?” Zatanna asked. “Like a magical exorcist?”

“I work for the church on occasion.” Marcus said cryptically as he walked towards the warehouse. “Are you coming in or staying?”

Zatanna squirmed with indecision. “Ok…I'll go with you. I want to see this so-called Stray Devil for myself.” She didn't believe that killing was the correct answer, but if what Marcus said was true, then she supposed death would be better than becoming an evil flesh eating monster.

Marcus didn't bother knocking. He lifted his leg up before kicking forwards. The large metal warehouse door caved in under the force of his kick and ripped off its hinges. With a loud wrenching noise it was sent careening inside.

It didn't take long for the stray inside to notice Marcus’s presence. “Fuck! I knew I shouldn’t have come to America! It’s known as fucking Angel territory for a reason!” A rough voice called out from inside.

“thgil eb ereht tel!” Zatanna chanted and an orb of light flew from her hands and illuminated the room.

‘Hah! She just said let there be light backwards and all that came out was a small lamp spell…’ Marcus snickered in his head.

‘...’ His grandfather didn't say anything. He was so embarrassed that his most well known words were used like that…

“How the hell did an exorcist find me so quickly!? I can feel that filthy Light energy radiating off you! I won’t go quietly! I earned this power myself!” The Stray Devil inside angrily spat out. “I'll kill you first!”

“Gasp!” Zatanna froze at the sight in front of her. The Stray Devil was incredibly ugly. It had a body that resembled a werewolf, and the head of a praying mantis. What really horrified her was all the corpses littered around him. She had never seen something so graphic in real life. It was taking everything she had to not immediately hurl!

It looked like the stray was in the middle of snacking on a few homeless people when they barged in. His ‘dinner’ looked to be half eaten. Marcus frowned at the sight.

Zatanna failed in holding back her lunch. She put her hands on her knees and wretched all over the floor. This was sick! She’d never seen anything remotely this horrible in real life! Marcus was right! These things really were human eating monsters!

“You’re alright Zatanna.” Marcus said gently as he patted her back. “tHe first time seeing one of these monsters is always the worst…”

He turned his gaze to the stray who was raring for some long drawn out fight or something. “Listen man, to be honest I wasn't expecting the tag-along.” Marcus said as he gestured to the vomiting and crying Zatanna. “And because she’s here I’m afraid I’m going to have to make this quick…”

“You think I’ll go down so easily! I was able to escape from my master and the underworld on my own! I’ll be able to kill you and escape as well!” The stray yelled out as it crouched its wolf body down to all fours. Its insectoid head locked all of its beady eyes on Marcus. It would devour this exorcist at all costs!

Marcus raised his right hand outward. “I'll make this quick my guy. Sacred Gear: True Longinus!” A golden spear that radiated more light than any other weapon in existence materialized in Marcus’s right hand. He pointed it towards the stray. Marcus grimaced slightly at the strain of using his Sacred Gear. It used up a ridiculous amount of his own magic power to just make it manifest. Every second it was out cost him more power as well. He wasn’t quite strong enough to use the spear freely as he wanted. That’s why he said he would be making it quick.

“Tr–True Longinus! Oh FUCK NO!” The stray completely gave up on all chances of fighting and spun around as fast as it could to flee. There was no way he could fight against the weapon all Devils naturally feared! The concrete cracked underneath the stray’s powerful wolf legs as he put everything he had into fleeing! He shot off like a rocket in the opposite direction! It wasn’t enough though…

SQUELCH!

“Graaaahhhh!” The stray screamed in pain. He looked down in horror. Sticking out of his chest, from his back, was the most feared Sacred Gear in the world! “I guess I'm dead huh…?” Those were his last words before the spear’s light energy tore through his very existence and purged him. The stray exploded in a shower of golden dust.

The True Longinus flew back towards Marcus’s outstretched hand. A second later, it vanished in molts of golden light. He let out a sigh of relief and turned back towards Zatanna. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

“See.” Marcus said nonchalantly, like he didn't just burn through 75% of his reserves with a single attack. “I told you that it was no problem. Why don’t I walk you home? I know the first time seeing a Stray Devil’s nest can be pretty terrifying.”

Zatanna shakily nodded as Marcus led her out of the warehouse. He’d call in a clean-up crew from the church later to hide the mess. Although, he might not even need to bother. This was Gotham and people turn up dead all the time. He still believed those victims deserved a proper burial. No one deserved to go out like that. As some monster’s meal…

Marcus took another hour walking the still shocked Zatanna back to her home neighborhood. Once he was sure she was relatively fine, he headed back to his own apartment to get changed for the party later that night.

XXX