DXD: Samsara Finis

I walked the rest of the way home confused, my thoughts spinning in circles. What was that all about?

But as soon as I stepped through the door—

"Happy Birthday, Eishiii!!"

I barely had time to react as my mom jumped on me with a hug.

"Whoa—wait, it's today!? March 3rd already!?"

I completely forgot. My head's been too wrapped around the performance and practice.

Laughter filled the air. I looked around to see the Hyoudou family—yes, including that Hyoudou—grinning as they sat around our dining table.

Mom clapped her hands. "We even got you a gift!"

She handed me a box. I carefully opened it… and felt my throat tighten.

Inside was a performance suit.

Elegant. Classy.

Thank you, Mom…"My voice cracked, thick with emotion. I gently held the edge of the suit jacket she'd just helped me put on, the fabric smooth and refined beneath my fingers. I could feel the weight of it—not just the quality, but everything it represented. Love. Sacrifice. Pride.

She must have spent so much on this… and I knew things hadn't been easy. I blinked quickly, trying not to tear up.

This suit must've cost a fortune.

Before I got too emotional, my gaze drifted across the living room—and landed on Issei.

There he was, standing by the snack table with a cup of punch, looking like he had zero regrets in life.

I squinted, narrowing my eyes into a deadpan stare.

He caught my look and blinked like a confused puppy.

"What?" he asked.

I didn't say a word. Just kept staring.

"Don't look at me like that," he said quickly, already holding up his hands. "I didn't bring anything."

I gasped. Loudly. Dramatically. One hand to my chest like I'd been stabbed by a thousand paper cuts.

"How could you!?" I cried. "After everything we've been through! The betrayal! How I became infamous because of what you did—!"

Before I could finish the dramatic monologue, another voice cut in.

"What did he do?"

We both turned.

Issei's mom had leaned forward from the couch, curiosity and amusement dancing in her eyes. She looked far too entertained by the situation.

I couldn't resist.

"Well, Issei and his two idiot friends—!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Issei interrupted, his eyes wide with panic. "Okay, okay, I bought you something, alright?" He reached into his bag and pulled out a small box. "Happy birthday, man. It's a wallet. Real leather. Let's go eat, your mom made a lot of food." He laughed quickly, trying to distract everyone.

I arched an eyebrow. "A wallet?"

"Yes" he said proudly. "Nice, right?"

I couldn't help but laugh as Issei's mom shook her head, already questioning him lightly about before.

Issei winced under the gentle maternal assault while I just stood there, smiling.

Yeah. Some moments were truly priceless.

Dinner was warm, filled with laughter and teasing. I needed this—more than I realized. After the Hyoudou family said their goodbyes and left, I got ready to take a shower… but Mom called me again.

"Eishi…"

"Hm?"

She stepped forward, holding something wrapped in cloth.

"This is… another birthday gift. But not from me."

I tilted my head.

"It's from your father."

She carefully placed it in my hands. A suitcase.

"He left this before he passed," Mom said softly, placing the object in my hands. "Told me to give it to you on your 17th birthday."

I stared at it.

A briefcase. Old, worn, and heavy. The surface was faded, edges frayed, but what caught my eye was the emblem—an unfamiliar, intricate crest embossed into the base. It didn't resemble any symbol I recognized. No keyhole, no latch, no numbers. Just a sealed case..

I turned it over in my hands, trying to find anything that resembled a mechanism. Nothing.

I glanced up at Mom, confused. "Did… you ever open it?"

She shook her head. "No. He told me not to. Said it was meant only for you."

"Not even a hint on how to open it?"

Mom frowned thoughtfully. "None. He never gave me a key, or even explained what it was. Just… handed it to me with that same gentle smile and said, 'When the time is right, he'll know.'" She sighed. "I never understood what he meant."

I looked back at the briefcase, now resting on my lap.

Mom continued, "Maybe you could try asking a locksmith in town? See if they can open it without breaking it." She paused. "Just be careful."

I nodded slowly, fingers tracing the emblem again.

"Thanks, Mom… for everything."

I hugged her again, tighter this time.

"Anything for you, darling."

Later that night, in the quiet solitude of my room, I sat cross-legged on the floor, the briefcase in front of me like a puzzle waiting to be solved.

The lamp cast a soft amber glow across its surface. I turned it over slowly, fingertips brushing along the worn leather—until something caught my eye.

At the base…A strange, intricate design—like a circle formed from intertwining runes and delicate etchings.

I leaned closer.

"…What is this?"

The moment my fingers grazed the pattern, a soft glow pulsed through the design. Pale blue-white light traced the runes like flowing ink, moving with almost a heartbeat rhythm.

Then it vanished.

Like it had never been there.

I blinked, unsure if I had imagined it."Was that… real?"

I tapped the emblem again. Nothing.

No clicks. No shifts. No dramatic magical reveal.

Just silence.

With a frustrated sigh, I climbed into bed, dragging the covers over myself. The briefcase remained where it was—propped up against my desk, cold and quiet.

"Guess I'll find out eventually."

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.Like the air in the room had shifted.Like something long asleep had stirred at the edge of awareness.

Later that night…

Silence cloaked the room like a blanket.The only sound was the soft hum of the ceiling fan and the even rhythm of my breathing.

I had drifted into sleep, completely drained—from the awkward confession earlier, the tension with Yuuma, the surprises from Issei and his family…And now, this legacy from my father I barely understood.

In the dark corner of the room, the suitcase remained untouched.

But slowly—quietly—the runic circle on its base began to glow again.

Faint at first.A gentle pulse of light.Once.

Twice.

A third time.

Like a heartbeat.

Or a signal.

The blue-white glow expanded subtly across the floor like fog under moonlight—then retracted back into the emblem, like breath drawn in…And held.

Then—

The glow faded.

The runes dimmed.

Silence returned.

I didn't stir.Didn't wake.

_____________________________________________________________________

The world was quiet.

Too quiet.

No hum of passing cars.No chatter of people.Not even the rustle of wind through trees.

Just stillness.

I stood on a dimly lit street, the pavement cold beneath my feet. My hand—smaller, clumsier—was clasped tightly in my mother's.

My younger self.

We walked side by side, our steps soft against the concrete. The streetlamps above flickered faintly, casting half-hearted glows that barely reached the ground. Somewhere nearby, the faint scent of takoyaki drifted through the air, warm and sweet.

We had gone out to celebrate.

My birthday.

It was a year before we moved.

Mom laughed softly, her voice light and teasing.I was pouting—she had just made fun of how I practiced for Parent's Day, imitating an old man with exaggerated gestures.

I rolled my eyes.She grinned and ruffled my hair.

Then—

A sharp gust of wind swept down the empty street.

And I saw them.

Wings.

I looked up, heart stopping.

A figure hovered just above the ground, its black feathered wings spread wide like a shadow blotting out the moonlight. Its face was obscured by a hood, its presence radiating cold.

Another figure descended beside it—this one different.Leathery wings, like a bat's.Its grin was twisted. Cruel. Hungry.

Then more.

Five.Six.Seven.

Surrounding us like wolves circling prey.

"Mommy… what… what are those?" I asked, voice trembling.

Mom didn't answer right away. Her grip on my hand tightened.

"Run, Eishi."

She didn't wait for me to move.She yanked me forward—running.

Her shoes slapped hard against the pavement as we dashed through the dark.

Behind us, a hiss—then a shriek.

A flash of red light.

It streaked through the air, too fast to dodge.

It struck her in the back.

She screamed.A sound I'll never forget.Raw. Piercing.

Mom collapsed, hitting the ground with a thud, her hand slipping from mine like water through a sieve.

"Mommy!!!"

I dropped beside her, sobbing, shaking her.

Her eyes fluttered open—clouded with pain, but still filled with fierce love.

Still breathing.Barely.

Something inside me… snapped.

I turned to the creatures, trembling.

My vision blurred.My heart pounded.Rage—raw and all-consuming—rose like a storm inside my chest.

I didn't scream.

I didn't cry.

I just… wanted them gone.

And then—

Black.

No sound.No image.Just the heat.

The fury.

A fire that burned too brightly to see through.

When I blinked again…They were dead.

All of them.

Scattered across the street like broken dolls.Wings torn. Bodies twisted. Blood everywhere.Some still twitching. Others already fading.

I stood at the center of it all.Breathing hard.Covered in something—ash, smoke… or worse.

My hands shook.

Then—A voice. Familiar. Strong. Laced with fear and fury.

"Shit… the Satan Faction? How did they find us?"

Dad.

He sprinted toward me, silver hair wild, eyes sharp but filled with panic.

He dropped to his knees, pulling me into a tight embrace.

Don't worry, Eishi… darling—" his voice cracked, but stayed steady.

"You'll be safe. I promise."

And just like that—

Everything faded.