500 AD
Kokabiel POV
It's been real. It's been fun. But it hasn't been real fun—that's how I'd probably describe the last three thousand years.
I sighed as I pushed away Penemue, who was heavily breathing behind me. Probably thinking something lewd. Again.
"Stop breathing on my neck like that. And don't rub your boobs on my back! I can literally feel everything!"
She deflated like a balloon. "I was merely trying to warm you up, Lord Kokabiel. It's rather cold here. Don't you like warmth?"
I didn't look up from the paperwork. "Probably because you're not wearing enough clothes." If that semi transparent thing can even be identified as cloth.
Heaven was never cold. She knew that. I knew that. We both knew what she was doing.
She hugged me from behind, getting bolder, , pressing her generous assets against my back. "Just a few more minutes. Let me warm you so you don't catch a cold." Her voice dropped to a whisper. That seductive tone she thought was subtle.
I moved away with a deadpan look, turning to face her. "Angels don't catch colds, Penemue."
"But—"
The door burst open.
"Brother! I brought you some fruits from the garden—"
Crash!
The tray hit the floor. Fruits rolled everywhere.
Gabriel's eyes locked onto Penemue, who had taken advantage of my momentary distraction to smother my face between her breasts.
Whadya know! It is rather warm and comfy...wait! No! Begone Evil thoughts!
I couldn't see Gabriel's expression. My vision was blocked by Penemue's "aggressive hospitality." But I could hear it. That sound. Like a kettle about to explode.
"What in Father's name are you doing to him, you vile woman!"
Gabriel rushed forward and yanked me out of Penemue's embrace with the strength of someone who had personally kicked Azazel through three buildings.
"Oh good, I'm saved—Mmmphh."
Spoke too soon.
Now I was in a worse place. Gabriel had grabbed my head and provided the same treatment Penemue did. Only this one was more... I don't even know how to put this.
That's DxD for you.
And for Heaven's sake, wear more clothes!
Why do female angels dress in a way that even devils would get nosebleeds!
I heard their argument in muffled tones. Apparently, breasts don't conduct sound well. A new discovery for science. Future generations would never know of my sacrifice for this knowledge.
"How dare you assault my brother with your lewd body!" Gabriel's voice was barely contained fury.
"I was merely comforting him! Unlike you who suffocates him with your overprotective—"
"I protect him because harlots like you—"
"Harlot?! You're the one who sleeps under his bed!"
"That's different! I'm his sister!"
"I'm his secretary!"
"You're a menace!"
Yeah, I'm outta here.
I teleported before they could test my patience further.
I arrived somewhere else on Earth.
The air was different. Humid. The architecture was distinctly Asian. Wooden buildings with curved roofs. Rice paddies in the distance.
Probably Japan, judging by the style. Early Yamato period, maybe.
Oh, looks like there's a hot spring on top of that mountain. Steam rising into the cool evening air.
This should be a nice way to relax and cool down. Literally and metaphorically.
I started walking. Then—
Ding!
Another blue light flashed in my vision.
Oh, for the love of...
The damn system. Again. Still trying to bait me into joining another horrible chat group after the admins kicking me out of every single one due to inactivity.
I'd almost forgotten about it. Almost.
It started around three thousand years ago, right after I came here. Thankfully I kept my journal. Wouldn't even remember it otherwise.
After the whole introduction with the angels, I'd gone back to my room and just laid down. I needed to process. To think. To figure out what the hell my life had become.
But my rest was interrupted by the damn system.
Who can rest with constant notifications popping in your brain!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Over and over. Like someone was jackhammering inside my skull.
So I opened it to see if there's a way to silence it. Maybe a mute button. Maybe an uninstall option.
Instead, I was greeted by a long string of messages.
[Ding! Host Kokabiel has been added to the 'Ugly Bastard' group chat! Please say hi and greet the members!]
My eye twitched violently.
I looked at the member list despite not wanting to.
Goblin Uncle
Government Lapdog
Sexual Counselor
Black Dog
Subway Molester
Office Manager
And more names I refused to read
The conversations were... disturbing. To say the least.
Goblin Uncle: [Just returned from another adventure with Tsundere Elf. She's warming up to me!]
Government Lapdog: [Executed another traitor today. The screams were delicious.]
Sexual Counselor: [Any tips for dealing with reluctant clients? Asking for a friend.]
Black Dog: [The Elf queen has great "assets." Planning my approach.]
I felt physically ill.
I could identify some of them from the conversations.
Goblin Uncle was from the anime Isekai Ojisan or something. Can't remember well. He was the only decent one there. But even he had some lecherous ideas from time to time.
Government Lapdog was Spandam from One Piece. The CP9 guy. And apparently in his world, he became a high official after executing Robin, and Buster Call wiped out the Straw Hats.
Like... what the actual hell, system?!
The last few were definitely from hentai. I could tell from the... context.
Now, I refuse to acknowledge any knowledge of such vulgarity, without explicitly affirming that my vision may or may not have strayed towards the general direction of such shows while vehemently denying that my hand had clicked on such websites, although one could interpret it differently without myself confirming their beliefs.
Look, I was a teenage boy with internet access. Things happened. I'm not proud.
But this? This was different.
Yeah, fuck that group. I may have been thrown headfirst into a world full of gravity-defying titties, but I ain't no ugly bastard.
So I ignored it.
The chat group people tried to reach me.
Goblin Uncle: [Welcome to the group, Angel of Stars! What world are you from?]
Government Lapdog: [An angel? How tedious. Unless you're into public executions?]
Sexual Counselor: [An angel in OUR group? This will be interesting...]
I didn't respond.
Days passed.
More messages.
Black Dog: [Yo, new guy, you there?]
Office Manager: [Perhaps he's shy. Give him time.]
Goblin Uncle: [Angel, if you need advice on anything, we're here!]
Still nothing from me.
Then the system got cheeky. It tried to penalize me for not participating.
[Ding! System will deduct host lifespan by 1 year!]
A pause.
[Error! Cannot impose penalty. Host lifespan: Immortal.]
I almost laughed.
Next day it tried again.
[Ding! System will decrease host penis size by one inch!]
That motherfucker!
[Error! Cannot impose penalty. Host body under divine protection.]
I wanted to strangle whoever programmed this thing. But it failed every time.
It kept trying.
[System will reduce host strength by 10%!] [Error!]
[System will curse host with bad luck!]
[Error!]
[System will make host bald!]
[Error!]
[System will—]
I stopped reading them.
After a year of my complete silence, they kicked me out.
Goblin Uncle: [Sorry man, group rules. Inactive members get removed. Good luck out there!]
Government Lapdog: [One less waste of space.]
And I was free.
For about a week.
[Ding! Host has been added to 'Villain Group Chat'!]
Seriously? I mean, Kokabiel was a villain in the original timeline, but that's not me!
I checked the members out of curiosity. Just curiosity. I wasn't going to participate.
Shinigami in Glasses
Human Monster
Guy in Orange Mask
Planet Eater
Homunculus in the Flask
Man in Black
Wait a goddamn minute.
I read that list again.
Shinigami in Glasses was definitely Aizen from Bleach. The "all according to plan" guy. Big fan of him, but interacting with him. Was another thing entirely.
Human Monster took longer to figure out. But when I did, I screamed internally.
Johan Liebert. From Monster.
I was in a group chat with Johan fucking Liebert. The man who could convince you to kill yourself with a conversation and a smile.
Orange Mask was Obito. From Naruto. Mixed feelings about that guy. Tragic backstory, but still a mass murderer.
Planet Eater was Galactus from Marvel. A cosmic entity that devours planets for sustenance. How does he even type!
Homunculus in the Flask was Father from Fullmetal Alchemist. Another bastard who sacrificed an entire country. Definitely a no no.
Man in Black I couldn't figure out. Nor did I care.
The conversations were more philosophical than the last group. But no less disturbing.
Shinigami in Glasses: [Power is not granted. It is taken. Those who wait for permission will forever remain weak.]
Human Monster: [The most frightening monster is the one that hides behind a human face. Don't you agree?]
Guy in Orange Mask: [This world is Hell. We must create a dream world where heroes win.]
Planet Eater: [I consume worlds not out of malice, but necessity. Judge me as you will.]
Homunculus in the Flask: [Humanity is flawed. I seek to transcend these limitations.]
Heavy stuff.
But still villains.
I just tuned out the system when it tried and failed to penalize me again.
Every day I'd see its pitiful attempts.
[System will curse host's bloodline!]
[Error! Host has no bloodline.]
[System will steal host's memories!]
[Error! Memories under divine protection.]
[System will—]
Block. Ignore. Repeat.
I got kicked out of that group too eventually after a month.
The system tried putting me in more groups.
'Heroes of Justice' - Full of self-righteous idiots who thought killing was always wrong. Even when facing genocidal maniacs.
'Harem Protagonists' - Dense idiots who couldn't recognize romantic interest if it bit them. Actually, some of them did get bitten. Still didn't notice.
'Merchant Coalition' - People who'd sell their mothers for profit. Actually, one of them literally did that.
'Culinary Masters' - This one wasn't bad. Just chefs from different worlds. But they kept asking me to cook.
I'm an angel of stars, not stars as in Michelin stars!
'Reincarnators Anonymous' - People who died and got second chances. Hit too close to home. I left immediately.
Each time, the same pattern. Forced Join. Ignore. Get kicked out.
After three thousand years, I'd forgotten about it mostly.
But my journal kept records. Notes on the characters. Analysis of their abilities. Warnings about their personalities.
I also added some characters I might enjoy meeting in case I lost all memories in the future.
People like:
Teuchi - Naruto. Gotta taste that ramen. Maybe even Tsunade's... Forget that last part!
Gandalf - Lord of the Rings
Seems fun.Wonder how funny it will be if I just casually walk past him after he said that classic line.
Luffy - One Piece.
Loved that guy. It would be fun if I was on their ship. Definitely not because I, ehem.... I am Angel, Angel is good. I am Angel, Angel is good.
The chant actually worked
Jonathan Joestar - JoJo.
And of course, it's what a cultured man should do. I also wanna bitch slap Dio after he screamed 'Za Warudo' and thought time has stopped.
I have weird kinks. No judgement please.
And many more like Goku, Spiderman (Since Galactus is available, so probably?),
People who'd remind me what being good looked like. When everything else faded.
I looked at my current notification.
[Ding! New group found: 'Dimensional Travelers'! This group consists of individuals who have crossed worlds. Would you please Join, kind sir?]
[Accept] [Decline]
System finally learned I won't even try if it tried to force me into something. So it became more polite
My finger hovered over decline.
Then I thought about it.
Dimensional Travelers. People who crossed worlds. Like me.
Maybe... maybe some of them would understand. What it's like to lose everything. To be cut off from home. To forget.
Maybe some of them even found a way back.
My finger moved toward Accept.
Then I stopped.
What was the point?
I've seen this before. Dozens of times. Each group was the same. People who didn't understand. People I couldn't relate to. People who'd eventually kick me out for not participating.
Although I never actually put an effort. It's just so meaningless for me. Maybe that's what it was. I have gotten accustomed to just watching from above.
I hit Decline.
[Are you sure? This opportunity may not come again!]
"I'm sure."
[Declined. System will cease group recommendations for 100 years. ]
Good.
Finally, some peace.
I made it to the hot spring. Steam rose in lazy spirals. The water was clear, heated by volcanic activity below.
I snapped my clothes off with magic, and sank into the water.
Silence. Finally.
Just me and the stars above.
I looked up. My stars. Each one familiar. Each one a window to somewhere else.
Through them, I could see millions of lives playing out. Births. Deaths. Loves. Losses.
Everyone had their story. Their struggles. Their triumphs.
I could see a farmer in China celebrating his daughter's wedding.
A warrior in Rome dying honorably in battle.
A merchant in India making his first big sale.
A mother in Africa singing her child to sleep.
So many stories. So many lives.
Yet I could barely remember my own.
It's supposed to be sad.
Three thousand years ago, I probably would have cried if I couldn't even picture the faces of my family. The people I loved most.
Yet now, I mostly felt a dull pain. Like a minor inconvenience. Like something that happened to someone else.
I pulled out the diary. Waterproof, courtesy of angel magic.
I flipped to the early entries. The ones I wrote immediately after arriving.
Mom's laugh is loud and uncontrolled. She snorts sometimes when something is really funny. Dad used to tease her about it.
I couldn't remember what her laugh sounded like.
Dad sings in the shower. Off-key. Mom complains but she's always smiling when she does.
I couldn't remember his singing voice.
Dawn's favorite game is hide and seek. She always hides in the same spot. Behind the couch. She thinks I don't know.
I couldn't remember her hiding spot. Was it behind the couch? Or under the bed?
The details were fading. Slipping through my fingers like water.
I read further.
Katie broke up with me today. No, I broke up with her. I think. It doesn't matter now.
Even that felt distant. Like reading about a stranger.
I died today. Or yesterday. Time is weird here. Dawn was crying. I told her to look at the stars. Told her I would always watch over her.
I looked up at the stars above me.
Did she look up at them? After I died?
Did she see me?
Did she remember?
Or did she forget, like I was forgetting her?
I sighed and closed the diary.
I could see everyone's lives through the stars. Hear their stories. Witness their joys and sorrows.
Yet I could barely remember my own.
I wonder, one day, thousands of years later when I'm gone, would someone even remember me?
Would they know an almighty angel who could crush planets in his palm held so much sorrow and helplessness because he could never get back home?
Like a fallen star, that could never return to the sky.
I sank deeper into the water. Let it cover my head. Let the world go silent.
Down here, I couldn't hear anything. Couldn't see anything. Couldn't feel anything.
Just warmth and darkness.
Peaceful.
I could stay down here forever. Angels didn't need to breathe.
But eventually, I surfaced.
Because staying underwater wouldn't change anything.
I'd still be here. Still be Kokabiel. Still be alone.
The stars above twinkled. Waiting. Watching. Like they always did.
Like I always did.
I got out of the water.
Time to go back.
Gabriel was probably still fighting with Penemue.
Michael probably had more paperwork for me.
Raphael probably wanted me to attend some medical seminar.
Same routine. Same duties. Same immortal existence.
It's been real. It's been fun.
But it hasn't been real fun.
And it probably never would be.
*****
The Official Chat group will show up around the Great War timeline.
Guess who the members would be ? 😉
If you feel like some character would fit this story, comment here.
Until next time 🫡