The first thing Kazuki Ryōta noticed when he opened his eyes was the pain.
Not the sharp, immediate kind that came from a fresh wound, but a deep, bone-aching sensation that spoke of trauma recently healed. His entire body felt wrong—like he'd been taken apart and reassembled by someone who'd only skimmed the instruction manual.
He lay on cold concrete, staring up at a night sky partially obscured by the buildings of what looked like a residential district. Japanese architecture, he noted distantly. His mind felt sluggish, thoughts moving through thick fog.
Where am I? What happened?
Kazuki tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. His vision swam, and for a moment, he thought he might black out again. He forced himself to breathe slowly, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
As his senses gradually returned, fragments of memory flickered through his consciousness. A man's face—kind eyes in a weathered face, silver hair despite appearing middle-aged. A voice speaking urgently: "Live, Kazuki. Live and find your own path."
Then pain. Incredible, searing pain as something fundamental shifted inside him. Light—no, darkness—no, something else entirely had flooded through him. And then... nothing.
"What the hell happened to me?" Kazuki muttered, his voice hoarse and unfamiliar to his own ears.
He looked down at his hands and froze. They were his hands—he recognized them intellectually—but something about them felt different. More real, somehow. More there. When he flexed his fingers, he could sense something flowing beneath his skin, like a current of electricity that wasn't quite electricity.
Slowly, carefully, Kazuki pushed himself to his feet. He swayed but managed to stay upright. He was in an alley between two apartment buildings, the kind of anonymous urban space where someone could lie unconscious for hours without being noticed.
How long had he been here?
He checked his pockets and found a wallet with a Japanese ID card. His face stared back at him from the photo—seventeen years old, black hair, dark eyes that seemed to hold shadows in their depths. According to the card, he was Kazuki Ryōta, a resident of Kuoh Town.
Kuoh Town. The name triggered something in his memory, but he couldn't quite grasp what.
There was money in the wallet—enough for basic necessities—and a key that presumably went to an apartment. An address was written on a small card tucked behind the bills.
"Okay," Kazuki said aloud, trying to ground himself. "I'm Kazuki Ryōta. I live in Kuoh Town. I'm seventeen. And I'm... what? Having the worst case of amnesia in history?"
But it wasn't quite amnesia. He remembered things—how to speak Japanese and English, general knowledge about the world, basic skills. What he didn't remember was himself. His past, his family, how he'd ended up in that alley.
Well, not completely true. He had fragments. The silver-haired man's face. A sense of urgency. And something else, buried deeper—memories that felt like they belonged to someone else entirely. A different life, a different world?
Kazuki shook his head. That way lay madness. He needed to focus on the practical.
First priority: find his apartment. Second: figure out what the hell was wrong with him. Third: try not to freak out about the weird energy he could feel coursing through his body.
He made his way out of the alley, emerging onto a quiet residential street. It was late—probably past midnight based on the darkness and the lack of people. Streetlights cast pools of orange light at regular intervals.
As Kazuki walked, consulting the address on the card and looking for street signs, he became increasingly aware of the strangeness suffusing his body. The energy—he didn't have a better word for it—flowed through him in patterns that felt almost intentional. Like someone had carved channels through his being for this power to travel.
When he concentrated, he could almost see it—a dark purple-black aura that clung to his skin like a second shadow. It didn't feel evil, exactly, but it definitely wasn't normal.
What am I?
The question echoed in his mind, but no answer came.
After twenty minutes of walking, Kazuki found the apartment building listed on his card. It was a modest structure, nothing fancy, with apartments rented to students and young workers. His was on the third floor.
The key worked. The apartment beyond was small but clean—a studio layout with a kitchenette, a single room that served as bedroom and living area, and a bathroom. It was furnished with the basics: a bed, a small table, a TV, some shelves with books and school supplies.
School supplies.
Kazuki picked up one of the notebooks and flipped it open. Notes in his handwriting—he recognized it instinctively—about mathematics, literature, history. A student, then. He was a student.
On the desk, he found a school uniform in a garment bag. The emblem on the breast pocket read "Kuoh Academy."
Kuoh Academy.
Again, that tickle of recognition. Why did that name mean something?
Too tired to puzzle it out, Kazuki stripped off his dirty clothes and headed for the shower. The hot water felt incredible against his aching muscles, and as he washed, he examined his body more carefully.
No injuries. Not even bruises. Whatever had happened to him, he'd either healed completely or the damage had been purely internal.
As the water ran over him, Kazuki closed his eyes and tried to remember. The silver-haired man appeared in his mind's eye, clearer this time.
"I'm sorry, Kazuki. I had hoped for more time, but they found me. I'm using the last of my strength to complete your reincarnation. You'll wake with gaps in your memory—a side effect of the process when done in haste. But you'll live, and you'll be strong. Stronger than I ever was."
Reincarnation?
The word sent a chill through him that had nothing to do with the shower's temperature.
"You're a devil now, Kazuki. But not a normal one. My power—the power I carried—it's yours now. Use it wisely. Use it to forge your own path, free from the chains of the old system. Don't let anyone make you their piece in a game you didn't choose to play."
Devils. The word unlocked something in Kazuki's mind. Not complete understanding, but enough to know that this wasn't metaphorical. Devils were real. Supernatural beings that existed alongside humans, hidden in the shadows.
And he was one now.
"Fuck," Kazuki whispered, leaning his forehead against the shower wall. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
This was insane. Devils? Reincarnation? Power flowing through his body? None of this should be possible.
Except... he could feel it. The truth of it hummed in his bones. He wasn't human anymore. Hadn't been human since the silver-haired man—his benefactor, his savior—had performed some kind of ritual to save his life.
But save him from what? And why?
More fragments surfaced, tumbling through his consciousness:
A dark chamber. Robed figures chanting. A sacrifice prepared—
Kazuki gasped and snapped his eyes open, pushing away from the memory before it could fully form. Whatever had been about to happen to him, it had been bad. The man had saved him from something terrible.
And died doing it, if Kazuki was reading the situation correctly.
"Thank you," he whispered to the memory of kind eyes and silver hair. "I don't know who you were, but thank you."
After his shower, Kazuki dried off and collapsed onto the bed wearing only boxer shorts. Exhaustion crashed over him like a wave. His body might have healed, but his mind and spirit were battered.
As he drifted toward sleep, one final fragment of memory surfaced:
"Kuoh Academy, Kazuki. Go there. Enroll as a normal student. You'll understand why when you arrive. Trust your instincts. And remember—you belong to no one. You are your own King."
King. Another word loaded with meaning he couldn't quite grasp.
Tomorrow, Kazuki decided. Tomorrow he'd figure out what he was, what he could do, and what the hell his life had become. Tomorrow he'd start unraveling the mystery of his reincarnation and the power flowing through his veins.
For now, he just needed to sleep.
Kazuki dreamed of dragons and chaos, of worlds ending and beginning, of a power so vast it could unmake reality itself. He dreamed of a man with silver hair who smiled sadly and said, "Carry it better than I did."
He woke to sunlight streaming through the window and the persistent beeping of an alarm clock he didn't remember setting.
For a moment, Kazuki just lay there, staring at the ceiling and trying to convince himself that last night had been a fever dream. But the energy still hummed beneath his skin, and his body still felt different—stronger, more resilient, charged with potential.
Not a dream, then. His new reality.
The alarm clock read 6:30 AM. According to the calendar on his desk—which he checked after rolling out of bed—today was a Monday. A school day.
Kazuki stared at the Kuoh Academy uniform hanging in his closet. His benefactor's final instruction echoed in his mind: Go there. Enroll as a normal student.
"Normal," Kazuki said with a bitter laugh. "Right. Because I'm so normal now."
But what choice did he have? He needed answers, and apparently, Kuoh Academy was where he'd find them. Or at least where he'd start looking.
He dressed carefully, taking his time with the unfamiliar uniform. Black pants, white shirt, black jacket with the school emblem. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw a perfectly ordinary Japanese high school student.
If you ignored the shadows that seemed to cling to him a little too closely, and the way his eyes occasionally flashed with purple-black light.
"I can do this," Kazuki told his reflection. "Figure out what I am, keep my head down, find answers. Simple."
Even he didn't believe it.
Kuoh Academy was a twenty-minute walk from his apartment. As Kazuki made his way through the morning streets, he noticed things he'd missed last night. The town was beautiful—clean, well-maintained, with a mix of modern and traditional architecture. Cherry trees lined many streets, their blossoms just starting to open.
It should have been peaceful. But Kazuki's new senses picked up something else beneath the surface. A charge in the air, like the moment before a lightning strike. Power, concealed but present.
This town wasn't normal at all.
As he approached the school grounds, the sensation intensified. Kuoh Academy was a large campus, impressive and well-funded. The buildings were modern, the grounds immaculate. Students streamed through the gates, chattering and laughing.
And at least two of them were devils.
Kazuki stopped walking, his senses screaming at him. He couldn't explain how he knew, but he could feel them. Two distinct presences, powerful and controlled, radiating demonic energy that most humans would never notice.
They were inside the school building. Somewhere in the upper floors, if he was reading the direction correctly.
"Well," Kazuki muttered, forcing himself to start walking again. "This is going to be interesting."
He joined the flow of students entering the school, trying to appear calm and normal despite his racing heart. No one seemed to notice anything odd about him, which was good. Whatever power he carried, it wasn't immediately obvious to casual observation.
The front office directed him to his classroom—Class 2-B, second year. The teacher, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes, introduced him to the class as a transfer student who'd been sick for the first week of the semester.
A convenient cover story. Had his benefactor arranged that too?
Kazuki took his assigned seat by the window—of course it was by the window, because apparently his life was an anime now—and tried to focus on the lessons. But his attention kept drifting, drawn to the two demonic presences somewhere above him in the building.
Who were they? What were they doing here? And more importantly, did they know about him?
Lunch period arrived, and Kazuki decided to explore. He needed to understand his new environment, and more critically, he needed to figure out how to control the power churning inside him.
He found the roof access—locked, but the door opened when he touched it, the mechanism clicking as if responding to his will. Interesting.
The roof was empty, offering a view of the entire campus. Kazuki leaned against the railing and closed his eyes, trying to sense the layout of power in the school.
The two devils were... there. In the old school building, which he could see from his vantage point. A structure that looked like it predated the main building, converted for club use.
But as he focused, Kazuki realized something else. There were more supernatural presences in Kuoh Town. Not just the two in the school—those were simply the strongest. He could sense others scattered throughout the town, watching, waiting.
"What is this place?" he wondered aloud. "Some kind of supernatural hotspot?"
"Talking to yourself? That's usually a bad sign."
Kazuki spun around, his body tensing automatically. The energy beneath his skin surged, ready to be used, though he had no idea how.
A girl stood in the doorway to the roof. She was beautiful—long black hair tied in a ponytail, violet eyes behind thin-framed glasses, and an air of intelligence and authority that seemed at odds with the school uniform she wore.
She was also one of the devils he'd been sensing.
"Sorry," Kazuki said carefully, forcing himself to relax. "Didn't realize anyone else was up here."
The girl studied him with an intensity that made him feel like a specimen under a microscope. Her eyes lingered on him for a long moment, and Kazuki had the distinct impression she was seeing more than just a normal student.
"Kazuki Ryōta," she said finally. It wasn't a question. "The transfer student in Class 2-B. I'm Sona Sitri, Student Council President."
Sitri. The name meant something in devil society, Kazuki knew instinctively. One of the noble families, powerful and influential.
"Nice to meet you, President Sitri," Kazuki said, keeping his voice neutral. "I didn't mean to trespass. I'll head back down—"
"You're not trespassing," Sona interrupted. "Though the roof is technically off-limits during school hours. I'll make an exception today, since you're new."
She walked closer, and Kazuki had to resist the urge to back away. This close, he could feel her power more clearly—controlled, disciplined, water-aspected demonic energy.
"You're interesting, Ryōta-kun," Sona said softly. "Very interesting. I can't quite figure you out."
"I'm just a normal student," Kazuki replied, though the lie tasted bitter on his tongue.
Sona's lips curved in a slight smile. "No. You're really not. But I can be patient. Everyone has secrets. The question is whether those secrets will cause problems for my school."
It was a warning, delivered politely but unmistakably. Stay out of trouble, or face the consequences.
"I have no intention of causing problems," Kazuki said honestly. "I just want to understand what I am and find my place in the world."
Something in Sona's expression shifted—a flicker of surprise, maybe even sympathy. "What you are? That's an interesting way to phrase it."
Kazuki realized he'd revealed more than he intended. But maybe that wasn't a bad thing. If Sona Sitri was a devil, and if Kuoh Academy was some kind of devil territory, then she might have answers he desperately needed.
"I was reincarnated recently," Kazuki said, making a calculated gamble. "By someone who died protecting me. I woke up with gaps in my memory and power I don't understand. I don't even know who my... master is? Was? I don't know the terminology."
Sona's eyes widened slightly. For a moment, her carefully controlled expression cracked, showing genuine surprise.
"You're a reincarnated devil without a master?" she said slowly. "That's... extremely unusual. Illegal, technically. When a devil dies, their peerage should revert to normal or die with them. You shouldn't be able to exist as you are."
"And yet here I am," Kazuki said. "Existing against the rules, apparently. Story of my life. Lives. Whatever."
Sona was quiet for a moment, thinking. Kazuki could almost see her brilliant mind working through the implications.
"This requires investigation," she said finally. "And probably notification to the proper authorities. But..." She paused, studying him again. "You don't feel like a threat. Your energy is strange—not quite demonic—but not hostile. And you came to me honestly rather than trying to hide."
"Would hiding have worked?" Kazuki asked.
"No," Sona said bluntly. "I would have figured it out eventually. I'm very good at what I do."
Despite the tension of the situation, Kazuki found himself smiling slightly. There was something refreshing about her directness.
"What happens now?" he asked.
"Now, you come with me after school," Sona said. "There's someone else who needs to meet you. Another devil who'll be very interested in your situation. And together, we'll try to figure out what exactly you are, Kazuki Ryōta."
She turned to leave, then paused at the doorway.
"One more thing," Sona said, looking back at him. "Welcome to Kuoh Academy. Despite the unusual circumstances, I think you'll find it's quite an... educational experience."
With that cryptic comment, she left, leaving Kazuki alone on the roof with more questions than answers.
But at least now he had a direction. Sona Sitri knew what he was—or at least knew enough to help him understand. And tonight, he'd meet this other devil and hopefully get some real answers.
Kazuki looked out over Kuoh Town, at the peaceful facade hiding supernatural complexity.
His new life had begun. Whatever came next, he'd face it head-on.
He was Kazuki Ryōta, a devil without a master, carrying power he didn't understand in a world he was only beginning to comprehend.
"Let the game begin," he murmured, echoing his benefactor's final words about forging his own path.
The wind picked up, carrying cherry blossoms across the roof, and for just a moment, Kazuki could have sworn he heard a distant voice whisper: "Well done, my successor. Now survive, grow strong, and show them all what it means to be truly free."