Lucky Reincarnation (DxD)

Ch 7 - A Difference

Before Haru ever came to the universe of DxD. Before he was stuck in the Dimensional Gap, his so called prison. Even before his journey to become the best at everything he did. He never once took breaks. Besides sleep he believed that taking breaks, resting, it was all a waste of time. As a baby he would put all his effort in learning how to crawl, then talk and walk. As a child he didn't play games for fun. But if he did play games because "friends" forced him to, he would dedicate himself to become so good that no one could beat him.

Haru never took up hobbies if they didn't progress him further to the goals he had set. He didn't relax unless it was when his body needed to sleep. Any activity that would have been fun to Haru the only reason he did it was to become the best at it. All but watching anime. It was weird. For some reason watching or reading these forms of entertainment silenced something in him for a bit. It was peaceful and fun. An escape from this hounding feeling he constantly had throughout life.

But like all things it was ruined as Haru again didn't take breaks, watching it because of "further improvement." Haru had ruined his one fun in life. Going so far with it as to take his own life due to it.

But after he came to the Dimensional Gap he had realised a change in himself. While he was still as dedicated to becoming better. Stronger. He questioned if that was really out of his desire or drive to do so. He simply found the process... fun. And not the lingering feeling of fun in his old life when he achieved a goal or had an arduous journey. The journey and the activities that came with it feeling more like required tasks. The fun in those being one that faded when he got a new goal.

He realised now he was having fun with every part of the process. Not just the accomplishment or the journey. But the failure and constant trying. The peace of the small breaks in between to further his goals.

Haru felt like he didn't need to become the strongest right now. He had everything he needed to survive and all the time in the world to do anything he wanted. So for the first time in his many years of living. Even though he took breaks for the purpose of further development. This was different.

Haru took a break. Because he felt like relaxing. He didn't need to progress. He just needed to enjoy himself in this quiet peace.

He had been taking more breaks over the couple months after merging the Equilibrium of Six technique and the Magic Warrior King Arts. Relaxing next to the growing apple tree. Watching the colours of the Dimensional Gap around him swirl. Admiring the nothingness that was in the Dimensional Gap. How "nothingness" was an amalgamation of colours pleasing to the eye and violent mana one could only sense. The violent mana feeling like strong winds if you had good enough senses.

Haru was enjoying himself and his floating home somewhere within that nothingness.

Haru even began to develop hobbies. Planting became one of them. He now had two flowerbeds besides his doors to enter his house. One was in a plain mahogany coffin with no sort of decoration or pattern. Haru taking off the top, filling it with dirt and Snowdrop seeds. The other flowerbed was one to the left of his door. A long empty plywood crate he received from a trash grade draw. Putting more Snowdrop seeds in as they flowered into nice, gentle, small white flowers. Haru even wanted to see if he could one day cover his entire dirt island in these beautiful flowers. Growing fond of the way they looked. Slightly drooping forward while maintaining this perfection to it.

Haru would try and decorate his house. Though technically it was all with "trash", Haru quite liked the small home he had been building. Art of flowing water but with a large ripped hole in the centre. A bed side table with a missing draw, though Haru was lucky as a draw with nothing to put it In appeared. Fitting in perfectly though there was a big contrast in the white draw and the black bedside table. It somehow looked better than what Haru pictured the originally might have looked like. Haru also had a table with one missing leg so he tied some sticks together with broken electrical cable and that worked. He had cups and plates. Though the ceramic plates were scratched from their natural white with faded flower rims and his cups had chipped rims.

Haru tried to do some DIYS by using trash. Further decorating his home. Curtains being made from black cut and ripped plastic tarp. Ripped long sleeves being redesigned as short sleeves.

Haru tried his best to adapt to his very long life. Writing a diary of what he had been doing. Though the book had many pages ripped out and the pen lacked a lot of ink. Making short entries to conserve their use. Though even that might not last as long as he had hoped it would.

Haru had also taken up gentle walking. Using his Spacial Platform power to walk past his floating island and walk into the nothingness of the Dimensional Gap. But making sure not to walk too far. He really didn't want to get lost in the abyss of nothingness. His house always being in view as he walked around.

But Haru made sure not to stay out too long either. The power consumed a lot of Harus energy and he didn't want to be stuck floating as there for a while as his body recovered his energy.

But suddenly, with all these activities and hobbies. Haru had this itching feeling again. It wasn't his usual one like the past. It wasn't the desire to get better or strong. He was enjoying the peaceful time off. But Haru was fundamentally missing something in his life. Something he had just realised after spending years in the Dimensional Gap.

Haru was lonely. Only able to talk to himself or his plants.