Bare This Curse

An Explanation of WHAT Neito REPRESENTS in this story

Throughout the story of BTC, we've seen that Neito is a catalyst of Time itself. He's a person who was given a power that nobody wanted, yet instead of folding like everyone else did, Neito persisted and eventually overcame the curse of the time rift ability he's been 'gifted' with, but there is something about this story that nobody found out, not even the most analytical of my followers.

They never figured out what Neito represented or what the story was meant to mirror from the real DxD lore.

But I guess that's kinda my fault, because, to me, talking about Neito is not easy.

When I had the reader introduced to Neito, there wasn't a cliche anime 'tell the name and tell the school they're going to. That came after. Instead, I purposely showed the reader a few selective moments in Neito's various lives. All of which lead to his death. This was the first clue I had planned for what Neito was meant to represent. Then I gave another hint as the timelines went by.

I'm sure you all probably know that one of the chapters only has Neito fighting Riser and his peerage and dying by the hands of Rias. That's it. Nothing more after that. Well, here's why.

That specific moment where Neito assumed Rias would kill him was supposed to be the second hint of what Neito represented, and your third hint was in a recent chapter; one where Neito folded and his emotions got the better of him, triggering the Armageddon Emperor.

When we're first introduced to Neito, he was supposed to represent a force that drives everyone forward. He was the personification of a member of a family who was absolutely devoted to keeping them safe and happy, and this travels well into the double digit chapters, but something began happening that was VERY subtle in the text I typed in these pages.

Neito's placement in what he represented began to get corrupted. 

He cared deeply for his family, but now, instead of just defensively protecting those he loves, he actively seeks and slaughters those he knows will bring harm to the crew, and even though this does not affect the overall plot, they were solidified points I wanted to punch into Neito's profile, his list of actions that seek retribution. And as you can see from the others, they don't make decisions on their own accord once the real story starts. When sh** really hit the fan, the ORC couldn't just throw their hat into the ring without asking themselves 'what will this do to Neito'. All of the major points I directed to THEM are things NEITO cared about, especially Issei, his brother. This is a decision they know is loaded with a full round because not only is Neito someone they all care for greatly, but because he's been damaged, broken, and beaten beyond full repair and recovery, Neito is a serious threat if not handled and mentally nurtured properly.

But THAT is not what Neito was ever meant to represent when I first started my story, and that's my biggest issue with the story right now.

The Neito I'm writing as of now IS NOT my Neito. He's taken so many twists and turns throughout the story, whether by the indirect involvement of the fans or by the centered plot, that he's changed into something completely different that what I had intentionally planned for him and for the story.

Now, for the real thing he represents, and this is going to probably shock you all.

Neito was Issei.

Allow me to explain.

At the beginning of writing BTC, I had recently finished the series of DxD as it was before Season 4 came out just a little while ago. The most memorable thing I found in that series was Issei releasing all of his negative emotions, all the anger and hatred he's held in throughout the entire story that we never knew was there. The mark Raynare left on him. All that lead to the Juggernaut Drive, then put him into his coma. That's when I had that lightbulb go off into my head.

What if Asia wasn't the source of Issei's return to the waking world?

What if Ophis never found that chunk of dark matter swarming inside of Issei?

What if Issei had to fight his way through his life over and over again in his own mind until he found a way out, back to his friends, back to his family, and to those he cared about.

This story is supposed to represent Issei's journey that his brain forced him to march through, a treck that pits him against a harsher world that wants him dead one way or another, and Neito is the one he controls, the part of his brain that seeks redemption for his past mistakes and release from Raynare's grip on his heart.

You need to remember something about Issei. Before Riser, before actually facing Raynare; in the light of Dohnaseek and Kalawarner, and even Rias and the crew, Issei was confused, he was scared, and he always caved if his life was in danger. It was a fight or flight with the wings doing the heavy lifting. Compare it to Telltale's Walking Dead. This is Issei regretting his choices and restarting life inside a body his mind conjured up for him, so he can lead himself to his desired future while also keeping him safe. This also even explains who the part he controls is so physically weak. It's exhausted, it's drained, it's recovering from a hardship that Issei couldn't take in altogether, and that's what Bare This Curse was supposed to be before Neito became my actual star character, a road back to the world Issei resides in with a new light on his friends, family, enemies, and everything in the grey areas in between.

But I digress. Because of you guys, I've made it pretty well with people who support the hell out of my OCs and stories. I've made many versions, many depictions of Neito, some the same while others are different, and it's all thanks to you all that I have such a huge base of pages littered with creative text that mean something.

So that's why I've decided to open the lock on what makes Neito, Neito. From what he was to what he is now.

And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for enjoying my stories.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's 1:12 in the frigging morning. I'm going to bed. XD