Hello, this is my first fanfic ever as I've written mostly philosophical essays and that but never a story. It's a first so i don't even expect it to be interesting in the least,but i had fun writing this first chapter of 13 DAZE

Well it might seem similar to any other dxd fic as it starts with Issei dying and his meeting with Rias. It might seem similar to other works but that is just the beginning. Kinda inspired by the great Arrixam but it would go differently than most as I've prepared some interesting twists and lots of OCs plus some unexpected things.

In the future chapters I'll deal with the people at the 7th Daze bar and Issei's transition and change. I don't expect it to be read by anyone so if i could get atleast 1 feedback or comment i would continue to write as things are getting to the juicy parts. Some new lore would be added as well as original arcs and that shit. The title of this story is a corruption on the word Days as it is a allegory to the clients of the Bar.

So I'd be happy if you would give it a shot and keep reading. As for the final part of this chapter, read it with some creepy background music. And the identity of the character in the final part- I'll leave that to you. Because the possibilities of her true identity are a lot and it's more deep and philosophical as it's lots of symbolism and subtle hints. I decided to spice up Raynare to make her a bit more nasty than usual and for what's on Issei's body- it's not a tattoo, it's a bit different(inspired by Arrixam for this one) plus the curse. Well enjoy. And so it begins. The story of 13 Daze...

Act.1

Hey,are you free on Sunday? Hey I'm talking to you, you know?

It was a dream like never before. A dream so vivid, just like it was yesterday, like it happened not so long ago but it would still haunt me today. Yet it felt so unreal like a daze in the middle of spring as the leaves bloom with color,life anew to begin with the soul of the passing winter.
Yet unreal,it was more than a distant memory as much more reality. A cruel reality that no matter how much i would wish for it to be untrue, it was always the opposite of what the logic of the world had in store.
And there was nothing left of the simple, peaceful life that i had been living until that day came. Something i would have never thought to happen, not even in my wildest nightmares, but it happened. I'm still alive, still breathing... But this emptiness that i feel... It's like nothing can fill up the void in the place where my heart used to be... Why was i left alive.?Why did i survive... Why me,why did it have to be me... I'm still wondering why it was me and why did it have to happen. Just why...
And occasionally i would still see that moment of my existence as a day that for which i prayed would never happen or to be true. The day that changed everything...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hyoudou everyday average 17 year old guy and a normal high school first sight it was sure he was a plain highschooler living his mundane life without a worry in the world. That would have been true if he hadn't seen the worst the world could have offered anyone on the plate of karma,for it had been 2 years since the day he was left all alone in this cold world,without much anything that a empty home with no one to love nor to bicker with.
Since he had nothing else to do he still did go to school, still had to study for his grades, was always on time for his first class and still had to do some odd jobs to meet the criteria for living, as it was hard to find a normal job for the lecherous beast he was. And of course just like any young man, he would still peek at the girls in the locker room or in P.E class to satisfy his nature of indulging in the ways of Debauchery. May the force of Debauchery be blessed as he would say.

He wasn't a model or like any of the popular hot guys at school, who'd be asked by a multitude of girls on a daily basis.
He wasn't really handsome, but neither ugly as it would be more likely to say he was unremarkable or distinguishable in the flock of pretty boys. In fact he was one of the losers at school, one that you'd avoid by any means necessary. It was a benefit he shared with his accomplices in peeping - the duo of Matsuda and Motohama,a bespectacled boy of average physique and a boy with a shaved off head with a passion for breasts as much as the other two. They were also known as the Pervert Trinity of Kuoh.
No one would give Issei the time of day or to notice him as no one acknowledged his existence due to being regarded as enemy of every woman. But it was a good asset for his hobby as hardly anyone gave him a glance... Unless as usual he was caught by the girls and thoroughly beaten for his perverted antics.

But the reality was a bit different if anything one would guess. If there was anything that actually stood out it was the way he dressed himself. Never to be seen without his shirt off even for P.E and was thought of being a skinny loser with zero muscle and weird fashion taste. Though he was anything than skinny, as a matter of fact he was quite fit more than your average pervert would be but it was unnoticeable due to the red shirt beneath his uniform,tightly hugging his upper body and making him look like one of those otaku guys that were more involved in their activities than to go outside. It was probably due to being beaten every day for peeping but it can't be always carried a silver cross,a memento from his late wasn't even religious or anything like it,it was due to respect of his late one even cared to ask why he was wearing such a thing under his uniform even in the heat of summer, as no one actually cared for his existence especially the female populace of school. Or even more if he was wearing it non stop, since he was never seen at the pool or in gym clothes without like if anyone would dare speak with a sexual deviant and risk their reputation of being acquainted with one of the Pervert Trinity and get laughed at. It was a social suicide no one would like to take. And no one actually noticed the bulk of his muscles as he wore that undershirt non stop.

…Or what was crawling beneath the surface of his upper body.

As for one thing he was blessed with - it was the power to avoid attention and not raise even the tiniest bit of suspicion as one might guess. Heck it was so good that dare say it would rank as a Presence Concealment. But that stuff was only in anime and visual novels. For the sake of his hobby he was ready to take risks and take a hit for the team, sadly always and was encouraged to the extreme by fellow perverts...

Living the life of a pervert wasn't easy- to be rejected, shunned and scorned by society for being true to your nature. Never to be acknowledged or even have a relationship where you won't get kicked on the third minute of a date. As no one would even think of being friends or lovers with someone on the bottom chain of society. But it wasn't so bad because there was always eroge and hentai releases every month. But it could never replace real communication or relationships with people as Issei was the type of person you wouldn't want to get involved with. Aside from his best buds... But it was probably because of shared interest than a courtesy of friendship.

If anything it was a sad and miserable life for him with no one to turn to or relly on. He was all alone in this world. A loneliness he had never felt before. He was never the same... Well if not friends or any confidants he had someone to help him around or find him work as he needed money to to survive. And on top he was a part of some club, be it 13 people in total but he wasn't really in touch with most of them except for Chesare MonBlanc and Arthur Halle Mason. But the rest either freaked him out or were people he didn't want to mess with,most of them being rich or dangerous . Especially that blonde Italian girl named Eleanora Florence. For she would never forget their first meeting and still didn't had a good opinion of him and avoided him like the plague whenever he went to the bar known as 7th Haze to meet with the others. She probably hated him in the guts...

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was a sunny day in the middle of June on a Friday afternoon. 5th Period was starting but Issei was no where to be found as he was probably going for a run to the room above the girls locker.
" The damn pervert is probably out again to check on girls "... was thinking the Literature teacher of class 3. That poor man was the homeroom teacher for Issei's class as decided by a game of luck between the teachers for who to take over the class. Sadly he got the end of the short stick for this one.
"What am i to do with this boy,dear god "- he mumbled under his nose with a frown growing on his face. He really hated that kid.

Meanwhile in a not so far away place...

A huge line of people was before the local anime and manga goods store, probably waiting to get their newest copies of their favorite manga or to buy Blu- ray disks on a discount price.

" When will my turn come? Ive been waiting since an hour for now and it's still not my turn yet. Mankitsu Happening 4 won't wait forever god damn it! " - he sighed on the thought of waiting for another hour in the heat. His face grew in a tired expression of sleepiness and annoyance as he couldn't get the hentai he waited for a month. He hoped that it would be better than the last one... But it was for naught...

After 15 more minutes of waiting, the thought of a quick stroll came into his mind out of nowhere so he decided to follow on. " Maybe a short walk won't hurt,right? I don't have anyone to be worried, so it won't be a problem. " - sighed the tired man yet again and started walking away from the crowd that was gathered around the shop.
The sun was yet still scorching even though it was around 19:00 pm as shown on the clock.

His walk continued till he reached what appeared to be a old concrete brigde with metal bars and a nearby convenience store with porn magazines at the front, next to a fridge with cold beverages on the side of the 7/11. He sped up his pace as by attracted to the alluring gaze of the porn mag stand, as he was a pervert and wouldn't miss such a opportunity to refresh his evergrowing collection of indecent memorabilia. Plus those were a special edition pack, one that he absolutely must have if not be damned. He reached out for the magazine, ogling it with his eyes like a predator it's prey. And then he heard a sweet voice calling "Hey you there,the one with the magazine! ".. "Hey!"...

Just like a miracle that befal only those who prayed for it, it was like the gods had actually heard his prayers. And he wasn't in the wrong at all. He turned his head around only to see the legs of a girl he didn't know.

" There's no way a girl would call for me just like 's probably someone else or something like that,i don't know." - as he removed his gaze from the girl in the distance and affixed his eyes onto the magazine cover, doubting that someone would even call. Shifting between pages and shifting he felt the presence of someone closing by on him with a fast pace, which spelt trouble for him - he thought.

And a arm made it's way to his shoulder, tightening it's grip on him.
"How many times would i have to yell for you to get your attention?!. Jeez,you boys are always more interested in that... said a voice full of mischievous playfulness. Issei didn't know what was happening and the grip of her hand dropped his magazine on the floor in his panicked state to turn around. He didn't even notice when this girl came so close to him, standing with a bashful stance with her arms on his shoulder. He was perplexed by this situation due to never having experienced such a moment in his of it was due to being the but of someone's it was different this time. It sure was bliss for him.

The girl standing in front of him was someone he had never seen. Her hair was jet black as the night and she was damn cute as hell. She had smooth skin like that of a model and her chest was big, with playful eyes full of mischief. She was probably a popular girl among the boys in her school, no doubt. But still it felt too good to be true.

"Um, i think you've got the wrong guy,miss? It's not me you're looking for. " said Issei with a rather meek and down tone as if falling defeated by the arrows of luck. His eyes were far from cheerful and there was something else in them. Confusion. He was asked out only as a laughing stock or for some girl's bet and when he was, he was only used for a rite of passage. As no girl liked him,it was out of pity and disgust and most of them left on the 10th minute. They couldn't stand being with him more than that. So why this?

The girl bowed down in a courteous manner and introduced herself as Yuuma Amano, a second-year from a nearby school. She lifted her head up and said-
"Issei Hyoudou from Kuoh Academy, Class 3. That's you, right? I've been wanting to see you ever since a friend of mine told me about you. Are you free on Sunday noon? Well if you don't want to"...- said with a slight hesitation the girl who came a bit closer to Issei to close the gap in distance.

" I'm free, ok!" Issei nodded with the speed of light with his arms up in the air. He wasn't thinking much because he didn't have expect this kind of a situation. It was probably someone's was embarrassed by his sudden reaction and dropped his arms to his waist.

"So Sunday noon it is. I'll wait for you at the shopping center at 10:00 am. Next to the benches. Is that okay with you? " She winced her eyelashes with a hopeful gaze mixed with an impatient flicker of her beautiful eyes while holding her IPhone with a steady grip near her chest.

"Aa,also can i get your number as well?"- she muttered with a slight hesitation, not expecting anything or rather wasn't sure what to do. She squeaked with a really cute voice, which was a surprise for Issei. Most of them wouldn't even try to act nice... But this one?...

" Sure,no problem "- as he reached for the pocket on the left of his black pants and in his hand was a black Xperia E1 with a red devil bumper case.

After exchanging numbers and saying the proper parting words,Issei readied to turn away to continue but something sparked his attention. She started quickly walking down the lane with a rather prideful her cheeks were flushed with she was out of his line of sight just as quickly she had appeared. But it still felt off. It was rather weird.
He shrugged it off like it was nothing, expecting it to be another fake date with him getting ridiculed and hummiliated. Then he turned away and started walking away from the 7/11, but forgot to get the magazine he wanted due to this unexpected turn of events that had transpired.

"If anything, she was acting atleast nice. It's probably fake like always but why did it feel so good. Her words did strike me as strange indeed. She was pretty eager after all". "Her words didn't seem forced or something like that but more dishonest. I'm sure it was that but if it's a date, then i don't really mind it".

Fake or not,it was a cute girl inviting him to a date, maybe he could actually enjoy this date and maybe he would get a kiss at the end of the day, something he would have looked forward to if not his reasonable doubt for Sunday. To hell with it,it's a date.

2 DAYS TILL THE DATE!

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Say, what do you think will happen on Sunday afternoon? " - muttered a unknown voice full of curiosity. As if waiting to hear something fun or interesting.

"For one thing the poor bastard would die surely. He's a stupid human anyways and would surely get killed easily. Oh such irony,to be killed on your first "real date"!

" So why are you so interested in him,especially him. He's average, not so good looking or of any worth. He's just a damn shitty human..."-
Responded the first voice to the story of it's companion.

" He's not so worthless as you might believe him to be. In a matter of fact he's quite the valuable piece. But he's still human, he hasn't awakened yet. But time is on a constraint. If someone else knew what he had inside of him, it would surely bring up conflict. If he could awaken faser it would be better. So we..

"We will kill him?"- interrupted the first voice. Just by the sound of the voice,the owner sure was in excitement over the acquisition of the new piece. But more so it was the fact that he would suffer that entertained them, ready to reap in his missery and sorrow.

" No need to rush things. Everything is falling into it's place,the game is set and now it's time to see how the player would play. Why dirty our hands when we could just leave it to the Fallen and steal away the spoils.? It'd be a grave mistake to do it ourselves. So just stand back and watch the fun. It's starting tomorrow. "- the second voice burst into laughter and then the nasty sound of cracking bones was heard.

And it was only the deathly silence left as the moonlight shed light onto the dark asphalt of a nearby park...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sunday noon.

A small silhouette was peering through the mass of people gathered around the shopping center. It was surely a girl based on the way it walked and that long hair wouldn't be mistaken for a guy, would it?

" Sorry for being late,i should've called. I had some problems with reaching the place and missed the bus." It was Yuuma. Given the way she was breathing, she must've ran from the bus stop to this place.

" No problem. Don't worry. I actually get lost around all the time "- is what i said trying to act cool. I actually came an hour ago here and walked around the place to kill time. Wait she's watching me. I should pay attention to her after all.

"So shall we go? "

"Sure,let's go " - is what she said. And so our date began...

The day went by so fast . First they went to a local movie theater to watch some cheesy romantic film like any other couple did,went for shopping to the local stores, had lunch at McDonald's and spent the remainder of the day walking around. He even won her a plushie after spending a lot of cash win on one of those crane machines. It was worth every last penny to see her dazzling smile,even if it was even took a selfie or two to commemorate his victory over the crane machine.

As the day was being replaced by the advancing stages of the night the sun began to set, they went over to a near park as the final destination of their date. There was no one around at this time of the day so it was rather peaceful.
She even wrapped her arms around his hand and pressed her generous bosom against his chest. It was like a blessing for him. But still something was nagging him in the back of his head. It was probably due to his excitement but he still couldn't shake this weird feeling.

And without even noticing the time, they were at the park already,a popular site for lovers or for those who were going to confess under the warm rays of the reddish sunset.A lot of lovebirds had their first kiss in front of the fountain so Issei wondered if this was going to be his first kiss.

Yuuma dropped her hand off his arm and went over to the fountain. She bended over and directed her gaze towards Issei. He could see her ample bust showing from the hem of her thight blouse and without much she spoke.

"Issei, today so much fun with you. Did you enjoy our date?"

"Yeah,it was nothing like any other date i had before. I really enjoyed it."

She gave a lovely smile under the background of the setting sun, a view Issei had never seen before. It was just like one of those movies,so beautiful. She was radiating like the sun and she closed to him really close with a gentle sincerity in her eyes. He was stunned by this marvelous view.

"There's just one more thing left "

"What is it?"

"Can you die for me now ?"

He snapped, his eyes open wide.

She took a step back. The air around her swirled and a dark haze started to pour from her back as her clothes shattered into oblivion. A pair of black wings ripped through the back of her skin and stretched out, and the nakedness she had for a second was gone.

"This was really fun," even her tone changed from a cute girly one to something far more sinister and powerful , " it was just like taking a dog for a walk, in this case a pig"

The light was being sucked in her extended arm as the shadows within the park grew her hand manifested a bright spear of light and she gripped it like it was a physical object and not light.

She switched stances faster than the eyes could trace with a arrogant smirk threw the spear with master precision towards Issei. It would've been more effective if she just stabbed him while he was fazed by the view but her arrogance made her throw it expecting it to be a easy kill.
The smoke from the blast was gone and her eyes widened in a conceited expression full of satisfaction. But then she looked again only to see - he survived. The spear had only scorched his jacket and made his shirt into tatters.

He quickly changed his stance with his right leg in front and arched forward with his fists clenched. Within the blink of an eye he was right in front of her with his eyes glaring at her with utmost rage.

"The fu—?!" were the words she was going to say but before she even managed to finish, a heavy uppercut combined with a fast kick to her ribbs sent her flying to the fountain.

He thought she was probably some avian humanoid so he went with enough force to knock her out.
The dust settled down and before she could stand up, another punch landed on her face but stronger than the last.
Trying to gain her footing again she went for the right but was caught in a bind by her left leg and slammed hard into the dirty pavement. Such a blow should have broken atleast a few ribs or more. All it left her was a few scrapes and a bleeding forehead. Her arms were bloody as the shock of being lifted so fast caused her to cover her face, but it wasn't so effective.

She wiped away the blood and roared with rage. "How the hell did a human.. "

He didn't wait for her to finish. He longed at her with a quick dash,landing his right leg on her chest. With his left leg he stomped rigth into her face.A cracking noise was heard as his legs caved into her, but it was for naught as she had this monster durability and was still conscious.

Yuuma snarled in a wrathful voice and grabbed his legs, throwing him in the nearest bench. With a lot of vigor and agility she kicked off the ground and flew upwards while she had time. She gritted her teeth and started mocking him.

"You fuckin shit,don't you think I'd let you get away with this!" -she cried, brought her arms in a X shape and started flinging spears at him.

Issei saw that and prepared to dodge. And them a strong sound was heard,smoke was everywhere and falling debris in every direction imaginable. Also there was a tint of blood in it.
As the smoke cleared,it was clear it was hard due to the caved in pavement and the craters , there stood the aftermath of that spear barrage- Issei was lying on the floor with a spear of light in his left shoulder while the other ones barely hit him. It was the brunt of the impact that had damaged him- his head was spinning and his eardrums were busted, there was a small cough of blood. His upper shirt was now nonexistent.

The Fallen Angel rejoiced. She enjoyed the sight of him bloody in the dirt. She even gave a maniacal laugh, full of her disgusting pride. Her face twitched in a ugly face of smugness as she had won.

"How do you like it now,you filthy piglet? Was the date good enough for ya? Or you want some more of that? Where's your cool man act now huh?"
She went on with her boasting without batting a eye to the bloodied boy on the ground. She was really proud of herself.

While she went on with her rants, he had stood up in a flash and jumped towards her with superhuman strength, propelling him in the air towards the Fallen.

Issei had been able to double his speed and wouldn't make the same mistake like the first time. He took out the spear from his shoulder midair and threw it towards her. She noticed it and didn't give it much thought as it wouldn't have hurt her. But it was a clever misdirection as he had shifted positions in her blind spot and clenched his fist. It went straight to her face.

A ***BOOST,BOOST, BOOST*** was heard.

His arm shifted into a draconia limb with blood red scales and had boosted his strength three times to deliver a headcrushing blow to her face. She was taken aback by his fist,plummeting to the ground with high speed, leaving a huge crater in the ground. She was coughing blood and was grasping for air.

" Just what the fuck are you? A human isn't capable of stuff like this." she spat blood. He had surely ruptured some capillaries and broke her jaw.

Yet Issei was unfazed. All of his previous wounds had faded by the time she was ranting. He went closer to her at a unidentifiable speed, 150m in less than a second. He was like a specter in her field of vision,incapable to trace or calculate where it might be.

He was right in front of her. His eyes weren't human. No human had eyes like that,especially green reptilian eyes like of a dragon . His eyes were peering into her very soul,piercing deeper and deeper... There was something savage, primitive, deadly in those eyes of his.

Just like those of a wild beast ready to attack it's prey.

He snatched her neck and lifted her up in the air,applying a deadly choking grip as she was erratically swinging her arms in a chaotic manner, trying to break free. All of her struggling was futile before the hands of this deadly predator. All she knew was that she was going to die this moment if a miracle didn't happen. And there were signs of none.

Then suddenly... another spear of light pierced through his legs as he didn't have time to react. He wasn't quick enough due to the effect of BOOST dwindling and reseting hims back to his base level. Another spear struck him from the front after the first one did it's job,his hold of her lessening. There was a big wound on his stomach,dripping blood all over the place. He screamed in pain as more and more spears pierced him in his shoulders. By the act of screaming his stomach wound had opened even more and he was loosing footing fast.

" It looks like we just came in time. If it was a second later you'd be dead by now Raynare " - it was the voice of a man.

Another one of them. Just like her. It was a man dressed in a long black overcoat with buttons in 2 rows,a black fedora and black gloves. Behind him were standing a entourage of two females with their wings fluttering. They descended to the ground and the fedora man gave her a whimsical smirk with a mocking gaze just by looking at her wounds.

"He got you good, didn't he? I didn't expect that Sacred Gear to be like that. No wonder he was on the target list"- mockingly said a rather childish voice.

" It wasn't a good idea to leave you to deal with him. That's why he followed you. If you had died it would have spelled bad for our affairs. We can't bring trouble to the plan. But it was kinda fun watching you get trashed around " - were the words, chiding Raynare. It was a different voice from the first one.

"Doh.. nas..ek…" barely pronouncing his name because of the thight grip Issei had on her,Yuuma or rather, Raynare was still gasping for air and she spat blood She would have said more if not for her almost crushed throat and lungs.

Issei tried to move but he was losing a lot of blood. Everything in him was screaming to run, to survive but his body didn't respond. His eyes were going dim... he was losing strength as the cold was gripping his battered body.

"*why didn't my regeneration work? Why did it happen. Why?*"- his thoughts were racing, questioning his awful luck. And then like a ghastly wisper the words he had heard before filled his head..

"*You won this battle boy but it won't be for long. You defeated me, a Original being but don't get so arrogant. This isn't the last of me. You'll see, just as you brought me down. I'll do the same,at your most dire moment when you wouldn't even expect it. Mark my words for I'll come to haunt you one more time in your last moments. I'll be waiting...*

**"How does it feel to lose everything? Even now you're just a low life freak, come on. Beg for mercy like the worm you are. Does it look good on me? Maybe i should've taken your face as well. It'd make a nice wallet for my collection. ** the nightmare started yet again even in the final moments before his death.

He was getting colder. Yet he had fought stronger foes and harder battles but his mistake of not seeing the truth would cost him his life. If he had only listened to his gut feeling of declining the offer it would have been different. Or not as it would have happened anyway. And the feeling of pain was wearing off just as he was losing consciousness.
The world around him was growing dimmer and he didn't even hear most of their conversation..

" So let's just take him out of his missery, even now he's dangerous. He must die"- brought down his words that black fedora tipped man while the rest remained quiet.

Raynare sprang her arm and lifted Issei by the hair, just for their eyes to face was even more twisted than before with a psychotic grin that spew utmost contempt for anything living as it marked her once beautiful face. Her voice was still heavy and gritty as her throat had yet still healed the damage she suffered.

" Time to die you little pig. I'll keep that plushie you worked so hard for me to get. Atleast in the end of your miserable life you get to die by the hand of a pretty lady. Blame God for being blessed with a Sacred Gear. Maybe if you didn't we could have had another date. Or not. Die you fuckin piece of shit. " - she uttered with great pleasure, while switching to her cute voice but it wasn't still there as her lungs were still damaged.

Even till the end she kept the nice girl act just to make it the last thing he would see. And she brought down a large spear to his chest, right into the heart. She even went as far as to kick the spear deeper to stab another one.

Everything was getting darker,blood was all around him,feeling nothing as his body was dying at a rapid rate. He wouldn't survive... the only thing before Death appeared to knock on the door was -" In the end i couldn't even do it. I didn't even manage to make my dreams come true. I didn't... Even manage to kill the one who stole everything from me, i couldn' me. Why always me. I wish it didn't go this way. I should've done something back then. Just why... After everything.. Everything i did... is this how it's going to end? Mother,Father... Forgive me...
And he shut his eyes forever...

XXXXXXXXXXX

" Where am i? This place doesn't look familiar. How did i end up here anyway? I don't even remember. "

As he looked around it was only a vast field of thorns,the sky was grey and there was not even a soul around no matter how much he searched. He was alone in this colorless world devoid of sound and motion. There was nothing but deathly silence and a growing uneasiness took over his body.

"* Come, come*"

A aluring voice was whispering, inviting him, rather compeling him to follow the echo of this mysterious voice. His every fiber was telling him to follow the voice no matter what as attracted like a magnet. He took a step further and further, with the voice whispering in his ears "*Come ,come, Come *"as he hurried his step until he was lost in the garden of thorns and no sight of him was left. The sound was getting stronger and stronger with each step he took, going deeper and deeper into the maze of thorns as his feet were growing weary and everything was getting darker and darker. The silence became even more scarier as the skies darkened even more by the min. It was a silence scarier than death,trapped in a endless circle of maddening silence.

What was this feeling?

He closed his eyes as he was sensing his legs stopping in place. Opening his eyes in fear, he was in the middle of a beautiful garden full of the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen before. It was just like out of fairy tale,magnanimous and sizzling with life. There was no sign of the thorny maze or the dark sky, like they never had existed in the first place. Gone was the sickening lack of sound as motion and life were brimming around where he stood, it was a tranquility he hadn't felt since that day but for more or less the peaceful feeling that was seating in his head was unnatural at the least. No matter how much he felt it wasn't right and unnatural, the soothing feeling of being home was something terrifying. "Once you've lost something you won't be able to get it back" were the thoughts he had at that moment. Still this peacefulness was scarier to him as much as the silence that had disappeared from his senses moments ago. If anything he felt a certain need to stay there as the evergrowing sense of tranquility had seeped deep into his mind and had washed away his loneliness. But he still couldn't believe it. He hadn't felt like this since a while, it was like the void had been filled up with something else, maybe even scarier due to the fact of being unable to feel anything else aside from happiness.

"Maybe I'm dreaming. No, it must be a dream. There's no doubt about it"

"* It's not a dream young traveler, it's real. Feel the air and the ground and you'll see that it's all what you see. *" - were the first words he heard as he turned his head around.

"Who are you?"

"*I've come here to aid you in your quest, to provide you with peace as you deserve it. *"

"But i..."

"*You've led a long battle, what keeps you going, sacrificing everything for others with no reward to ask of? *"
"*You are tired of your journey. Come here and rest. You deserve it young warrior.*"

Before him was a girl, garbed in a white dress with glistening hair that was the epitome of the blazing sun. She was gently stepping on the grass, where once stood nothing but black thistles and a cold, dark soil as if made of the blackest earth and bones. She was nothing like the girls he had seen all his life. She was beyond beautiful, she was so perfect in every aspect any man could think of- grace,gentleness and beauty all in one while exuding the aura of a goddess. Her steps, her voice, her shapely figure outshined even the most of the greatest statues of goddesses he had seen. She was unnaturally beautiful yet the same time so human that it would be an insult to say she was anything else but pleasant. Her eyes were like the ocean, vast and deep blue with a glistening gaze. They were like the azure,pure and innocent as a raindrop. And her skin was white as alabaster.
Even her dress was just as magnificent as the full moon, when it was in its zenith, nothing beyond and nothing below the mark of perfection.

Her ephemeral voice was whispering - "*Come, come for thou hath been on this road for a long time. Are you not tired of this battle? Come and ,rejuvenate your senses.*"- inviting him with an open hand.

"I am kinda tired actually. I haven't had a good rest since so long. Maybe for a min wouldn't hurt, right? " - Issei nodded with agreement.

She stepped forward to him with inhuman graciousness, hugging him tightly as a mother would and sat on the green grass with a radiant smile,it was like the sun. Issei moved towards her lap,placing his head neatly and closed his eyes. It was this peace of mind,this tranquility he had longed for so long.. To be held by someone who wouldn't scorn him or be disgusted of his lecherous nature.

He could feel the warmth of her gentle hands running through his hair. It reminded him of his past days when he was down - his mother always took him in her embrace and ran her fingers on his head to comfort him. This memory made him shed a tear for he had lost the only ones who had loved him, this sense of nostalgia was excruciating as it made him feel even more sick, as he couldn't do anything back then. But the forced feeling of peace didn't let him feel that for so long, it just shoved away all of his sad thoughts and replaced them with calmness and a sense of security.

"*** Was it good enough for ya? Or you want some more of that? ***"

He suddenly opened his eyes like a flash. He was disturbed by the vision he saw and it's sudden appearance made it even worse for he had thought he had finally gained peace.

" I think i should go ahead. I rested a bit so I'm feeling better now. "

"* Stay. It is yet too early to go. You have not rested yet, here you can have everything you want. Food, material goods,a place to belong and me. Do you not wish to be at peace? Stay..*" "*You need to rest as you have fought for so long. Even the gods and mightiest warriors rest once in a while to enjoy life. "*And you're not a god. *"

"No,I'm not"- he mumbled under his nose.

"*You are weary and exhausted. Stay here and rest. *"-

Her words were warm and full of comfort. He was feeling a bit better now.

" Maybe for a little bit . It's not like i could get this anywhere, so I'll stay for a bit more."

He stretched back to his previous position and the girl rested her arms around his shoulder, bringing him closer to her chest. It was like watching a little baby in the embrace of its mother. She started singing a slow, peaceful song and it was soothing as the wind was blowing gently on his face. It was just like at that time he went to the sea on a vacation. The sun was starting to wane and sunset was taking its place, coloring the blue sky with a purple-reddish tint and the clouds in a golden aura. This view could be the best one he had witnessed so far as his other memories of something like that were nothing but a child's drawing compared to the sky at this time.

It was beyond pleasant, but it was surely wrong. He knew it was probably something else or just a silly dream to escape his evergrowing loneliness but it was even deeper. He just wanted to be accepted as who he was, to be loved. To have a place where he actually belonged. It was this dear wish he had hidden deep inside his soul, for the world would destroy it yet again and again as everything in his life so far.

"But why not enjoy this dream anyway?" I've never had time to rest and ease my mind. Plus I'm in the hands of this mysterious beauty so i should enjoy it . There won't be a time like this any sooner so... It's probably a dream... " He thought.

"* You may have won but it's not the end. It's far from over mortal! I'll be there when you least expect it and I'll take what's mine just as you took it from me. *". The image of the dark pit flashed through his eyes. Every memory he had of this struggle filled his head.

"*** Do i look nice? Hehe, it's not so bad. Don't you worry kiddo, you're going to be next! Oh, what a happy family reunion! I just can't get enough... Show me more of that expression as you cower in fear. More More More! That's the spirit. ***"

*The nightmares. The mutilated, flayed and splattered bodies of his parents were on the floor. With their dead eyes peering straight into the his own, screaming for help but they were already dead... There was not even a ounce of skin on them.. And then everything went blank.*

Issei opened his eyes and screamed. Terror took over every fiber of his being and even if he closed his eyes again. It wouldn't go way...

" I should be going. I can't stay here any longer. I have to go now. I really have to.." - his words were full of determination and blazing with the strong conviction he held. As he had nearly forgotten why he had endured so long.

The girl looked with a slightly different gaze and urged him to stay.
"*Stay.*"

"NO! I have to go. There's nothing here worth staying for. It's not real. It's not real. " - his words were mixed with conviction and fear.

"*YOU WILL STAY! *"

He tried to stand up but he couldn't.
Issei struggled to break free with all of his might. He stood up fast as he broke free from her grip, only to be entangled with thorns all over his body. They twisted around him tighter, coiling like snakes with their spikes burrowing in his flesh,blood gashing all over his body.
She pounced back with more thorns coming out of the ground and lunging towards his limbs to grasp him, tightening with the intent of crushing every organ in his body.

His eyes turned to green, with his pupils changing into slits as veins rose up from his face,his teeth lengthening and massive scales covered the sides of his face.
He clenched his fist, gashing with blood, grabbed the thorns around his neck and with a swift maneuver ripped them off his flesh with ease. He kicked forward and released his right leg as he arched forward, ready to attack. With more strength he stepped forward, ripping the rest of the black thorns around his body and his blood started burning the rest of them with his wounds closing up with bloody red scales while he roared with a terrifying volume, shattering all that was around him by the strength of his draconian roar. With both legs free, he dashed forward with immeasurable speed and ran towards the girl with his full might, his right arm ready to strike.

Less than a second had passed and he was just a hair away from her. Even with his superhuman speed he couldn't reach her as the moment his fist rammed into her face, leaves covered her and in a flash. She was gone...

Confused, Issei readied his body for a multi directional assault and tightened his muscles,ready to retaliate. But she was gone, nowhere to be seen like she had never existed and was just some figment of his broken mind.

Just as she had faded into the nothingness, the once beautiful garden full of life was gone as well. There was no more grass or flowers, all that had lived there had disappeared like it was never there in the first place. As Issei looked up - the sky was yet again sickeningly dark with no light and motion around this wretched place. It was all gone - there was no sign of it existing as the maddening silence came back and everything was static with no life, the earth was again black dirt and smog and he was again in the maze of thorns. It was all so quiet...

" I'd better get outta here and fast. The silence is creeping me out. " - as he ran fast as he could while still watching out, for his strength went down to his normal human level and he wasn't sure if he was ready to fight again. The growing silence brought back his fears coupled with a wide variety of unsettling feelings of being watched. He hurried his pace and neared the exit of this accursed domain in which he had found himself with no memory of how he got there.

And in the distance as he slowly escaped the clutches of the maze,there was this feeling...
He took a gaze back but saw nothing more than giant thorns in the distance. And continued running.
There was nothing in the darkness...

The silence was taking over everything. And within the darkness of the garden, a girl was watching with eyes narrowing the a smile appeared on her face...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX