Legend of the Heavenly Dragons

by Tohka Yatogami

Long ago, the world was forever changed when Humanity and the Supernatural were divided by a war that enveloped the entire world. 2000 years later, an unlikely meeting between two children tied to each may repair this divide, but will they be able to survive the challenges ahead? (Fem!Vali, Fem!Albion, Protagonist Vali, Deuteragonist Issei) [Issei/Fem!Vali]

2. The Sacred Darkness

Welcome to Chapter 2 everyone! Last chapter gave an exciting start to the story compared to its predecessor versions, and this one will keep the ball rolling as the development between Issei and Valiana continues, this time from the Supernatural side since last chapter showed the Human side. The story won't fully go into the territory of adapting V1 until we reach Chapter 3.

The upside is you'll at least see some battling in this chapter, so you'll get to see what our main duo can do beyond their natural talents and skills on their physical side. Counting Irina and Xenovia into the mix, that gives us the perspective on a Human, a Devil, an Angel, and the use of a supernatural weapon. Oh, speaking of which? I should mention that Touji is a reincarnated Angel, which makes Irina a pureblooded Angel, rather than a hybrid.

This chapter will also serve as a good way to introduce some other factors about how things are different from canon due to Heaven and Hell lacking any antagonism towards each other. Now, without spoiling any important information? The best I can tell you about the Christian Pantheon's current situation is it's not unlike what it was during the first four volumes, only with less damage since they fought as one army during the Dissension War.

For the smaller details? The Devils still had their Civil War, and the creation of Evil Pieces, Brave Saints, and the Rating Game still happened. Other events, such as Cleria and Masaomi's death, never occurred because of Heaven and Hell's better relationship. I guess one way to summarize everything is all current issues are the result of the ceasefire between each mythology.

One last thing before we begin the chapter? I altered the last scene between Valiana and her parents slightly, but not enough to warrant a re-reading. The problem was when I tried keeping the expectation mindset from last chapter in this one, I could never get any of the scenes to feel right, so I asked one of my friends about it and they said they felt Valiana had already overcome it by that scene. As such, her growth will happen in another way.

And with that, there's nothing else to say except... let's get this second chapter started!

---

() - Albion Talking via the Divine Dividing

[] - Ddraig Talking via the Boosted Gear

{} - Consciousness of any other Sacred Gear Talking

«» - Character Information

「」 - Insert Song Beginning or Ending

〖〗 - Voice Speaking through a Magic Circle

【】 - Voice made by an Announcement or through an Announcer

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

---

Chapter 2 - The Sacred Darkness

The scene opened to the Hyoudou House, where at the same time Lilith tucked her daughter in for the night, Eve was doing the same as she entered Issei's room, having already tucked in the rest of her children, in order from youngest to oldest.

"Hey there Issei, do you need anything before I tuck you in?" Eve asked, smiling as she did.

"No thanks mom, I'm good." He smiled back.

She giggled before pulling the covers over him, prompting Issei to snuggle into them.

"Every story has its protagonist, and others have a notable deuteragonist by their side."

Eve kissed him on the forehead.

"Good night Issei, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite." She whispered.

"Good night mom." He whispered back, yawning as he did.

With that response, he finally closed his eyes and faded into the world of dreams, prompting Eve to slowly and quietly tip toe out of the room, turning the lights off once she reached the door.

"Some are less important compared to the protagonist, but others can be more important... or equally important as they are. Issei Hyoudou is an example of one that's equally important."

"You've already seen where it all began with Valiana, but there's another part of the story tied to their first meeting. Issei had no idea at the time, but he saw something important on that day. Even if I didn't remember it for a long time, or know it would begin once they became Third Years in Kuoh Academy."

A few moments later, Issei began to twitch and sweat, feeling an intense dream flow through his head.

Unaware to him, this dream was just like the one currently going through Valiana's head, a dream... that was hinting to events that had yet to be.

---

The scene opened to show the Issei and Valiana of the present day.

Both of them were seen standing before something in the sky, which only appeared as a black silhouette that glared in their direction. It immediately unleashed a distorted noise that was either its signature sound, or an incomprehensible garble of words the dream either couldn't or wouldn't translate.

"Stand your ground..." Valiana stated as she panted, something covering her left hand.

Out of nowhere, the image of a man was seen as he gave an enraged, but silent scream with an open mouth before a rage of flames swallowed his form. Quickly following this was the image of a woman who gave a silent stare of controlled fury before being shrouded by the hissing of a thick mist.

"Everyone, are you ready!?" Issei asked.

"Let's do this!" They all answered.

Out of nowhere, it was revealed that the duo was standing at the front of a large group, all of which had unseen faces hiding their identities. The only hints to who they might be were the colors of their hair and their figures, along with the weapons some of them were wielding.

"A large creature covered in the darkness, like the threat of Trihexa... but clearly not the same monster that was destroyed at the end of the Dissension War. It was a terrifying threat, and Issei had no idea what to make of the area in his dream. If it was real or false? Made by some kind of power or the real deal? Just the one area or everywhere?"

"The only thing that was clear... was he was there, and that he and Valiana had chosen to fight against this force. Yet despite everything that he saw, despite how bad everything that followed might become? There wasn't a single face that lost hope of victory."

Standing from a distance, the ghostly image of the young Issei could be seen watching, showing surprise at what he saw.

Everyone screamed as they rushed ahead, which caused the shadowed silhouette to respond by unleashing a powerful attack, which prompted one of the unseen allies to take the lead.

"Incinerate Anthem!"

A huge shield made of purple flames structured around a cross manifested in front of them, tanking the attack as someone broke off from the group, readying a spear with decorative spiral in the shape of a double helix for an attack.

"Balance Breaker: Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin!"

They thrust the spear forward, which had its form extend rather than fly out of their hand, striking the beast dead on. The monster was pushed back, despite seemingly taking no physical damage from the blow.

It quickly retaliated with a flurry of attacks, right as monsters that had some kind of single purple gem as their eyes appeared and struck back, despite it meant many of their brief existences came to an end. Someone landed by the spear's wielder before glancing towards them.

"Be more careful *STATIC*, or *STATIC* will destroy you in an instant." They warned.

Jumping into the air, a loud shout was heard as a giant golden axe slammed down the silhouette's one side, leaving a noticeable strike line.

"Yes! *STATIC*, now's your chance!" They exclaimed.

Someone holding a sword and gun with a star design to them quickly nodded as they fired some powerful shots, making small supernovas explode across the shadowed silhouette's body before rushing forward and cutting through part of their form.

*"ROAR!"*

Glaring at its attackers, the beast unleashed a rain of magical beam in their direction, right as two figures, one male and one female, stood together.

"Try some of this!"

"And some of this!"

A duo of blizzard streams flew and struck the beast, ended the beam rain as it froze and fell to the ground, sliding towards an area where others are waiting for it.

"Yin-Yang Samsara!"

Streams of light and shadow in the form of Chi combined and slammed the frozen monster, right as it began to crack free.

"Innovate Clear!"

"Dimension Lost!"

A barrier formed around the silhouette before mist enveloped and restrained it. Somehow, a brief flash made the cracking ice restore itself. The beast growled before its eyes pulsed a small burst, breaking free of its restraints.

"Just what were they fighting? Was it the one who did this damage? Those questions didn't matter, because all that mattered was this creature was a threat, and everyone was willing to fight... including his future self."

The young version of Issei continued watching everything, his eyes shaking from... actually, he wasn't sure. Wonder? Fear? Uncertainty? Maybe some other complex emotion?

"Issei!" Valiana shouted.

"Right!" He loudly replied.

Both of their powers flared out as two energy dragons, one red and one white, appeared and clashed with the opposing force. Their clash resulted in a gigantic flash that did nothing to remove the silhouette of their opponent.

"Amazing..." Young Issei breathed.

A huge explosion went off, blinding him to everything as he could only sit and stare at the dreamscape before him.

"Because he was just a child at the time, he didn't understand why he had this dream."

"However, it wouldn't be long before he'd remember what he saw, and be old enough to understand the message behind it... which was to make him ready for what was a possible if not inevitable battle."

"Because by staring at the sight of what may be death... he saw it. The small glimmer of hope buried within a wave of despair."

A single glimmer reached the young Issei's body as he kept staring, making everything vanish as it phased through his chest.

---

As the night sky hovered Kuoh City, the scene opened to the private school known as Kuoh Academy, specifically a small building near the forest that was known in the present day as the old school building to everyone in the high school division.

Inside the building, the sight of Cleria Belial was seen, as this building was currently the place she, Masaomi, and their daughter called their home. She was currently doing some paperwork when she heard an unexpected knock from the door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's Lucifer." He answered.

"Ah, just a moment! I'll be right there." Cleria answered, moving her paperwork to the side.

She went to the door and opened it, and Lucifer soon held out his arms for a hug she returned.

"So good to see you!" Cleria smiled.

«Cleria Belial»
Age: 27
Height: 155 cm
B/W/H: 95/63/92
Blood Type: B+

"Glad to see you too, and thanks again for helping us getting settled in Kuoh so quickly." Lucifer replied.

He kneeled to her stomach, waving to her unborn second daughter.

"And while you're still on your way, good to meet you too little... have you picked a name out yet?" Lucifer asked, briefly looking at Cleria.

"We have, her name's Cynthia." She answered.

"Then it's good to meet you little Cynthia, I'm your Uncle Lucifer." He smiled, resuming his wave.

Realizing Lucifer was here for more than just a visit, she sat back at her desk and looked at him.

"So, what do you need?" Cleria asked.

"Nothing much, my daughter just wants to make a request to join the same class as Issei. Is that possible or asking for too much?" Lucifer explained.

She nodded her head, taking out some files from her desk.

"Let's see... ah, one of our teachers accidentally ordered an extra desk when they got the newer models for the Elementary Division, so I'll just add it into Issei's class. All you have to do after that is get Valiana registered to be put in that desk." Cleria replied, finding an opening.

"Thanks, and something tells me you've already met my daughter. How did it go?" Lucifer smiled, soon following with a question.

"She seemed, how do I define her in a nice way... sheltered?" She admitted.

Lucifer gave an awkward smile as he reluctantly nodded, turning away slightly.

"Yeah, me and Lilith realized she's been developing in a... un-favored manor that we indirectly let happen. That's actually related to the whole requesting to being in Issei's class." He admitted.

"Is it?" Cleria asked.

"It is. Valiana and Issei had a duel in the gym, and she lost, then they talked after we were invited by Eve for dinner and realized we've been trying to tell her about that. It's not much, but it looks like coming here was the right idea." Lucifer confirmed, explaining everything.

"I always liked that boy, and now I know why." Cleria giggled.

Masaomi yawned as he walked into the room, wearing pajamas and bunny slippers, with a tired look in his eyes.

"Honey, is this going to take much longer? You promised me we'd cuddle tonight." He asked.

"Oh, right..." Cleria recalled, giving an embarrassed chuckle.

She turned to Lucifer.

"Mind if we pick up with anything else you need to talk about tomorrow?" Cleria asked.

"Go ahead, I always respect pregnancy privileges." He replied.

He remembered when Satan tried to talk back to Lilith during her own pregnancy... it was the first time his anger did not work in his favor.

"Well, see you tomorrow then." Lucifer waved.

The duo watched as he walked out of the door, with Masaomi giving his wife the confused eye look. She shook his head to warn him against wanting to know.

---

Morning quickly came as Lilith was seen in her new kitchen, humming as she gave cooking a try.

"Glad that Eve showed me a few cooking trips last night, this is really fun." She said to herself, giggling as she cracked some eggs.

Fenrir walked into the room, holding a bag of pancake mix in his mouth.

"Thanks Fenrir, now can you go wake Valiana up for me?" Lilith smiled, rubbing his head.

He nodded before walking towards her room, using his tail to open the door before howling.

Valiana's eyes tightened before she opened them up.

"Alright... I'm up, I'm up..." She mumbled, finally moving.

Stretching her arms out, Valiana put her slippers on before heading into the kitchen, making her mother catch her drowsy form.

"Good morning Valiana, did you sleep OK?" Lilith asked.

"I did, though I had the weirdest dream." She answered, grabbing Fenrir's food from a cabinet.

"Weird in what way?" Lilith inquired.

"Weird as in I saw myself and Issei, but we were both older and riding some kind of... Monorail, I think? And then we ended up walking to High School or something." Valiana explained.

Lilith hummed in response, wondering what she should say in reply.

"Either that was a dream that came to you because you were focused on what your future will be like, or something that may end up as one of those Deja Vu situations." She guessed.

"You really think that dream might have been showing me the future?" Valiana asked.

Lilith shrugged her shoulders.

"Odin used to have that left eye that could see the future until he fought Ra in the Dissension War, so it could happen." She replied.

Finishing her pancakes, she put them on the plate before using the bacon and eggs to make a smiley face, and catching the toast.

After putting some butter on top of the pancakes, she walked to the table.

"Hope you don't mind that I made breakfast, and that it's not anything fancy like we'd usually have back at home home." Lilith mentioned.

"That's fine. After all, didn't you bring me here to stop expecting things?" Valiana reassured her.

Lilith let out a sigh of relief, glad that her daughter had taken last night's revelations to heart.

"OK then, I only have one question for you." She asked.

Valiana focused her attention as her mother grabbed a few different bottles from the fridge, holding them in view.

"What kind of syrup do you want on your pancakes?" Lilith asked.

"Hmm... surprise me." Valiana decided.

"Alright then, I'll give you Chocolate." She decided, putting the others away.

She poured the tasty condiment onto their pancakes.

"OK, let's see if your food tastes alright..." Valiana stated, picking up her fork to take a bite.

Lilith sweated as her daughter placed it in her mouth, and after a few seconds... looked surprised.

"It's good." She admitted.

"Really!?" Lilith exclaimed.

She took a bite herself, soon gasping as she felt it hit her taste buds.

"I actually cooked something!" She cheered, shedding happy tears.

Valiana blinked before coughing.

"H-Huh? Oh, sorry about that... guess I got a little too excited there." Lilith apologized, rubbing her cheek.

Her daughter nodded in response.

"Anyways... about your school registry? Lucifer had a talk with your Aunt Cleria last night, and he told me all we have to do is sign you up. One that's done, you'll be in the same class as Issei." Lilith revealed.

"Oh, so she's my honorary Aunt from the Belial Clan? That explains how she knew me." Valiana realized.

"That's right. I wanted to take you to meet her today, but it looks like she beat us to the punch." She confirmed.

Valiana nodded, eating her eggs and bacon.

"So, after we get me registered for school... what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" Valiana asked.

An awkward pause followed, with Lilith looking behind her as she gave a nervous laugh in response to that.

"Excuse me for a minute, I have to go make a phone call." Lilith apologized.

She ran out of the room, leaving her daughter to blink in confusion until she decided to finish the rest of her breakfast. Fenrir put his head in his dog bowl shortly after, using it to muffle the sound of his snickering.

---

An hour later, Lilith drove the family car to Kuoh Academy's parking lot, soon finding a spot as she took her first official look at the school.

"Alright Valiana, we're here. Ready for your first look at your new school?" Lilith asked.

"I'm not sure, my stomach feels a little weird for some reason. Is that our breakfast's fault?" Valiana answered, unaware that she was feeling nervous.

"No sweetie, that's what we call having butterflies in your stomach." She replied, opening the door.

Valiana got out of the car, and Lilith covered her eyes for a moment as she turned her one way.

"OK, now... open!"

Feeling her mother move her hands off her eyes, Valiana got her first look at Kuoh Academy, noticing it was a pretty advanced school (tech-wise) by just the outside alone. She could only wonder how much more advanced it would look once they were finally inside.

"So, what do you think?" Lilith inquired.

"I... don't have any words." She replied.

"Well then, let's go inside and you can go get registered, which doesn't require the words you don't have right now." Lilith joked.

She led her daughter inside, walking to the office as a male staff member noticed them.

"Ah, you must be the Lucifer Family. Cleria told us we'd be expecting you today." He greeted.

"That's right, I'd like to register my daughter for First Grade, and I believe Cleria's already helped set everything beyond us simply needing to register?" Lilith confirmed.

The staff member nodded, getting on his feet as he motioned to himself.

"Follow me, we'll need to start by getting your daughter's picture for her student profile." He requested.

"Right." Lilith nodded.

Both of them followed as they went into a room with a stool and a pale background.

"Just sit right there, then smile as I get your picture." The staff member explained.

"Uh... OK?" Valiana replied.

Lilith noticed her daughter shaking slightly, clearly showing her nervousness had returned, wondering if it wasn't as bad, just as bad, or worse as she sat down on the stool.

As the staff member readied the camera, Valiana tried to smile... but he and her mother only noticed her mouth wiggling oddly.

"Uh... sweetie, what's wrong? I know that a real smile isn't something we might see for a while, but I've seen you fake one." Lilith asked.

Valiana's eyes looked to the left in response, starting to sweat slightly.

"I think because of last night... I forgot how to do it." She admitted, her voice squeaking a bit.

Lilith gave a nervous laugh in response.

"Uh... can you hold a smile if someone moves your mouth into one?" She questioned hopefully.

"Yeah, I can do that." Valiana nodded.

And her mother immediately sighed in relief, moving over to push her face into a smile.

"OK, in 3... 2... 1..."

Lilith dropped to the floor as the staff member took the picture, and Valiana's smile fell back to her usual stoic appearance.

"There we go. I still need to add this into the school's system, but she's now an official student." He replied.

The staff member handed Lilith some paperwork and a list of supplies.

"She'll need all of this for class tomorrow, so just sign all of this and I'll take care of the rest." The staff member continued.

"Right, thank you for your help." Lilith replied, quickly signing the paperwork.

Handing it back to the staff member, Lilith looked at her daughter for a moment.

"I'll need to get the supplies, so... I think it's best you start passing the time by actually working out at the gym." She suggested.

"Do I really have to exercise, out of curiosity?" Valiana asked.

"As in is it necessary, or because you don't know if it would make you-" Lilith inquired.

Valiana punched the air, creating a slight gust.

"Ah, then it might. You've only learned from your father and I how to use the abilities you inherited from us. Not to mention, it might help you learn to read attacks in the same way Issei read all of your movements." Lilith confirmed.

"Hmm... yeah, he moved in ways I've never seen before." She realized.

And with that, Valiana heard her mother turn around and cover her mouth as she started giggling, making her tilt her head in confusion.

---

While in his office, Adam heard some painful groans through a holographic screen.

"Ooh... yeah, she still sounds bad. Try giving her some Chicken Soup before anything else." He advised.

『"Sure thing dear, see you later."』 Eve replied, waving goodbye.

As the screen disappeared, Adam resumed his work on a slip of metal he was creating.

*"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"*

He briefly raised his head.

"It's Lilith, may I come in?" She inquired, looking through the peephole.

"Door? Unlock." Adam replied.

A light on the door turned green, unlocking it as a click could be heard, which is when Lilith opened it to reveal herself and Valiana.

"Hey you two, what's up?" He greeted.

Valiana soon noticed the metal on his desk, making Adam look as she picked it up.

"What is this?" She asked.

"That's an invention I'm working on, a new metal that I'm hoping reduces costs while being incredibly light like aluminum, but as effective and durable as a diamond. I'm still trying to find a way to add something that removes the flexibility when it needs to be immobile and sturdy against the elements." Adam revealed.

"Whoa... I remember my mom telling me about your intelligence, but to actually see it?" Valiana replied, both surprised and amazed.

Adam giggled in response, petting her head as his show of thanks.

"Thank you for the praise." He smiled.

Lilith giggled at that slightly, soon nearing his ear, which caught his attention.

"Just to ask, is Azazel still trying to one up you?" She whispered, still giggling.

"Yep, and he's still failing. Kind of cute how he keeps trying to prove he's the smartest when he didn't eat the Fruit of Wisdom." Adam replied, chuckling at the end.

Valiana coughed twice, getting their attention.

"Oh, right. What can I do for you two?" He asked.

"I just need you to keep an eye on Valiana for a bit. I just finished registering her for school, and now I need to go buy all of her supplies." Lilith explained.

"Ah, alright then." Adam replied, nodding in understanding.

He looked at Valiana.

"Everyone else is already in the gym. I need to stay here and finish some work right now, so go ahead and meet them there." He stated.

"OK." Valiana replied.

She headed on over, making Lilith smile before she left to go shopping.

---

Within the duel arena room, the sight of Issei, Irina, and Xenovia could all be seen as they were working hard on their workouts.

For Xenovia, it was striking her hands against a Wing Chun training dummy with rotating sections, her motions being like swinging a sword. Next was Irina, who was currently stretching her body out like a gymnast. Finally, Issei was striking the air to make certain movements, revealing he was shadow boxing.

"Um... hello?"

All of them stopped as they heard that, turning to see Valiana partially hiding behind the wall before showing herself fully.

"H-hey there everyone." She greeted, trying not to make any kind of eye contact with Xenovia or Irina at the moment.

"Hey there Valiana!" Issei greeted.

Xenovia looked in her direction, making her retreat more until...

"You don't need to fear us, we've already let it go." She remarked.

Valiana looked at her in surprise.

"True, you were a little rude yesterday, but Issei already explained everything to us. Let today be a fresh start between us all." Irina smiled, holding a hand out.

"OK... thank you Issei." Valiana replied, looking his way.

"Feel free to ask me for a favor anytime you need help with something." He smiled, closing his eyes as he did.

At that moment, Valiana finally noticed Chiemi's absence.

"Hey, where's your sister?" She inquired.

"Oh, she's not coming today... something in her breakfast was one of those occasional bad ingredients, and it sent her stomach into a tizzy. She's been groaning inside the bathroom for the last few hours." Issei explained, a sweat drop rolling down his cheek.

"So that's what me and my mom heard during breakfast." Valiana realized, remembering Issei's house had a window opened.

"Come on Valiana, get on your gear and train with us!" Irina exclaimed.

It only took a few seconds for her to be up in the Devil Princess' face, making Xenovia face palm herself before dragging Irina off.

"Sorry about that... she has her mother's energy, but none of her maturity." She apologized.

"Who is her mother exactly?" Valiana asked.

"The Shinou of Kindness, Gabriel." Issei revealed.

Valiana's eyes widened as she slightly jumped, looking at the girl she now knew was an Angel in some capacity.

"Yep, my mom's the Holy Mother's substitute and my father is a reincarnated Angel." Irina confirmed.

"If we're revealing heritage? Then I'm a Human/Angel hybrid, with my mother being the Shinou of Diligence, Metatron." Xenovia replied, shrugging slightly.

"No way... both of you have a Shinou as a parent?" Valiana said in surprise.

Issei coughed, pointing at himself, which made Valiana remember his parents.

"Oh, that's right... guess when you consider my parents and Issei's, others having some notable parents wouldn't be that weird either." She realized.

After saying that, Valiana finally headed into the girls' locker room and changed into her exercise attire, which her father had brought back last night.

Walking back into the room, she saw Issei setting up punching bags.

"What are these for exactly?" She asked, tilting her head as she did.

"There's a lot of ways you can use them. For this one, it's to set a rhythm and pace before a final strike, a measure of controlling power and such." Issei explained, locking them in.

"Measure of... controlling power?" She repeated, blinking a few times.

"Sometimes you can waste power and energy without realizing it, so knowing how to avoid wasting that power is important." He explained.

Valiana paused for a moment, trying to figure out what Issei just told her.

"Maybe it's easier if you try doing it yourself. Just punch this bag without really thinking how you're doing it." Issei suggested.

Valiana shrugged her shoulders and threw her fist forward... only the bottom anchor wasn't locked in, and it quickly swung back.

She immediately ducked, with Issei stopping the bag with his hand.

"I change my mind... I totally get it now, and I rather not get hit by that bag for any possible reason." She said shakily.

"Exactly. If you can control the power of your punch, you give the same impact while only slightly moving it." He stated.

Taking Valiana's arm, he began holding it in a certain position.

"Reel the punch back in like slowly lining a spring, then when you thrust it forward, keep it straight... though also slowly rotate it in the direction towards your body. Another thing to factor in? You punched with your right hand, however, since you're a Devil?" Issei explained, showing her the motions.

He then pointed to her left hand.

"That should mean you're left handed, like most Devils are." Issei stated, recalling the stories about the Devil living in the left side of the body.

"Oh, so that actually matters?" Valiana asked.

"Yeah, because for Humans at least, only 10% of the population is left handed. It's harder to read something from a more obscure set of skills and/or style." He confirmed.

She looked at the bag again, then her left hand.

Motioning her punch like Issei had shown her, she threw another punch at the bag, and then...

*"BAM!"*

Everyone felt a heavy wind as she clearly slammed the bag with heavy force, but it only briefly moved forward. Issei's eyes were wide as Valiana clenched her left fist a few times before showing surprise to her own strike.

"Was... was that really me?" She asked.

"Holy... if that's what you can do after my small advice, I wonder what you'll do after my dad sees you enough to create a recommended workout schedule for your individual development." Issei remarked, his expression still flat from the shock.

『"Already have."』 Adam replied.

Valiana yelped in surprise as a holographic screen floated near the duo, making Irina giggle as Xenovia looked at her fellow Angel with a confused look.

『"Sorry about that, this is another of my inventions. Thought I'd come see how you were doing. I'll say I'm impressed, especially since that all came from my son just telling you how to move your arm."』 He apologized, then praised.

Issei blushed at that, rubbing the side of his neck.

『"Let's see... factoring in your current height is 124 cm and you weigh 22 kg, and the physical skills you showed in your duel combined with what you did now?"』 Adam said to himself, thinking a bit as he wrote up an exercise regimen for her.

"Wait, how'd he know my height and weight? My mom and I never-" Valiana questioned.

Issei tapped his knuckles on his noggin.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that." She realized, recalling Adam's amazing intelligence.

Seconds later, Adam finished writing her regimen and sent it to Issei via magic circle.

『"There you go. Now, I better get some paperwork done before I start falling behind on it. See you four later."』 He smiled, waving to them.

The holographic screen disappeared shortly after, with Issei taking a look at the workout regimen his father had just made for Valiana.

"Let's see..." He thought aloud.

After a moment, he noticed something.

"Whoa, looks like he wants you to do a lot of the things I've been to start up, then we'll ease you into a different one." Issei stated.

"That means... what?" Valiana asked.

"You'll be punching these bags with me, though we'll actually lock them this time." He explained.

She nodded her head, letting Issei set them up.

"This should be an interesting watch." Xenovia remarked, right as she finished her workout routine.

"Because of that windy punch from earlier?" Irina asked.

"That, and we'll see a clear difference between these two." She replied, drinking some water out of her bottle.

Once they were set, Issei turned to Valiana.

"Now, before anything else? You'll need to stretch so you don't feel too weird after doing this." He stated.

"Stretch?" She repeated.

"Like what you saw Irina doing, though not as much since that was something else." Issei clarified.

He put his hands on her shoulders, then put her into a sitting position. That's when Valiana felt herself pushed down, feelings her legs spread out as her face winced from the pain.

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop! That hurts!" She begged.

"That's why we have to do it. If we don't, then it'll leave you sore after you exercise." Issei replied, knowing it was necessary.

He tried to push her further, but Valiana started resisting, making him sigh.

"Xenovia?" He asked.

"Stand back, I've got this." She replied, walking over.

Taking Issei's place, she pushed harder than she could, and...

*"CRACK!"*

Valiana's screams filled the entire wing of the gym.

---

Gabriel and Touji were seen sitting inside a room of the church, waiting for their guest to arrive.

Finally, after another minute or two, Masaomi Belial was seen walking into the room.

"Sorry I'm late." He apologized.

«Masaomi Belial»
Age: 29
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 77 kg
Blood Type: O+

He sat himself down, looking at the duo, starting with Gabriel.

"It's an honor to finally meet one of the most powerful Angels in person. Despite your daughter and Metatron's living here, this is the first time I've had such a meeting." Masaomi greeted.

"Why thank you Masaomi, and congratulations on your marriage and the coming of your second chidl." Gabriel thanked.

Touji passed a file towards the former Church head.

"As you're probably already aware? By request of us, and with the blessing of the Holy Mother, we'd like to share the role of succeeding you as the heads of this church." He explained.

Masaomi nodded as he looked over everything.

"Yes, everything checks out." Masaomi confirmed.

He wrote his signature on the file, making it glow before a sun/star-like symbol on his cross reappeared on both of theirs.

"There, you two now are officially in charge of this church." He declared.

"Thank you Masaomi, I don't know how we can repay you for this." Gabriel smiled.

"Simple, just come to the hospital when my daughter's finally born." Masaomi answered.

Gabriel giggled in response.

"Sure thing, I'd love to meet your second child." She promised.

Masaomi smiled at that.

"Glad to hear it, now... here's something important I'll need you two to be up to speed on." He continued, taking out a folder full of information papers.

Handing it to Gabriel, she looked inside as her eyes widened.

"Is this serious?" She asked.

"It is. Normally they wouldn't get near such power that clearly exceeds and threatens them, which can only mean there's a greater amount of lesser powers they find worth the risk to come here. It's gotten us so curious, we asked Grigori to send us an agent, but we have yet to receive an update because they're infiltrating blind to all but a fellow agent." Masaomi confirmed, explaining everything.

"So, you aren't even sure what's going on yet?" Gabriel questioned.

"Afraid so, and we have no idea when we'll be sent any information." He replied.

Gabriel nodded her head.

"OK, I'll keep an eye on this and let Cleria know if anything fishy comes up." She promised.

Masaomi smiled as he stood up.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me? I have a pregnant wife who needs me today." He replied.

Both of them watched as he left to return home.

"I wonder what could draw so many of them towards Kuoh City?" Touji wondered, rubbing his chin.

"I hope we found out... and soon." Gabriel replied.

---

After managing to get Valiana to relax from the... fairly intense stretching that they had put her through, then having her hair tied up in two tails to avoid it getting in the way? She and Issei were both standing by the bags as Irina set a timer.

"Alright, go!" She shouted.

Both of them began punching their respective bag, forming a rhythm as they did. While Xenovia and Irina watched, they noticed Valiana's louder strikes echoing off compared to Issei's keeping the same volume with each strike.

"She's definitely got strength, like we saw when she nearly knocked Issei off the ring yesterday, but hers is less focused than Issei's." Xenovia remarked.

"Even I can't hit that hard despite being a pureblood like her. Guess that shows the difference between the Devil leader and the Angel who substitutes for the Holy Mother when necessary." Irina replied.

After a few minutes in their punching rhythm...

*"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"*

Hearing that, Issei briefly glanced at Valiana.

"This is the last one, same punch as before!" He stated.

"Right." She replied.

Issei struck the bag with all his might, with Valiana mimicking him as she did the same. The huge slamming sound rippled off as Issei's bag was heard as he was pushed back slightly, drops of sweat flying off his face as he caught his breath.

"Phew, that was intense-"

Issei's eyes widened as he turned to see Valiana, who showed no signs of being tired as she adjusted her gloves, only to his surprise? Her bag and snapped out of its locks and fell away from her!

"Wow... that's some power you have there." He praised, giving an awkward laugh afterwards.

"Thank you, though I'd say how you defeated me despite it is also impressive." Valiana replied.

'Not sure if that's a compliment, or her missing the point?' Irina thought.

A sound soon went off, making everyone look towards Issei as they saw the alarm for his phone's timer go off. Looking at it, he grabbed his water bottle and took a drink.

"Our workout's done, so time to have fun for the rest of today." Issei stated.

"As in you're planning to do one or multiple activities?" Valiana questioned.

"That's right. Would you like to join us?" Irina confirmed.

Knowing that her mother was still getting supplies, while her father was currently out, presumably to talk with Cleria about something, Valiana had little else to do beyond waiting at home with Fenrir.

"I guess so?" Valiana shrugged.

"Alright then, let's get dressed and then head on out!" Irina exclaimed.

Valiana blinked at her reaction, with Issei chuckling at the sight.

---

Once they had gotten dressed and went outside, Valiana followed the group to some kind of restaurant, where she was currently staring at the odd choice of food before her.

It was a combination of some kind of round sandwich with meat and a few other heated ingredients between, what looked like yellow carrots sticks that were crispy and were salty instead of being wet and smooth, and an opaque brown drink that smelled like chocolate.

"Uh..." She let out, feeling confused at her food.

She also noticed the lack of a spoon, fork, or a knife on the table, so she had no idea how to eat any of the food before her. Noticing this, Issei tapped her shoulder.

"Let me guess, you've never seen a burger, fries, or milkshake before?" He inquired.

"No, and why are there no utensils?" Valiana confirmed, eyeing towards their absence.

"Simple, because you don't need them. Hamburgers are meant to be eaten like this!" Issei explained, picking up his burger.

He then took a huge bite out of it.

"Wait... all you need is your hands?" She asked, looking at hers.

"That's right, and we recommend placing your fries in the milkshake. It really brings out their respective flavors." Xenovia replied.

Valiana seemed nervous, picking it up.

"Just a word of advice? You aren't in Hell right now, so don't worry about acting like a princess when you're trying to live like a Human. Me and Xenovia like living here because of that." Irina stated.

"Huh?" Valiana blinked.

"She's saying right now, don't concern yourself over how people are seeing you. There's no way you're expected to act. So, just do what you feel is right, not what seems right." Issei explained.

Looking at her food again, she took a deep breath before finally...

*"CHOMP!"*

Everyone watched her, and after a few seconds... her eyes widened from the delicious taste. Rather than talk about it, she simply munched down on the rest of the burger, not even caring she basically pigged out.

"I never thought I'd do something like that, but it didn't feel embarrassing, mortifying, or anything similar." She stated.

"That was a taste of freedom, and I'm not talking about the burger." Issei smiled, patting her shoulder.

"Freedom..." Valiana repeated.

She looked at her remaining food, deciding to dump the fries in the milkshake and then drink it all, surprising her friends over the former action.

"Three, two, one... and-" Xenovia counted.

"Ah!"

Valiana held her head, experiencing her first brain freeze from the coldness of her shake.

"Friendly advice? When you drink or eat anything cold, do it slowly." Irina said while giggling.

"R-Right." Valiana replied, wincing a little.

"Though that is a good metaphor for something important you should know while living on Earth. Sometimes, our problems seem bigger than they really are because we think about them too much, while other times people won't see a problem until someone else notices." Issei replied, winking at her.

Valiana blinked in confusion.

"It means sometimes you can't just think about something. There are times you have to trust things as they happen, go with the flow in a sense. The simplest way to do that? When the mind can't guide you..." He clarified.

He then patted his fist over where his heart was.

"Follow what's in here instead." Issei smiled.

"My heart? I'm not sure how that makes sense." Valiana admitted, still looking confused.

"Then I think you'll want to follow me somewhere." Xenovia suggested.

Standing up and walking towards the door, Issei and Irina suddenly went silent, getting Valiana's attention as the latter motioned her to follow.

---

Walking through the abandoned building, Swallow discreetly glanced around until she heard someone talking. She quickly dashed over to an open door and began listening.

"I'm not seeing it, why does this group interest you?" The sub-leader questioned.

"You know how I find our prey, don't you?" The leader reminded them.

Hearing that, the Sub-Leader's eyes widened as they realized what that meant, focusing on the screen revealed to be showing... Issei's group!

"So, one of them has a Sacred Gear?" They realized.

Trying to get a better idea of what they were talking about, Swallow further peaked her head into the room, looking at a live broadcast and gasping as she recognized the two members of the group with Angel blood.

"Yes, but the question is which of them has it, and what that Sacred Gear is? The only thing I'm certain of is that two of them aren't Human in any form. That, and among the two that are, I doubt they're even aware they have it." The leader confirmed.

"I see, you need my ability to confirm which one we've found." The sub-leader remarked.

"And if it ends up being something good, then I'll have a fitting one to give you." The leader confirmed.

Swallow froze, realizing how the whole operation worked.

"Alright, let's see what's hiding among these children." The sub-leader stated.

Their eyes flashed a certain way, and after a few seconds... they widened before their mouth changed into a pleased grin.

"It looks like... a third grand prize." They smirked.

Swallow gasped upon hearing that, realizing only one set of Sacred Gears qualified under such terminology... right before she realized it wasn't a silent gasp.

Both of them turned as she tried to hide, but it was for naught.

"Look at that, it seems I was right... there is a rat among our group." The leader smirked.

'Shit!' Swallow thought.

The alarms went off right as Swallow made a run for it, knowing that her cover had been blown, and just as she expected an escape based on hide and seek...

*"CACKLING!"*

*"SLASH!"*

Freezing in place for a moment, Swallow suddenly felt a pain in her side before her face slowly looked towards her waist, seeing a noticeable cut.

"When did-" She questioned.

Before she realized it, she fell to the ground as her ability to move was taken from her, only able to briefly glance at her attacker as they walked over her. They could barely make out anything about them beyond their tongue hanging out and their laughter.

A loud scream was the last sound she made before a bright flash went off, leaving only shreds of her former cloak behind.

---

Standing in front of a cemetery, Valiana looked around in confusion.

"Uh... why are we here? How does this relate to-" She asked.

"It'll make sense soon, but for now? Respect the dead buried here and don't say any a word." Irina whispered, not showing her usual cheer.

Taking out a bouquet of flowers through a magic circle, Xenovia neared a certain gravestone. It was when everyone could see the writing on it that said everything.

Spade Quarta

A loving husband and father, despite the rough life he initially lived long ago... taken away after finding the redemption for all his sins.

1960 - April 4th, 2002

Valiana felt the wind blow, staring at it before looking at Xenovia.

"Quarta... that's your last name. Does this mean this grave is-" She asked, recalling Xenovia only mentioned having a mother.

"That's right. This is my father's grave, and... today is the anniversary of his death." She confirmed.

After hearing that, Valiana had no words as she watched Xenovia put the bouquet down, soon sitting in a seiza position before making a prayer motion. Issei and Irina did the same, before she did the same out of respect.

Once the moment passed, Xenovia stood up.

"He was an exorcist from the church, but he wasn't always a follower of Heaven... and to be honest? My mother and him met after he committed countless sins." She began.

"Huh?" Valiana blinked.

"You see, he didn't know much about where he came from, hence why there's no birthday listed here. Spade was a name he chose... because of what he chose to do and the moniker he gave himself. The Ace of Spades." Xenovia continued.

She closed her eyes.

"He killed people, either by assassination, hunting, a twisted sense of justice most policemen wouldn't fall to, or etc. until he was pushed to his limits. One day, when he was 18? He collapsed under a stormy night, right in this town... around the same time my mother had been visiting."

While lacking the memory of the event, Xenovia briefly began to imagine it.

---

A man wearing mostly black was seen walking across Kuoh City, blending in with the night as he struggled to walk until finally... he fell onto the ground, all of his strength having left him.

"Look at this, after everything... I'm just going to die here, pathetic and empty. I've killed so many and now... only now does it feel like none of it ever mattered." Spade breathed, feeling his eyes get heavy.

They finally closed, his body getting colder from the rain... until he stopped feeling it.

His eyes opened as he saw a light, looking at a figure that seemed to be his guide to the afterlife.

"Are you alright?" Metatron asked, her wings covering his form.

Spade blinked a bit, suddenly gasping as he realized it was a genuine Angel standing before him.

---

Xenovia opened her eyes.

"Before long, they fell in love and gave birth to my sister, then not too long after that... I was born. However, it was only a year later when the Devils lost the former heads to the Gremory, Vapula, and Bael Clans over an assassination." She said solemnly.

Valiana gasped, knowing what the incident that took his life was.

"My father went to guard the new heads and young Heirs as the change was made, and while they all survived... they were attacked during this, ending with both the assassin and my father taking each other out. His soul didn't survive, so... I didn't even get the consolation of being able to meet him in the Third Heaven." Xenovia said, finishing her story.

"I know what event you're talking about... I'm sorry." She apologized.

Xenovia shook her head.

"Don't be. As much as I miss him, he was following his heart when he chose to accept, even if it meant he could die." Xenovia reassured her.

Valiana paused after hearing that.

Following his heart... to do something even though it meant he could lose everything? Was that related to what her father did during the event that made him a Devil?

"I'm not sure, but... I think I understand what you mean by following your heart now." She replied.

"Even if you don't, we'll help you get there eventually. One step at a time." Issei promised.

Irina put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. Even Xenovia gave a light smile in her direction. Seeing all three of their reactions, Valiana felt warm inside, and briefly flashed a smile.

All of them were surprised when they saw it.

"Valiana, you smiled on your own!" Issei exclaimed.

"I did?" She asked.

"Sure did!" Irina confirmed.

Issei took out his phone, showing her face that currently lacked a smile due to responding to his excitement.

"Come on, try it again." Irina begged, her eyes sparkling.

Valiana felt a bit comfortable over that, prompting Xenovia to pull Irina away.

"Just take your time, alright? Don't feel bad if you can't do it." Issei reassured her.

"O-OK." She replied.

Her mouth began to wiggle again like her attempt earlier today, but it felt easier compared to before, maybe because she had unknowingly done it moments ago. However, after a minute of trying...

It happened, she smiled again, and she finally saw what her real smiles looked like.

"That... was my smile?" She asked.

"That's right." Issei confirmed.

"You're right, it's nice. I don't get why, but... it's really nice." Valiana said, smiling again.

Irina grabbed their hands.

"Come on, there's one last thing we should do before the day ends!" She suggested.

Both of them were pulled as Xenovia followed her fellow hyperactive Angel.

---

Up in the Third Heaven, the sight of Metatron could be as she walked through all the various souls who were living inside, coming to a certain monument within it.

This monument was made for those whose souls no longer existed, but would have been qualified to enter Heaven if they had. Due to today, Metatron's reason for visiting it was little mystery to everyone who knew of her deceased husband.

"Be at peace Spade, wherever you are." She whispered, making a praying motion as she did.

"Ah, is it that time of year again?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Metatron turned to see a female Angel with long brown hair that was nearly curled, representing the great care she took in maintaining it.

She was the Shinou of Patience, better known as Sandalphon.

"Hey there Sandalphon, and it is." Metatron greeted before answering.

"I'm still surprised you ended up choosing someone with his backstory as a husband, but I guess love can happen in any form when you consider what happened with Lucifer." Sandalphon remarked.

"And it's exactly why I'll always miss him, as does Xenovia despite how little she knew of him beyond when she was a mere infant." Metatron replied.

She sighed a bit, feeling Sandalphon rub her back.

"Being the Angel who represents diligence isn't easy when your commitment to your job gives you so little time to be with your children. While Griselda might be old enough to not feel as bad over it, you can tell Xenovia wishes you were around more." She realized.

Metatron nodded.

"And I'd like to visit her more often, but... right now I'm tasked with making sure the Longinus don't fall to the hands of other factions. All I can do is work to finish this job sooner than later."

"That's one good way to look at it. Speaking of which, I think we may have just found another Longinus wielder." Sandalphon smiled, soon dropping the bomb.

Metatron quickly stared at her in shock.

---

Some time passed as the group was seen in the park, with Irina throwing some of the fountain water at the others.

"Oh, you're getting it now Irina!" Issei declared.

Issei threw some at her, with Xenovia getting splashed as she dodged as Valiana just sat and stared, blinking a few times.

"This is the big thing you dragged us here for?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't I? It's unexpected, that's why it's fun!" Irina giggled.

Valiana gave a confused look, with the small water war stopping as she walked up to her, standing by her side with a smile.

"I'm really glad I've gotten to know you." She smiled.

"And... why's that?" Valiana asked.

"Simple, because we like you, and if there were any doubts before? After today... all three of us are your friends." Issei answered.

Valiana gasped at that.

"Really?" She said, feeling a bit of surprise from his words.

Xenovia soon tossed water at Valiana, making her gasp slightly.

"The water war resumes!" Irina exclaimed.

Taking a deep breath, Valiana soon tossed water at the others, splashing all of them at once. They all began laughing, with Valiana feeling herself smiling again.

'Friends, huh? I don't know why, but when I hear that, I... feel happy.' Valiana thought.

Right as this was happening... the orange afternoon sky vanished, quickly being replaced with some strange shade of dark purple. All four of them noticed this as they looked up.

"What's going on?" Xenovia questioned, looking confused.

"This seems familiar to me, but... why is that?" Valiana wondered aloud.

*"ROAR!"*

Irina screamed before she jumped into Xenovia's arms, shaking nervously as Issei's face was filled with fear... and Valiana's eyes shook as she finally remembered why the currently purple sky had been familiar to her.

"What... was that?" Irina asked, still shaking.

"I'm not sure, but I'm worried." Issei replied.

*"STOMP!"*

Everyone briefly lost balance in response to this, and that fully confirmed Valiana's suspicions.

"I know what this is." She revealed.

"You do, then... what is it? What's causing all of this?" Irina asked, still shaking.

"A dimensional space, and in this case-" Valiana replied.

*"STOMP!"*

This time, everyone fell over from the tremor, looking in a certain direction they noticed the sound coming from.

*"STOMP!"*

At that moment, the stomps happened faster and faster as their source finally came close.

"Now what could that fowl, fickle smell be? It smells... bitter? No, sweet!" A woman questioned.

That's when it happened.

*"STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!"*

*"SMASH!"*

Most of the trees were destroyed by a large foot.

Looking up, the group of four all stared at what was revealed to be some kind of Centaur creature, only with legs that looked like hands with sharp claws and a tail that was the front half of a Cobra, with its arms resembled some kind of beefy, mutated spider's.

It had a long neck like an Ostrich's and a Pterodactyl head, however? The true horror was its stomach... which had a vertically positioned mouth with shark-like fangs.

*"ROAR!"*

And with that loud roar, the horror of the monster's appearance was only amplified by what looked to be a black, red, and purple void being housed within. Just by seeing it, one might feel like if they fell in, they'd disappear forever.

"What... the hell... is that!?" Xenovia exclaimed.

"I knew it... we've been trapped in the Dimensional Space of a Fragmented." Valiana realized, sweating slightly.

"Fragmented?" Issei repeated, a worried look on his face.

"Despite being killed in the Dissension War, there was 10% of Trihexa's power that wasn't destroyed. That remaining percent of his power shattered into pieces like a broken window, and like how you can't just piece one back together, each piece transformed into a bunch of monsters, hence their name." She explained.

Looking closer, the Fragmented noticed the four children.

"It seems Viser has found more than a snack." Viser stated.

"And it can talk..." Xenovia sighed.

"Uh... hey, Valiana? These Fragmented creatures... how dangerous are they?" Irina asked.

"For children like us? I'd rank it at the level of... near fatal." Valiana answered.

Irina paled at that, and Viser quickly used that moment to charge a blast and immediately fire it, getting Valiana's attention.

"LOOK OUT!"

She grabbed them all, then faded into the ground, getting all of them to safety by moving across it as her own shadow.

When they got out, Viser turned in their direction.

"Guys, I hate to tell you this... but Fragmented are able to trap people and leave no almost no trace of their presence. I'm fairly sure none of our parents are even aware that we're in danger right now." Valiana revealed.

"Then, what you're saying is-" Xenovia realized.

"I'm afraid so... either we fight and survive, or die and likely become food for this monster." She confirmed.

Hearing that, Irina's fear quickly was replaced with a serious look, letting her desire to live surpass her fear.

"Alright, let's beat this thing!" Irina exclaimed.

Irina sprouted her Angel wings and took to the sky, while Xenovia took out a sword hilt as it formed a blade of light. Valiana blinked as she noticed this.

"Why aren't you flying?" She asked.

"I can't. Not sure why, but my wings are still too undeveloped for it." Xenovia explained.

"Strange, but I guess if that's an issue? Irina will be our ground support." Valiana replied.

She took a deep breath.

"Irina? Attack from the air and keep your distance! Xenovia? Don't attack until we get a read on its attack pattern, and wait until you have a clear opening! Issei? Uh... do you have anything besides what you did in our duel?" Valiana stated, glancing at Issei with confusion.

"Eh..." Issei blushed in embarrassment, looking away.

Valiana just stared for a second before sighing a little.

"Stay with Xenovia then. As for me, I'll take the lead and attack from up close." She decided, spreading her wings.

"You, challenge me? That's laughable!" Viser cackled.

In response to that, Valiana raised her hands and unleashed a large wave of darkness, blinding them from Viser's view. The Fragmented tried to locate them by sound... only for her to see a bunch of shadowy humanoids with avian heads rush in her direction.

She laughed before swatting her claws through them, leaving her blind to Irina appearing behind her and gathering light particles into a ring shape.

"Alright you fiend, prepare to repent from the radiance of my light. Amen!" She exclaimed.

Tossing the ring forward, it struck Viser from behind, lightly pushing her forward. She turned around before pressing her head in, then launching it like a metal spring.

"Whoa!"

Irina barely dodged it, panting as she formed more holy rings and tossed them all at her.

"Are you trying to kill me by throwing pebbles?" Viser mocked, barely taking any damage.

"Hardly!"

Hearing Xenovia's voice, the Fragmented turned around... only for her to appear underneath Irina and then zoom at the beast. As she readied to slash her sword, the snake tail lunged forward.

She gasped as it bit her sword, shattering the light blade.

"Look out, the tail has a mind of its own!" Xenovia warned.

"I believe the correct term is... two heads are better than one!" The snake said, using Viser's voice.

Xenovia reformed her light blade as the snake lunged forward in multiple attempts to strike her down.

"Here, let me help!" Viser shouted.

Her dinosaur head shot towards her, making her gasp, but before she could hit her? A wave of darkness crashed over her.

"Gah!" Viser screamed.

The Fragmented swung her arms out, smashing the dark wave away. Seeing his chance, Issei jumped into the air and smashed Viser in the face... only nothing happened. The Fragmented's head and snake tail moved their eyes towards him.

"Not good..." He breathed.

Viser shot a blast from both heads, sending Issei flying as he crashed through some tress.

"Oh no, Issei!" Irina shouted.

"I'm... not done yet!" He screamed.

Issei rushed out of the trees, with Viser laughing at the boy's pitiful efforts.

"Useless!" She shouted.

Throwing her arm forward, Issei shifted his body before grabbing it, surprising the Fragmented as he held onto it like super glue.

"Damn it... let go!" Viser demanded, roaring during the pause between her words.

"Nice job Issei!" Xenovia praised.

"I've got this!" Valiana stated.

Viser soon turned her eyes as she saw Valiana dive out of her shadow, unleashing a concentrated blast of darkness at her.

*"BOOM!"*

A dark cloud covered the spot she was in as the trio regrouped.

"It isn't over yet, but that should have done some damage." She stated.

The smoke soon cleared...

However, it didn't take long for the quartet to realize that Viser hadn't taken any damage as she walked out, looking completely unscathed.

"Was that all?" She questioned, a dark grin on her face.

"No way, how did she take that attack without getting damaged!?" Irina questioned.

"This is bad..." Xenovia realized.

Seeing this, Issei clenched his fist before rushing ahead, surprising his friends.

"You're going to fight me yourself? That courage is cute... not!" Viser laughed.

As the others tried to rush at him...

"Oh, no you don't!" Viser shouted.

She swung both her hands into the ground, and once she did...

*"SMASH!"*

The ground broke apart into multiple sections of stone, causing Valiana to trip as Irina and Xenovia were knocked onto their backs. As Valiana got up, she turned to see the rubble crashing around them.

"No!" Valiana shouted, reaching out to them.

Luckily, she saw light glowing within, looking through to see Irina had formed a barrier made of it to keep them safe.

"Don't worry about us, I have a way to get us out! Focus on keeping Issei safe!" Xenovia shouted.

"OK..." Valiana nodded, still worried about them.

Issei weaved around the debris as he neared Viser, who smirked as her dinosaur head's eyes became more serpentine.

She began pulling her body into itself, making her snake tail become a full snake that heavily resembled a Tsuchinoko.

"What the?" Issei gasped.

Viser lunged forward and unleashed a blast with its speed boosted by the jump, striking Issei dead on as he was flung back. Valiana gasped as she watched this.

"ISSEI!" She screamed.

"Oh, do you want to be next!?" Viser questioned, turning towards her.

Getting back up, Issei tackled Viser, only for her to warp her tail around him and slam him into the ground. He screamed before she did it again, doing so multiple times.

"No... please, stop it..." Valiana begged, frozen in fear.

Viser eventually stopped and flung Issei at the rubble trapping Irina and Xenovia, causing it to be knocked away as the former's barrier shattered. All three of them tumbled, with the Angel duo looking to see their friend try to stand up.

"I... won't let myself... fall here. I... I have to... fight..." Issei grunted, struggling to stay up.

Unfortunately, his body's weakened state won out and he collapsed onto his knees.

"No, Issei!" Irina screamed.

Rushing up to him, she and Xenovia checked to see if he was OK.

Seeing the sight of her closest friend being hurt, Valiana felt her eyes shake until finally... she clenched her fist and turned to Viser, getting the Fragmented's attention.

"What's wrong? Did you wet your pants?" Viser mocked.

"I don't know what these awful feelings welling inside me are, but right now... all I want is to see you disappear!" She screamed.

「Date A Live III: I Swear」

Her aura flared out, surprising Viser.

She rushed ahead, blasting out all the darkness she could as it pushed against Viser's form, one bit of it striking her eye.

"Gah!"

Rubbing her injured eye, Viser switched back to her normal form, roaring as she charged at Valiana. In response to the Fragmented's roar, she became a shadow and slithered around Viser's form.

Leaping up, she smashed into Viser's form, knocking her back.

"What the hell? How's she fighting at this level now!?" She questioned.

Diving back underground, Irina and Xenovia could only stare at Valiana's attempts to fight back, completely missing Issei beginning to stir. More of the shadow warriors formed as they charged at Viser, causing the Fragmented to growl before firing at her claws.

Once more they were smashed into the ground, ripping it to shreds. As it did, Valiana was forced out of her shadow due to it being unable to properly align with the ground.

Seeing Viser change into her Tsuchinoko form and jump around, she was struck by the same jump enhanced beam as Issei, making her slide back as Viser stared at her, hissing like a predator that had cornered its prey.

"Is this it? Am I... am I not strong enough to overcome this?" She thought aloud, nearly falling back into her former mindset.

"Valiana!" Issei shouted.

Turning around, she and the Angel duo looked to see Issei was awake, despite still shaking from the damage he received.

"Don't give up, you have to push yourself just a little further! Go beyond what you expect! Take the power you already have, and push it to the limit! I believe in you!" He shouted, encouraging her with every bit of strength he still had.

She stood there and felt her eyes widen, briefly feeling the memory of their duel flash through her mind.

"Don't expect... go beyond, and push yourself..." She whispered to herself, clenching her fist as she did.

Viser lunged at her.

"Believe... believe in yourself... believe in your power..." Valiana whispered, turning her attention to the Fragmented.

"It's over!" She declared.

Viser opened her mouth and released her jumping laser attack from it once again. At that moment, Valiana felt a spark go off inside of her.

"I BELIEVE!"

Unleashing her darkness once again, she fired it at Viser's mouth, holding the two in a stalemate as their attacks pushed against each other. Valiana felt herself sweating ash she stood her ground against the Fragmented's overwhelming power.

Finally, she screamed at her loudest as she unleashed more power, causing her aura to explode as it overpowered Viser's attack.

"What!?" She exclaimed.

"Go!" Valiana screamed.

At that moment, the Fragmented gave a muffled scream as the darkness flooded into her mouth, grabbing onto her form as it was force fed into her body, making her swell as it kept forcing itself down her throat.

"No, this can't... this can't be happening!" She screamed.

Her body soon ballooned out of control, with darkness bursting out of her form until finally... she exploded from it!

「Insert Song End」

The Dimensional Space soon broke, causing all the power Valiana had unleashed to be noticed. Issei, Xenovia, and Irina all smiled as the sky changed back to its normal color.

"I... I actually... beat a Fragmented?" She realized.

Feeling her remaining strength give out, she slumped to her knees before falling on her back.

"Oh man... I'm so tired." Valiana remarked, panting as she did.

"Valiana!"

Everyone turned as they saw Lucifer fly into view, quickly landing by the quartet as he knelt by his daughter's side.

"Dad... is that you?" She asked.

"It's alright Valiana, I'm here." He reassured her, reaching for his pocket.

It was a vial of red liquid.

"No, give it to Issei... I'm just exhausted, and he needs it more than I do." Valiana said, shaking her head.

Lucifer noticed this, gasping as he did.

"Here, try to swallow this." He asked.

Issei felt him pour the liquid into his mouth, which he managed to swallow, causing him to glow as his body was completely healed.

"Whoa, what was that?" Issei asked.

"A tear of the Phenex Clan. It works just like those of the actual Firebird, provided they stay pure." Lucifer explained, helping him up.

Once Issei was on his feet, Lucifer looked at the group.

"So, what happened here? I noticed a surge of power appear and vanish in an instant." He questioned, holding Valiana in his arms.

"Well, going by what Valiana said... we got trapped and attacked by a creature called a Fragmented." Irina explained.

His eyes shrunk at that.

"You fought a Fragmented... and won!?" Lucifer questioned in disbelief.

"Thanks to Valiana. That surge of power was her doing." Issei confirmed.

Looking at her tired daughter, Lucifer felt a sense of surprise... and then overwhelming pride at what she managed to do. Her fatigue was all the proof he needed to know they were telling him the truth.

It seemed he would have quite the story to share with Adam and Eve.

---

The scene opened to a world between Heaven and Earth, looking like the former if it had a futuristic city resembling those made by artists on the latter, where various Fallen could be seen.

At the moment, inside a large building, the Fallen that Swallow had referred to as Sparrow was trying to contact her... only to discover no connection was going through.

"Oh no... this is bad. If I'm not getting any response from her, that means..." She sweated.

She immediately ran into the Governor General's office, getting Azazel's attention as she rushed in.

"Mellys? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Bad news... I can't make contact with Uncinda, meaning they likely discovered and then murdered her!" She revealed.

"Uh oh... while we might be lucky to think this won't put that girl in danger, anymore Fallen we send could raise suspicion." Azazel realized.

Luckily, an idea hit him seconds after saying that.

"Unless we send in a spy that's in plain sight that we pair with a decoy, and I know just the two for the job." He smiled.

"Hold on, are you saying-" Mellys realized.

Azazel gave a slight chuckle, opening a magic circle to call two people he was very familiar with.

---

Within the Hyoudou House, everyone was gathered in the kitchen.

Present company currently had Adam, Eve, Lucifer, Lilith, Issei, Valiana, Xenovia, and Irina. However, one could notice Chiemi and Miku listening to them from the hall. Seeing them spying on them, their mother giggled a little.

"Come here you two. If you're going to listen in, then you should officially join us." She smiled.

Both of them flinched, then gave awkward laughter as they walked into view. Once they did, Valiana finally got a good look at Miku, having paid little attention to her or the rest of Issei's siblings when they were first introduced to her.

She had long black hair that was similar to her older sister's, only it was tied in a ponytail, and her eyes were a dark purple color. She also wore clothes that seemed more fitting for a tomboy compared to her older sister's more girly girl personality.

"Alright, what's this talk about?" Miku asked.

"It seems your big brother got into something dangerous against his will. Lucifer wanted us all here to be aware of it." Adam explained.

"But before that, I need to get in contact with Gabriel, and... here." Eve replied.

Forming a small magic circle, a small manifestation of Gabriel came into view.

〖"Thanks Eve, I apologize for not being here physically, but Touji needs me here since Azazel's apparently calling about something Church related."〗 Gabriel answered.

"It's fine, now..." Lilith reassured her.

She looked at the quartet that fought Viser, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"What exactly happened?" She inquired.

"A Fragmented tried to eat us..." Valiana revealed.

All of the parents besides Lucifer gave justified faces of horror and shock, which prompted Lilith to look at her husband.

"Honey, are... are they serious?" Lilith asked.

"I felt the surge of power, and it seems Valiana was the one who defeated it. I don't know how much luck and etc. were a factor, but... fact is they survived against something that usually requires at least a group of teenagers to defeat." He confirmed.

Lilith froze upon hearing that.

"My... my little girl... nearly killed by... one of those horrible monsters..." She muttered.

〖"I think you broke her..."〗 Gabriel remarked.

Lucifer gave an awkward chuckle in reply, looking away as Adam cleared his throat to continue the conversation.

"I do have to admit, a Fragmented being in Kuoh City is odd." He remarked.

〖"Agreed, the files Masaomi gave me show there's a lot of them lurking around, but Fragmented are smart enough to only go after things within their means to defeat. Beings like us should easily keep them away."〗 Gabriel agreed.

"What do you mean?" Issei asked.

"The Fragmented have an instinctual fear of approaching anything that's stronger than them due to how Trihexa was destroyed. Normally, they only ignore that if they sense something powerful enough to tempts them into taking the risk... but Kuoh City's never had that." Eve explained.

Lilith, having managed to shake out of her frozen state, made a serious face.

"Looks like we have no choice. Lucifer and I will have to flare out our power to scare them off until we can figure out what's attracting them here, think you could help us with that Gabriel?" She decided, looking at her.

〖"Think I can spare a moment if Touji holds the fort for me, so just let me know when you need me."〗 Gabriel smiled.

All of the children gave confused looks, wondering why they were even still part of the conversation at this point.

"Oh, sorry about that. I think this our talk from here." Lucifer apologized.

"Here's an idea! Issei, why don't you get all of your siblings together and take everyone to the play room for a sleepover?" Eve suggested.

Valiana tilted her head at that, while Chiemi and Miku gained excited looks.

"That sounds exciting, let's do it." Issei decided.

"What's a sleepover exactly?" Valiana asked.

"Sounds as literal as you might be thinking it. You literally go to a friend's home, and then sleep over." Xenovia explained.

"Oh... well, since I've been having fun with you today, and it isn't tomorrow yet..." She replied, deciding to go with it.

With that, the sleepover was settled.

---

After heading into the big room, while letting Issei and his sisters gather all their siblings (minus Fubuki), then getting into their PJs... the sleepover began.

"Irina! Xenovia! We haven't seen you come here for a while!" Verrine smiled.

"Yeah, I wish we could do this more often! Too bad the rest of our friends aren't here to join us." Irina agreed.

"Don't worry too much. Since school starts tomorrow, we could always invite them over on Sunday. We're only there for initial introduction for half the school day after all." Chiemi suggested.

Hearing that, Irina and Verrine's eyes sparkled.

"That sounds awesome!" They both exclaimed.

Balberith briefly glanced their way, then sighed as he turned around, getting Valiana's attention.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked.

"Nothing really, but Bal's oddly... tame compared to the rest of my siblings. I used to even think he couldn't talk until Verrine managed to annoy him enough." Issei explained.

Bal tossed a rubber ball at his face, making Valiana blink.

"Kind of like that, but amplified." He said with a chuckle.

"Uh... I don't have any siblings, so I'll just take your word for it... I guess?" Valiana replied, tilting her head slightly.

Xenovia looked at Rui, shaking a rattle as he tried to grab it.

"Gimme! Gimme!" He asked.

She smiled and handed him the rattle, which he shook before biting onto it, using it to teeth slightly.

Looking over everything, Valiana saw all the excitement before looking at Issei, getting his attention.

"I don't get any of this, and yet... it makes me feel... good. Yet it also makes me feel... lonely, maybe?" She said, feeling uncertain of her own feelings.

"Lonely?" Issei repeated, blinking a bit.

"How should I put this... the more I see stuff like this, I keep feeling... wrong, but not because I'm involved. I... don't know how else to describe it." Valiana admitted.

Hearing this, Sonneillon got an idea.

"Valiana! Big brother! Come play a game with us, it's one for 12 players!" He shouted, waving to them.

"Me? You really want me to play with you?" She asked, pointing at herself.

Sonneillon smiled before pulling them both closer, which is when Chiemi and Miku looked at Valiana.

"Yesterday, it felt like she was an outsider with how she looked at us. Yet as of today? Even though a barrier's still there, it seems like she's finally fitting in with us." Chiemi smiled.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Miku agreed.

Time flew by as everyone enjoyed each other, until the feeling of fatigue claimed them all. The lights went out, and everyone rolled out the sleeping bags, laying them in the center of the room in a circle shape.

"Hey guys, before we go to sleep? Look outside." Issei stated, pointing outside.

Everyone did, which is when they saw a few shooting stars flying across the sky.

"Wow, how lucky is that?" Gressil wondered aloud.

"Pretty." Homura said in awe.

Looking at the stars, Valiana felt a sense of curiosity at the nightly phenomenon she hadn't seen before.

"How about you make a wish?" Issei whispered.

"Huh?" She blinked, looking at him.

"They say if you see a shooting star, then you can make a wish on it. Consider it a little boost of luck." He explained.

After saying this, he yawned and went to sleep.

Looking at the sky again, Valiana blinked again.

'A wish, huh? Then... I wish that one day, I'll understand what I've been missing.' She thought, thinking over everything she had experienced in the past two days.

It wasn't long before she fell asleep alongside everyone else.

---

Morning soon came, with Issei waking up to see that Valiana, Irina, and Xenovia were all gone. Most likely, the former two were taken home by their parents, while one of his took Xenovia home.

Looking towards Chiemi, he lightly shook her shoulder, making her groan before she woke up.

"Hmm... big brother, 5 more minutes..." She mumbled.

"Chiemi, we have to get to school today. Mom made you promise to wake up earlier so we'd be prepared." Issei reminded her.

She sighed as she got up.

"OK..." She tiredly agreed.

Both of them quietly left the room, making sure to not wake their siblings. As they entered the living room, they saw Eve already awake, rocking a fussy Fubuki in her arms.

"Good morning you two. Do you mind freshening up while I calm down your little sister?" She smiled.

"Sure thing mom." They both answered.

Walking into their rooms, they entered their respective bathrooms to brush their teeth and then take a quick bath. By the time they were done, Fubuki was being fed by their father, with Eve having already cooked up a fast breakfast for them.

"I made Takoyaki for you Issei, while for you Chiemi? I made your favorite." She smiled, placing a small box by Issei's seat and a plate at Chiemi's

"Yummy!" Chiemi exclaimed.

She began chowing down on her meal, while Issei picked up his, knowing his mom made his based on how he had to go to school earlier than his sister because he was a First-Grade student.

"You know how to get to school without me, right?" He asked, looking at her.

"Don't worry big brother, I'll be OK." She replied between a bite.

"Alright then. Mom, where's my-" Issei nodded.

Eve tossed his backpack to him, making him laugh at how prepared she was as he slipped his arms into it. Before he walked to the door, he rubbed Fubuki's head.

"See you all later." He waved.

"Good luck!" His parents wished.

Exiting his front door, Issei began walking towards Kuoh Academy. He hummed as he kept a good walking pace until suddenly...

"WAH!"

Turning at the sound, his eyes widen before he blushed at the sight before him.

A young girl in a nun outfit had fallen over, revealing her white panties to the world.

"Oh no, I fell down again! I'm such a klutz!" She whimpered.

She got back on her feet, her eyes closed for a moment before she opened them and saw Issei. Taking a look at her, he noticed she was around Chiemi's age, having golden-blonde hair and golden eyes.

"Hey, are you alright?" Issei asked, rushing over to offer his hand.

"Yeah, I'm OK... really. I'm just a little lost." She replied, taking it.

"Let me guess. By that outfit you're wearing, you must be looking for our local church, right?" He assumed.

She nodded, blushing in embarrassment.

"Follow me then. I'm on my way to school, and the church is clearly visible on part of my route." Issei offered.

"Oh, thank you. You're very kind." She smiled.

Realizing he hadn't shared his name, he gave an embarrassed chuckle and decided to correct that.

"I'm Issei Hyoudou, and you?" He asked.

"My name is Asia Argento." Asia greeted.

---

A few minutes into their walk, Issei finally decided to make further conversation with Asia.

"So, did you just get assigned here or something else? And are you aware of..." He inquired.

"I was just assigned to this church after living in the Vatican for most of my life, and yes, I'm aware of the supernatural. If I wasn't, you would be hearing me speaking Italian right now instead of Japanese." She revealed.

"Wait, the Vatican? But that's one of the best churches there is." Issei questioned.

"Well, you could say that... this church is the only one that can help me something I recently discovered." Asia replied.

At that moment, crying was heard as a small boy was holding his scrapped knee, his mother unsure how to help him.

"One second please." Asia requested.

The mother then noticed her walk over.

"What happened? That wound seems pretty bad." She asked.

"He fell off jungle gym, and I don't have any disinfectant or bandages for his wound." The mother explained.

"Here, allow me." She requested.

Putting her hands over the boy's knee, her hands released a golden glow that erased the wound in an instant. As he saw this, Issei felt a slight pain in his right hand.

'What the what!?' He thought, looking at it.

Looking at his healed leg, the young boy shook it, feeling no trace of the pain or wound. After realizing this, he smiled and laughed happily.

"My leg's better!" The boy shouted happily.

"Wow, thank you." The mother smiled.

Asia made a finger motion to her mouth, getting close to the two.

"Can you keep this a secret?" She whispered.

"My lips are sealed." The mother promised.

Issei watched as Asia walked back to him, giving him a look that he was fairly sure was asking him the same.

"Sure thing." He promised.

Asia let out a sigh of relief.

---

After walking a bit more, Issei finally noticed them alone enough to ask.

"So, you have a healing-type Sacred Gear?" He asked.

She nodded slightly.

"Wow... I've heard those are so rare, their numbers are only in either the high single-digits to low double-digits." Issei remarked.

"That's right. It's kind of why I'm here." Asia replied.

Issei wondered what that meant, but he lost the chance to ask as he saw the church in the distance.

"Oh, there it is." Issei stated, pointing to it.

Seeing it, Asia gasped happily before turning to him.

"Thank you for your help Issei." Asia smiled.

"You're welcome. If you'd ever like to meet me again, two of my friends have family there, so just drop my name." He replied.

"I'll kindly take you up on that offer one day. May god bless your first day at school." Asia smiled.

Issei chuckled before he started walking to the school, waving goodbye to her.

'A girl with her kindness and power is perfect for the church, I hope things work out for her.' He thought.

He rubbed his right hand again.

'Hmm... I wonder if I should have asked her about my hand, that sudden pain was weird.' Issei wondered.

As he shifted his focus back to reaching Kuoh Academy, he failed to see his right hand briefly glow green.

---

Within the abandoned building, the leader of the unknown group watched a live broadcast that showed Asia Argento's arrival.

"Finally, our other grand prize has joined us." They smirked.

"Boss, now that she's here, what do you want us to do about that boy from the other day?" Someone asked.

"Patience, after all..." The leader replied.

Opening a box, they revealed the sight of a blue orb inside, one that glowed in a similar manner to Issei's hand as a faint Dragon silhouette flashed within it.

"Prizes like these have to be earned for them to show their true value." They smirked.

---

Oh yeah, you read correctly. This story's initial antagonists have the Divine Dividing in their possession. As one reviewer noticed, Valiana is a Pureblooded Devil in this story, so there's no way she could have been born with it. This time, Valiana has to find the Divine Dividing before it becomes her Sacred Gear, and with Issei finally getting his first hint towards being the host of the Boosted Gear, it won't be much longer.

Then we have the introduction of the Fragmented, who are the Stray Devils of this story as shown through Viser, due to reasons I can't talk about just yet. Since Valiana already explained what they are, I don't have much else to add about them beyond how they're proof that Trihexa will never appear outside of the past, so that eventual threat in Issei's dream is a completely different entity.

The only other thing I have left to say is for how Valiana's development went in this chapter? Since there may be some confusion, I'll explain my intent was to show while Valiana can subconsciously recognize some of the things she's experiencing, her conscious mind is still struggling to do the same with others. There's a lot of things that need to happen before the shell of her current self can truly break her shell.

Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^