Sitting atop her throne, Frigg was peering into a vision that had been building in clarity over the past few weeks.

Every couple of days, a new piece would become clearer, some new detail, thought, or word would reveal itself, each time she would find herself more and more intrigued.

Her vision was of Artemis, and while Frigg initially thought this vision was of a time not so far into the future, other elements of the room her vision showed said otherwise.

Friggs vision

Artemis sank down to the floor with her back against the wall, the wood the room was made of echoing the small sounds of her quiet sobbing.

The Greek Goddess' head was hung low, her hands clutching something to her chest, as if it were the last reminder of a loved one who'd passed on.

The shaky breaths died down for a brief moment, before Artemis threw the object in her grasp towards the opposite side of the room. The sound of glass shattering and falling onto to the floor was the only sound before her scream laced with too many emotions to tell them all apart. The most identifiable however, was anger.

She was angry. She was angry at her brother who caused this whole situation. She was angry at the men who were responsible for this fear of having any feelings other than revulsion towards their gender. Angry at herself for not being able to say the words he deserved to hear, that she wanted to say.

Artemis placed her arms on her bent knees, and laid her head on them. The flickering of the eternally burning lamps making the silver pendant on her left wrist shine.

she stayed in that position for nearly an hour. When she picked her head up, her normally clear deep blue irises were bloodshot and clouded with tears. Her right hand gently ran over the gift she'd been given that morning. A leather string that held a dragon scale that had been worked into an oval, and expertly carved into it was a bow and arrow.

As the vision started to fade to black, Artemis muttered. "I love you too."

Vision End

As Frigg opened her eyes, she made note of the new details she'd picked up. This was the first time she'd heard any sound, and the words Artemis spoke were greatly surprising. A brief frown marred her face as she thought of how the Grecian clearly hadn't been able to say the words to the mans face, but instead into an empty room.

'What was it that made you push him away I wonder..'

Standing up, she walked towards the hallway that would lead to her bedroom, but felt the pull of a new vision. This one only a still image.

A tall male figure dressed in a black leather jacket, a navy blue V-neck T-shirt, and weathered jeans. Silver hair, blue eyes. The part that caught Frigg off guard were the four wings coming from his back. The larger set were silver and shining in the sunlight, each wing was longer than the young man was tall. The other set looked metallic, the ridges were white and the membranes looked as if they were made of a blue energy. There was no mistaking what those wings were.

The image Showed the young man floating just above the ground holding Artemis in his arms, who's typical hunting clothes were torn and hardly covering her. Blood trickling down from her mouth, as well as several cuts on her body.

As Frigg laid herself in bed, a smile crossed her face, when the two of them separated at least she'd know that it wasn't permanent. There was hope yet for that love to take hold.

How interesting…

-LineBreak-

To an immortal being, one month typically came and went in the blink of an eye. But for Artemis, this past month had felt extremely slow, like the second hand on the clock was frozen in place.

For the first three days after her two guests arrived, the boy….Issei, had refused to come out of the room he'd slept in. And Gaia would spend most of the day in there with him, doing god knows what. She would only leave to prepare some food for him.

The next week had been him doing his best to stay out of Artemis' line of sight, clearly afraid of angering her or that she would try and attack him again.

At the start of their second week in her isolated home, Issei had gathered the courage to stand before her, but wouldn't make eye contact. His body was lightly shaking out of nervousness.

"I'm sorry Lady Artemis." He muttered through a shaky voice with his head bowed low.

Artemis had been seated in her living room with a book, and was afraid to move a muscle, lest she scare the boy off.

Over the time him and Gaia had been staying there, almost never to be seen, Artemis found herself waning on the irrational fear of a male being in her home, and was instead more curious about him than anything. Gaia did not give compliments freely, and held the boy in high regard.

She slowly lowered her book, looking to the silver mat of hair in front of her. She wanted to be calm and assuring, if she wanted her curiosity to be sated. She could always have him leave if he proved to be like the others.

"For what Issei?" She spoke in a calm voice.

The use of his name seemed to surprise the young boy before her, judging by the way he almost flinched his head up to meet her blue eyes.

It was something she had somewhat gotten used to during the late night conversations with Gaia. They would talk about the training Gaia was giving him in a clearing of her forest, which for now was mainly getting the strength of his wings built up and his other natural abilities.

"I know you don't want me here, that you don't like me. Aunty Gaia says that it's okay…but I can feel it, you're mad that i'm here. I'll do my best to-"

Artemis raised a hand, her voice a little more stern than she intended. "Stop."

Issei's eyes met hers for the first time since he'd appeared in front of her the night of her party. A look of surprise, confusion, and a hint of fear in them.

Artemis blew out a breath, making sure to take the same calm tone she had just prior.

"At first…I was. But Gaia told me about you, and what happened. I can't be mad at you for things that weren't in your control."

Issei's eyes widened at what he heard. Aunt Gaia told her?! I thought no one could know?!

"Aunt Gaia told you about me?"

"That you're a holy dragon? Yes…she did."

his eyes took on a thoughtful look, catching on to the fact that the Goddess sitting in front of him didn't seem to know about Albion, or his relation to the elder dragon. If Gaia felt the need to keep that part a secret, then so would he. Issei apologized to his grandfather internally.

'Sorry Grandpa, I guess the training with you will have to wait until we leave here.'

Issei felt Albion stir from his slumber.

[No need to apologize, until you're a bit older, there's very little I can train you on. Just focus on your own abilities for the time being.]

The mental awareness Issei had of Albion faded, the elder dragon returning to his nap. Issei's eyes refocused onto Artemis, almost completely forgetting the nervousness he had felt around her just a moment before.

"I've asked Aunt Gaia when we could leave, but she says it'll be a while before its safe for me."

At that Artemis rose an eyebrow, almost feeling a little insulted that he didn't appreciate the beauty of her island. "You don't like it here?"

His hands shot up and waved in defense quickly. The truth was, that Issei really enjoyed the peaceful isolation the island offered, he didn't feel worried that someone would just appear to hurt him.

"No I do! I really like the forest and being so close to the ocean, I just don't want to bother you in your home."

"Then as long as you behave and pull your weight, I have no problem with you staying here for as long as you need."

That had been two weeks ago, and since then it seemed to her that Issei was trying his best to befriend his host, while not overstepping some sort of boundaries that he perceived to be there. He would still look nervous around her, and didn't speak to her much, but she supposed it was a step in the right direction.

It honestly frightened her how quickly she had gotten accustomed to the boy being around her, in her home no less, but she put her faith in Gaia's trust of the boy. And he'd been anything but a burden or concern so far.

As the days progressed, she spotted Issei glancing at her when he thought she wouldn't notice. But being a Goddess renowned for hunting prowess, there was little that happened around her that passed her by.

They were just curious glances when she would be doing things, Whether it be tending to her bow, sharpening a knife, preparing food to bring while hunting, to reading a book with a glass of her favorite wine.

She asked Gaia about it one night after he'd gone to bed, and the Earth Goddess had confirmed her own thoughts about the situation.

"He's curious about you. He's lived in the suburbs of a major city his whole life until now, so seeing you prepare for your hunts and coming back with meat is a new thing for him."

Gaia's eyes seemed to lose focus as she lost herself in thought for a moment before a smile overtook her face.

"Would you mind helping me with some of his training? It'll help you two get to know each other better."

Her instinctual distrust flared for a brief moment, but pushed it down and tried her best to keep it hidden. She leaned into the back of her chair, swirling the rather large glass of wine in her hand, thinking the proposition over carefully.

How could a hunter help train a dragon?

"Help how exactly?" Try as she might, she couldn't keep her voice from showing just a bit of unease.

Gaia's green eyes softened, it was impossible to miss how hard Artemis was fighting the urge to just flatly refuse.

"Come to the clearing with us tomorrow, with your hunting knife and bow, I have an idea to help Issei along with his abilities. With any luck, he might be able to use a skill that his father helped develop."

-LineBreak-

Artemis walked into the clearing in the forest after following waves of heat and the presence of holy energy she felt. Walking passed the last line of trees, standing in the center of the small field were Gaia and Issei.

Gaia stood a good ten feet to his right, one arm across her midsection, holding the other where the hand was against the underside of her chin. She watched as parts of Issei's body seemed to spontaneously combust in a golden white flame.

The intense heat would produce a hot wind that blew her blue hair wildly in its unrestrained state, but it didn't seem to bother either of them. Artemis understood why it didn't bother Issei, as a dragon, fire would have a much harder time effecting him…Let alone fire that came from his own body.

She assumed that being the embodiment of the very planet she walked on gave her a natural resistance to its elements, heat included.

"Ok, that's enough for now Ise." Gaia said as her hands dropped to her side, and she approached the boy.

Issei leaned forward with his hands on his knees as he panted, trying to catch his breath. Sweat covering his body from the strain of trying to bring out his flame as long as possible. He felt the hand of his Godmother rub his back soothingly, he looked over and gave a radiant smile in thanks which she returned.

"how'd I do this time?" Issei asked once he had enough air in his lungs.

"I think today we can try what we talked about the other night."

Gaia shifted her gaze over to Artemis, who she felt approaching through the clearing, and straightened her posture to face the huntress.

Artemis walked through the clearing, feeling the heat still permeating through the air, which was getting hotter the closer she got to the two in front of her. If she were to try and put it into more comparable terms, it felt like she was walking through the desert in the heat of the day, only without the lack of moisture in the air. With the ocean so close by, moisture was something there was no lack of.

Once she was about a dozen feet from Gaia and Issei, the heat had progressed to the point it felt as if she were standing in front of large bonfire. She stopped where they could both see her, shifting the bow and quiver slung over her right shoulder.

"So…what am I supposed to do?" Artemis asked.

Gaia gave Artemis her full attention for the moment, seeing that she had brought what was suggested. The bow and quiver were not her usual magically enhanced hunting ones, these were of an ordinary make, exactly what she was hoping for. The hunting knife was in a sheath that was strapped to her left thigh.

The green tunic she wore was perfect for camouflage in the branches of the trees in the area. The Huntress' silver hair would be a detriment to the idea of not being seen, but Gaia knew that Artemis used suggestion wards that would blend her into whatever scenery she was currently in.

"For now…could you just hold your bow in a firing stance, then we'll be helping Issei to replicate it."

Artemis looked confused at the reason for what Gaia was having her do, but would follow the request nonetheless.

When her stance was ready, and arrow knocked and pulled at the ready, back straight and arms tight with the tension from the bow, Artemis locked her eyes on a tree in the distance at the other side of the clearing.

Gaia saw Artemis was in her stance, and touched Issei on the shoulder, who was watching with rapt attention on the silver haired woman. When the hand was placed on his shoulder, he looked over to his Godmother who smiled at him.

"Okay Issei, lets see if this helps you get better control."

Looking a little apprehensive, he still nodded his agreement and took a deep breath before standing just out of arms reach to the left of Artemis with Gaia on his left.

"Try and copy her stance. Imagine holding a bow of your own with an arrow pulled back."

Issei glanced to his right at the archer next to him, making mental notes of her body. How her feet were just a bit more then shoulder width apart, back straight, breathing steady and even, eyes locked on her target. Bow in her left hand, the arrow pulled back with her right, her hand close to her face as it held the tension.

As he did the best he could to hold the same position, Gaia whispered for Artemis to let go of her stance and help correct Issei's. As she relaxed, she saw that Issei was completely focused on the task at hand, not noticing that he was being scrutinized to the smallest detail.

Gaia stepped in close to him, just behind his right shoulder, comparing his stance to what Artemis had just done. It was a good first attempt, if a little sloppy, but he was still so very young.

His left arm was holding its place a little too low, his right holding the imaginary arrow too high.

Gaia motioned for Artemis to come over and help reposition him. When her hand went to guide his left arm up a bit he flinched, not expecting any physical contact from the Huntress. He relaxed and followed how her gentle touch was guiding him.

It was a unique experience for Artemis, having been isolated from any children, and especially men for so long. When she touched him, she expected the warmth of his skin, being a dragon and having an eternal fire inside his body warmed his whole body to a higher temperature then most other beings.

What she found different about the contact with Issei was the calmness she felt as she did so. It was almost as if something about him was reaching out to her, washing away any unease she might feel with being so close to him. She there those thoughts out quickly, returning to the task at hand.

After adjusting his stance, Artemis stepped back in line with Gaia to take in the whole picture and see if any other adjustments needed to be made. She nodded to Gaia when she saw that his stance was good for now.

Stepping up to his left shoulder, Gaia explained what the next step of her lesson would be. She wasn't expecting much for his first attempt at this, but any progress would be welcomed.

"Alright Ise. Just like we talked about. Picture the bow in your hand, feel the weight and size of it. Feel the arrow against the string being pulled back."

Issei's eyes were locked on the same tree Artemis had been looking at, when he heard Gaia's request he made no movements to acknowledge her. His eyes took on a glazed look as he focused inward, trying to draw up his power the way he'd been told before.

Gaia watched her Godson closely, and could feel the stirring of his power. Stepping back to watch to give any corrections, Artemis leaned over and talked quietly so as to not disturb the concentration of the dragon boy.

"What are you having him do?"

Gaia spoke in the same quiet tone, answering Artemis.

"You're familiar with how Angels and the fallen use light in the form of spears and swords yes?"

When Artemis nodded, Gaia continued.

"Issei is having a hard time breathing his fire, but it seems to burst out of almost every other pore of his body. His father was a big help with developing the technique of forming light into spears and swords. With a little direction, I hope Ise will be able to mold his fire in a similar manner. With his interest in you and your archery I thought it might speed things along a bit."

Artemis cocked her head to side a bit, a look of confused contemplation on her face. Shape fire? That sounded a bit far fetched to her. Fire was the more wild of elements, and in a good amount of cases would damage its wielder if not careful, so bending it to ones will sounded like a near impossible task in this instance.

"How is something like that possible, especially with fire and him being so young?"

Gaia already had an answer prepared, expecting almost this exact question to come up. Both of them watched as The space Issei was imagining his bow starting to shimmer, like it was filled with an invisible force. The two of them starting to feel the holy energy radiating out.

"Dragons are extremely magical beings, its a part of what makes them so powerful. Their fire is merely an extension of themselves, it can be molded as they see fit. But Ise having a holy element, has the potential to mold it into light just as the angels do, it'll just take a little practice."

Issei focused as hard as he could on the flame inside him, willing it to appear in his hands in the shape of a bow, he could feel it trying to flow out uncontrolled and quickly reigned it back in before it did. Gaia continued to explain to Artemis.

"Imagine his holy energy as a sound wave. When its in the form of fire, it's like an erratic screech, quickly spiking and falling. Once Ise is able to feel that, and steady it into a more smooth motion, he'll be able to peel away the excess layers. Which will harden into light."

He refocused on the shape rather than the flame materializing, and once it was in the shape he commanded, he'd let it out slowly to keep his control of it. Feeling the holy energy spring out of his hand and start to form the curved shape of the bow, he held it there, testing to see if it would stay there.

After about ten seconds of it not losing shape, he started to ignite a portion of it. The white flame traveled up from the start of the holy energy like a wick for fireworks, sparking into existence with a hiss. Issei almost lost his grip as it passed through his palm, the sensation was like it was tickling him, but he kept a firm hold.

Artemis watched the display In awe. Here was a 7 year old boy, showing elemental manipulation at a level that even some supernatural beings over a century old would have trouble doing. And this was his first attempt!

"….Amazing…" She whispered to herself. But the smile that crossed over Gaia said that she heard it also. Her words only confirmed it.

"Yes. He is."

-LineBreak-

Late in the evening, Artemis changed out of her hunting tunic, and into an ice blue night gown that hung down to her knees.

That training session she'd been a part of today wore her out like few things had in over a dozen years…and she hadn't even really done anything!

Just watching Issei mold his holy flame between a bow, and a copy of her knife after he had the hang of that, and then him bouncing up and down in excitement…was exhausting.

She had been a part of many debates over talent vs practice, and today had pretty much cemented the idea in her mind that, practice may make perfect…But talent makes the time practicing much much shorter.

A smile and a warmth spread over Artemis as she recalled Issei's reaction when he had been able to fire his first fire arrow. It had only traveled about 30 feet before exploding in mid air, but his happiness at even being able to do it was contagious.

After she'd seen how quick Issei was to pick up on something that had been shown to him, she understood a little bit more as to why the church had been trying so hard to acquire him. But that didn't make the murder of his parents and kidnap attempt okay in her mind.

Maybe….Maybe she could ask Gabriel about the next time they were together.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Artemis jumped back at the sudden knock on her door. Placing her hand over her chest, breathing deep and quick she tried to slow her now pounding heart.

Taking one last deep breath to calm herself, Artemis checked to make sure she was presentable, even if she already knew that it was Gaia at the door.

She took the few steps to the door, and opened it to see Gaia who was clearly having an internal struggle, based on the scrunched and conflicted look on her face. When Gaia made eye contact with Artemis, the earth Goddess almost had a pained look in her eyes. Artemis stepped to the side and welcomed her in.

Artemis sat on the chair of her vanity, facing Gaia who was sitting on the edge of the white silk sheets of the bed.

Neither had yet to say a word. Artemis because she wanted Gaia to bring up what was bothering her so much.

Gaia sat there, head hung down, her hands wringing themselves together in her lap, trying to come up with the words to speak. She didn't want to do this, but she had to…it had been put off far too long.

Artemis opened her mouth to speak, as the words were about leave her lips, Gaia spoke quietly.

"I have to leave….And I can't bring Ise with me."

The Huntress' eyes shot open the size of dinner plates. The initial shock quickly being replaced with questions. Why did she have to leave? Where did she need to go so urgently? Where would that leave Issei?

That last thought brought a spike of wariness through her body, feeling like she had thousands of needles placed into her skin, at the same time her stomach felt like it dropped to the floor.

"…what…?" Was all Artemis managed to say. The wood of the chairs armrests where her hands had gripped themselves to started creaking under the pressure.

Gaia looked up and met Artemis' gaze, that pained look more apparent now. Just as she knew what her words would undoubtedly do to Issei once he was told, Gaia knew that Artemis was still anxious about what her words implied…That Issei and Artemis would left alone for an unspecified length of time.

"I've been gone since Ise was born, my duties as Goddess of the Earth have been put on hold for over 7 years. Recent natural events, and the humans constant prodding into nature has destabilized things to where I can't put it off any longer."

Artemis just sat there, eyes widened, body completely still. she forced her grip to relax off of her chair. While she didn't hate the boy, being alone with him certainly something she felt comfortable with yet. And now here Gaia was, saying there was little choice…Unless she placed him in the same world that was hunting him. And neither of them felt that was an acceptable option.

"When? How long?" Artemis asked. Too many thoughts raced in her head to form full sentences. There was no use in asking where Issei would be… Her island was the safest place for him for now.

Gaia got off the bed and knelt in front of Artemis, taking her hands in her own. Artemis felt the cold sweat of Gaia's hands. Felt the unease of her decision through the slight shake in them. This was the farthest thing from what she wanted to be doing, but the health of the planet necessitated it.

"Artemis…I'm sorry for putting you in this position. I brought him here without consent from you. Forced our stay on you. I know your worried about being here with Ise alone. If there was a way that I could bring him with me…or stay with him, i'd do it in a heartbeat. Leaving him is the last thing I want…" Gaia's emerald eyes started to water as tears built in the corners. "..But…I don't have a choice.."

Gaia swallowed the lump in her throat to keep herself from crying. She didn't have a lot of time before she needed to leave, and knew that before she did…Artemis needed to know the full scale of why her Godson was so special. What made his mere existence a miracle.

"The damage can be fixed…But it'll take years, it escalated faster than I thought possible. If nothing goes wrong while i'm gone, I should be able to return in about 12 or 13 years." Gaia stopped there to let the information sink in, and prepared herself for the probable outburst.

The only reaction that came was a small flinch at how long the Earth Goddess would be absorbed in her work.

Absorbed was a literal wording. Gaia would retreat to the core of the planet, and her consciousness would be putting nature back onto its proper path. Creating and directing hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and wildfires. Spawning new plant life where the old was stripped away, giving the animals the means to feed and create homes of their own.

"I'm not ready for this.." Artemis whispered out, tightening her grip on Gaia's hands.

The Earth Goddess took a sympathetic look, the pain receding just a little. She could hardly argue with that.

"I know…And i'm sorry. But he needs to be kept safe…I need him to be kept safe."

Gaia cleared her throat. Artemis hadn't said yes, but if her answer were no, that would have been clear the moment she said she needed to leave. So she pressed on.

"I told you Ise is a holy dragon, and that's the reason the church wanted him. But that's not the only reason he needs to be hidden away until he can protect himself. Artemis, before I leave…I need to tell you everything about him. I need you to understand what makes Ise so special."

The serious look in Gaia's eyes caught Artemis off guard, whatever it was she about to be told, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it.

-LineBreak-

In the vast field of Issei's dream, he was in dragon form once more, and flying circles around a clearly amused Albion. The Vanishing Dragon was resting on the grass listening to his grandson happily go on and on about his successful attempts at molding his aura into a bow made of holy fire.

"And when the arrow flew, it exploded into this bright light….It was so cool grandpa! I hope I can make light like Aunty Gaia says, that sounds even cooler. And Lady Artemis looked serious and awesome holding the bow!"

Albion chuckled and blew a cloud of smoke at Issei when he was passing by, causing the young dragon to cough and stumble to a rolling stop on the ground. He burst into a loud laugh at the expression on his grandsons face when he propped himself back up and attempted a glare.

"It sounds like your day was filled with excitement, next time you should wake me up so I can watch and help you."

Issei nodded vigorously, his excitement returning full force. With his Grandfather, who was a heavenly dragon helping, he was sure he could accomplish some amazing things.

Albion stood on all four legs, stretching his wings out to their full length, blocking out the sun of Issei's dream with their massive span. He angled his head down to look to Issei.

"Do you want to practice the poison again tonight? Or do you want my help with that aura manipulation you started today?"

Albion watched as the internal debate was quickly thought over and decided. With a flap of his wings to bring himself to stand on his hind legs, Issei closed his eyes and focused on returning to his human form.

He was still slow in the transformation, only because he'd been instructed to take it slow until switching between forms felt like second nature. Once he stood in front of the Vanishing dragon in his small human frame, he smiled.

"I really want to surprise Aunt Gaia and Lady Artemis tomorrow with my bow."

And so with that decided, The dragon duo set off near the edge of some trees for some target practice.

Albion looked to the sky of his grandsons mindscape, and while a dragons face wasn't nearly as expressive as a human, the narrowing of his eyes towards the sky was noticeable.

'It seems the time has finally come. I'm sure it's going to be just as hard for her to say, as it will be for Issei to hear.' Albion thought as he felt the shifting of natures will in the human world.

-LineBreak-

No longer feeling the need to sleep, Artemis returned to her living room, sitting in front of her fireplace.

The bombardment of information confirmed her initial thoughts. She really hadn't wanted to learn all of that. At first she didn't understand what Gaia was getting at, it was just how dragons came to be in existence, but that warning in her gut hadn't lifted for good reason.

The original 5 dragons were known to have been born from the gathering and forming of energy in the universe. What wasn't common knowledge, was what that really entailed.

Just as the dragons were made of a mass of powerful energy, so too was the earth, along with it was Gaia. The position in the universe was a deciding factor in the natural strength and abilities of the individual dragon, depending how much of any particular energy source happened to gather and form together.

The first two, birthed prior to Gaia, were Great Red and Ophis. Their respective powers given from the endless expansion of the universe, and emptiness of its void.

Ddraig and Albion were likewise born around the same time as each other, and like Great Red and Ophis, their powers opposite of each other.

The last of the original dragons for centuries following was Tiamat. And with her, came the knowledge of how connected these dragons were to earth.

Being born in much the same way as Gaia, the original dragons could feel, interpret and given enough practice…Manipulate nature just as the Earth Goddess could.

Tiamat's moniker of Chaos Karma Dragon stemmed from her ability to change the laws of nature around her and her enemy. The other four seemed to be complacent with being able to feel it, preferring to use their other powers.

That had been enough information as it was for Artemis, but Gaia had continued on.

It had been a long ongoing thought of Gaia's, as to whether any offspring would inherit this innate ability from the primordial dragons. But being the only one to know of the dragons connection, she only had herself to rely on. She had approached Albion, who was the only one of the 5 to have had a child at the time, and confirmed her suspicions. The Vanishing Dragons daughter could feel it.

Even after Albion and Ddraig were sealed, Gaia kept in contact with his daughter, becoming close friends. And after centuries of living with her head peaking over her shoulders, she met and had settled down with another dragon, and had a son. Issei.

That final revelation had Artemis' mind spinning, and she felt like she needed a drink. But Gaia was not yet finished.

Gaia had confirmed that Issei could feel nature around him. And having descended from one of the top ten strongest beings in existence, he would grow into power that the world hadn't seen in centuries.

While Gaia would be gone for a dozen years or so, she told Artemis that Ise would be strong enough to defend himself from any non high-tier enemies by the time he was 11 , thanks to a genetic trait of his species. Dragons had a trait that made them mature into what others would consider adults by the time they were hardly teenagers. But afterwards their physical appearance would almost halt once at its prime. This was only ever found because Gaia had witnessed it with Eleanor, Issei's mother.

By the time Issei was 13, he would nearly look 18. And while his power would continue to grow, his physical appearance would nearly halt, he would appear to be in his early 20's for hundreds of years.

Gaia had taken a moment to collect herself before giving the last bit of information.

With the biblical god dead, his system wouldn't with the same efficiency, and so some bugs were bound to appear. And that bug appeared with the current White Dragon Emperor being a full-blooded dragon. A miracle of an existence if there ever was one.

Gaia only had one more thing to say before walking up to talk to Issei.

"Artemis… I would love Ise just for being the pure-hearted boy he is. But being able to feel him through our connection to the world…Words don't do it justice. I know you've had more than your fair share of bad experiences with men. But, if you let Ise in, I guarantee you won't regret it."

And with that she walked away towards the staircase, leaving a mentally worn out Artemis, towards what would be one of the hardest conversations she'd ever have.

-LineBreak-

The atmosphere of the bright white and gold office in the 6th level of heaven, was dimmed by the melancholy written over the face of the ArchAngel Michael.

A report that he had been greatly awaiting, finally came, but it was not what he was hoping to read.

The contact of exorcist Toji Shidou, Ren Hyoudou, in regards to the Holy Sword Project, met church officials with hostile action. The prospective candidate, Issei Hyoudou, fled the scene with an unknown robed woman after the altercation.

Issei Hyoudou's current whereabouts are unknown. Ren and Eleanor Hyoudou were killed during the fight along with the church members who involved in the incident.

The multi-page report was summed up by the short paragraph at the bottom that the cardinal priest Vasco Strada had written out.

The report shocked and saddened the leader of heaven. Just a short while prior, the exorcist Toji Shidou had boasted the peaceful and open minded nature of the dragon family in human form. Instead of just flatly refusing to help with heavens mission, he had offered himself instead. Michael knew that it was a long shot to get the dragons help in the form of their son, but had faith in Toji's judgement of their character.

This new report however, didn't seem to match up to how they had been described at all. The way the report was written, it appeared as though the dragons attacked for merely being nearby.

What troubled Michael, was what would happen with the boy now. Without proper guidance, and considering the loss of his family, this could very well lead to to a transition into an evil dragon. And with him wielding an element of holy nature, could bring a restart to the great war if pushed too far.

KNOCK KNOCK

The two knocks were followed by the door opening, Michael shifted his eyes from the report up to who had entered. His face regaining its smile at seeing his sister and fellow seraph.

"Hello Gabriel, good timing."

The tall blonde woman tilted her head towards her brother. She'd only come to talk to him about the shift in natural phenomenon in the Aegean Sea.

"Did you need to speak with me?" Gabriel asked.

Stacking the pages of the report and placing them down on his desk, Michael nodded.

"Yes. Tell me sister, are you still friends with Artemis? We may be in need of her help in the coming years."

-LineBreak-

In the Yokai capital of Kyoto, upon a large decorated chair, sat a beautiful woman with golden hair and eyes. Her gaze was looking up, like she was peering through the ceiling and into the sky. She'd been looking in the same direction for a few minutes when a guard finally approached and asked her what was wrong.

Looking down towards the eagle headed man in front of her, her eyes glistened as the pain and regret flowed into her through all nearby natural sources. It was almost as if Nature itself was mourning.

"It feels like….Nature…Is crying."

END

I'm debating whether to skip Gaia and Issei's talk and just recap it next chapter, or to show it.

I wanted to try something a little different with the dragons in this one.

As for the whole looking 18 at age 13, I want Issei and Artemis to spend time together without her seeing him as a child for too long, it'll be easier to develop a relationship between them that way.