I do not own highschool dxd

Welp, I'm back, and I'm still going. A bad case of writer's block, procrastination and just being busy with exams and other stuff had led me to put this story on hold. I'm gonna try to finish this story(which for some reason I feel like is gonna be long considering we haven't even gotten to the main plot twist from the original series. I just feel it necessary to build the characters and maybe switch some stuff here and there.) Just as a new warning, something like that break may happen again suddenly(I hate procrastination but I feel like it's necessary). I hope you enjoy.

chuechu

Issei groaned as he stared at his phone. It seemed like he'll never get a break today. One surprise or revelation after another. It was getting real old if you asked him. Without another look, he headed to the factory. Irina tagged along not saying anything. What started off as a normal day could be now marked as the most confusing day of his life yet. Up ahead he could see the factory that loomed over apartments as if they were ant hills. "It sure is gigantic," Issei noted aloud to no one in particular.

"It sure is," Irina agreed quickly. She was just happy that he was talking to her again, even if it was indirect. They entered the building quietly trying not to be heard. A gust of wind hit them as they entered. Vast open nothingness greeted them immediately. The only thing they found was an old staircase that led them down. When they reached the bottom, they were greeted by two more men in dark cloaks.

"We've been waiting for you," the first one spoke.

"It's depressing our boss gave us such an easy task," the other chimed in. "I was hoping to take on Sir Zechs or Michael. I feel quite insulted when my only task is to stop two children." He stepped forward and a dark sphere sprang from his fingertips.

"Great, another magic user," Issei complained aloud. Without responding, the hooded men threw the ball at Issei who barely managed to sidestep it. Irina moved to the left as a sphere went her way. Unfortunately, she dove towards the other hooded men. The man picked her up by her collar and smirked at her partner.

"We got our target, now quickly finish off the straggler. Issei was enraged at this point. Everything that had happened before had nearly broken Issei. A flash appeared before Issei's eyes and then he was knocked unconscious. He appeared in a pitch black room floating around in no particular direction.

'Wait, floating?' Then he looked in front of him, and he saw a pair of red glowing eyes. Issei almost blacked out from the creature standing before him.

"I didn't mean to scare you there young boy," a wise ancient voice bellowed out.

"Who are you?" Issei asked cowering in fear.

"I didn't mean to appear so suddenly. In fact, I wish I could have shown myself gradually to you. However, you have been abruptly been introduced to this world so I have no other choice. I am Ddraig, one of the heavenly dragons in this world. I have resided in your body since you were born." Issei started at him in disbelief. 'This heavenly dragon was inside me,' he thought. He made a mental note to take the next few days to just rest. Seriously, he just wants to rest.

"Why do you show yourself now then?" Issei asked warily.

"As of now, you cannot win a fight against these devils," Ddraig informed.

'Devils?'

"I am here to make you an offer," Ddraig proposed. "In order for me to give you power, sacrifices need to be made. In this case, give me your left hand." Issei wasn't sure what that meant. Did he mean cut it off and hand it to him? Maybe Ddraig will possess his left hand. Either way, Issei didn't like the sound of it. He thought back to Irina being taken. Ivanno stalling the devils so that they could run.

"Alright sure," Issei replied after a slight hesitation. The red eyes disappeared for a moment before reappearing on his left arm. Along with him came a gauntlet.

"This is the boosted gear," Ddraig informed. "It will boost your power when you're in a fight. When your experience grows you'll learn more secrets from the gear." Just like that Issei found himself back to the factory. "Boost" That was the first thing he heard when he reached the factory. The two devils stared back at him with fear in their eyes. Issei was completely confused. They could easily stop him moments ago, but as soon as his gear activated, they seemed to be downright afraid. "Boost" They charged up a pulse of energy and shot it at him. He dodged much quicker than he normally could have. He launched himself forward, tackling one of the dark magic users. His partner tried to pry him off but it was useless. "Boost" He thrashed out at his prey realizing that physical combat was their weakness. After knocking the first unconscious, he turned his attention to his partner. However, he had long since disappeared from the fight after seeing what had just happened. Irina looked in shock from the sidelines and with a tinge of fright.

"You know, this wasn't exactly how the boosted gear was intended to work," Ddraig said after remaining in silence during the slaughter. "You should have activated dragon shot for your main offensive plays opposed to physical combat." Issei stood there, wondering what he had just done. Without thinking, he obliterated to devils as if it was natural to him. He could understand Irina being a bit scared of him in his current state. He himself was a bit wary of his newfound power. He gestured to Irina in silence towards the door at the end of the corridor. They snuck up and opened the door. Ivanno was tied up and gagged in a chair. He had a scar across his face. His head was slung down, and his hands were bleeding. Beside him were devils from earlier.

"You actually came," the first laughed. "Didn't think you had the guts to come. My mistake, you must be stupider than you look." He knocked Ivanno in the back of his head with his hand. His partner stood in front like a bodyguard. Grinning like he just got served a platter of food after not eating for over two days. "Boost" Unlike the last two devils Issei fought, these two didn't care about the new power he gained. 'Time to prove them wrong,' Issei thought. "Dragon shot" It was his first time trying out this attack. Considering what he could do with his bare hands after a boost, this should be easy. An orange ball of fire shot out from his palms directed to the devil in front of him. However, contradictory to what he expected, the shot evaporated once touching him. "What," Issei muttered in disbelief. The man laughed as he looked on at the two confused children.

"A little magic resistance spell goes a long way," He told them. "You kind of need it, if your gonna travel through hell. I suppose I should take the offensive now shouldn't I." Two ghostly black hands shot out and held them against the wall. Issei struggled against them, but couldn't get free. "Now that you're out of the way, lets see you cry as we beat up your friend here." The second devil shot out a black beam of light at Ivanno once he had spoken. A strangled cry came out from the young beaten up boy. His voice hoarse from the many previous cries of pain he let out. Blood trickled down from his lips, adding to the pool beneath him. After all Issei has been through, it wasn't surprising he reached his breaking point. Seeing his friends being taken from him constantly, pulled into a world he was unfamiliar with, and now seeing his friend die before his eyes. A rush of anger surged through him and he yelled, "Balance Breaker" despite not knowing what it was. With his last bit of strength fading away from him, he blacked out.

Issei woke up in an unfamiliar place. He looked around the room. White walls surrounded him along with a blue curtain blocking the entrance. Irina looked down worriedly.

"Where am I?" Issei asked.

"You're at a hospital," Irina responded. She obviously seemed worried, yet there was a hint of fear in her face.

"What happened?" Issei asked. The last thing he remembered was Ivanno getting beaten up. "Where's Ivanno?" He knew he was bombarding Irina with questions, but he needed to know what was going on.

"Ivanno's," Irina started but broke into tears before she could finish. "You went into juggernaut drive and lost control. Juggernaut drive, Issei had never heard it before but he didn't need to. He had a suspicion in what juggernaut drive was. "He's dead," she finally stated. Issei shook his head and a small hoarse laugh crept out of his mouth.

"Dead," he repeated. His hand trembled as he said it. "I killed him didn't I." It wasn't easy, knowing he had just killed a friend. All the other moments that happened before faded away. All the previous things that had made him feel bad didn't seem to matter anymore.

"It wasn't your fault," Irina comforted with a wavering tone. "It was an accident." These words barely made it into Issei's head.

'It seems like nothing I do is right,' he thought. 'Maybe I should correct myself, learn from my mistake.' Never touch balance breaker again. It was a personal rule he created for himself in vain for his mistake that took his friend's life. Never again in the consecutive years will he think about it at all. Never again.