I do not own Highschool DxD or Magic: The Gathering. Highschool DxD and Magic: The Gathering are owned by Ichiei Ishibumi and Wizards of the Coast respectively.

[Ddraig talking]

[Ddraig thinking]

Mental Communication

"Regular Dialogue"

Attacks/Spells

How did this happen? Issei thought as he stood at the opening of Irina and Asia's room. He had gone home after getting lunch with the fallen he had met. A rather questionable decision as Ddraig had put it. Now, Irina had been attacked and the Devil had brought her back to their house. Of course, she wasn't injured but he suspected that they used a healing spell on her to make sure that any external injuries had been removed.

How did he know she was attacked and the wounds were healed to make it seem like she just passed out? It was rather easy for him to detect. Even if they tried to heal her, they would never assume that he could still sense minute traces of energy within her body. Of course, he would never say that at all.

Sighing, Issei walked to his room and shut the door, leaning against the wall and sliding to the floor feeling abject guilt of not being able to prevent something that he could have easily done so.

"How did this happen Ddraig?" Issei asked.

[You became too lax. Did you forget why we're here? Or what's happening out there? Did meeting your family again soften you to the point where you stuck your head in the sand and forget that this world has monsters too?] Ddraig asked, scolding Issei on his inability to act.

Issei remained silent.

[Just because you managed to restore your mana doesn't mean that you can let your guard down. This might be your plane of origin but it is as alien to you as going to a new plane out there. And don't forget… Nicol Bolas is still out there. Members of the Gatewatch are scattered all over the Multiverse and here, well, there are beings here that you need to watch out for as well as you do on every other world. Don't let yourself relax for even a second because like it or not…] Ddraig said.

"I'm technically at war, yeah," Issei said.

[...] Ddraig silently agreed.

Issei sighed and got up. Ddraig was right. He was always right. Ever since he got here, even after restoring his mana, Issei had let himself get caught up in the idyllic life that his birth family had led. Perhaps it was some sort of childhood longing of his to be able to spend time with his mother and father that made him like this. But now, his pacifism had gotten someone who he was getting close to hurt. And he couldn't let that happen again. He needed to move… but not before finishing his business here.

[I know that look and I don't like it…] Ddraig said.

"The fact that Irina got attacked and Asia isn't here means one thing. You said that Irina was hiding something right?"

[Yeah… but you said it was stress…]

"Er… that was me in denial I guess… but anyway, don't you think it's strange that Rias brought her here. I remember distinctly that Irina and Asia left with Kaa-san. What was Rias doing in that location?" he asked.

[I mean, she might've just been there by mere coincidence when that happened.] Ddraig said.

"I guess but… I just have this feeling in my gut. I don't know why," he said.

[Why don't we follow them? Odds are… Irina might try to go after the person who took Asia.] Ddraig suggested.

"Yeah, but after this, we're leaving. We've been idle for too long," he said.

Ddraig nodded inside him. Issei walked over to his closet and opened it. He moved several clothes that his parents had gotten him ever since he had gotten back. He looked down to see his gear was still there. Donning it, he decided to climb out his window. He hopped onto the roof and walked over to where Irina's room would be as quietly as he possibly could.

[What are the odds that the devils will sense you?] Ddraig asked.

"If they sensed me, they would have made their move by now…," Issei said as he used silent [Boosts] to enhance his hearing.

Irina sat in her bed, staring at her sheets. Next to her, Rias and Kiseki sat down in chairs, just waiting for her to speak. She had been defeated by a fallen angel with a single pair of wings. She was better than this. But that wasn't what made her mad. What made her mad was that she failed. Failed to protect her even after she had promised Asia that she would be able to protect her.

Gripping her sheets tightly, Irina began to release a slight pressure as a white shroud enveloped her body.

"Damnit! Damnit! DAMNIT!" she said.

"Calm down… being angry isn't going to get you anywhere. You need to look at this situation calmly," Rias said as she leaned back in the chair.

"You expect me to remain calm after what happened? My friend was kidnapped!" Irina yelled.

"Yes, I got that," Rias said. "However, being angry won't get her back."

"...," Irina remained silent after that. She was right. She could only do one thing at this point. Irina removed her sheets and looked down at her abdomen. Rias had wrapped bandages around it to faux an injury. She got up and walked over to her closet.

Irina looked down at a black duffel bag that she never thought she would ever have to use again. She unzipped the duffel and pulled out a gold hilt with blue accents running along the crossguard. Her eyes hovered over a piece of string and decided not to use it. Standing up, Irina turned to Rias.

"I need your help… help me save Asia and in exchange, I'll do anything you want," Irina said.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Except join your peerage," she replied.

Rias sighed in disappointment but… at least the girl was willing to work with her in exchange for the life of her friend.

"We'll discuss terms after we get your friend back but, we need to discuss something. For most of this fight, I will be taking the backseat while you drive this entire operation," Rias said.

"Fine… I understand," Irina said.

"You do?"

"If you were the one who attacked directly, it'll look like a declaration of war from the Devils on the Fallen and you can't have that," she answered, "On the other hand, if I spearhead this assault, it'll look like a rogue exorcist just came in and slaughtered a few fallen."

"R- Right," Rias said.

"So who am I getting to help me with this operation," Irina asked as she fished a few holy hand grenades from her pack.

"My knights and rook will burst through the front with you. My Queen and I will double around and pick off any stragglers to give the appearance that we came to intervene," Rias said.

"Right, let's get going," Irina said, putting on a dark jacket. She placed her hood on and hid her light sword in her sleeve while placing her holy hand grenades inside a small dimensional pocket.

Issei watched from the roof as they walked out of the house. A red flash of light had come from Irina's room a few seconds prior and Rias wasn't there with them. Issei's eyes widened a little when he saw Kiseki walking out of the gate with Irina.

[So our hunch was right after all… the dinner and this incident is confirming that even more…] Ddraig said.

"No time to dwell," Issei said.

"Angelic Gift," Issei said as he flipped his hood on. Two pairs of ethereal white wings sprouted from his shoulder blades as he flew into the night. He kept Kiseki and Irina in his sight as they ran down the street, following them from the air.

[I still can't believe we were right… your sister is a Devil] Ddraig said.

"Yeah…," Issei said as he kept the same altitude. He wondered whatever could have made her make that decision. It wasn't as if she was miserable nor did he ever recall his parents talk about an incident where Kiseki's life was in grave peril.

"Come on we're almost at the…!?" Issei froze when he felt it.

There was no mistaking it. Something incredibly powerful had just entered the town. Its power made the combined might of the Devils and Irina feel like a pebble in a beach. Whatever this thing was… it meant business.

"What do we do?" Issei asked, looking between the direction of the power and Irina and Kiseki.

[I would say go investigate that power but what about your friend?] Ddraig asked.

"...," Issei glanced at Irina who had taken a turn down to the church.

"They'll be fine. This… this needs our attention first. And Irina doesn't really need our help right now since she has backup. Let's go check this out then go back and save them," Issei said.

[Right…] Ddraig said.

"Besides, isn't it a bit odd?"

[Odd how?] he responded.

"Think about it… a massive energy entering Kuoh at a time like this. It seems kind of strange doesn't it?" Issei asked.

[Now that you mention it…]

"You think it wants us to find it?" Issei asked.

[If that's true, it could very well be a trap] he answered.

"... Even still, we've dealt with walking into traps before…," Issei said. "I'll have you on standby just in case…"

[Got it] Ddraig answered.

Issei glanced at his sister and Irina, both of who had disappeared around the corner. He sighed and flapped his wings, taking off in the direction of the source.

Irina and Kiseki slowed to a jog as they neared the church. The two dove behind some bushes, located near the abandoned place of worship as they scouted out the territory of their enemy.

"So what can you do exactly?" Irina asked.

"I can fence and do kendo," Kiseki said.

"No special gear? No special powers?" Irina asked.

"I'll have you know that I was invited because I can use a sword really well," Kiseki said.

"Sword? So I'm guessing that you're her knight right?"

"Yeah," she said. She formed a small red magic circle and summoned a black and red katana.

"Let's wait on the others okay," Irina said.

Asia shivered as she sat on the wooden floor of the abandoned church. Her eyes were red-rimmed from all the crying that she had done. She looked up at the door and wondering what to do now. Ever since Raynare had revealed to Irina that she had gone to them for help, she had been feeling nothing but guilt. Guilt from keeping a secret to the person who had thrown away everything she had ever known to save her. She buried her face in her arms and knees again. Asia had no more tears left to cry. She had to accept her fate. A fate that she had gotten herself into.

"Hey!"

Asia looked up upon hearing a voice.

"Hey, are you okay in there?"

She recognized this voice. An image came to her mind. It was that blonde fallen with the twin tails. Mittelt if she remembered correctly. The only fallen that Asia could tell was not… malicious like Raynare.

"I'm coming in," she said.

Asia scooted back towards the wall as the door opened. The familiar twin tailed, gothic lolita walked into the room, holding a tray with some food. Asia recognized it as fast food. Mittelt placed the tray on the ground and closed the door.

"I thought you were hungry," she said.

"Why are you giving me food?" Asia asked as she gingerly picked up a french fry.

"I just said right?"

"I thought you guys would starve me," Asia said as she placed the fry in her mouth.

"No, well, they probably would. But not me," Mittelt said as she brought her knees up to her chest.

"I see," Asia said as she grabbed the burger.

"Hey, I'm sorry about my kind. I promise we're not all bad. Just some of us… can get lost in our pursuit for what we want," she said.

Asia nodded as she at her food.

"Raynare wasn't always like this you know… but somewhere along the line, she became someone different," Mittelt said.

"I see…," she said.

"Yeah."

A series of loud knocks interrupted their short conversation as Mittelt got up and walked over. She opened the door to see Dohnaseek walking in.

"Ah, I see you got her the food," he said as he closed the door and sat down.

"Wait…," Asia was confused. Why was he also being nice to her?

"Ah, I see that my looks have given you the wrong impression about me. Sorry for the rather frosty intro we had when you first got here," he said.

"Yeah, you told me to shut up when we met her," Mittelt retorted.

"Hey, what you said was really offensive. Have you no pride as a fallen?" Dohnaseek fired back.

"Um, excuse me? Why aren't you two… you know?" Asia said.

Dohnaseek sighed and took off his fedora. He ran a hand through his hair and for the first time, Asia saw his eyes. He looked extremely fatigued. Like his actions had finally caught up with him and began to weigh him down.

"Not all Fallen are like Raynare… some of us just want to be left alone," he said.

"Then why did you…?"

"You've never had affections for anyone have you?" Dohnaseek said.

Asia shook her head. Romance had never been an option for her. She knew of it but she herself was unfamiliar with such a notion. Perhaps because it was so foreign to her. As a nun, Asia had taken vows of celibacy as she had offered herself to Christ. Therefore, she was forbidden to get married nor have sexual relations with another man or woman. And she kept those vows, even to this day.

"Well, the blue haired fallen angel, she's Kalawarner and… I fell in love with her," he said.

Asia didn't need him to go on. She knew what he was going for and she understood… at least, from a bystander's point of view. Love was a beautiful thing to witness. She had witnessed a fair amount of weddings in Italy so she understood on some degree to look for happiness.

"She doesn't… you know," Mittelt said.

He sighed.

"I think I realized that when she agreed to Raynare's plan," he said.

"P- Plan?" Asia asked.

"They plan on ripping out your Sacred Gear," he said.

Mittelt's eyes widened.

"What!? This isn't what we agreed on! We agreed that she worked for us! This is abhorrent even for Raynare!" Mittelt said.

"Well, she said it," Dohnaseek said.

"When's the ceremony?"

"In a few hours… Raynare is preparing for the extraction ritual," he said.

"We need to get you out of here," Mittelt said.

Asia nodded.

"Wait," Dohnaseek said.

"Not now. We need to get her out of here!" Mittelt said.

"Wait… if you're getting her out of here, you'll need a distraction. Wait for five minutes after I leave," Dohnaseek said.

Mittelt nodded and watched as Dohnaseek left the cell.

Irina had been waiting. Well, she and Kiseki had waited no longer than fifteen minutes before Koneko and Kiba had arrived. After a few minutes of discussing how they should go about doing this, they all agreed that a simple frontal attack would have to suffice for now. Kiba and Kiseki would stay hidden while Irina and Koneko spearheaded the front.

"Ready?" Irina asked as she pulled her light sword out other pocket.

The white haired girl nodded as she put her gloves on. Irina pushed the door open to reveal an empty hall. The church looked completely devoid of members. The situation put Irina on edge. Something was off. From her experience, rogue fallen angels usually employ the service of rogue exorcists and no one was here. And she was sure that this was the abandoned church. After all, this was the only abandoned church in town.

Koneko glanced at her and motioned for her to follow. Irina walked in, gripping the hilt of her light sword just in case she needed to activate it at a moment's notice.

"How… despicable," Irina muttered as she observed all of the broken images and statues of faith. To think that the church here had been degraded to such a state. It made her angry.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

The two turned, immediately on guard as they felt powerful killing intent entering the room. A man with white hair and violet-blue eyes walked out from behind one of the pillars. He had a sadistic grin on his face. He wore the vestments of a priest which made Irina sick to the core. The fact that someone who gave off such a vile aura was wearing something meant to be sacred in her faith.

"Two devil scum walking into the church?" the man said as he grinned.

Koneko remained quiet as Irina narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not a devil," she said.

"Oh? That would explain why you feel so human and why you're holding a light sword," he said.

"Wait a minute," Irina said as she looked at him closely. She had seen his face in the Black Book issued by the Church and Heaven.

"Hmmm?" Freed tilted his head like a child.

"You're Freed Sellzen. Wanted by the Church and Heaven on fifteen accounts of murder and seven accounts of rape. You have a large bounty on your head and a kill on sight order," Irina said, igniting her light sword.

"Hahaha! I'm famous? Hah! Well then, I assume you're here to take me in? Well then, fat chance bitch!" Freed said. Within a few seconds, Freed had crossed the distance between him and Irina and swung his own light sword at her.

Irina's eyes widened as she was barely able to raise her own blade and block the attack. She pushed back as hard as she could but Freed wouldn't budge.

"Oh? You're not so bad?" he said, licking his lips. Irina shivered before moving her neck as Freed fired his gun. She rammed her foot into his gut kicking him back.

"I don't think Kiseki and Yuuto need to wait outside anymore," Irina said.

"Already ahead of you."

A near imperceivable blur rushed past Irina and appeared in front of Freed. The priest was barely able to see him as he was launched back from blocking the attack. As he flew towards the wall, another person appeared above him and he was once again thrown into the ground from the force of blocking the blow.

"Kiseki! Kiba-san!" Irina said.

Koneko nodded at them as they landed in front of the two.

"Sorry it took so long," Kiba said.

"More of you shitty devils? And working with a human too?" Freed said as he got up.

"Where's Asia?" Irina said.

"Who?" he asked.

"Stop playing dumb! I know your leader has her!" Irina yelled.

"Oh! The witch bitch that got seduced by a devil and got banished from the church… yeah, she's in a ritual room underneath this altar behind me," Freed said, leaning on the altar.

"Tch!" Irina gripped her sword tightly and the battle continued.

Raynare bit her finger. That bitch. Just because she was his daughter, she thought that she could take what was rightfully hers? Dohnaseek and Kalawarner stood off to the side as she paced back and forth across the altar.

"Damnit… you two! Find the nun and bring her to me! And if you find Mittelt, kill her," Raynare said.

"Of course," Kalawarner said.

Dohnaseek nodded, tipping his hat. He was prepared for this. He needed to keep Kalawarner distracted long enough for Mittelt and Asia to get away. Even if he had to… kill her, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. He hoped that she would see how insane Raynare was becoming.

"Come on!" Mittelt said as she and Asia burst through the backdoor. She had several cuts on her and her hands were covered in blood. Not hers of course. She had to kill several stray exorcists just to get out. As the two ran through the woods, a red magic circle appeared in front of them.

"What do we have here?"

Mittelt narrowed her eyes as they appeared.

Damnit, Rias Gremory and her Queen too? She cursed as she summoned a pink light spear and got in front of Asia.

Akeno's fingers crackled with lightning at Mittelt's display of hostility.

"You're not touching her, Princess of the Gremory Clan. Nor are you getting her Sacred Gear," Mittelt said as she stood protectively in front of her.

"You're wrong," Rias said as she raised her palm.

Mittelt's eyes widened when she saw the telltale signs of the Power of Destruction gathering in her hand.

"We're rescuing her from you," she said coldly.

I'm sorry, Father… but I have to release them, Mittelt thought, closing her eyes. As she opened them, Rias and Akeno were blasted back by a tremendous holy aura which began to burn their flesh as Mittelt glowed brightly. Another pair of black wings sprouted from her back as her eyes shifted from blue to violet.

"I'm not letting you take her," Mittelt said as she rose into the air. She raised her hand and several dozen pink light spears appeared behind her.

"Mittelt-san, please stop!" Asia said.

"I'm not going to let them use you like Raynare is planning to! On my honor as the Princess of the Grigori!" Mittelt said.

"Princess of the Grigori," Rias muttered as she powered down.

A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. Princess could mean several things. Either this girl was an idol, a daughter of a Cadre, or the daughter of the Governor General of the Grigori himself. Either way, Rias couldn't risk doing anything to trigger a war between the two factions. While she was confident that they could win, she was not sure that even her brother could mitigate such a loss of life on their sides.

"Akeno, stand down," Rias said.

Akeno looked at her apprehensively and powered down. Mittelt narrowed her eyes, remaining on guard as she hovered in the air.

"Rias-san," Asia said.

"You know them?" Mittelt asked.

"They're friends of my friend," Asia said.

"?" Mittelt looked at her strangely.

"Irina asked us to save you, Asia," Rias said.

"Irina? Where is she?" Asia asked.

"I believe she's currently inside the church fighting to rescue you," Akeno said.

"W- What? We have to go back!" Asia said.

"No," Mittelt said. "I'll go. You go with Gremory and her Queen… as much as I hate to say it."

"But! She's my friend!" Asia argued.

The two went back and forth about who should go and who should stay. Akeno smiled and giggled a little while Rias rubbed her forehead at the debacle. She sighed and spoke up.

"Akeno and I will go in there and find Irina. You, Grigori Princess, I don't trust you but… if you really are helping her like you say, then get her somewhere safe while my Queen and I take care of this dumpster fire," Rias said.

Mittelt looked at her and nodded. Her spears disappeared except for the sole spear in her hand. A few golden magic circles appeared around her and her second pair of wings disappeared.

"Rias-san! If you find her, please help her!" Asia said.

Rias nodded as they walked past the two.

"Wait," Mittelt said.

They stopped and turned back to look at her.

"If you find a fedora-wearing fallen, don't kill him. He helped me get Asia out and he might need some help killing the megalomaniac inside," Mittelt said.

"His name?" Rias asked.

"Dohnaseek," she replied.

"I'll keep that in mind," Rias said as she and Akeno walked into the church.

"Come on," Mittelt said as she grabbed Asia's hand and ran through the woods.

Irina kicked Freed in the face after Kiba had practically nullified his Light Sword. As he had revealed, Kiba had a Sacred Gear that allowed him to manifest demonic swords to use in combat. And the sword he used against Freed, it was called Holy Eraser. A rather terrifying sword in Irina's opinion, capable of nullifying Light Swords.

"Tch… fuck this," Freed said as he shakily got to his feet.

This battle was not going the way he wanted and he did not want to die here nor ever. If he was going to die, he was dying as an old man and to some filthy devil scum and a heretic exorcist.

"And Raynare can go fuck herself! I guess this is where we part ways! I bid thee… adieu!" Freed pulled out a small grenade and threw it on the ground. The grenade exploded in a brilliant flash of white light, blinding everyone in the vicinity.

"Crapbaskets," Kiseki said as she opened her eyes.

"We'll deal with tracking him down later. For now," Kiba glanced at Irina and gestured for her to move towards the altar.

Praying that God would forgive her for her next action, Irina sliced the marble structure apart, rendering it to small pieces. Underneath was a small staircase leading underground. Nodding at each other, the four ran down the stairway.

"Come on, Asia… please be okay," Irina said as she sprinted down the hallway.

"Watch out!" Kiseki jumped in front of her and pulled out her katana, slicing a bullet in half. A hail of bullets flew towards them as Kiseki breathed. In a near instant, Kiseki had cut all the bullets apart at a speed that Irina had a hard time keeping up with.

Kiba shot past her and sliced into one of the rogue priests while Koneko drove her fist into another. The priest punched by Koneko flew into another priest as the two impacted a wall and slid down.

Irina's hair stood on end as she swung her light sword, slicing off the arm of a priest who was attempting to sneak up on her. Kiseki dodged a strike from another rogue priest before slicing upward, gutting him.

"There's no end to them," Irina said as she killed another priest.

"Get down!"

Irina moved as a blue light spear flew from the shadows of the hallway and impaled one of the priests. Irina noted the shock in his eyes as well as his final words.

"You traitor…," he said.

Irina quickly turned to see a man walking from the dark with his hands in his pocket.

"Relax… I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help," he said.

Kiseki got in front of her.

"And why should we believe that?" she asked, never once lowering her katana.

"The girl's name is Asia right?"

Irina's eyes widened a little as she placed a hand on Kiseki's shoulder.

"Where is she?" Irina asked.

"Not here. I have a friend getting her away from here," Dohnaseek said.

"Why would you even think of doing such a thing?" Irina asked.

Kiseki remained silent. She had very little interactions with other supernatural factions so her opinions on Fallen Angels were purely based on what she read and her opinion of them was completely neutral. But that didn't mean she should let her guard down.

"I don't know what they teach devils or in your case, exorcists, but Fallen are not evil. A lot of us fell because of lust. Others fell for power. Others greed. I fell because I fell in love. And now… I'm betraying the person who I fell for because I don't even recognize her anymore. She's planning to follow our leader, Raynare, in her sick attempt to get the attention and affection of the Governor General by killing the Devil Heirs in this town. Now do you get it? Now do you understand how hard this is for me?" he said, looking into Irina's eyes.

She remained silent as she looked back, carefully analyzing his face for any hints of dishonesty. Behind her, Koneko and Kiba remained on guard while Kiseki never let go of her sword.

"If… Asia isn't here anymore, then why are we still here?" Kiba asked.

"Because, even if Asia isn't here, which I doubt," Irina said. "That Fallen Angel he's talking about needs to be stopped. If what he says is true, this will escalate into all out war between the Devils and the Fallen."

Kiba and Koneko grimaced at the thought of war.

"So? Your answer?" Dohnaseek asked.

"I don't trust you but… this scenario calls for a truce. Lead us to her," Irina said.

"Alright," Dohnaseek said. "This way."

"Wait," Irina said, pointing her light sword at the back of his head.

"...," Dohnaseek remained silent as he felt the holy energy radiating off her sword.

"If you make even one false move, I will drive this sword through your skull," she said, revealing a side that she's never shown anyone before.

"Alright… follow me," he said, gulping. Irina nodded as he walked directly behind him while the others followed.

Mittelt and Asia ran. Just how thick was this forest? It was like they were running through a never-ending set of woods. Mittelt felt joy rush through her when she saw the main road. As the two crossed over the shrubbery, Mittelt's body screamed at her to move. She shoved Asia to the side and jumped out of the way as a translucent flaming spear embedded itself into the ground.

Mittelt's eyes widened as she watched the translucent flame begin to consume the grass, breaking it down. Soon after the dirt followed, and then the pebbles. It was as if the flame was consuming and erasing the very notion of dirt from reality.

She looked up to see who threw the spear. A man whose face was hidden by a cloak floated above her. A pair of white angelic wings, as well a set of draconic wings, were on his back. His hand was held out, the air around it warping and bending due to telltale signs of the presence of extreme heat.

But his presence wasn't what she was afraid of. While the man's presence was terrifying, it was nothing to what she felt right now.

Wings blacker than the night sky, as if his twelve wings were torn from the fabric of the blackness of the deep space itself. The way he conducted himself as he crossed his arms, as his purple trench coat fluttered in the night. His violet eyes held two looks. One of amusement and one of disappointment which to her was worse than anger.

Asia looked at her rescuer, who was currently trembling in fear. As she was about to speak, one of the newcomers spoke.

"So this is where you were, little Mii," the man with the black wings said.

"Hello, Father," Mittelt said, finally finding the courage to look up at him.

Sorry for the delayed update. School, Work, and Nursing apps have gotten me swamped so I haven't found much time to write as of late. Updates for my other fics might be delayed as well. Anyway, that was my PSA. As for this chapter, I plan to have Mittelt and Dohnaseek being fleshed out for this story. They'll be Issei's first two companions in this world now that he realizes that he's been too lax. At least, I plan to. Anyway, please drop a review if you come here to read. It really helps me out and see you guys next time!