Fast update because this is meant to be included in the last chapter,

but both got too long

like my wee-wee whenever someone says 'no work tomorrow'

Fates Reforged

[Chapter 9-Extra]

||The Nighttime Traveler||

{Y-your body?!} Ddraig had never been one to panic, or even expected to feel panic. Suffice to say, he didn't like it.

'Just prepare it,' Issei barked as he saw Suzaku sprinting down the hallway, disappearing into the dark.

{Let's not be hasty here, Partner...} The Dragon attempted to reason as the Goddess of the Night had phased through the wooden wall, standing before his host. {...She would've killed you if she wanted to by now.}

'Or she's only here to gloat first. They all do.' Issei scathingly replied. 'I'll stall her. You better be ready.'

"What're you doing here." he demanded, flicking away the cigarette out the window. It automatically combusted into dark flames, as if understanding its presence was no longer needed.

"Evidently taking a closer look…" Nyx hummed, observing him up close, true to her words. "...of where one thread had ended prematurely."

Vague. That meant she had something else. Something that might be of use to him that wasn't going to kill him.

"And why are you taking a closer look?"

"I should be the one asking questions to you, Hyoudou Issei…" Nyx hummed, her voice feminine and sultry, yet promising nothing. "There's a myriad of questions I have for you... What exactly are you; how can your simple existence manage to throw quite a handful of Gods-Primordials included-to fret over..."

The Night giggled, continuing. "That... and how you seem to be well aware of who I am despite this being our first encounter…" she purred, eyes narrowed with interest, "or how come you are the only human on earth whose thread of fate has spliced itself... Have you any idea how time consuming it was to follow where your string leads, only to find it's been cut off?"

He kept his even stare at her. "I'd ask. But then I realize; I don't care."

Nyx laughed, amused, not minding that one Devil who had fled to raise the alarm. "Ah… sarcasm… how original."

"What do you want."

"Oooh~ a demand. How terrifying…" she skimmed around him, almost dancing as she placed a hand on his left arm. "...Ah…the Red Dragon Emperor… No wonder you're so easily incited to anger. Converting emotions into raw power is sort of part of your tricks, no?"

{What do you plan to do, Partner?}

'You told me not to be hasty, so here I am, not being hasty.'

{That doesn't exactly answer the question.}

'Watch her. Determine her motive,' Issei replied, eyeing the Goddess with reasonable caution. 'From what she's said; she's invested and curious about me, but hasn't shown any hostility yet. Although if shit is about to hit the fan, swear that you'll do what I told you to do.'

{But…the consequences…?} Ddraig muttered worriedly. {None of your predecessors have ever sacrificed their entire body. Your body is still weak, Partner. Not only will you lose your body, you might lose your life and—}

'I don't care, Ddraig. Don't try to talk me out. You should understand I don't have any sense you can reason with.'

{...I... understand. You have my word. I'll be with you to the very end.}

'I never doubt you, bud.'

"I'm not playing the guessing game with some God. Spit it out, Nyx."

"Mmm…" Nyx clasped her hands behind her back, staring up at him. She was relatively short for a Goddess. Why? Well, she just liked the way she looked. It ticked off most Gods because she didn't look as flashy like them. "You stirred quite the commotion back then to my siblings...even before you were born. Once my children make mention of their fate; dying in the hands of a human within—what was it again? Several decades? Well they don't matter. I must say it was so… thoroughly entertaining. Watching them scrambling for my daughters and their spindles of threads like dogs scraping for a chunk of meat."

She chuckled lightly. "You've no idea how amusing it is to see them entangle themselves with Strings of Fate. In fact; they might still do, searching for one string and one string only...yours."

So she wasn't the mastermind behind the glitches… Just those paranoid idiots. Good to know. Not that it'd make any difference to his plan.

"It'd be a shame if they had found out I had taken yours all along," she whispered in a sing-song tune, decorating it with a feminine titter in the end. "Well…what's left of it anyway. Eighteen years were written in your thread."

Issei suppressed a smile. He found a use for her. "And? What're you going to do with it?"

"Hmm? Me? What baseless accusation… I've done no such thing. Moreover due to its disappearance. Poof~!" she conjured a tiny explosion of darkness, like a satchel of ink bursting in water. "Because you came here… into this body… three days ago, moving to the fourth if we want to be definite. And you… somehow, forged yourself a new String of Fate that not even my daughters have yet found."

"A human who is capable of truly shaping his own destiny." Her eyes lit up, glowing with a peculiar darkness instead of a glimmer of light. "Tell me. You're not Hyoudou Issei, are you? He's too... unremarkable to be someone that you are."

"What if I'm not."

She smiled. "Then by the rules between the Gods; I'd have to kill you for messing with fate."

"Good. Because I am him."

"Hmm…" She didn't sense a lie. Not because his expressions told her nothing, but because humans radiate sins like a stench. Devils even more so. "Strange…how is that possible? Well. No matter. I still have to kill you, you know."

"Why are you still talking to me," he said plainly. He had long since forgotten the fear of death. His death, at least. If he wasn't afraid of others he cared dying without him, he might have just taken his life and be over with it. A boring Limbo be damned.

"Must everything be so logical to you? Does everything have to have a reason for it to happen?"

He ignored her jibe. "Amusement is a viable reason."

She beamed a smile, thoroughly satisfied she wasn't dealing with a fool. "...Correct~! Ten points for the Dragon. Rules are so… boring. So restrictive. It messes with creativity. And you're the first human to ever go back in time, so… who cares, really. How did you do it? Tell me."

"The name's Issei," he chided. "Don't be rude."

"Oh? And here I thought the egos of remotely gifted humans would be easily stroked by referring to them with their monikers."

"Not everyone's a teenager with affixation to mouthful titles that sound unique and cool."

"Touché," Nyx giggled, tilting her head, causing her uneven bangs to sway. "Some Gods are like that too, you know. They collect titles as if it brings more meaning to their remotely meaningful existence. Childish amusement, I say."

"And you're saying you're not childish."

Nyx gasped. "Oh! How cruel…! Do you judge from appearance as well?"

"Not if it's you."

"So you know me… or rather, knew me…" she muttered thoughtfully, unaware that she was just following the breadcrumbs he intentionally 'unintentionally' dropped. "I had my suspicions earlier, but you did come from the future, did you now?"

"Yeh." Issei wasn't surprised. Nyx wasn't dumb. This Nyx, at least. Ddraig was stunned, however.

"My… and from how far into the future were you?"

"Six years."

"Six years? Hmm. Surprisingly not that distant. What's the cause here? Apocalypse?"

"Not exactly."

"Very well…" she nodded, her eyes trying to dig out a weakness other than his physical prowess. "So your consciousness remains 24?"

"23," he corrected. "Got here before I had my birthday." One day prior, to be exact. Which he'd spend alone anyway, surrounded by lifeless bodies of the monsters who presented themselves to him. Strange how they willingly queued up like pigs to a moving slaughterhouse.

"Tsk, tsk…" she tutted. "And basing from your aggression towards me, I am the reason you came back?"

He gave her a crack of a smile. "Categorically."

"Ooooooh~!" she shuddered, "How mysteriously vague! I love mysterious humans… well, mostly human," she flitted her darkly-shaded eyes at his gentle browns. "A time traveler, even more so… Was I the one who sent you back? Did I get Chronos to do it for me?"

"No, not you."

"Then do tell. Don't torture me with cliffhangers."

He didn't. He wanted to torture her, but perhaps… not this version of her. Not when there was something else he could gain from her other than the sick satisfaction that would surely bring down the wrath of the other Primordials on him a year too soon.

"Ophis and Great Red did."

Nyx hummed in satisfaction, sensing no sinful lies from him so far. "Ah… the Bickering Dragons, of course… The Dream and the Infinite," she scoffed with sardonic laughter. Those two thought the Dimensional Gap was their right to fight, when it was simply the disinterest of her great-uncle which allowed the lizards to prattle about their unimportant squabble.

But they didn't matter to her. They didn't even remotely interest her. A mere blow of a wind compared to this hurricane before her.

"Tell me then, Issei," she whirred, "as a possessor of an artifact rumored able to kill even Gods… did you ever manage to unlock its fullest potential?"

"How exactly do you tell if you've hit the ceiling?" he replied, still sounding flat and unbothered.

"Mmm… Fair point," she nodded. "Let's simplify it then; did you manage to kill a God?"

"I managed."

Nyx shuddered. Her eyes flickered with deep interest. The first human to kill a God... "Oh my… How many?"

"Sadly never enough."

"By the Devouring Void~!" She shuddered again with a stronger excitement, appreciative of his blaise and dry delivery, as if deicide as an act alone was as impactful to him as squashing an insect. "One must wonder what brings the Gods such baleful doom, no?"

"There's a mirror in the bathroom. Down the corridor, on your right," he said blandly, nudging his chin to the right wing where Suzaku disappeared earlier. She was possibly trying to explain things concisely with Rias, where Rias would come up with a strategy before she sent the cavalry.

At that, Nyx made a face and dropped her smile, transparently taken aback. "I…beg your pardon? Spare me your nonsense; are you implying I'm the cause?"

"Have I talked nonsense?" he shot back.

"...Disturbing as it is… you haven't." Nyx narrowed her eyes, and glanced at the wooden floor as she entered self-reflection. "How…peculiar…Me? Preposterous. Impossible. Why would I invoke the anger of a rare source of amusement? Surely I was held hostage… By Great-Uncle? No… he hasn't even moved a finger..."

{...Well?} the Welsh Dragon asked, now with hope and a sense of relief.

Issei had made his decision before Ddraig's inquiry. 'She's different. She'll be of use to me.'

{Hah. Using a Goddess… a Primordial, even... Your guile is almost frightening.}

'I want to take all the credit, Drake, but I've gotta admit we're lucky she's not the senseless type. Or not yet, at least.'

{Perhaps the Gods have unknowingly tampered with their own fate?}

'Hard to tell. For all I know, this Nyx just hasn't gotten to the point of seeing us as a threat. You saw how casual she was.'

Their conversation was put to an end by another query, "Hey, you. What's the reasoning behind my actions?"

"The classic 'they're getting too powerful therefore we must kill them before they kill us' reasoning."

Nyx stared at him in stunned silence, and blinked once as the realization dawned on her; that he wasn't lying.

"...Oh."

Her weak reaction was almost amusing. Almost like she couldn't believe her past-future self for being so brainless.

"Well…? You found me. You can end it before it becomes a problem right now…" but he knew she couldn't. He was just too amusing for her godly amusement to just be written off.

"Primordials are so easily bored, I'm afraid," her sly smile found its way back to her lips, now even reaching her twilight blue eyes, blissfully unaware that she was willingly dancing on the palm of his hand because she thought she was in control of his fate.

Good. Let her confidence build.

"...Never thought I'd be so suicidal, however," she then whispered under her breath, before returning to her smugly-smiling ways. "It would be the simplest method indeed. Erase you now, never to worry about you again… I could even simply reveal you to the others and let them do the dirty work; my hands perfectly clean. But then again, why should I? Why shouldn't I wait and see how many you can bring down? And instead of stopping you, why shouldn't I sit back and enjoy the ride?"

"Because they're your family?"

"Pft— surely you jest," Nyx scoffed, extravagantly waving a dimssing wave. "You must've heard of the Greeks. Those… messed up morons, thinking they can get away with everything just because they have flashy powers..."

"They're your relatives, you know."

"Pah! Does a crocodile care for a gecko?"

'...Nevermind our contingency plan, Ddraig… we'll save it for another day.' Issei smiled inwardly, but smirked on the surface, to imply he was agreeing with her.

"At least tell me you terminated that tasteless rapist who dared to deem himself the strongest just because he could forge thunderstorms."

"Him. His sons. His daughters. His grandchildren." His 'fight' against the entire Mount Olympus' residents took the longest, unsurprisingly, as the Goddess of Wisdom didn't entirely rely on strength alone unlike her brutish brother, namely Ares. Tactics, however, failed to matter when Issei had Ajuka on his side to dismantle her schemes, picking the most vulnerable spot, and sent Vali there to cause the most destruction and gather the Olympians' attention while Issei headed straight to their brain.

Once Athena was swiftly dealt with, he just had to finish off the stragglers. And obviously the Gods Vali spared.

"Excellent," Nyx grinned. "Remind me to prepare a feast and a comfortable chair when that moment comes."

Her grin infected him as he saw the opportunity she laid before him. "I'm sensing a deal coming here."

"Dear, dear… Very astute, aren't you?"

"You're mostly to blame for that."

The wind howled as she clicked her tongue, allowing the blocked moonlight to radiate the world once again.

"Oh now now, don't you blame me for things done by my, admittedly stupider future self that's now in the past… That won't occur because I refuse to be that senseless."

She might be his great-niece, but Issei had detected her similarities with Chaos. Attempting or even thinking to control Chaos was hopeless, but what of the Night might just be his...

He waited for her to speak, and she continued. "Let's not muddle our future with events in the dead past. Even Gods can learn from their mistakes." That earned her a stink eye. "...Well. Some Gods do." A cynical eyebrow was raised. "...Few? You can't be serious… no one can be that stubborn."

"Gods never change," he corrected her. "They're stubborn like that, I've found. Much effortless to kill them than to responsibly send them into a mental hospital that won't contain them long anyway."

No doubt aided by other Gods or creatures with a common goal.

"Mmmn…" Nyx flitted her eyes down the dark hallway, sensing the approaching band of Devils in the distance, coming from the right wing of the building.

"Very well…" she whirred, her voice husky yet light. "You've convinced me enough and gained my interest to justify sparing your life. Thanks to your bluntness and truth, might I add."

She smiled to herself, smug and proud of her discovery of an interesting specimen and a traveler of time.

"Henceforth I shall keep you hidden away from my more murderous siblings... Truly a shame to simply let you die before you reach your full potential…" she splayed her hand across his yet-to-be-broad chest, running a delicate finger across his neck, and rested on the tip of his hairless chin. "In exchange, you must keep me entertained. Not necessarily everyday since it's impossible even for me… At least once a week. Fail to meet my expectations then… well I suppose dying in my arms won't be the most awful way to die."

"A death threat…" Issei snorted a mocking laughter, shoving her hand away. He could hear the thundering footsteps becoming louder. "You do realize that'll only work on someone who values their life."

That put her slightly off her stride. "Let us not talk falsely now; the hour's getting late. Everyone values their life."

"Yes, let us not talk falsely. We both know you're not offering an offer, Nyx. Only what you are going to do regardless and promote it as though they are part of a lucrative deal."

"My… so you are astute..." she muttered ominously, "very well… You've just turned them into a part of the deal, Hyoudou Issei. Not a very wise move, might I add."

"Is it now?" He twisted a proud smile, a wicked one that renewed her interest like lighting a cigarette, and cupped her chin… and his fingers snaked over, and squeezed her cheeks, digging his fingers into her pearly flesh, his stare boring deep into her very soul as Nyx felt a strange sensation never felt before.

"You don't own me. No one owns me but myself... There's nothing you can hold against me or even interest me the slightest. Not your body, your power, or anything you can think of. Not even sparing my life. The Devils? I barely mean anything to them, but think of using them… any of them against me… or divulge unnecessary information to them... and I'll break my neck quicker than you can wipe the Satans who will come for you."

And kill off any possible amusement she could gain from him. Like she said herself; Gods are so easily bored. Amusement was a rarity - almost a thing worth dying for, for some. Nyx wouldn't consider going that far, but this human was… uniquely interesting, to say the very least. Her great-uncle might actually find interest in him…

Little did she know.

She let out a shaky laughter, trying to sound mocking but instead she sounded like she was scared by the reversal. "You… you'd go that far just to be free? Nonsense, I won't buy into your glib—"

"I didn't travel to the past to be owned by anyone, not even a Primordial," he lowered his eyes, calculatingly eyeing the wavering grin on her mouth as his fingers moved away from her cheeks, in order to run his thumb down her lips. "I won't dance for you, but I'm open to dance with you. Or you can do nothing. Absolutely nothing but sit and watch while I dance with others instead."

"You think a Goddess will agree to such a term?" She cracked an amused smirk, her heart beating faster than it ever had. Hardly contained excitement coursing through her veins.

"No… they pride themselves too much to even consider. But you're a Primordial, aren't you?"

She began to waver. She mustn't lose grip on him. "...No man can control a Deity. Not even men like you."

Issei didn't dither. "There are no other men like me. Only me."

Nyx shivered. Most would see the statement was full of arrogance and nothing but cockiness bred from harsh experiences. But Nyx was able to see through that first layer… And found the statement was also one bred from self-loathing. As if he held deep resentment to what he had become…

And that thrilled her like no other.

Ah… so this was it. This rarest form of excitement, encapsulated into one man trapped in the body of a teenage boy. She could feel it tingling all over her bones, creeping up her skin and tickling her by the ears. As he pressed his fingers harder into her cheeks, she immediately knew he was the one she had been looking for before she even knew she was missing something in her endless life.

And Issei knew. Oh he knew. Knew it all too well that most Gods sought for excitement to spice up their boring unnatural life. It was one of the main reasons why they wanted to fight him or Vali, aside from vengeance and desire to overthrow the severely weakened Three Major Factions.

Vali would spare them so they could get stronger and better and therefore able to fight him again with a decent challenge. But Issei wasn't as interested in fighting meaningless fights just to measure the strength of their dick. If he found it impossible or too time-wasting to break their spirit, he'd end them.

In a way, sparing them from ever feeling such morbid curiosity in the future and then bothering him again. He even justified it as an act of mercy - at least until he no longer felt the need for justifications. He found he worked more effectively and efficiently once reason had been thrown out the window.

A sociopath, some might say, and he knew it was the truth, but cared too little to change his simple ways.

Cared too late to realize even his own wives had grown scared of him. They worried for the monster he had become. Yet they tried to understand him, to save him, or at the very least hide their growing anxiety. But he could see it in their eyes that he was no longer the Issei they loved. Just a person they tolerated.

They never gave up on him, but he never wanted them to even consider giving up in the first place.

He never got to see them as often anyway.

Returning to the past didn't cause him to lose everything.

How could he when everything was already lost?

"...Very well," Nyx whispered, no longer containing her grin. "Take my breath away then, you fool."

The agreement was made just as the Devils approached, and Nyx widened her eyes as he sealed her lips with his, and dipped her body backward, bending her upper body as he took the Night and the Devils by surprise.

"Hyou...dou…?" The worry in Rias' voice trailed off as Suzaku and Akeno slowed down along with her pace. They exchanged wordless confused stares with each other, until they were just standing there, awkwardly and thoroughly befuddled.

He didn't react to their presence, instead deepening the kiss, nibbling her lower lip and sliding his tongue between her lips, prying them forcibly as Nyx's muffled gasp turned into a giggly moan, parting open her mouth and allowing him to do as he wished, and entertain her with his… rather aggressive approach… It did take her breath away quite literally, to say the least.

But the Goddess refused to be dominated in this dance. She refused to be taught. Instead, Nyx reached up and pulled him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him down to her, and the rest of words were lost against her mouth. He didn't kiss her gently, carefully, but he knew it wasn't the boring gentleness or chivalry she wanted. Not the kind of sugary 'first kiss' all girls might have dreamt of.

She knotted her fist in his shirt, pulling him harder against her, and he grasped her hair in response - she could feel his snigger vibrating in her mouth, as if to say her challenge was accepted and met.

"Mmn..." She groaned softly, low in her throat, and then her arms circled him, gathering him against her, where then an awkward cough from a third party gave him a reason to break away from her, leaving her smiling to herself, pressing her fingers against her lips.

"Well…" she muttered, the taste of his tobacco-ridden lips still ripe in her ever-smiling ones. "Not what I meant, but it did entertain me. Fair enough to you."

"Devils," he addressed the Devils with a nod, who had mild red staining their face, still very much maidens to the world of adults where tongue-involving kisses are the tip of the iceberg. "Meet the bane of my existence."

"How do you do," Nyx twirled a smirk-like smile, almost sneering at these lowly beings of Hell undeserving of her presence. Especially when they weren't even dressed for the occasion. Nightgowns? Messy uncombed hair? Please… surely they could do better.

But, she supposed, they were too much in a rush to even bother with their appearance.

"I see you have become acquainted with my saviour when I was but a poor soul, stuck inside a bird who had been thoughtlessly mauled by mean canines…" she pouted sadly, muttering in a whiney voice, naturally resting her back against his chest. "And now my paramour, as you have witnessed."

Issei held his urge to grin. So relieving to know this Goddess knew how to bullshit at least as good as him. Though she might be a thorn on his side… and even mess up his chances to build slowly with the girls… He'll find a way.

They never gave up on him. He'll never give up on them.

"...I uh…" Rias stammered, struggling to get the imagery away from her head. "...Charmed…" she managed, clearing her throat, hoping to rid her obvious astonishment. "W-well, I believe an introduction is in order… I'm Rias Gremory. A Devil Overseer of this town, and these are my Servants… Suzaku and Akeno Himejima. And you are… a Yōkai, perhaps?"

"Mmmn~" Nyx hummed, letting the Devils assume she was confirming them when she was just humming due to her alleviated mood. Someone who could satiate her thirst of thrills… at last.

"Go on," such someone prodded, dastardly pushing her away to stand on her own feet. Shame… She was growing accustomed to his body warmth. She might even consider enabling herself to feel cold just to experience it better.

"Tell them your name."

None could order a Primordial… But for now, she played along.

"Nightingale," she decided, saying the name confidently. And it wasn't a random name without thoughts put into it. It was a bird she had used as her fake backstory after all. "But he calls me Nyx… and perhaps you as well, once I trust you enough… Trusts need a bit of time, no?"

To be continued...

There's a lot of people thinking I'd go the boring route and end Nyx right then and there. Hell naw. She's a fun addition to accompany Issei, adding more to his bullshitery around the Devils. The 'this amused me' kind of Goddess reminiscent of Chaos, who'd probably be sitting in some kind of astral-sized rocking chair, rocking back and forth while sipping some tea made of liquidated neutron stars going 'mm, yes, quite.' in that annoying sophisticated british manner that no normal brits actually speak

Anyway, this chapter's written before I went on a break. Just the author's note that isn't. Otherwise it won't be up this soon.

Still tho. Review goddammit or i'll do nothing