'How is it that I keep getting myself in these situations?' Issei asked himself. He was currently in a booth of a local diner looking at a confused Asia Argento. She was currently staring at a hamburger and fries unsure on how to tackle the meal. Issei, taking the hint, picked up his hamburger and took a bite.

Seeing how Issei eat his, Asia took her very own burger and took a bite for herself. She had a large smile plastered on her face as she took another bite. "It's delicious."

The action brought a smile to Issei's face. Deciding to strike up a conversation, Issei asked her a question. "By the way, why were you at that park?"

Asia seemed taken aback by the question but answered. "Well, I was on my way back from doing grocery shopping and decided to take a break." She said with a sad smile. "Um, then I saw you, so..."

Issei didn't like the look on her face. 'We're supposed to confront that sicko priest today. If I am remembering right, did something happened.' he thought.

[Keep in mind you did not have a Familiar yet, and the Occult Research Club wasn't working directly with the Student Council either.]

'You think us being here changed that or something'

[That could be a possibility, or we just got swept up in the natural order of things.]

'That means our knowledge is good for nothing... Great.' He turned to Asia, her solemn expression pressed on, and he didn't like it. "Asia."

Startled Asia replied. "Uh...Yes."

Raising his fist in the a with an excited smile he said. "Let's play to our hearts' content today!"

Looking shocked for a moment she looked down at her food with a flushed face and returned the smile. "Sure." She said nervously.

Quickly finishing their food, Issei grabbed Asia by the hand, picking up more than his fair share of her grocery bags, and took off to the arcade he and his friends usually frequent. Spending a couple hours there Issei emptied his wallet on the games, both of them seemingly having fun. Asia near the end saw a mouse-like pocket monster in the claw machine. It had yellow fur and had red ears with plus symbols on both of it's cheeks inside red patches and had a companion creature who was similar, but blue features instead of red and minus where the pluses are. She gave Issei a pleading look, and Issei not wanting to disappoint gave it his best shot. After several tries and begging bystanders for money he was able to get the mice for Asia, she gave him the minus one to keep despite his protest.

Returning to the park they met Issei sat down at a bench exhaustion clear on his face. He was still in his school uniform but now wearing the P.E top. He was still feeling the after effects of his 'spar' with Elisabeth. Akeno healed most of the damage he took but not all of it. So when he moved to get comfortable he winced from the pain. Asia noticed and decided to ask. "You're hurt, aren't you." She said, noticing how he was favoring his ribs since they met up.

Issei chuckled trying to dismiss here concern. "It is nothing, I just got into a accident at school. The nurse said I should be fine after resting." But Asia was not buying it.

"Let me take care of it."

"Y-yeah."

Both making sure no one was around, Issei took off his shirt revealing a huge bruise where Elisabeth had kicked him, he had several broken ribs. Asia sat next to him on the bench and started healing his wounds. After she was done she let out a small smile. "There, that wasn't that hard...and if you ever need..." Her face turned a tint of red. "Me again. Don't be a stranger. What are friends for right?!" After she finished Asia noticed the similar change in color, and was overjoyed that he felt the same way.

[Issei, head's up]

"I have been looking all over for you, Asia." Raynare stood in front them arms crossed, taking a moment to admire Issei's shirtless physique.

"Raynare-sama!"

Issei stiffened up and gave Raynare a disapproving look. Only to relax when she winked at him, turning her attention to Asia she spoke again. "You weren't home so I came looking for you."

Asia nervously looked in between the two. When she spoke her voice was small. "I went to buy some food so I can make supper for you as thank you for inviting me into your home. And I lost track of time."

Raynare came up and hugged her. Asia sank into the embrace. "Thank you, but you didn't have to. I wouldn't want you to stay with that idiot of a priest any longer than you had to." She said, pretending to have just seen Issei she made an effort to acknowledge him. "And who is this?"

"This is Issei Hyoudou... The boy that showed me to the church the other day..." Turning to Issei she introduced Raynare. "This is Yuuma Amano. I am going to be living with her from now on."

"It's a pleasure, Hyoudou." Raynare greeted Issei not letting go of Asia.

"Likewise." Issei said with a nod.

"I know, why don't you join us for dinner. I'm sure Asia is willing to make enough for the three of us." Raynare said with an embarrassed Asia nodding in her embrace. Issei apologised and declined. Raynare let go of the young blonde, picking up the grocery bags with Asia picking up the stuffed animal Issei won for her. "Final call, are you sure you don't want to come with."

(...)

"Issei... Issei... Issei, Issei you need to calm down."

Issei opened his eyes to the familiar blues that belong to Sarinna. He was surprised to find the girl had taken on more draconic features. She had a large red horn that parted her side-swept bangs in two, the pupils took a more reptilian shape, and large white feathered and scaled wings fluttered energetically when she saw Issei's eyes open. "Good, you are responsive. I don't know what I would have done if you lost all sense of self." Sarinna said with a hint of panic in her voice. "I know what you saw was horrific, but Asia's not dead yet and she needs you my wielder. You need to calm down, you have use of me if needed."

'Calm down... Do you know what you are asking, how am I supposed to do that? How can I? And what if I don't want to Sarin-'

His thoughts were interrupted by her cupping his cheeks with a determined look on her face, "If you cannot, focus it into your anger. Have you forgotten my dear wielder, I will bear your sins as your shadow. I will support you in all your choices, you are the one who showed me your will to devour your fate. I will be your tool as long as you need me my dear Issei." Sarinna said as she began to tear up. "Your sacrifice has been recognized, so please do not lose yourself, not now not ever again."

(...)

Issei opened his eyes this time back in that oval room, everyone and everything in it was frozen under thick sheets of Ice, he turned his attention to the crucifix, the only thing that isn't covered in ice and the girl on it. The person who called him a friend, a person that he held dear. She was chained to it with a peaceful look on her face. He let out a sharp breath noticing the difference within himself. Issei felt more powerful, he felt as if he had more freedom in his power, he did not feel as restricted as he did before. That's when the memory of the day he regained Kage came to him and Sarinna's words in his dreamscape.

"Whether you want to believe it or not, much of the power you've gained in the last two years has stayed with you, only amplified by your recent change back from being human."

He examined himself again. Much of the changes he went through when he blacked out were still there, but with one thing in particular there was a skeletal mask that covered the bottom half of his face. "What the hell." he commented.

'This my dear wielder is the full extent of our power that you called upon.' Sarinna's voice reverberated in Issei's head. 'My true strength.' Issei then felt the need to reply. 'So, does this mean that this is me at full strength again?' He questioned. 'Not quite, your body as it is can not handle your full power, and remember you had just awakened me Issei. You have not reached the obsolete limit of our power yet, but you still have time until you need it so do not be discouraged. Though I would be remiss to remind you that this power does not exist in this world.'

"Yeah, Yeah. I understand." Issei focused as glowing pale blue eyes shined brighter. The changes his body went through receded. He now held the familiar katana Kage in his right hand and reactivated the Boosted Gear in his left, the quietness of it still bothered him. He turned his attention to one of the frozen hooded figures.

The ice the figure was in broke off and the person looked around letting out a frightened yell. The room around them seemingly to the figure frozen in an instant. "W-W-What is this? Why is this happ-"

The man was stopped as he was in Issei's grasp, Issei lifted the man by his neck choking him in the process. Though he was irreparably angered his face did not show it, in fact his face did not show any emotion at all. After struggling under Issei's touch finally spoke to the man, his voice coming out without anything that revealed his intent. Issei had forgotten in his time here, he was enjoying the feeling of being a version of himself that didn't have to be here in this moment, but all of that was gone now. "I don't care to know what you think you were doing here, but I do have a question for you." The Boosted Gear tightened around the man's neck. "Where. Is. Freed?" Issei loosen his grip letting the man breath and to give the man a chance to speak.

"You daemon! You think that you can coerce me into doing what you want, if it wasn't for Lady Raynelle you would be burning in hell. Creatures li-" The man's speech was once again cut off when Issei tightened his grip on the man's throat slamming him on the ground. Only to have the man's eyes widen when he saw what was behind Issei, large black wings that appeared to be molting the remaining white feathers.

"I think you have been mistaken about something."

"Burnt wings... " The man's tone had all of its bite leave. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Please forgive us. We were lied to. If we had known th-." The pressure on his windpipe grew.

"That doesn't answer my question does it? So let's try that again. Where is Freed?" The question leaves Issei as a growl.

The man gasping now answered Issei weakly. "I-I-I do not know, forgive me."

"You think that I don't know that you are lying. I sense him on you. Out of anyone here you have spent the most time with him." Issei paused. "You can see why I don't believe you right?"

The man struggled under Issei's hold, the tone in his voice nearly a whimper. "Please have mercy, I would never turn a blind eye to a servant of our lord."

Issei pointed at the crucifix, having the man breaking down in tears. "You tortured and crucified one of his followers, someone who was cast aside because she had the power to heal all leaving creatures, is she not a servant of his will." Tossing the man aside he froze him leaving his head, Issei then walked over to one of the sixty kneeling in a similar hood, pointing the blade of Kage at the figure's throat. "Know this their deaths are on your hands." Issei said with a vacant expression, the katana made one swift movement and the man screamed.

The screaming did not stop until the last person. Having had enough the man broke down begging Issei to stop, he knew that pleading for forgiveness was not an option, that this boy wouldn't accept it now if those wings were any sign. He had helped to cause the fall of one of the lord's children and he accepted that, but the person that kneeled next to him and prayed did not need to suffer for his sin. A young girl that he fed Freed's lies, a person that wanted to believe as much as he did that what they were doing was right. He was telling the truth about Freed, but if he can save her from this fate he would take whatever punishment he had coming. "P-Please stop, not her, she has nothing to do with this. I don't know where he is, but I can lead him to you so please, anything but her life I beg of you."

Issei with his sword inches from her heart turned to the man letting out a menacing aura, he had an intrigued look on his face, but Issei had his mind made up. Though he didn't want to, he thought over the man's request. 'Issei I know how this might sound, but leave the girl to me. She can still be of use.' After listening to the woman Issei lay his katana on the ground next to him, he kneeled down next to the hooded girl putting a hand over her hood. The girl then disappeared from sight with Issei looking the man in the eye. "Don't worry, she is safe. Not that I can say the same about you."

"Thank you, thank you so much." The man was relieved, though his fate was still up in the air he had at least saved that girl from paying for his sins. He felt as the ice holding him vanished, taking the first real breath for what seemed like hours, but before he could speak a sharp object pierced the man's chest and made its way through him to exit his spine as soon as he stood. He looked down to the point of impact in shock, he saw that the Boosted Gear had it's knuckles driven into the wound, a pale light shining through the gaps of the knuckles. Issei pulling the offending object out of the man revealed the blade to the Holy Moonlight Sword, an Excalibur created by the church in the hopes of fighting against Devils and Cambion alike. The irony was not lost to him as he dropped to the ground. The sword he had stolen from the church had become his end. Though he couldn't breath and the pain was great, he was at peace for the first time in what felt like hours. He was glad that he had paid greatly for his most recent sins, and he would be now in his god's hand graciously accepting whatever fate he had for him. The last thing he saw was Issei cutting down the nun from the cross. The boy had tears in his eyes, which made the man's guilt spike again. "So you were her guardian... I am so sorry..." the man's voice was barely the level of a whisper. His final thoughts were of the two teens and a prayer directed at them and the girl he would be leaving behind. 'May you find peace and one day may you forgive my sins, for both our sakes.'

Issei was climbing the stairs of the passageway as he carried Asia bridal style when he felt a hand on his cheek. The sudden stop made the girl wince but Issei was crying and she had to comfort him somehow although there wasn't much she could do. 'I wish I would be the one to dry those tears of yours, but I am not the one to do so. At the very least I can help you on your way until we meet again.' she thought to herself. The girl after a few moments of caressing Issei's face lowered her hand giving him a faint smile. "We haven't known each other for long but I had loved my time with you, and..." She choked up at the boy's tears pausing. "Don't cry Issei, I will not say that I am okay with this but we have to believe that it's all part of his plan for us. I for one am glad he let me be with you before I passed." Issei's rugged breaths in between sobs did help. "I am glad that you were my first friend. I know that it may be selfish to ask but I want to see you smile." Her eyes lit up when she saw Issei's smiling face that she returned, as soon as she did, however all light faded from her eyes and her body went limp.

Issei couldn't support her weight anymore let alone his own. Quickly leaving the passageway he put the girl down near the entrance as gently as he could. Tears that he held back so he could smile at her came back. Unbeknownst to him there was an angel watching over him, Issei stiffened as he felt a woman's embrace from behind. The angel buried her face in the crook of the neck of the now kneeling boy. 'I am sorry Issei, I wanted to see the day that you would not feel this much pain, and my selfishness to see you again caused so much more. When I see you next I will make sure that I never leave you.' She thought as Issei felt wetness on his shoulder. He was about to communicate with this person but stopped himself when he heard an unfamiliar voice speak.

"Let's meet again, Issei."

A king without greed is even worse than a figurehead! You said you would martyr yourself for your ideals. In life, you must have been a pure saint. A proud and noble figure, certainly. But who can truly admire the martyr's thorny path? Who dreams of such an ending? A king. The king must be greedier than any other. He must laugh more loudly and rage for longer. He must exemplify the extreme of all things, good and evil. That is why his retainers envy and adore him. And why the flames of aspiration, to be as the king is, can burn within his people. Proud king of chivalry, the righteousness and ideals you bore may indeed have saved your nation once. However, I'm certain you know what became of those who were saved, but left to themselves.