I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*

M for mature topics. No children allowed. *

The Broken Boosted Gear

By Try Another Time

The storm gained strength as the fight raged on. The night sky was illuminated by the lightning storm and the energy that surrounded both adversaries.

A red warrior and a white one clashed against each other with no remorse or care in the world. Once again, the host of the Welsh and Vanishing Dragon fought each other like many times before thus continuing their endless conflict. Ages have come and gone as the fight between rivals continued to repeat itself with no definitive winner.

Both dragons trying to outmatch each other without regard to the damage and the destruction they created due to their fights.

"Albion!" Screams the host of Ddraig. The red armor warrior, driven mad by his own desire to defeat the white armored warrior, continues to fight his opponent while wielding a greatsword.

"Ddraig!" Screams the host of Albion finding himself in the same situation. The white armored warrior held a spear as he clashed against his opponent.

Both opponents continued to fight within this violent and harsh storm without caring about their own lives. Their bodies push to their limits and their minds beyond salvation.

The rivals continue to clash time and time again as their sacred gears powered their bodies up.

"BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!" The voice coming out of the Boosted gear continued to repeat.

"DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE! DIVIDE!" Said the voice coming out of the Divine Dividing gear.

Blood dripped from the armors as the fight raged on while deep within the boosted gear, Ddraig felt the pain of his host. How many times had he repeated the same scenario alongside Albion? How many hosts had been driven mad by the gears and their powers? Ddraig had lost count after so many centuries of endless battles without an actual winner. No matter how strong the host was, no matter the armies they dragged into their conflict, no matter the tools and strategies they used against each other, the fight always led to the same end.

Nobody truly won. They always ended with their hosts killing each other and nobody coming out alive at the end. Although Belzard, one of his previous hosts, had survived two fights against different White Dragon Emperors he had lost himself in the end. He had become a husk of his former self in the end.

"This has become meaningless." Ddraig thought as he tried to communicate with his host. "Mikhail?" Ddraig's voice tried to reach his partner but Mikhail didn't reply back. "Even you are gone. It Is funny. You promised to go back to her after this fight and here you are. Lost to the desire of defeating Albion and we haven't even used the Juggernaut Drive."

Ddraig looks through the eyes of Mikhail and sees the state of the current White Dragon Emperor. The armor was severely damaged and the amount of blood dripping from it was insane.

"He must be gone like Mikhail. Albion, I think I'm done with this. I know that there is only one way to stop this." Ddraig stops powering the body of his partner which leaves the current Red Dragon Emperor defenseless.

The White Dragon Emperor sees this as a chance and uses Compression Divider to eliminate his adversary.

Ddraig feels all the pain his host is feeling. "I'm sorry, partner. This will be our last dance. I pray that the person that comes after can choose a different path than this nightmare that I created for myself."

As the attack of the White Dragon Emperor continues to erase the body of the current wielder of the boosted gear something happens. Such an amount of power and the lack of defense leads to an unexpected effect on the sacred gear. The attack begins to affect the gear, something which had never happened before. As the body of the current Red Dragon Emperor is erased from existence, the jewel of the boosted gear cracks but this time the damage is not something physical.

Without realizing what he has done, Albion and his current host had set a chain of events into motion that will change the future of many people.

The beginning of a different path had begun.

Many years after, the present era.

A young child by the name of Issei Hyoudou began to wake up from his dream feeling completely drained. The child grabs his head as he tried to understand what was happening to him.

He was only six years old, but he was having these weird dreams. Dreams of what seemed to be the past. Wars, fights, and places he had never visited continue to consume his nights.

His parents had taken him to doctors and psychologists to figure out what was happening to their child, but nobody was able to give them an answer. His parents began to be affected by the lack of answers, and they even discussed the possibility of a possible possession. The heavy amounts of money they wasted on medicine and treatments didn't help to improve their lives.

All of this and the stress that his condition caused to his parents led to the child deciding to hide his dreams for the sake of his family. He began to lie about them and created a fake mask with which to hide his fears. He didn't want to see them sad, and he didn't want to hear them fighting anymore; he just wanted them to be happy, so he decided to hide everything.

He began to smile and laugh more for them while actually feeling sad. He even went as far as lying to his friend Irina just to make sure that nobody would know what was really happening to him.

Issei got up from his bed and approached his mirror. While other people would probably see their reflection in a mirror, Issei could only see a giant red reptile with wings sleeping. It wasn't always like this but since the past week, he couldn't see his own reflection anymore. He was scared and he wanted to cry but he feared what his problems could do to his family once more. "I need to be strong. This is just my imagination. This is not real."

The boy tried closing his eyes and denying what was in front of him but once he looked in the mirror again, he continued to see the same dragon. The same sleeping behemoth that continues to sleep deep within him without anyone knowing.

"No, please stop this. I don't want this." Issei said as tears began to appear.

Issei continues to sob while making sure that he wasn't heard by his parents. He was losing his sanity, but he couldn't let it be seen by those around him.

Next day.

Irina walks alongside Issei after school. As his friend, she cares about him, but she felt that he was hiding things from her. The dark marks below his eyes, his lack of energy, the fake smile, all of these were signs that something was wrong with Issei, but he evaded any questions.

She wanted to help him, but he kept denying his problems and pushing her away, but she wasn't willing to give up. Not on Issei, not on her first and most important friend. She grabs his hand and talks to him. "Issei, let's go to the park."

Issei turns to look at her. "But we have homework, and our parents are waiting for us."

"Just follow me, dummy." Irina begins to drag the boy against his will towards the park.

Issei tries to escape her hold but Irina doesn't let go. She is determined to help him even if she doesn't really know what is happening to him. Issei continues to try to escape from her clutches for several minutes until he just gives up. The lack of sleep wasn't helping his stamina and Irina was always stronger than most children of her age although she was a girl.

Most kids claimed that Irina was a boy due to her tomboyish attitude but Issei knew she wasn't one. Blame the weird dreams that showed him weird things that no child should see or the fact that he had taken baths with her which confirmed the differences between them; he knew that Irina was no boy.

After some time, both arrived at the park and Irina wasted no time dragging him to one of the trees that was the closest to the lake.

"Why are we here?" Issei asks.

"Just keep quiet and trust me." Irina forces him to sit down under the tree before she does the same.

Issei looks at her with curiosity. "Are you going to tell me why we came here now?"

Irina smiles and grabs his head before forcing him to lay down on her legs. "We have been friends since I have been able to remember issei. I don't know what's happening to you, but I want to try to help you. So just close your eyes and rest. Forget about everything and just focus on my voice." Irina starts singing.

Her voice is charming and like a snake charmer, it hypnotizes Issei. The boy slowly closes his eyes and clears his mind. Issei stops thinking about his dreams, his fears disappear and just for that afternoon he feels released from the things that had been invading his mind for many years.

The minutes go by until Irina realizes that Issei has fallen asleep. She stops singing and looks at the boy. "We have been together for many years. You have been my most precious friend. I wish we never separated from each other." Irina approaches his face and gives him a little kiss. This wasn't the first kiss she had given to the boy.

"When you fall in love with someone, a kiss is a way of demonstrating your feelings for that person. That's why I kiss your mom so much." Those were the words of her father when she asked about the continuous kisses between her parents. She was only six years old and didn't fully understand what love meant but she was sure that what she felt for Issei was love. When he was happy, she felt happy. In those moments that she felt sad, he supported her and made her smile once more. She was deeply attached to him and her parents knew it.

Birthdays, holidays, vacations, and everything in between were enjoyed alongside Issei. This was also making it hard for Irina's parents to break the news to her regarding their departure for England. The girl wasn't going to be happy about it and the fact that she was so worried about him wasn't going to make it any easier for them.

But fate has a way of causing events that could lead to separations that nobody could see coming.

Later that day, Issei's home.

"Darling, are you sure we should wait until tomorrow to fix that gas tank?" Ask Issei's mom as she took care of the dishes.

"Dear trust me. I called the company this afternoon. They're going to come tomorrow and check it out. I'm sure that everything is going to be alright. You haven't smelled any more gas since I last checked it out?" Issei's dad replied.

"No, but you never know what could happen." Issei's mom seemed worried about it.

"Dear just trust me this once. The tank is ok. The gas company is going to come tomorrow, and they will take care of it. Don't stress yourself out and let's just enjoy a quiet afternoon together." Issei's dad got up and approached his mother before kissing her.

Issei, who was sitting down on the couch with a book smiled at this. Although he had to endure the constant weird dreams and fears that he had developed, he was happy that his parents were fighting less. Since he stopped talking about them his parents had gone back to their cheerful attitudes and he was fine with it.

He was fine with not knowing what to do to stop the dreams and not knowing how to see his own reflection instead of a sleeping dragon. He was willing to hide all of it for the sake of his happy family. Maybe one day everything was going to stop, and he would be able to go back to normal.

The night progressed with no problems or disturbances. Issei and his parents went to sleep knowing that everything was going to be alright, but fate can be cruel.

While the family slept within their rooms a certain figure entered the home. "So, this is the place the new Red Dragon Emperor has been born." The figure holds some kind of tool on his hand which has allowed him to track a certain sacred gear that he is afraid of for a long time. "Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon, you have been a troublesome piece in the battlefield just like Albion. If I eliminate your current host before he even has the chance to learn how to use you, I'll be saving myself from having to face you in the future." A fireball appears in his right hand. "So please die for the sake of my plans."

Issei's Point of View.

For the child, it was hard to sleep each night but today it felt even harder. He twists and turns within his bed while trying to find a way to relax. His parents were just a few steps away from his room, but he knew they were already deeply asleep. His father had an early workday tomorrow and his mom needed to be awake for the appointment with the gas company.

Issei sat down on his bed and looked through the window like any other night. "Maybe reading the rest of the book might help me to sleep."

The boy got up and walked towards his bookstand, but he stopped in his tracks when a certain smell invaded his nose. "Smoke?" The boy turns his sights towards the door. A dim light was visible under it and not even three seconds passed before the flames started to consume the door. "A fire? But how? Dad said the gas tank was fine!"

Issei backs away from the door as the flames continue to spread.

"Mom! Dad!" Issei began to scream.

"Issei!" The boy was able to hear the voices of his parents.

"Mom! Dad! Save me! There is fire. I can't escape my room." He started to inhale the smoke and breathing became more difficult for him. He started to cough.

"Issei drop down and get closer to the window. You need to escape. We can- "The voice of his dad was cut by the sound of an explosion. The gas tank that was located closer to their room seemed to have exploded due to the fire.

"Dad? Mom? Dad! Mom!" Issei screamed after not being able to hear their voices anymore. The boy drops to the floor and tries to approach the window, but luck didn't seem to be on his side. The flames had spread around the house even more. The flames had even begun to reach his window preventing him from trying to jump away from the fire.

Outside the house.

The being responsible for the fire that was consuming Issei's home watched the carnage from the sky. His dark feathered wings flapped around in joy as he saw what he had done.

"Die, child. Die for the sake of the war that I'm going to start. You and the White Dragon Emperor shouldn't even exist. You're monsters that can drastically affect the battlefield and I don't need you interfering in my plans. So just die." The fallen angel said before disappearing with a smile on his face.

He was sure that this was going to be enough to kill the brat and there was no way in hell in which he could activate the sacred gear at this age. All previous holders of the booster gear had shown their powers around the age of 14 at the earliest and Issei was only 6 so he knew there was no way in which the boy could save himself.

But how wrong he was to expect the same situation when he didn't even know what had really happened to the current host of Ddraig.

Deep within Issei.

Ddraig sleeps peacefully without a care in the world like any other time after his host dies. The boosted gear was his container and his prison. His soul couldn't escape from it or that was what he believed.

"I don't wanna die."

Ddraig began to hear a voice.

"Mom, Dad. I need you. I can't escape."

The voice of a child started to disturb his slumber. The screams of the boy began to get louder and clearer as the seconds went by until Ddraig had enough.

The Welsh Dragon opened his eyes and found a massive crack in front of him. "What is this?" Ddraig didn't have a clue of what this meant. The inside of the booster gear was usually an abyss of dark green mist while the gear wasn't awake but now, he found a massive crack of light through which the voice of a child was heard.

The dragon approaches the crack with interest. His soul was drawn into it but before he could move another centimeter something stopped him in his tracks.

Ddraig turned his sight towards his back, and he saw them. The husks of his previous hosts, souls that had been driven mad by his power, and the conflict with Albion. Their hands were like chains attached to his body preventing him from escaping from this place. "All of you are as trapped as me inside of this place. Never knowing the afterlife or what happened to those you left behind. I'm sorry for everything that happened to all of you, but we can't let this opportunity go away. I'll drag you with me if that's what I have to do but we are going there." Ddraig's soul spread his wings and flew into the crack while dragging the husks of his previous partners alongside him.

He didn't know what to expect from this, but he was willing to do what was necessary for an opportunity to escape this prison.

Back in the real world.

Issei laid on the floor of his room. The flames had spread all around and he didn't see any way out of this inferno. The smoke made it hard for him to breathe. The flames continued to get closer to him and the boy started to lose all hope. "Mom, Dad, Irina… I don't want to die."

The boy closes his eyes and awaits his end. No amount of tears was going to save him now and he couldn't lift a single limb. The flames finally reached the boy's body, and he began to feel the insane paint that being burned alive meant. First was his legs and shortly after the rest of his body.

"Make it stop. Please, somebody… make it all stop!" The boy prays for relief and shortly after he begins to feel it.

His chest began to hurt, his heart was beating even faster. His ribs crack and readjust themselves around like many other parts of his body. The boy was forced to stand up while his body was still burning by an unknown force.

"Let's fly away." A voice deep within his mind said.

His eyes changed shape and color. Instead of looking human, they turn into reptilian eyes. A pair of flesh wings grew from his back within seconds.

Before Issei couldn't even understand what was happening to him his mind began to hear the voices of other beings.

"Sleep…... let us take care…. Sleep." The cracked and paranormal voices said in unison.

Issei felt how many hands began to drag him into the depths of his subconscious. The pain began to disappear and the control of his own body was taken away from him. Issei felt unconscious.

With Issei no longer in control, Ddraig assumes full charge of this infantile and broken body. The dragon was used to the pain and he didn't mind the flames that much, but he knew this wasn't a situation in which he could relax.

His wings flapped a few times before he pierced the ceiling of the house and flew as high as this body allowed him to. "This body won't last any longer. Is too weak and my power is too strong for it. I need a place in which I can shred this skin." Ddraig thought before he made a choice.

There was only one place in which nobody could approach him without paying the consequences. Ddraig uses a small amount of his power and opens a small rift in space, allowing him to reach the Dimensional Gap.

"I hope he accepts," Ddraig says as he leaves the human world behind.

Great Red, point of view.

Great red was flying through his vast home until he felt a disturbance. A small number of beings were capable of reaching this place and an even smaller number had the guts to do it willingly. The Dimensional Gap was his territory, and everyone knew the risk that came with crossing into it.

But red knew this presence all too well. A presence he never thought he was going felt in all of his might ever again.

The massive dragon approaches the being that had entered his territory. "Ddraig what are you doing here? No better yet tell me why I can feel all of your power and no seal holding you back. You should be sealed inside the boosted gear."

Ddraig watched the massive dragon in front of him and lowered his head in respect. "Great Red, I don't really have all the answers you are looking for right now, but I need your help. This is an emergency and as you can see my current body won't much longer if I wait. I ask for asylum within your territory until I'm able to shred this skin and made this body into something capable of holding my soul and the one of my current host."

"Current host? Are you telling me you are controlling the body of your current host? This has never happened before. How did this happen?"

"I don't know it myself, but I'll answer your questions as soon as I'm able to change this body. I ask you once more for asylum and in exchange, I'll pay any price you ask for, but I need your protection right now."

Great red sees how Ddraig lowers his head. He knew how prideful he used to be many millennia ago but Ddraig had changed a lot since then. They weren't friends but they weren't enemies either. The dragon showed interest in his fellow dragon's current condition, so he made a choice. "I accept but you better be ready to answer all of my questions and be ready to pay the price for this. Go ahead and do what you have to do. I'll make sure to prevent any harm from coming to you for as long as you need."

"Thank you, Great red," Ddraig says before using his power once again. Green crystals began to form around his body until his whole body was enclosed in a green crystal egg.

Great red looks at the egg and pays attention to the beating heart of the body inside it. "Truly unexpected. I don't think any other version of myself has ever seen something similar within their own timelines and realities. Maybe this can help me in the future, but I can't be watching this egg all of the time." Great Red thinks of how to take care of this for some time until he remembers a certain blue pale dragon who owes him a debt as well.

Great red roars in a certain frequency across all of the dimensional gap which is also heard beyond it.

Meanwhile, Underworld.

A certain pale blue-haired girl was currently drinking tea alongside Ajuka Astaroth. She was wearing a blue navy skirt with a matching jacket and blouse. Her body was capable of capturing the attention of any male but the dangerous aura that usually surrounded her advised them against making any approach. Her deep blue draconic eyes were enough to tell anyone what her identity was.

Her name was Tiamat, and she was one of the five great dragon kings. A being feared and respected all over the underworld and beyond due to her strength.

Before she is able to continue with her tea, Tiamat hears the roar of the apocalypse dragon.

Ajuka looks at her in surprise. "Tiamat was that what I think it was?"

Tiamat gulps and nods. "Yes. That was Great red, and that frequency was just for me. Ajuka I'm sorry but I need to leave. I might be gone for quite some time so look for a temporary replacement for me."

"Understood. Good luck and please make sure you don't ignite his anger. I don't want to go to your funeral." Ajuka says.

"I won't. I'm smart enough to know my limits." Tiamat says before she opens a rift in space and jumps into it.

Ajuka sighs and hopes for the best. He knows that Tiamat owed Great Red a debt even bigger than the one she had with him. Great Red wasn't a being you could easily evade after gaining a debt with him and he had heard the legends of what happened to those who tried to escape from him. "Best of luck my dear friend."

Back with Tiamat.

Tiamat appears before Great Red, but her eyes quickly turn towards the crystal egg next to her. She knew that smell and power all too well, but she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Great Red, how is this possible?"

"I have as many questions as you do. He appeared before me and asked for asylum. He promised answers as soon as the shredding of skin is done. That body was far too weak to endure all of his power."

"You agreed to help him? I'm sorry Great Red but we know you can't trust Ddraig at all. He has yet to pay the debt he owes me. You truly believe that he won't do the same to you?"

Great red laughs. "He knows what I can do to him if he tries to escape or evade his debt with me. I told you before what you should have done with him and that debt. He isn't going to find a replacement for any of the objects he lost during the war so just sign a contract for his life. Once you have that contract, he is as good as yours but let's talk about why asked you to come here. I need you to take care of that egg until he gets out of it."

"What? I can't do that. I despise Ddraig and you know it." Tiamat says before she sees the anger in Great red's eyes.

"You owe a debt to me and this is the way you will pay for it. I saved your life once and now you got to pay that debt. I don't care about your feelings regarding Ddraig, so you better do what I say. I eliminated worlds, nations, and more for debts that weren't paid to me so don't push your luck. Do what I'm asking you and your debt to me is going to be done. So, Tiamat, what is your answer?"

Tiamat gulps and lowers her head. Her instincts were advising her against any actions that could anger Great Red even more. "I accept. I will protect Ddraig's egg until he comes out of it." She transforms into her dragon form and covers the egg with her wings.

"Good, don't leave the dimensional gap without telling me first. I have plans for Ddraig so don't kill him when he comes out." Great Red says before he leaves Tiamat and the egg behind.

Tiamat sighs before turning her eyes towards the egg. "Such a small body for a heavenly dragon. How long is it going to take you? And what sort of thing happened for you to escape from the boosted gear?"

So many questions and no answers until Ddraig exited the egg.

Meanwhile, heaven.

The angels were in chaos trying to figure out how something like this happened. When God created the sacred gears, he also developed a system that would tell the angels all the information regarding the gears.

Now that same system had sounded an alarm across all heaven telling them that something really bad had happened.

"Alert: Boosted gear has been severely damaged. The Signal has been lost. The seal has been broken. Ddraig has been released from his prison."

This one message could lead to a war and the angels didn't know what to do. Nobody was capable of repairing such a complicated item and they didn't even know where he was.

This was just the beginning of their problems.