Something I've taken to doing somewhere back in 2017-2018, is recommending music to listen to while reading. It's something I do when I write since music helps get the inspiration going and helps set up the mood. You can ignore it, of course, but it's just something I thought I'd do to help shed some more clarification in the scene's mood.

Chapter 1: Establishing Bonds

Through the years, Issei showed potential, having adequacy in magic and promising physical strength. Though he lacked the ability to assume a dragon form due to his half-human blood, he was allowed greater control over himself due to less feral natures flowing in his blood.

"Hey, Dad?" A 6-year-old Issei was sitting at home with his father at their dining table.

The family lived in a modest home that had two floors and a few guest rooms. His parents had chosen to live in the Human Realm in order to attempt to give their child a safer upbringing, far from open supernatural influences.

"Yes?" Ryuken was reading his newspaper quietly, but he coughed on his coffee, causing him to gag and choke on the hot drink.

"Here, dear." Reiko gave him a small cup of water, to which her husband thanked her quietly.

"I want to make friends but all of the other kids avoid me at school. They say they feel scared around me and that I seem mean. Am I mean?" Issei asked innocently, to which his father made a bothered look. He was bothered by the fact that others would shrink away from his son, despite having no clue about the supernatural.

"No, son. I think you're very nice. I think that you should show them that you mean no harm. If they still don't want to be friends, then you can't force it, otherwise, they wouldn't be true friends to you. Remember son, a true friend is somebody who will help you because they know you and want to. True friends will actually care about you." The boy's father patted his son on the head warmly. Ryuken wasn't sure his son would completely understand him now but he wanted to ensure that his son would learn this lesson, out of fear that misfortune would strike him in the future.

Issei nodded after feeling relief release from his heart.

"Ok, Dad." Issei smiled and sprinted off to go play leaving his father to watch him from afar.

Reiko walked beside her husband and laid her head on his warm shoulder.

"Don't worry, love. I'm pretty sure Issei will understand that life lesson." She sweetly spoke as she kissed her husband's cheek.

Ryuken seemed to muse on a thought and spoke after a long pause.

"I think we should take him to meet old friend of ours. I hear they have a daughter about a year older than our Issei. He should get to know children his age outside of school. Now that Irina-chan left, Issei has very few, if no friends left."

Reiko seemed to agree to the idea, having set off to call their mentioned friend for a visit.

The next day, Issei awoke to bright sunshine and a gentle nudge from his mother.

"Issei, wake up. Today we're going out to have some fun." She smiled down sweetly at her child.

"Really?" Issei shot up with wonder in his eyes.

"Mhm. So come on and get ready. We're leaving in an hour."

Issei jumped out of bed, washed up, and changed and ran downstairs for breakfast.

"Whoa! You're really energetic this morning." Ryuken laughed as he witnessed his son's enthusiasm spike up.

"Mommy said that we're going out to have fun today!" The boy smiled with a large toothy grin

Ryuken nodded in confirmation.

"Uh-huh. That's why you shouldn't use all of your energy now." He ruffled his son's hair as the family gathered together for their morning dining.


With breakfast done, they headed out the door and ventured through Kuoh and arrived at a temple. Going up the stone steps that passed a red Torii Shrine Gate, the Hyoudou Family spotted another couple.

The man looked stern and had short, dark hair with sideburns going down the sides of his face. His stature was tall and mighty, as if he had the force of lightning behind him.

The woman beside him was of great beauty. She had golden eyes, with black hair tied into a ponytail with a purple ribbon. She had an alluring figure and was wearing a shrine maiden's robes. If one person could personify Japan's ideal of beauty, she could.

Strangely, behind her, clinging to her leg, was a young girl, no older than 7. She had violet eyes and long black hair, and was dressed similarly to her mother.

"Hey, Baraqiel, you're looking good. It's been what, 4 years?" Ryuken waved as he and his family stopped in front of the other couple.

The stern man smiled and shook hands with his apparent old friend.

"Yes it has. It's been a long time since we got together. Azazel should be here soon." Baraqiel smiled as he and Ryuken waited for their other friend.

"Oh? I hope he doesn't bring an invention this time. Haha!" Ryuken laughed nervously as he remembered less than savory moments from his past about those inventions.

At this joke, a magic circle appeared on the ground, causing Baraqiel and Ryuken to look at it.

Who else would appear from the magic circle, other than Azazel. He looked like a slightly middle-aged man with a patch of dirty-blonde hair on top of black hair.

"It's rude to speak like that about your old friend, Hyoudou." Azazel smirked.

"It's nice to see you two as well, Shuri and Reiko." Azazel nodded to the shrine maiden next to Baraqiel and Ryuken's wife.

"Oh my, and who is that charming young lady behind you, Azazel?" Shuri looked behind Azazel and noticed a young girl with long silver hair and blue eyes.

Azazel smiled at the girl behind him.

"Come and say hi, Vali." Azazel smiled kindly at the young girl behind him.

Slowly, she stepped out from behind her guardian and introduced herself.

"Hello, I-I'm Vali. Pleased to meet you." Vali bowed courteously.

Shuri and Reiko simply found her unbelievably adorable.

"She's so adorable! Just like our Akeno!" Shuri giggled as she turned to the young girl that stuck close behind her.

Now that she was in front of her parents, she walked shyly in front of everyone and introduced herself.

"I'm Akeno Himejima. I'm honored to meet you." Akeno bowed in a nervous fashion.

"You're right, she's adorable too!" Reiko smiled and waved at Akeno.

"Issei, you should introduce yourself too." Issei's father looked at his son.

Issei walked up and bowed to Akeno and Vali.

"I'm Hyoudou Issei. Pleased to meet you." Issei smiled a toothy grin.

After the three children introduced themselves to each other, they joined their parents as they walked into the bamboo forest that was close by.

"How about you three go play? Just make sure you stay where we can see you and don't wander too far off, okay?" Reiko looked at the three children, who all smiled and sprinted a certain distance from the group of adults.

Looking at their children from a certain distance away, the adults began to engage in conversation.

"So Azazel, does this mean that you settled down?" Ryuken smiled jokingly, though his words unintentionally hit a sore spot for the Governor General of the Fallen Angels.

"That was low and cheap, Ryuken." Azazel muttered in a crestfallen fashion.

"Hahaha! Sorry. But seriously, though. Did you get with someone or did you adopt her?" Ryuken Hyoudou looked at Azazel with a careful glance.

Azazel's face became a bit serious. He turned to his friends and spoke with a tone that he didn't use too often, given his lax attitude.

"First, you have to swear that this stays between us five, ya' hear?" Azazel glanced at everyone with him.

All nodded, disturbed that Azazel would swear them to secrecy before sharing something. It was rare for him to get serious.

"I found her, crying her eyes out while she was alone in a park. I could sense that Vali had Devil blood in her the moment I got close to her. Her magical potential is astronomical and full of talent. When her aura started radiating from her, I instantly knew her lineage." Azazel's eyes seemed to be filled with nostalgia as he started talking again after pausing.

"She's got the blood of Lucifer in her. She's told me bits and pieces of her past, but there isn't much else that she's willing to tell me yet. However, I know one thing: wherever she came from, shouldn't be taking her back." Azazel's mind had mused over whoever was possibly related to her within the Lucifer line.

"So, I chose to adopt her and raise her as my own daughter. That's why I brought her today, to introduce you all to her and to your children." Azazel smiled as he enjoyed the peaceful situation that he had landed himself in.

"That was sweet of you, Azazel." Reiko smiled as she spread the picnic blanket that she had brought.

"For a villain from the Bible, I guess so." Azazel chuckled at the irony of his actions and the background he was given in tales of old.

"Anyways, I think those three are going to get along well. I can already see it." Ryuken spoke as he pictured their children remaining friends into the future.

"Speaking of, I've noticed that all three of them have a bit of supernatural experience." Azazel put his finger and thumb to his chin as he observed their younglings.

"True. Me and Reiko have been teaching our son magic and about our world. He's too young to be learning how to fight and practically use magic. Although…he has accidentally used his fire breath before. There's also something that I've sensed that's…different about him." Ryuken's tone changed to a more curious and ominous one.

"What do you mean?" Baraqiel inquired.

"I mean…it's like there's a Sacred Gear in him. A phenomenal one, at that. I recognize the sensation." Ryuken responded.

"I think he may have obtained it me, given my human heritage." Reiko looked on at her son with somewhat sad eyes.

"The same goes for my daughter. I think Vali has some human blood in her too. I've noticed a dragon's aura around, mostly due to Fafnir recognizing someone of his species. Though, I'm not sure what kind of dragon is sealed in her." Azazel hoped that it wasn't an Evil Dragon.

"Well, well, it looks like we have a lot to teach our children." Shuri chuckled.

"Yeah, I just hope none of our baggage from the past bothers them." Azazel laughed in a melancholy way, with Baraqiel grunting in agreement and Ryuken smiling in conjunction.

"It looks like your daughter is already showings signs of awakening your Holy Lightning, Baraqiel. You've been training her? And you too, Shuri? I think I heard her mention being able to purify spirits." Azazel looked at the Shrine couple, who nodded.

"My family…I wanted to get her ready in case they come knocking at our door again. If something were to happen to us, I want her to be able to survive. Still, she's too young to learn how to fight." Shuri looked down in sadness. Baraqiel put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it soothingly.

"How about this then? We all swear a pact. If something happens to any of us, we do everything we can to help out each other's remaining family." Ryuken suggested with determined vigor.

Nobody objected or questioned the idea, instead, showing instant support to the pact.

"Agreed!" Everyone went.

As if the world were listening, a gentle and calming breeze blew through the landscape, causing the bamboo leaves to fly from their branches gracefully as a sign of the pact being established.

Loud grumbles roared from Ryuken's stomach, causing the man to blush in embarrassment.

"Centuries and you still have that habit, you voracious glutton! Hahaha!" Azazel joked as everyone else joined in.


A certain distance away, within the range of their parent's vision, the three children were playing random games that they were thinking of on the spot.

"Issei! Tag!" Vali sprinted after the young boy and tapped his shoulder.

"No fair! You used Akeno to distract me!" He cried out as Akeno had called to his attention previously.

"Teehee!" Akeno stuck her tongue out with a mischievous smile.

Puffing his cheeks in irritation, Issei jumped over to Akeno and tapped her lightly on the head.

"Tag!" He smiled a toothy grin before running around in a circle.

"Ah! No fair!" Akeno whined.

The game continued into a circle of distractions and jovial complaints as the three solidified their bonds with common ground.

Over time, they had learned of each other's likes and dislikes. The trio seemed to go on for hours, not ever being able to get enough of each other's company. They only paused when the adults called them to eat.

When the day was over, it was clear that the five parents would be getting together much more often so that their children could continue to develop their social skills and so that they could reunite to savor their time together.

As time went by, Ryuken took to training Issei more seriously once he got older. Originally beginning with simple exercises like pushups, jumping-jacks, and running laps, Ryuken started to give Issei weights to lift and martial arts forms to practice. Even swordsmanship was tutored to him.

Reiko had also jumped in and taught Issei magic, specifically elemental magic.

At the age of 8, Issei had begun learning bits and pieces of all that his father knew. In his prime, Ryuken was powerful enough to rival Tiamat, the strongest of the Dragon Kings. Whilst he had become adept at magic, Issei's ability with it wasn't up to par with his physical capabilities.

On a certain day, Ryuken took Issei to the basement of their home and activated a magic circle, transporting his wife, son, and himself to a pocket dimension that was void of much in sight. The sky was light green and shined as if auroras were overlapping each other.

"Issei, today, I'm going to test you. Ever since you turned 8, I've been training you relentlessly. Teaching you martial arts of all types, instructing you with weapons, and helping you strengthen your body to withstand severe punishment, were all skills that you will need in life. Now that you're almost 9, we need to see how far things are going. Your challenge is to land 10 attacks on me. We will begin on your mother's signal." Ryuken then erupted into a red aura.

A dragon's silhouette covered him and his form disappeared and reconstituted itself into that of a dragon's body. When the aura dispersed, Ryuken was no longer human in shape. He had become a hulking red-scaled Asian dragon with glistening claws, razor-sharp teeth, and a bladed tail.

"While you cannot turn into a dragon in form, you still have all of the abilities and traits of one. Therefore, this isn't cheating if you're going to shout that." Ryuken chuckled as Issei was about to complain.

"Alright, get set. Ready. Go!" Reiko fired a starter pistol, prompting Issei to go on guard.

Ryuken dived at Issei with an open maw and breathed a red flame that burned and charred whatever it touched.

Issei had leapt into the air in the nick of time and, despite his senses and mannerisms, punched his father in the neck, causing Ryuken to chuckle.

Noticing the red aura that was left on him, Ryuken knew that Issei had managed to memorize basics..

"Good. Instead of infusing elemental magic into your attacks, you implemented internal energy, in other words, ki or mana, into your strikes. Dragon scales are powerfully resistant to magic and the elements imbued in them. Only strong blows in tandem with magic or pure energy can damage dragon scales." Ryuken recounted a lesson that he had taught his son and went on the attack again.

Spinning in a circle, Ryuken formed a spinning cyclone that knocked Issei into the air with pure wind.

"Agh!" Issei had tried to use the gravity magic that his mother had taught him to stay grounded but his father's might was still too much for his skills.

"What do you do when you get knocked into the air?!" Reiko quizzed her son.

'Try and flow with the wind and regain your posture without using over-forceful movements and then ride the wind.' Issei relaxed his muscles and slowly but effectively stopped himself from being carried off by his father's trick.

Charging his left arm with ki, Issei rushed down from the air and punched his father as hard as he could. Landing a blow right on Ryuken's back, his father actually registered the physical contact.

Leaping off of his back, Issei back-flipped over his father's tail and used it to jump back into the air, with his father's tail as a propellant. Issei posed to strike again with his left arm. Ryuken mused on his observations.

'I knew it. His Sacred Gear's in his left arm. That red aura and green light I saw in my son's aura…It has to be him.' Ryuken had spent the whole match analyzing his son's actions to the smallest detail. He was sure that his wife was thinking the same thing.

Ryuken lunged forward again, but this time at great speeds, Issei was surprised by the sheer amount of shining teeth that threatened to bite him.

Pushing back against his father's maw, Issei struggled to keep it from swallowing him. Pushing back against both jaws of his father, Issei remembered something his father told him in the past.

'When a large enemy is trying to crush you from two sides, make sure to use a technique or your environment to force distance between both sides and then back away.'

Using a powerful blast of energy, Issei fired two red beams from his hands that forced Ryuken to stop pursuing.

Leaping a few meters away, Issei sprinted into a run and jumped, drop-kicking his father in the chest. Again, the attack did nothing to him, yet Ryuken made pleased chuckles. Ryuken smiled at his son's progress in his training.

Deciding that he had to push his son even further, Ryuken charged a large orange orb of energy that made the ground shake. Issei's body began to shake as he felt chills run up his spine.

'WHAT IS THAT DRAGON THINKING?!' Reiko shouted in her mind as she was about to step forward to smack sense into her husband, until she noticed a look in his eye.

'I need to do this. Have faith in us.' Ryuken conveyed those words to her through simple eye-contact.

Though she was reluctant to do so, Reiko relented and returned to her previous position, which was a safe distance from her son and husband.

Firing a gigantic beam of energy from his mouth, Ryuken hoped that he was holding back enough to keep his son from dying. He needed Issei's Sacred Gear to awaken so that he could start training with it.

Issei used whatever magic and energy that he could and formed a barrier that struggled to hold back the energy blast of a Dragon King. Issei was failing miserably and was ready to surrender, until he heard a thought coming from himself.

'What do you need? Ask for it. State it.' Several voices, old and young, men and women, seemed to talk from nowhere, scaring Issei but deep down, he knew that there was something that could grant his need.

"I need power." Issei muttered.

"I need power to prove myself to my mother and father. I need power to make them proud. I need power to protect my family. I need power to protect the people that I love!" Issei's voice grew louder with each sentence.

'Are you scared?' The voices asked.

'…Yes.'

'Then grasp the power to stop it.'

Finally, in a brilliant flash of green light, a red gauntlet materialized around Issei's left forearm. A red, clawed gauntlet with an emerald jewel and 2 yellow spikes, protruding from it, had manifested over Issei's arm, shocking himself and his parents.

However, before Issei could remark anything, he could hear a voice inside coming from his gauntlet. It was echoic and deep, sounding like a male's voice.

"You desired power and now it has been given to you. My name is Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon, and I am one of the Two Heavenly Dragon Emperors. I am the Red Dragon Emperor." The voice rang out, but only Issei could hear it over the noise of combat.

"I don't know what this is, but I know that it's made me stronger though, so here goes." Issei didn't have time to question much. He was still in the thick of battle.

Using whatever energy he had left in him, Issei gathered it into his left arm, forming an astral dragon's head over the red armored gauntlet.

"BOOST!" Ddraig's voice boomed from the gauntlet as the green jewel on the Boosted Gear shined in bright light.

Immediately, he felt a surge of power course through him, boosting the amount of energy he had, which he used to pour into his last-ditch attack.

'That's-?' Ryuken didn't get to finish his thought as Issei punched into his father's gut. While it wasn't enough to do any harm to him, Ryuken felt more damage than he had ever felt from Issei's attacks before.

"That's enough!" Reiko rushed over to her son and husband, who had turned back into human form.

Ryuken merely chuckled and patted his son's head.

"Geez. The both of you got too crazy; look at the damage you did to Issei." Reiko pouted as she used a special brand of healing magic to fix the bruises and scrapes on Issei.

"Son, do you know what that is on your left arm?" Ryuken pointed at the red gauntlet.

Issei had finally took a good long look at his arm and he was honestly shocked. He had never seen something like it before in his life. He didn't even understand how it had just magically appeared there.

"No, I don't. Dad, what is it?" Issei looked at his father urgently.

Ryuken looked quite distressed but at the same time, he seemed intrigued.

"Issei, you still remember what I told you about magic, religions, and Sacred Gears?" Reiko looked at her son, who nodded. Issei had hammered the information into his head, due to his mother's emphasis on memorizing it.

"That's one of them." Ryuken declared.

Issei's eyes slowly bulged out of their sockets.

"WHAT?!" He screamed.

Thankfully no sound could easily escape the basement.

"Indeed. That's also a very special one. It belongs to the Longinus Class." Reiko confirmed Ryuken's revelation.

"IT IS?!" Issei was alarmed that a Longinus was infused into him.

A Longinus Sacred Gear, a Sacred Gear that was capable of killing deities, was implanted into him.

"And can you guess which one?" Ryuken asked.

Taking some time to think about it, he remembered a myth about a particular red gauntlet that doubled the power of its owner every ten seconds.

"The Boosted Gear." Issei declared grimly.

Both of his parents nodded.

"That it is. And if I'm not mistaken, the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig, is sealed into it." Ryuken stared at the jewel on the back of the Issei's hand, expecting the dragon to speak.

"It's been a long time, Ryuken. I'm glad that you're doing well." Ddraig's voice echoed from the emerald gem on the Boosted Gear, which lit up every time Ddraig spoke.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for not making it in time to save you." Ryuken apologized on both knees, alarming Issei.

"Don't worry about it. I don't blame you. I'm actually thankful that the same thing didn't happen to you." Ddraig sounded glad when he spoke.

"Dad, what are you talking about? Is there something about your past that you didn't tell me?" Issei was confused.

Ryuken sighed and decided that he should tell his son of his past now that Issei was host to Ddraig.

"Son, as you know dragons are capable of living long lives that could be counted as being close to immortal. When I was born, the Great War was close to starting. I believe I was birthed around the time that several Angels had fallen from Heaven and descended into Hell. Well, as I was growing up, the fact that dragons could become involved in the Great Biblical War had become a possibility, therefore Dragons had begun to train to become even stronger. I was one of them and my master was none other than, Ddraig, the dragon sealed in your left arm."

Issei was utterly shocked that his father had been living for so long but he stayed silent so that his father could continue speaking. He had also astounded at the fact that the mentor of his father, was inside his red gauntlet.

"I was young at the time that the war started and for reasons that I don't remember why, my master, Ddraig, had started a frenzied battle with his rival, Albion, the Vanishing Dragon." Ryuken recalled the day where he had recalled two forces of white and red clashing violently throughout the realms. It was truly a day of terror that led to a turn of unforeseen events.

"Even though my master and his rival fought, the other dragons didn't get involved, save for me. I had tried to intervene and stop my master and his rival before they destroyed the world but I was too late. The Four Great Satans and the God of the Bible, had destroyed the bodies of my master and Albion. While I tried to plea for them, I was injured in the battle that was taking place and was sent away by my master, saving me from a similar fate." Ryuken's eyes filled with sadness as he recalled his failure to save his mentor.

Reiko rushed to his side and soothingly stroked his back. Ryuken looked at her gratefully as he murmured a small thank of gratitude.

"It was then that I met your mother. A woman cursed to never age or die of natural cause." Ryuken's words had shocked Issei to the very foundation of his core.

"Mom's immortal?" Issei looked at her in disbelief but when he thought about it, his mother had looked the same as years went by.

Reiko shook her head.

"No, Issei. To be genuinely immortal is to be unable to die at all from whatever reason or cause. I'm only ageless and immune to natural causes of death like hunger, but I can still die in other ways. I'm not entirely invulnerable to illness, either." Reiko noted sadly.

"Were you born immortal?" Issei asked with dread.

Reiko shook her head.

"No. I was cursed with it after I had tried to learn time magic. I failed miserably and thus, I was cursed with the backlash of the spells that I tried to master."

"Your mother found me close to death but nursed me back to health. Ever since then, we fell in love after I had been forced to assume a human form." Ryuken smiled as he cuddled closer to his wife.

"A few years after getting married, I had been found by some old enemies, but Azazel and Baraqiel saved me and your mother by chance. During that time, I was still recovering from my wounds. At first, I was apprehensive of them but I learned that they weren't as terrible as they were made out to be. Over time, fate decided to make us run into each other countless times and eventually, we became the best of friends after fighting countless battles to preserve our lives from strays of each Biblical Faction." Ryuken smiled as he recounted the multiple brushes of death that he had alongside the two Fallen Angels.

"That brings us to the Modern Day, after we had you, we settled in Kuoh and have been building a normal life ever since. Due to the dragons remaining neutral during the Great War, they've remained on neutral terms with the Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels." Ryuken ended his story on that note.

"And that explains my past with your mother and the dragon in your arm. Now on to the Boosted Gear. Issei, that gauntlet will allow your power to double every ten seconds until you hit your body's limit. When you've completely mastered it, you will have the power to kill deities if you use it to full potential but I hope it never gets to that point. Remember what I told you, son."

"With great power, never use it foolishly, arrogantly, or selfishly." Issei recounted one of his father's lessons like it was told to him yesterday.

Ryuken nodded and smiled brightly. He was extremely proud of his son's growth and hoped that he would never be forced to fight in the future but if he had to, he knew that Issei would be able to defend himself.


Ever since that day, Issei was trained by his father, Ryuken and Ddraig. If anything, he had been pushed even harder than before. Ddraig had begun to befriend Issei within 2 months, having opted to calling the young dragon-human hybrid, Partner.

Ryuken was making Issei repeat practice with multiple spells and physical attacks and then throwing him into simulations, where he fought enemies of different types and numbers in order to try and ready Issei for whatever dangers would be thrown at him.

It was within Ryuken's knowledge that the wielders of the Boosted Gear attracted friends and foes alike. Trouble was never far behind. Along with that fact, Reiko forced Issei to learn gentlemanly behavior, out of fear that women would flock to him and that he would submit to dark carnal behavior.

One day, Ryuken and Reiko sat down in their backyard, sipping tea and enjoying treats.

"So, I see that you and Ddraig are ramping up his workouts." Reiko sipped her tea.

"Yep. As he grows older, we need to adjust his routines. He's got a Longinus. That's all the world needs to make his life miserable. I never wanted him to have a Sacred Gear. I wanted him to be far and away from the Supernatural Realm. It was such a miserable place to be." Ryuken sighed before looking at his wife.

"And you've also begun teaching him how to treat people right, especially women." He smiled.

"Of course! Have you seen the old Red Dragon Emperors?! They were horny beasts! They thought just because they were strong, they were entitled to men or women! I don't want my son to be a parasite!" Reiko huffed. Come fire or high water, she would make sure her son had a decent conscience.

"That's true. Don't want him running around being an arrogant douche when he grows up." Ryuken couldn't help but laugh his head off at how serious his wife was.

"Not everyone who gets power stays good." Reiko said.

All seemed well and Issei was truly on his way to becoming stronger. News had reached Reiko and Ryuken's ears about a young Devil girl in the Underworld who was touted to being famous one day. They figured their son could match up to her.

Still, Ryuken had failed to help Issei achieve Balance Breaker, which was something that he had desperately hoped Issei would obtain, but the time wasn't right. He knew that an intense situation and emotional state were necessary to unlock it. As much as he was strict, Ryuken loved his son too much to cause him that much turmoil.

As his training continued, so did Issei's friendship with Akeno and Vali. They remained as close as ever but as time went on, the three slowly drifted apart.

The three spent less time together as Vali devoted more focus to her training, Issei focused on his own as well, but balanced it with studies, and Akeno became more social and started making more friends. Still, they contacted each other every weekend and met up once a month.

In rotations, the three would choose a location to visit or an activity to do and they would just spend the day maintaining their care for each other. Unfortunately, tragedy would strike the three and split them up.

Around six months after Issei had obtained the Boosted Gear, Ryuken and Reiko had fallen ill. It was a strange new and unknown disease that nobody had ever heard of. Azazel didn't know what to make of it and he couldn't learn anything from the other factions. He begged, traded, and did favors for anyone who could've helped. It was fruitless. Baraqiel had taken it upon himself to take journeys to different lands to find cures, but none could be found for nothing could be divulged from the sickness that plagued Ryuken and Reiko.

It had been a painful four months for Issei, who was staying with Shuri and Baraqiel. Issei sat in their home, dwelling on his parents whenever he wasn't studying.

"Issei, lunch is ready." Shuri called over to the boy from the Kitchen.

When he didn't respond, she walked over. Akeno hadn't come home from school yet and Baraqiel was still out searching for a cure.

"Issei?" Shuri called him again.

Issei was staring into the distance, his eyes glistening. Shuri sighed, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

She hugged the child. Even though he wasn't her son, she could tell what he was thinking. Perhaps it was just generalized mother's intuition.

"What's wrong, honey?" Shuri asked.

"Nothing." Issei shook his head.

"Issei, it's okay to be honest when we're in pain. It's only going to get worse if we keep it all bottled up. Won't you tell Auntie Shuri what's bothering you?"

It took some time, but Issei finally relented.

"When are my mom and dad going to get better? When'll they come home?"

Shuri didn't want to give him false hope. At this rate, if no one found a cure soon, Azazel suspected that Ryuken and Reiko would die.

"I don't know, son. All we can do is hope that they'll make it through. Your parents are strong and have been through a lot. Let's just wait and see. Let's support them as much as we can and visit as much as we can. I promise, everyone's doing their best." Shuri felt her own heart quiver over their fates. It just didn't look good.

After a total of six excruciating months, Ryuken and Reiko were officially on Death's door. Issei had become inseparable with them at that time. He had stubbornly refused to leave his parents and it became clear that he understood that his parents were running out of time.

(Doctor Who OST – Four Knocks. Play Song.)

In the Grigori's Headquarters, Azazel had two of his best friends put under medical care. Even then, it wasn't enough.

Issei sat between his parents' hospital beds, holding both of their hands in ominous sorrow. When he came here, he already knew what was waiting for him. Yet, everyone had already done their best, to no avail.

Ryuken had lost so much muscle mass and looked paler than a sheet of paper. His cheekbones were becoming apparent and he had sickly patches of purple skin plaguing him. When he coughed, he shook with his entire body.

Reiko was the same as well, except she was even weaker than her husband and would cough and vomit blood at almost random times.

Issei couldn't bear to watch his parents suffer. He prayed to whatever deity would listen to him, begging for the recovery of his beloved parents.

No words from Azazel, Baraqiel, Shuri, Akeno, or even Vali, were enough to console his breaking happiness. He, who was once bright and cheerful, had become a desolate and despairing 9-year-old boy. It broke hearts to watch his smile disappear into thin air.

At their demand, Azazel, Baraqiel, and Shuri went to the sides of their ailing friends.

Ryuken and Reiko spoke to Azazel first.

"Azazel, my old friend, my brother. I'm asking for a lot. I hope that you will take Issei in as your own and help raise him. The boy has no other family left." Ryuken pleaded to Azazel, who was fighting to remain composed.

"Of course, I will, old pal." Azazel sniffled. His hands trembled behind his back.

Ryuken smiled and turned to Baraqiel.

"Baraqiel, I know that what I did sounded unfair but I don't want my son to suffer. I hope that you'll forgive me." Ryuken smiled sadly at the Fallen Angel of Holy Lightning.

Baraqiel shook his head vigorously.

"Of course not! I would never be offended. Just save your strength." Baraqiel looked as composed as ever, but everyone knew how much he was weeping inside.

"Azazel, Baraqiel, please, teach Issei what you know so that he can become ready to take life on as an adult one day, and Shuri…" Reiko had spoken up and then turned to the Shrine Priestess.

She stepped forward with tears trailing the sides of her face.

"Yes?" She choked out.

"Please…when you can, help Issei along like a mother would with her own son. I'm sorry to ask this of you but I have no choice. I want my little boy to still feel the warmth of a mother's love." Reiko cried softly as she weakly begged her old friend.

"I swear on it." Shuri choked out another reply as she turned around to hide her crying.

With their last moments imminent, the dragon and enchantress turned to their son.

"Issei, promise me..." Reiko put a gentle hand up and caressed Issei's tearful face. He shook violently with sorrow and it made Reiko sad to see her son breaking.

"You're such a gentle and sweet boy. You work so hard to make people happy and you've made me and your father so proud. The last thing that we ask of you…is t-to stay who you are." Reiko smiled her brightest one yet as a tear fell from her eye.

She shed a tear knowing that she would never get to see Issei grow up into a man and she wouldn't be able to see the faces of her grandchildren. She was going to miss out on so much time and events.

With her turn done, Ryuken spoke, taking his hand.

"Issei. You've made me so proud to see how strong you've become. I want you to know that I am proud to be your father." Ryuken heaved a long raspy breath, making Issei cringe in grief at his father's deteriorated state.

"I want to tell you my final lesson. Never let rage consume you. It is ugly and it drives us down terrible paths. When I lost my master, I nearly went into a frenzy that would've killed me. Use your power responsibly. Do not become arrogant."

Ryuken took another long heave.

Ryuken patted his son affectionately one last time before retracting his arm and taking his son's hand again.

Reiko followed Ryuken's lead and held her son's other hand.

Issei shook violently with tears and sniffles as he knew the end had come for his parents.

"We want you to know that no matter what, we will always be in your heart and memories. We love you, son. It is in our hopes, that you become a man that will love and protect the people close to you." Ryuken and Reiko spoke at the same time, shattering Issei's composure.

Sobbing but hanging onto his parent's hands, he felt them go slack as the monitors watching over their heartbeats, flat-lined.

Azazel, Baraqiel, Shuri, Vali, and Akeno stood behind Issei and watched in grief at Ryuken and Reiko's lifeless bodies. As promised, Azazel, Baraqiel, and Shuri swore to raise Issei to the best of their ability.

(Doctor Who OST – Four Knocks. End Song.)


I hope you enjoyed the edited Chapter 1 of the story.

Here's the changes I made to Chapter 1:

1. Issei is weaker because what 8-year-old has any purpose being so strong already?

2. Ryuken is no longer a western dragon. I changed him to an Asian dragon

4. Fixed grammar and changed some dialogue, along with deleting some to make things more concise.

Anyways, that's only the major change done to the chapter, aside from some changed wording. I hope you enjoyed if you're re-reading this story.