This is Chapter 2 of this story. It takes place a short while after Chapter 1. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 2: The Sorrow of Silver
Some time had passed since Issei's parents had moved on to the afterlife. The 9½-year-old boy was still grieving for the two people that meant everything to him. When the children that he knew in school bullied him for seeming different, his parents soothed and comforted him, reassuring him of his kindness endlessly. Now, that was absent.
He had moved to the Underworld, where Azazel lived. Azazel had been officially named as Issei's legal guardian and godfather in case something happened to Ryuken and Reiko.
His new home was a large, almost palace-like place. A giant building that stretched far and wide blocked much from sight. The large grey building actually wasn't as intimidating as one would expect, considering it was the home of a Fallen Angel leader. Glass windows dotted the home of Azazel and certain decorations of gold littered the design of the structure.
Azazel, who was standing in front of it with Issei, put a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Issei, from today onwards, this will be your new home. I know that it's different and that the world is different, but if you give it a chance, maybe you'll like it in time." Azazel sounded hopeful, praying that it wouldn't affect the boy too much.
Issei merely nodded silently with a gloomy drop of his head. He looked up at the building and felt nothing. No wonder. No fear. Just emptiness.
Azazel chose not to speak any more about the matter in Issei's presence and gently guided him inside his home.
Vali was patiently waiting for her adoptive father, or rather, she called him Papa now, and Issei.
She recalled the day of the funeral and it broke her heart when she recalled him wearing his suit and crying his eyes out. While Azazel, Baraqiel, and Shuri tried to comfort him, he just couldn't stop the flow of his tears.
Vali didn't want to imagine what it was like to watch a loved one be buried before her eyes, unlike how Issei had.
Hearing the main entrance open, Vali dashed from her room on the second floor and rushed down the large stairs that led into the Main Floor. Her eyes followed the red carpet that paved the way down the golden stairs that would bring her to her objective.
"Hi, Issei! Welcome to our home!" Vali tried to sound happy but she knew that it probably wouldn't elevate Issei's mood.
"Hi, Vali." Issei smiled but it was forced and small.
Vali frowned in sadness until Azazel stepped inside the Mansion.
"Vali, I'm going to show Issei around the house. Do you want to come too?" Azazel hoped that his cheery daughter would be able to help soothe the mood, and to his relief, she eagerly nodded.
"Yeah!" Vali wasted no time in replying and took hold of Issei's right hand.
Issei looked up, with a small hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Come on, Issei! From now on, I'll be with you!" Vali dragged Issei with her as Azazel led the way around his home.
There were multiple maids and butlers, most of which, Azazel had recruited with sheer charisma, albeit several joined his employ willingly.
The Mansion had a total of 10 floors. The basement was a gym. There were several pools on the Main floor for swimming. The 2nd floor had a focus on guest rooms, even though bedrooms were placed throughout the structure. The 3rd floor was full of game rooms. The 4th floor had the baths and spas. The 5th floor had meetings rooms and was where business talks took place, if there were any. The 6th floor contained the experimental labs. The 7th floor was a garden area for relaxation. The 8th floor was basically a movie theater, complete with several snack stands. The top floor was used for viewing the night sky, which could also be used to project the sky of the Human World.
While Issei had wanted to be excited about living in such an extravagant place, he couldn't find the energy in him to rise up and be who he used to be. While Azazel and Vali tried their best to lighten the atmosphere, Issei was stuck alone in his own dark depression.
After showing Issei to his room on the 2nd floor, next to Vali's, Azazel had to leave to go to the Grigori Institute to deal with certain issues regarding Sacred Gear research.
His room had white walls, a king-sized bed, several pillows, and warm soft blankets and sheets. There was a gigantic TV in his room, with several desks, drawers, closets, and there was even a bathroom, complete with a large bath and shower, installed next door.
When Issei got into his room, it was clear that he wasn't going to willingly come out.
Even when dinner came and Vali delivered it to him personally, he only ate enough to avoid hunger.
While watching him eat his miso soup, Vali saw the lack of energy that was present in Issei's movements. He didn't move normally and it seemed as if a turtle would pass him up in speed, figuratively.
After a short while, Issei spoke.
"I miss it." He muttered.
Vali shot up from her seat in his room and looked at him.
"Miss what, Issei?" She stepped over to him. She looked him in the eye and knew that he was about to snap.
Issei threw his chopsticks to the floor after having enough of his new environment.
"I miss my mom's cooking! I miss the belching my dad makes after dinner! I miss my old room in Kuoh! I miss playing in our backyard! I miss my mom tucking me into bed! I miss my dad making jokes! I miss my mom and dad!" Issei sobbed as soon as he started yelling.
Vali dove forward when she noticed that his fist was bruised and starting to bleed.
"Issei! Stop!" She dived in and held his hand.
Issei didn't seem to notice her and just used his left hand to hit the ground in an effort to vent his rage and sorrow.
Hot tears streamed down Issei's cheeks as he agonized over the events of the past few days.
"What am I supposed to do now?!" Issei asked himself over and over.
Vali wanted to give him an answer but she had nothing to give him. She nothing to do him justice. Finally, she decided that she had to stop him no matter what, regardless of what she had to say.
"ISSEI!" Vali shouted as loud as she could, breaking Issei out of his rage.
The young girl gripped both sides of Issei's face and stared him right in the eyes.
Determination flared in the silver-haired girl's eyes as she started to speak.
"What did your mom and dad tell you before they passed away?" She asked with a strong and unshaken voice.
Issei looked down and recalled the words that were blazed into his mind.
"That they're always with me…and that they will always love me." Issei choked out as his tears continued to rush out from his eyes.
"Exactly. They said they were proud of you already! Continue to be someone that they can be proud of forever." A voice called out from the doorway, revealing Azazel, who had watched everything unfold.
He walked over and took hold of Issei's bloody right hand and gently rubbed it while healing it with magic.
"I know it hurts, son. It's never easy losing people we love. It's even harder to forget or move on. We can agonize over it for a while, but we can't do it forever, Issei. Sometimes, we've just gotta keep moving with life or it's gonna pass us by. It's a waste to just wither away after we've lost someone." Azazel's words rang around in Issei's head as he mulled over what Azazel said and what his parents had told him.
Issei realized that what he had been doing for the past few weeks had been the exact opposite of what his mother and father wanted.
He now knew that he had indeed accomplished his old dream but where to now? He just wanted his parents to be proud. That dream was done and gone. What now? What could become his new purpose? Issei didn't know, but maybe with Azazel and Vali, he could figure something out. Maybe they could even help the pain of loss dampen.
Drying his tears, he looked at Vali.
"Issei, I know that you're big, brave, and strong! You always make me smile but when you cry, I wanna cry too. So please, don't cry." She used her thumb to wipe the tears from Issei's face.
At her words, Issei's eyes widened. The negativity in them vanished and something else replaced it: Hope and warmth, both things he'd hadn't felt since his parents died.
"Issei, you don't need to rush to conclusions about what to do with your life. You're only 9-years-old. Just remember that Vali and I consider you family and that we're here for you. Get some sleep." Azazel got up and carried the young boy in his arms and tucked him into bed. Azazel softly patted his head and left with Vali, while leaving his door open so that he could hear him.
After escorting Vali to bed, she made sure to talk with him before he left her room.
"Papa?" Vali looked at him from her sleeping position.
"Hm?"
"Do you think Issei will get better now?" Vali was truly worried about Issei, who she was developing a crush on.
Azazel wasn't sure how to answer her but he knew one thing was certain.
"I'm not sure, but I do think Issei feels better now." Azazel smiled at his daughter.
"Good. Night, Papa." Vali turned around in her bed and drifted off to sleep.
Azazel walked into the hallway and made a long exhale.
"I don't know how well I can do it, but I hope you'll watch over us, Ryuken and you too, Reiko." The Governor General looked up into the sky, sure that his dragon and human friends were watching from the afterlife.
In his sleep, Issei found that he was in a white place. He looked around and noticed that he was sitting on something red and leathery. He looked down and recognized the head of the gigantic red dragon that he was sitting on. It was Ddraig.
"Ddraig!? Where are we?!" Issei noticed that they were flying but where, was the question. It wasn't as if there was anywhere to fly to.
Then, far in the distance, he saw two figures.
(Doctor Who OST – Infinite Potential. Play Song.)
As he approached, Issei's heartbeat quickened. He knew the two figures.
"Savor this moment while you can, Issei. I'm not sure how long it'll last and I don't think it'll happen again." Ddraig spoke softly to Issei as he landed on what seemed to be solid ground.
Issei jumped off the back of Ddraig's head and ran towards the two people.
He jumped into the arms of the figures, his parents.
"Mom! Dad!" Issei cried as the apparitions of his parents fiercely hugged him.
"Hi, my little Issei!" Reiko snuggled her child with her arms as her spirit savored the physical sensation that she was getting.
"Hello, son! We missed you!" Ryuken wrapped his son in a warm hug as he patted his son's head.
Issei teared up as he got to converse with his parents again.
"How is this happening?" Issei asked.
"Michael is letting us visit you in your dreams. Your mother and I managed to pass on to Heaven due to our strong wishes to go there in case we could ever see you again. It was thanks to living virtuous that we got spots there." Ryuken sat his son down as his wife joined them.
"Son, I want you to know that we've seen how lost you were after we…died." Ryuken felt no other words were adequate enough to describe past events but reality had to be faced.
Thankfully, Issei nodded and accepted that his parents were deceased.
"I can face this now, dad. I won't get depressed anymore. I want to keep making you proud." Issei boldly declared.
Ryuken nodded in pride at his son's growth.
"Good. Then let me ask you this: do you have a new dream?" Ryuken sprung a question that Issei had been developing an answer to, but he hadn't quite found it yet.
"Not yet, but I'm working on it." Issei smiled his toothy grin, making his father do the same. He didn't know how honest he was being. He was just happy to see his parents again.
"That's great, honey. Just remember, make sure that you think of a dream with all of your heart and soul so that you have no regrets when looking back. Even if an old dream ends, you can always find a new one." Reiko hugged her son one last time as Ryuken did the same.
"While we may no longer be here, there's always others that you can turn to, like that guy!" Ryuken laughed and pointed a finger at Ddraig.
"Indeed. Remember that you and I are in this together now, Partner. Whatever you need help with, I'll do the best that I can in order to help you." Ddraig declared his support, to which Issei was grateful for.
"Also, Issei…just remember that when you are in doubt, you should think about the people that you care about. I promise that when you think about the people that you love; you will always find your way." Ryuken gripped his son's shoulders before patting his head one last time.
"Thank you…and goodbye. I love you, mom. I love you too, dad. I swear, I'll keep moving forward!" Issei looked at his parents one last time as his dream faded into white.
Awaking from his dream, Issei shot out of bed. He looked around and noticed that he was in the room that Azazel had prepared for him.
Ddraig then spoke from Issei's left hand. While the Boosted Gear didn't appear, a small green circle appeared on the back of Issei's hand.
"Was that real, Ddraig?" Issei asked his partner.
"As real as a dream can get." Ddraig answered ambiguously.
Sighing, Issei looked up from his bed and looked into space.
"I see."
"What are you thinking about, Partner?" Ddraig asked.
"I'm thinking that I may have my new dream already and it's something that I know that I'll never regret." Issei smirked.
"And what might that be?" Ddraig asked again.
"I'm going to endure to become stronger so that I can protect the people that I care about." Issei tightened a fist and declared with powerful resolution.
"Haha! That's a noble dream and a hard one to accomplish, at that. You better be ready for the consequences then. Still, I'll do everything I can to help you accomplish that dream, Partner." Ddraig laughed softly.
"Thanks, Ddraig." Issei then went back to sleep, eager to return to life so that he could get started on his new dream.
(Doctor Who OST – Infinite Potential. End Song.)
As a few months had gone, Issei had trained vigorously and had become quite studious due to Azazel's influence. With Azazel being an expert on Sacred Gears, he was able to help Issei with his training with the Boosted Gear.
One day, he had Issei spar with Vali with their Sacred Gears. This would be the first time they'd spar this way. Before, they'd merely fight without using Ddraig and Albion's abilities.
"Issei, today, I'm going to have you practice fighting with Vali. I want you two to spar so that you can grow much more with direct, live combat." Azazel elaborated.
Vali looked competitively at Issei.
'Um…I have a bad feeling about this.' Issei felt shivers when Vali eyed him with a dangerous glint in her eyes and a mischievous grin.
"Teehee, I get to spar with Issei." Vali smiled sweetly, which caused Issei to shudder.
He knew that she was the better fighter, so he hoped that she would show him some mercy.
"Alright, you two, begin!" Azazel signaled the beginning of the duel.
Summoning their Sacred Gears, both parties froze and stared at each other.
"T-The Boosted Gear?!" Vali immediately stopped moving and stared at the red gauntlet on her friend's arm.
"The Divine Dividing?!" Issei was honestly flabbergasted at how fate was playing with them.
The two knew of the feud between the Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Emperors and feared that they would be forced to viciously fight.
Vali had burst into tears when she thought about that.
'No! No! No! No! I don't want to do this anymore!' Vali shuddered and broke into cold sweat, while her expression twisted and become horrified.
"I-I-I don't want to fight Issei anymore!" Vali started to panic as she sank to her knees in sobs.
For some strange reason, Vali had overreacted to this new revelation.
"Vali!" Issei rushed over to her but she retreated and jumped back. When Issei looked her in the eyes, he saw an abominable amount of fear in them. Issei didn't understand what was going on.
Vali was sweet and sometimes bold, and she never panicked.
Azazel knew something deeper and darker was amiss behind Vali's reaction. It looked far too similar to PTSD to just be simple fear.
"Alright, you two! No training for today." Azazel decided to drop the training that he planned for the day
He had never ever dreamed that this event would happen. He had expected the two to merely compete, not for one of them to break down.
Azazel immediately went to Vali's side without hesitation and gently embraced his daughter.
"Vali, what's wrong? What's scaring you?" Azazel looked her in the eyes.
Hearing Azazel call her, Vali very slowly started to settle down. When she looked at him, Azazel could tell she was having flashbacks of whatever traumatic experience was linked to this.
"P-Papa?" Vali clung to her adoptive father.
"Tell me, Vali, what's scaring you?"
"Papa, I…I've done very bad things. I'm so sorry." Vali started to sob but she continued to talk.
"Papa…I don't want to hurt my friends anymore. Grandpa makes me do it. He said I have to hurt my friends who are my enemies. The Red Dragon Emperor and White Dragon Emperor are enemies. Grandpa says enemies have to fight and kill each other." Vali broke down into pieces, horrifying Azazel and angering him.
"Why? Why did your grandpa make you do such things?" Azazel was starting to get angry at whoever traumatized his daughters.
"Grandpa Rizevim said to do it. He said I had to fight because he was bored. Grandpa said if I didn't fight and do some fighting with my friends, he'd kill me and mommy." Vali choked out.
Azazel was ready to grab Fafnir, go into Balance Breaker, and hunt down the bastard that dared to force his daughter to do such things.
'Rizevim, you sick bastard!' Azazel forced himself to calm down quickly. He didn't want to scare Issei and Vali.
Patting his daughter's head and hushing her warmly, Azazel soothed his daughter.
"Shhh. It's okay, Vali. You don't have to do that anymore. You're not with your grandpa anymore. It's okay now. You don't have to kill and hurt your friends, Vali." Azazel spoke softly.
"I don't?" Vali looked up tearfully at him.
Azazel shook his head. Vali seemed to take that to heart.
For a long time, her grandfather, Rizevim Lucifer, had forced her to slaughter whoever she befriended simply because he was bored with life, and thus, used her mother as a bargaining chip to amuse himself with displays of destruction with Vali as a tool.
"Vali…friends are people that you want to stay with and make happy. They are also people that want you to be happy. They're not people that you hurt and they aren't people that hurt you. You don't have to be like the people before you." Azazel continued to comfort his daughter.
Issei looked on and absorbed what he had heard. He figured he wouldn't have been able to forget anyways.
"That's right." Issei stepped forward, causing Vali to look at him cautiously.
Issei extended his left hand, which still had the Boosted Gear active.
"I might be the Red Dragon Emperor but I don't want to fight to the death with you. I want to be your friend and I want to help and protect you, Vali. Don't you want to do the same and be my friend?" Issei smiled a toothy grin at her.
Slowly, Vali rose out of her panic attack.
"Yes. I want to be your friend, Issei." Vali smiled took his red armored left hand and clutched it.
"Thank you, Issei." She wiped her tears.
"Of course, Vali." Issei laughed as he patted her back.
Azazel breathed a sigh of relief. He had prayed that his daughter wouldn't fall into [Juggernaut Drive], which could be caused by severe emotional upheaval.
The amount of grief and pain that he had sensed from her was enough to have made him think that Vali had seen the Great War. Knowing Rizevim, he probably made her see something similar. He always knew that his nephew was unhinged, but this was the last straw.
While he couldn't do much without upsetting the delicate truce of the Three Biblical Factions, Azazel knew that he would have to prepare Vali and Issei. Being the Two Heavenly Dragons, they were likely going to attract much unwanted attention.
Ever since that day, Vali and Issei trained even harder than before. It had become apparent that Issei was closest to obtaining Balance Breaker. Azazel didn't understand how but it looked like he had underestimated Issei's potential. As for Vali, it took a while, but she was starting to slowly lose her traumas by whatever fortune she had.
One day, deciding that the two children under his care needed some fresh clean air, Azazel took them to the shrine that Shuri and Baraqiel lived in.
Appearing in front of the gates, the three walked past the red gate and were warmly greeted by Shuri and Baraqiel.
"Welcome!" Shuri smiled radiantly as she hugged Vali and Issei.
For a few moments, she had disappeared and returned with large bags of sweets and little gifts for the two children. Whilst they were close to turning 10, they still had a strong love of sweets, something that Shuri made sure to satisfy whenever they came to visit.
"Yay! We love you Auntie Shuri!" Issei and Vali lunged at her in overjoyed gratitude.
Shuri just couldn't ever get enough of seeing the smiles of the two in front of her and her daughter, Akeno.
"It's only been 6 months, Shuri. No need to smother and spoil them so much. They get enough of that from the maids and butlers already." Azazel laughed as Shuri glared at him, causing him to retreat.
She marched right up to him and put her hands on her hips.
"I'll have you know that you only visit once a year! How can I not spoil them?! Hm?!" Shuri barked at Azazel, forcing him to stutter and stumble back.
"O-Okay, I get it! Just stop using those scary eyes of yours!" Azazel screamed.
Azazel had only incurred the wrath of her sadist mode once and it was enough to never challenge her again. He still had the whip scars to prove his experiences. Baraqiel was lucky to be a masochist or else he would be traumatized for life.
"Now, children, Akeno is at school right now, so you can go play while you wait. She should be home in a few minutes." Shuri smiled as the two ventured into the bamboo forest that Baraqiel had turned into a playground for them.
Baraqiel then came out from a room in the shrine and greeted his superior.
"Finally. I was wondering when you'd get here." Baraqiel smiled.
"Well, training took longer than I thought." Azazel shrugged as Baraqiel and Shuri groaned.
"You better not be pushing them too hard." Shuri growled at Azazel but she was only doing it playfully. She just enjoyed watching Azazel cower in front of her.
"I-I'm not. I'll have you know that the training they're doing is actually very safe given their crazy potentials!" The Governor General tried to justify himself before a girl with long black hair, tied with a golden-orange ribbon, came sprinting home.
"Mom! Dad!" Akeno waved as she dashed into her mother's arms. She noticed the third person present and beamed brightly at him.
"Hi, Uncle Azazel." She said.
"Hello, Akeno." Azazel greeted her kindly as he waved.
"Oh my. Did you have a good day?" Shuri patted her daughter's head, who nodded.
"Then it just might get better, look who came to visit?"
At that instant, Issei and Vali walked back to the entrance, having heard the voice of their dear friend.
"Issei! Vali!"
"Akeno!"
The three dashed at each other and grasped each other into hugs. Regardless of the time lapse that they had between each meeting, they never got tired of doing this.
"How've you been?" Akeno looked at Issei, who she had worried about constantly ever since Ryuken and Reiko had died.
The three wandered into the forest and merely conversed while walking. While they never tired of each other's company, they played games less and instead immersed themselves into the stories of each other's past experiences up to this point.
"Well, while we study, my dad has us train so that we can make use of our natural gifts. But Issei…" Vali snapped at the boy, who shrunk back.
"He never holds back and ends up leaving damage. Not to mention, he always hits me a lot during training. He almost never holds back too!" Vali huffed.
"Really? Issei, you know that you shouldn't be hitting girls around!" Akeno frowned at Issei.
"W-What?! You shouldn't be saying anything! You're the one who kicks me in the legs a lot! I ended up limping for two weeks that one time that you hit me with magic!" Issei was flabbergasted.
He had never ever left inhibiting injuries on Vali but Vali…she tended to get carried away.
"Too bad." Akeno and Vali stuck their tongues playfully, causing Issei to feel unjustified.
"Girls." Issei grumbled as he felt two people push him into a small creek, causing Issei's clothes to become heavy with water.
"What was that for?!" Issei exclaimed.
"That remark sounded like an insult. Don't get me started at the insults you say behind our backs." Vali playfully smiled until she yelped in surprise.
"Oh yeah?" Issei grinned as he splashed water at his two best friends.
"Gah! Issei! Stop!" Vali cried out as she tried to shield herself.
"Geez! Issei!" Akeno giggled as she was splashed by cold water.
Finally giving in to the temptation, Vali and Akeno hopped into the creek and started splashing water at Issei with playful vengeance.
They continued back and forth for quite a while until suddenly…all three hybrids felt tingles go up their spines; a sign of danger.
Turning to the road that led further into the bamboo forest, a large man stood menacingly.
"My, what do we have here? A devil and a fallen angel getting along?" The man was hooded and wore a long dark cloak of black. His hands were pale and a dangerous purple aura flowed around him.
The hooded man seemed to take notice of Issei as he noticed the unfamiliar boy's presence.
"And it seems some unknown specimen is also present. No matter." The hooded man turned back to Vali and Akeno, who inched back but were ready for a fight.
"Bah! To think that a fallen angel and devil would be getting along. You should be fighting! It is unbearable to think that our endless feud would be taken so lightly. It is unforgiveable, even for children!" The hooded man sprouted 6 leathery wings from his back and charged at Vali, tackling her and grabbing her by the throat.
"Gah!" Vali choked out as she materialized Divine Dividing.
"[Divide!]" Albion's voice rang out from the white wings of blue light.
The hooded Devil grunted as he noticed a significant drainage in his power.
Vali opened her palm and fired a blue orb of magic that blasted the aggressor backwards.
Growling at the small sting on his abdomen, the Rogue Devil lunged at Vali again but Akeno stepped in. Her fingers crackled with magical energy as tingles went up Vali's spine again, as if her natural senses were telling her to back away.
Firing a bolt of Holy Lightning, the Devil cried out in pain as the electricity jolted around him.
"Don't you dare attack my friends!" Akeno growled as a look of urgency and fury erupted in her eyes. She knew that her attacks would only annoy the Devil slightly for the enemy had 6 wings.
Almost immediately after being sent flying back, the Devil came back for more, but Issei jumped in this time, sailing down and using his Boosted Gear to send the Devil staggering a few feet back.
The enemy merely brushed his coat. Suddenly, the Rogue Devil fired two beams of demonic energy that pierced Vali's and Akeno's chests.
Issei stared in shock and horror as his two best friends were gravely wounded.
"Vali! Akeno!" Issei screamed as the two fell onto the ground, with both losing all movement.
"Hahahaha!" The Devil laughed as he looked at the two limp bodies in front of him.
He was about to talk, until he felt a complete change in atmosphere. Issei, who's power was negligible compared to him, suddenly spiked beyond expectations. Issei roared as he was coated in a deep red aura. The area lit up with the light of his rage as the Boosted Gear began to shine.
"WELSH DRAGON! BALANCE BREAKER!" Ddraig's voice echoed into the sky as Issei was adorned in a red armor.
Issei shouted as he rose into the sky. He had flown into a rage, without any signs of calming down.
"BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!" Ddraig continued to speak this line over and over as Issei's energy reached his body's cap.
Issei pointed both of his hands forward and fired a gigantic beam of red and turquoise energy that seemed to tear away at the air in its path. The beam's head was in the shape of a red dragon that seemed to roar as it rushed at the Rogue Devil that had incurred the wrath of the Red Dragon Emperor.
When the explosion burst and the dust settled, the enemy was left standing, his left arm destroyed. The Rogue Devil growled, as if ready to take Issei seriously. He then paused, looking around.
"I'll let you live, boy. I've learned all that I need to today. Pray we never meet again." He snapped his fingers, a magic circle teleporting him away.
Landing on the ground, Issei's vision began to blur as his body started feel as if he had been lit on fire. Every step he took felt like he was walking on sharp spikes. His body felt like boulders had been strapped onto him and he wanted to vomit endlessly.
Falling face-first onto the ground, Issei reached out to his two fallen friends and breathed a small sigh of hope when he saw that they were still breathing.
Fortunately, Issei looked at the path back to the Shrine and saw that three figures were rushing to the three children.
"Issei! Vali! Akeno!" The voices of Shuri, Azazel, and Baraqiel rung out as Issei's consciousness faded.
Darkness was all that was present in Issei's mind as he fell into a deep sleep.
Little did he know, this was not the end of his troubles.
Tragedy wasn't done tampering with fate yet for the chess board wasn't done being set up.
In regards to the changes from the original Chapter 2 to the New Chapter 2:
1. Issei, Vali, and Akeno aren't as strong as before. Again, they were way too overpowered for children.
2. I've removed some dialogue just because it was really cheesy and just dragged on.
3. Fixed a lot of grammar problems.
