To start off, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, despite it being a day late. I hope you all were safe and nothing happened.

Now, to business.

For my own sanity and maybe yours, I'll be putting up a counter for how long Issei has left to live for everyone to see.

Next, I want to give a shout-out to "BeastGod" for his/her continued support. It means a lot to me that you still read my stories and you always show your support. I wish you all the best as well and thanks for being so understanding.

For another shout-out, I wanna thank "Elias Koz" for telling me about my naming mistake. I put Chapter 26 as part of the title for Chapter 25. I appreciate when people tell me about my grammar mistake. Grammar is fundamental for me as a writer and reader.

Also, I need to clarify something:

There was a Guest in the review section saying that I paired up Vali and Issei in the summary section. I did NOT do that. If you read it carefully, the summary section only mentions that it's a story with a FEM Vali. There was no "x" and Issei's name wasn't in the sentence. It doesn't mean Vali will be part of the pairing just because I said single-pairing. I was only warning people who looked at the summary that this story had a FEM Vali in case they didn't like that stuff.

This chapter is part of a 2-chapter update. Like a prior instance, this chapter isn't a 2-parter, but it's its own separate chapter. Now that that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter.


Chapter 33: The Game Is Afoot

Issei's Lifespan: 15 Months

Day 1

Issei and Sairaorg were sitting at a cafe, meeting up to discuss what the plan was.

At first, Issei had a slightly different plan. He was going to help Sairaorg and Vali at the same time to make sure no loose ends remained. However, he realized that Vali was the more emotionally aware and perceptive person. She'd probably suspect something was up and bust him for it.

Not to diss Sairaorg, but he was the more oblivious of the two.

"Alright, what's the plan?"

"Like I said, give me a month, my friend, and she'll be your girlfriend or even fiancée if things go that smoothly." Issei confidently said.

He took out a magical Bluetooth, courtesy of Azazel, and handed it to Sairaorg. He had to blackmail Azazel into giving him stuff.

"Make sure to stay in contact with me at all times. I'll be watching from afar too. If you screw up, I'll be able to cut in." Issei said.

"Okay, so you still haven't explained what's going on today." Sairaorg sighed.

Issei pointed to the city square several feet away. Standing there was Vali, Sona, and Rias.

"What're they doing here?" Sairaorg asked.

"You're gonna be late. I already called them earlier and told them that you wanted to hang out. At this point, you'll have been 30 minutes late." Issei looked at his watch, smiling like a troll as he looked at his friend.

"What?!" Sairaorg was flabbergasted.

"This is part of the plan, Sairaorg. It's the first part of the plan. You've got to make them think about you. The more concerned they are, the further their feelings will develop. It sparks thoughts." Issei pointed out.

"What?" Sairaorg raised a brow in confusion.

"You see, it's something that I've learned through observing. The thing about childhood friends not falling in love or one going unrequited, is because the target of love can't see them as anything more than a friend or sibling. You've gotta make them face their deepest, darkest thoughts about you. You've gotta force them to be honest with themselves through a series of events. Absence makes the heart go yonder." Issei explained.

"So, that's why you did this? You're gonna make Vali worry and start thinking?" Sairaorg asked.

"Oh, Vali already has a grasp on how she feels about you. You just need to make those feelings stronger. Stress and worry can stir up feelings and make them pronounced. You've just gotta make her spit it out. Today's objective is to raise her concern for you by taking advantage of her kindness." Issei responded before sipping his coffee.

Sairaorg paled.

'This guy is terrifying.'

"Now, you should get going. I'll make sure to speak up when it's necessary." Issei informed Sairaorg.


After Sairaorg left, Issei waited a few minutes. He watched the group interact. Sairaorg nervously chuckled as Vali, Sona, and Rias berated him. Issei had to admit, what he'd done was underhanded, but it was necessary. At least, that was how it seemed to him. When time was limited and rapidly running away, anything seemed to work. Those Aviturs weren't going to hunt themselves.

(Doctor Who OST – The Dream of a Normal Death. Play Song.)

Issei sipped his coffee, slipping into personal thoughts. Everyone had the day off. No contracts, no jobs, no fighting, no research, and no training. Everyone was spending time together, doing what they loved. The peerages were all hanging out together. With the Vali Peerage, Bikou, Lianshi, and Kuroka were in China, exploring. Arthur, Lefay, and Elaine had gone home to visit their family for the day. Izalana had gone home to see her parents. Vali was doing as mentioned, spending time with her childhood friends: Sairaorg, Sona, and Rias.

And here was Issei, all alone. Again.

'I wonder, will I die alone like this? Will anyone even remember me after I'm gone?' He asked himself.

Throughout his lives, though vague, he remembered that he'd died all alone. He'd get blown up into atoms, burned, stabbed, drawn and quartered, tortured, and sacrificed himself to unknown fates. All those times, he was alone.

It was funny. Despite how terrible it made him feel, it all just kept happening. Was fate just playing some sick game with him?

For a long time, he'd thought about how things would be after he'd left. He'd been watching and kept tabs on everyone as of late.

Kuroka was worried about being left unrequited with her feelings for Bikou. Bikou wasn't sure if he was good enough for Kuroka and Lianshi. Lianshi was worried that she'd ruined Kuroka's chances with Bikou. Arthur wasn't sure how to make up for leaving Elaine behind. Elaine was being secretive about her problems. Lefay was having self-esteem issues. Izalana…well, Izalana was actually pretty happy since her issues were being dealt with automatically. As for Vali, her problem was that she couldn't spit out about how she felt to Sairaorg and was still scared of rejection due to past traumas.

He'd spent so long planning that he tried to think of everything. It honestly felt so lonely sometimes, because he knew that in the end, he'd never have what he wanted.

Still, people needed him and he refused to turn his back on others. He'd already accepted that. Following the quartet, Issei watched from corners listened in on Sairaorg.

(Doctor Who OST – The Dream of a Normal Death. End Song.)


"So, Issei told me that you got done with a gold-digger. It was that Stolas girl." Vali stated, her hands sassily on her hips.

"W-Well, I'd intended to stop communicating with her. It was just hard to say 'no' to her." Sairaorg nervously said.

"It's alright. She's been taken care of by the government." Sona adjusted her glasses.

"And that's that." Rias shrugged.

Issei scratched his chin.

"Alright, start talking, Sairaorg. Get Vali's attention and start talking about something interesting." He whispered into Sairaorg's earpiece.

"So, Vali, how's Issei?" Sairaorg asked.

Issei smacked his head against the wall. Of all subjects, it had to be about him.

"Didn't you see him a few days ago?" Vali asked.

"Yeah, but I was just wondering since I wasn't sure if he was fully healed yet." Sairaorg nervously said.

"Wrong person." Issei said through grit teeth.

"Well, he's actually been acting really strange lately. He's taken to locking himself in his room a lot. He sleeps at different hours every day for random durations. We rarely see him at home and when we do, it's only when he's coming home to sleep or going out." Vali lowered her head gloomily.

Rias put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's worrying me. What is he doing? Why won't he trust us anymore? Why won't he say anything to me?" Vali said, her expression becoming distressed.

Sairaorg looked at Issei out of worry.

"I'm sure whatever Issei is doing, he has good reason. He's not someone who'll just up and run away. However, I do think Issei should be entitled to his own privacy and pace. He should be allowed to speak up when he's ready or if something becomes genuinely troubling." Sairaorg comforted her.

Issei smiled gratefully at him. Vali picked the right guy.

"The same goes for you!" Vali walked up to Sairaorg, pointing at him.

"If something ever bothers you, you need to tell me! Who knows what that blood-sucker would've done to you if Issei hadn't jumped in! Promise me you'll ask for help when you need it!" Vali grumbled.

"That's right." Sona and Rias nodded.

"I got it. I just didn't want you all to worry." Sairaorg smiled gratefully.

"That's what friends are for, Sairaorg. We help each other. We'll worry regardless, especially when you don't tell us." Vali pointed out.

"Got it." Sairaorg nodded.

Vali turned around, sighing.

"I swear, you boys give me grey hairs." She mumbled.

Issei followed the group around, watching and listening. It was going smoothly, overall. They'd joke around, buy stuff for each other, talk about their personal lives the others missed out on, and comforted each other. They also gave each other sound life advice.

'No wonder they're so close.' Issei noted.

Just as he thought, Vali would be okay after all.

When the day ended, Issei made his way home before the others.

"Make sure to walk all the other girls home. Leave Vali for last so that you're alone." Issei said to Sairaorg.

Sairaorg did as advised. They all lived in different territories but since Vali was in the Capital, Sairaorg made sure to walk Vali home.

"So, since Argina's gonna leave you alone now, are you gonna look for someone?" Vali asked.

"Maybe. I do have someone in mind." Sairaorg nodded.

"I see. So, what's she like?" Vali asked.

"Don't answer that. Be vague. Make her guess." Issei answered.

Sairaorg jumped. He thought Issei had gone home. Truthfully, Issei was listening in on Sairaorg.

"Can't say. Might not be ready to talk about her yet." Sairaorg chuckled.

"Hey, we're childhood friends, you can't keep secrets from me!" Vali lightly slapped his arm.

"You'll find out." Sairaorg laughed.

"Come on, tell me!" Vali persisted.

"Not speaking." Sairaorg shook his head.

Soon enough, the two arrived in front of Vali's home. They'd both joked and laughed on their way home. Sairaorg had noticed that Vali had gone back to being livelier and joked around more often again. That was a relief. The past several months had been taxing on everyone.

"Well, that's it for today. Thanks for coming out." Sairaorg said.

"No problem. It's been forever since we could hang out with just the 4 of us, so I'm glad. I hope we can do it again." Vali smiled happily.

"Count on it." Sairaorg nodded.


When Vali came into the house, she found that Issei was asleep on the couch.

"That's a terrible position." Vali grumbled.

Issei was sitting cross-legged and cross-armed on the couch with his head hanging down. Vali went over to help him lie down, but the moment her hand approached his face, he spoke.

"Had fun?" Issei asked.

"Uwah!" Vali yelped.

Issei chuckled.

(Doctor Who OST – Clara?. Play Song.)

"Were you faking?" Vali asked.

"No, I was asleep until I heard the door open." Issei stretched.

"Where's everyone?" Vali asked.

"Bikou, Kuroka, and Lianshi decided to go to China and do some touring. Arthur, Elaine, and Lefay are visiting family. Izalana's doing the same in Draczal." Issei groggily said.

"And what were you doing today?" Vali asked.

"Same as usual, messing around." Issei chuckled quietly.

Vali decided that this was a good chance for her.

"What're you doing tomorrow?" She asked.

"Nothing, really." Issei said, his eyes still closed.

"Then, let's hang out."

Vali took hold of both his hands.

"It's been forever since we hung out. We used to talk every day after school, right? Let's get some of that back." Vali giggled.

Issei saw some flags popping up. He didn't want Vali to focus on him. He wanted her to focus on Sairaorg. He didn't want letting go of her to be any harder.

"I don't know, Vali. Don't you want to spend time with others too? We see each other every day." Issei raised a brow, looking at her.

"What's wrong with that? I want to spend time with you too. I've been helping Lefay with research. I shop with Kuroka. I cook with Elaine. I sing with Lianshi. I train with Arthur. I joke and help Bikou with his hobbies. I eat with my parents and grandparents. Why can't I spend time with you too?" Vali pouted.

Issei sighed through his nose. Vali wasn't going to give up. He had to relent before he did any damage to his relationship with her.

"Alright. What do you wanna do?" Issei asked.

"Let's do the usual: movies and dinner." Vali said.

That had been their old routine when they were still going to school together. To go back to that was a nice and nostalgic trip.

"Alright." Issei relented.

Vali smiled

"Great. Let's head out tomorrow afternoon." She decided.

(Doctor Who OST – Clara?. End Song.)


The next day, Issei decided he'd use today to get some more material and information on how to help Sairaorg and Vali get together.

Issei wore his casual clothes: a black shirt with a navy jacket and pants. What he didn't expect was how nicely Vali was dressed. It wasn't formal by any means, but clearly, she made him look like he was dressed in rags.

She came down the steps in a white jacket with a blue button-up shirt and a black skirt. She had a white bag over her shoulder with black boots and black stockings on her legs. Issei was awestruck by her beauty, his mouth nearly hanging open as he stared at her.

"Is something wrong?" Vali asked.

"Nope. Nothing. Nothing at all." Issei shook his head.

"Well, let's go. We could probably movie-hop." Vali chuckled.

When they got to the theater, which was draped in red carpet, black stone, and brightly lit like a museum, they stood at the desk.

"Welcome, Lady Vali and Sir Issei. How may we entertain you today?" The Employee asked.

"What do you think?" Vali asked.

'What can I use to fuel my imagination?' Issei asked himself, staring at the dashboard of movies.

"How about Blooming Cycle?" Issei suggested.

"A romance movie?" Vali asked.

"I thought I'd expand my horizons." Issei shrugged.

"Normally, you like to watch action-comedies. Did you meet someone special?" Vali chuckled.

'If only you knew, Vali.' Issei looked at her sadly.

Vali noticed the pained look on his face and stopped laughing. She became sympathetic, treating him seriously.

"I'm sorry. Wanna talk about it?" Vali asked.

Issei shook his head, smirking reassuringly.

"Nah, I'm fine. Now, let's go get snacks. It's a 2-hour movie and I'm going to need sustenance." Issei returned to his cheerful mood, even if it was a mask.

Issei and Vali sat through the movie, both having varying levels of interest. Vali was immersed in the movie, unable to tear her eyes away for a minute. Issei was focusing on the movie, but half of his mind was elsewhere.

'Alright, so explain this to me again?' Rexis asked.

'It's a movie about two lovers who became star-crossed lovers after their country was destroyed by war. They reincarnate several times, but either miss each other or fail to be together in each life.' Issei explained.

Rexis deliberately went silent.

Issei couldn't help but feel some creeping emotion crawl up in his head and heart. This felt familiar. It was ringing bells everywhere in his head and heart. But, why though?

Two lovers that were kept forever apart by fate. Every cycle, one would fall in love with the other and their relationship never bloomed due to something. Sometimes, the other didn't even know of the other's existence. It was truly a sad movie.


When the two were done, Vali was ready to cry.

"That was so sad." She muttered as she turned to look at him.

"Don't you think it's terrible…for fate to just play with people like that?" Vali asked.

Issei could write a whole saga on how cruel fate was.

"I do. To love someone and not be loved back or, to surrender that love…the pain would be unimaginable." Issei nodded.

"Well, at least neither of us have that going on." Vali sighed in relief.

How wrong she was.

"Do you believe that it's real?" Issei asked.

Vali paused.

"I kinda do. It's a really hard topic to discuss. I do believe that fate meddles with us but who knows? It's not exactly something I like to think about, to be honest. That kind of stuff has driven people crazy for thinking too much of it."

Issei had the urge to tell her the truth. They were both caught in a massive game by fate. Despite all that, he said nothing else on this matter. If time saw it necessary, then the truth would come.

The two got some dinner from a diner before they walked through the massive park in the Capital. It was almost big enough to be its own forest.

(Doctor Who OST – Rose's Theme. Play Song.)

"Issei, I wanted to ask you something." Vali started.

She refused to meet her gaze, but the uneasiness was palpable.

"Have you ever fallen in love before?" Vali asked.

Issei paused. Was she going where he thought she was going?

"What makes you ask that?" Issei asked.

"I'm trying to figure out what this feeling is, myself." Vali clutched her chest.

"Why not ask your family or Kuroka?" Issei asked.

"Because I feel like you're the one I should be asking." Vali said.

Issei stood there, trying to figure out what to say without shooting himself in the foot.

"Well…when you're in love it's complicated. You want to see the target of your affection every day. You think about them every day. You close your eyes and that person's there. You want to make them happy. You feel happy when you're with them. You want to hear about their day and tell them about yours. You want to help with their troubles and trust in them to help you with yours. When you're close, your heart won't behave, either. Sometimes, it stops beating and sometimes, it won't stop beating. Love makes you wacko." Issei chuckled.

That was how it was for him, anyways.

"I see. Thank you, Issei. I'll keep it in mind." Vali nodded.

"Glad to help."

Issei grinned to himself. If things were working, then Vali was probably on the cusp of solidifying how she felt for Sairaorg.

Things were going the way he wanted.

(Doctor Who OST – Rose's Theme. End Song.)


DAY 3

"Alright, man, today, we're gonna flake out on her." Issei said as the two met up at the park.

"What?!" Sairaorg was flabbergasted.

"We're going to move onto the next part of the plan. We're going to make her realize just how far her feelings go. The greater the disappointment and sadness she feels, the clearer things will be for her. It'll be like a miniature wake-up call, being less extreme." Issei reasoned.

"So, how does this connect with what we did before?" Sairaorg groaned.

Issei sighed.

"With the first day, we had her worry. We wanted her to think about you. Love always starts with thinking. That sparks feelings. It also showed us where we were starting. Today, we're going to make her start coming to terms with herself. We're gonna force her to imagine what it would be like without you there." Issei summarized.

Issei looked at the bench where Vali was sitting.

"Call her and tell her you won't be able to make it."

Sairaorg did as told, sighing while looking at Issei skeptically.

"Sairaorg, where are you? It's been half an hour." Vali grumbled.

"I'm so sorry, Vali. I won't make it today. Some work came up and I can't skip out on it." Sairaorg genuinely said.

Vali sighed.

"It's alright. Just make sure to do what you've gotta do. We can always hang out another time." She smiled disappointedly.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise." Sairaorg swore.

"See that you do." Vali nodded.

Just like that, Vali walked away, disappointed.

"So, are you trying to help us?" Sairaorg glared at Issei.

"Bumps in the road happen, Sairaorg. If you can't handle this one, then you'll never be able to handle things when the reality hits." Issei retorted.


Day 6

This day, Issei was going to make a small step, instead of a longer drawn-out one.

He went downstairs to the Living Room to find Vali.

"Hey, Vali, wanna go to the movies again? I've got a spare ticket since Kiba had to opt out."

Vali, who was currently reading, spoke up.

"I think I'm fine, Issei. It sounds like a guy's day thing." She smiled.

"Oh, come now, don't be like that. I know you want to see him." Issei knowingly looked at her.

Vali blushed, holding the book closer to her face.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, it's such a shame. We were going to watch that new family movie too."

Vali's brow rose. Too easy.

"You're gonna watch Bonanza Bash?" Vali asked.

"Yep." Issei nodded.

That was a darn lie. The tickets were for the newest and 'scariest' horror movie of all time. Vali didn't mind horror, but if it was too much, then she'd get scared. It was horrible, but Issei was going to exploit her cry-baby tendencies.

"On it." Vali ran upstairs to get changed.

Issei had to make sure to sweeten the deal for her. Sairaorg going was already a plus. A movie that she liked was another bonus.

As Issei waited for Vali, Ileana entered the room, along with Rintilr.

"Issei, do you have a moment? We promise it won't take too long." She asked.

"Of course." Issei smiled.

The 3 sat down.

"What did you want to talk about?" Issei asked.

"We wanted to thank you. We didn't do it properly before, but today, we have a proper chance." Rintilr said.

Issei had to admit, he hadn't given anyone a chance to see his face since he got out of the hospital. Even under house arrest, he refused to see anyone.

"Thank me?"

"Yes. We saw the Rating Game. We saw how hard you all worked. We saw how much you were willing to sacrifice for Vali's wish. For that, along with being there for our daughter, we can't thank you enough." Ileana explained.

"I would've done the same for all of you, no matter what. You two were wronged and didn't deserve to suffer for it. I swear, the one who did this to you, will pay dearly." Issei promised.

For a small moment, Ileana and Rintilr inched back a bit. For a small fragment of a second, Issei sounded…threatening. Almost instantly after, he smiled again.

"Now that everything is over, you can focus on rebuilding your lives and your relationship with your daughter."

Just then, Vali came downstairs, prepped for a trip to the movies again.

"Where're you two going?" Rintilr and Ileana asked.

"To the movies. We're gonna meet up with Sairaorg." Vali excitedly said.

"Well, have fun." Rintilr chuckled as Ileana waved goodbye.

When the two left, the couple looked at each other.

"Did you feel that something was off?" Ileana asked.

Rintilr shook his head.

"Not really. Why?"

Ileana looked away, thinking.

"Nothing, just…a feeling."


When the two arrived at the movie theater, Sairaorg was already waiting.

"Sorry for taking so long. Vali wanted to look her best." Issei chuckled.

Vali gave him a scolding look.

"It's fine. Now, let's go in." Sairaorg shook his head.

Issei handed the tickets, not allowing Vali to see them.

"I'll go and grab us some seats. How about you two go and get the snacks and drinks?" Issei suggested.

"Sure." Vali nodded.

As soon as Issei turned the corner, he leaned against the wall, listening.

"Talk to her. Get comfortable. Imagine what'd it'd be like for you if this were an everyday thing. Try imagining living with her every day." Issei muttered.

"So, what'll we do after this?" Sairaorg asked.

Issei facepalmed.

"No, you fool!" Issei hissed into his earpiece.

Vali looked quizzically upward.

"Not sure. What did you have in mind?"

Issei fidgeted, trying to come up with an idea on the fly.

"The park." He muttered.

"How about the park?" Sairaorg asked.

Vali thought about it.

"Sure, why not?" She smiled.

Issei sighed. Sairaorg nearly tripled his workload. Good thing the park didn't need anything.

When Sairaorg and Vali entered the theater, they sat next to Issei at the edge of the column.

"Why so far?" Vali asked.

'In a few minutes, you're about to find out.' Issei said to himself.

The theater darkened as the screen lit up.

Immediately, Vali felt something was wrong. There was an eerie violin as animated smoke creeped across the screen.

"Uh…I thought this was Bonanza Bash…" Vali trailed off.

"What? I said we were gonna watch 101 Nights." Issei played coy.

Vali glared at him, sighing. It didn't matter. She didn't have a problem with horror movies.

Issei took a big gulp of his drink. He was gonna need it.

When the 1st horror scene came, Issei screamed, eyes and mouth as open as possible.

"Agh!" He yelped.

Everyone turned around, miffed.

"Sorry." Vali muttered.

When the 2nd horror scene came…

"AAH!" Issei screamed.

As the scene continued, he kept screaming. Vali threw a hand over his mouth. It didn't work.

"AAAAH!" Issei kept screaming, his eyes and mouth still as large as possible.

When a jump-scare of a monster came up, Issei threw his popcorn bucket at the screen.

"AAAH! GEH!"

Good thing Vali caught it.

"Issei, what is wrong with you?" She growled.

Immediately, Issei pushed against Vali, wriggling against her in terror. He pretended to hide behind her whilst screaming.

"What in the world are you doing?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Vali blushed as Issei pushed her against Sairaorg. Issei screamed without pause or break as he (silently) took Sairaorgs arm and hooked it around Vali as he pressed her against Issei. He kept screaming the whole time he did it too.

Now, he just needed to get out of here. Immediately, he screamed as high-pitched as he could, flailing his arms while screeching like an ape. Dashing out of his seat, Issei fell over the railing, slamming through the door.

"IT'S TIME TO FADE!"

Vali and Sairaorg stared in the direction where he disappeared, jaw-dropped.


Issei ran out the door laughing his head off. He couldn't believe he managed to get away with that. He jogged out the door, still laughing.

He honestly hadn't realized how long it'd been since he'd genuinely laughed from the bottom of his heart.

After he'd stopped cackling, he spoke to Sairaorg.

"Alright, still got your arm around her?" Issei asked, trying to compose himself.

"Yep." Sairaorg muttered.

"Good. Stay with her till the movie's over." Issei said as he sat outside the theater.

Now, he needed to kill time.

Immediately, Issei became dizzy, his eyesight blurring for a moment. He nearly fell over but caught himself, slamming his hands on his knees. Issei stifled as cramps wracked his body while his body temperature rose.

'Not again.' Issei groaned in his mind. He was having another painful fit.

When Vali and Sairaorg left the theater. They found Issei hunched over, clearly lacking energy and weakened. At first, Vali was going to scold him severely but seeing him now…it felt so serious. His face was pale, sweat coming down his face, his brows furrowed.

"Issei, are you alright?" She gently asked, feeling his forehead with her hand. He was burning up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Issei sheepishly said, lying.

"Let's go home." Vali said.

"No, you two can go on ahead and do whatever you want. I won't drag you down. I'll just head home on my own. That movie was a little too scary for me." Issei stood up.

He wanted to immediately fall over but forced himself to stand. It was so painful for him that he was visibly trembling.

"No, I think someone should go with you." Vali shook her head.

"I'll just teleport home. Don't worry so much." Issei chuckled as he disappeared.

Vali looked at him worryingly before he left their sight.

'Something's not right. I can feel it.' Vali thought to herself.

'I think he's fine. He probably put up bravado as he ran away.' Albion reassured her.

"Make sure to spend time with her. I'm gonna take the day off, so do as you please." Issei called Sairaorg.

He didn't even get the chance to respond as Issei cut off the connection.

"So, shall we get going?" Vali asked.

"Yeah." Sairaorg nodded.

The two trekked through the park, chatting again.

Honestly, Vali enjoyed these moments immensely. She got to spend time with her crush. Despite his recent odd behavior, she didn't care. Being close to him and talking with him was enough for her. She was interested in the idea of something more but that was something that could wait. She had a dilemma to deal with first.

"So, Sairaorg, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure."

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

"What have you and Issei been up to?" She asked.

Sairaorg froze, sweating.

"What do you mean? We just hang out." He forced a smile.

"Don't play coy. I know you two are up to something." Vali sighed.

"Honestly, we've just been hanging out. I mean, I've never really met anyone my age that I could talk to about guy things." Sairaorg shrugged.

That was half-true. The other half was how they were trying to get him and Vali to figure out what they truly wanted. What Sairaorg and Vali didn't know, was that Issei was genuinely trying to get them to fall in love from the smallest crush.

"I see. So, you're going to play things the hard way." Vali glared.

She wasn't fooled. They were hiding something from her. Ever since Issei came home from retrieving the Fruit of Penance, he'd been acting weird. Sairaorg soon followed suit after that.

"I'm not. It's the truth. Issei and I aren't up to anything." Sairaorg shook his head.

Vali continued to stare at him skeptically.

"I'm serious." Sairaorg stepped back.

He knew that when Vali stared and narrowed her eyes, she was irritated and wasn't going to give up. Often, if need be, she would get forceful, even downright scary. Vali hated having impactful secrets kept from her.

"Tell her that we're planning a trip." Issei sighed.

"We're just planning a trip." Sairaorg sweated.

Was that a lie on the fly?

"A trip?" Vali asked.

"It's a surprise, I promise." Sairaorg solemnly swore.

Vali sighed yet again.

"Fine…"

Soon enough, the two parted ways home, with Vali giving up on finding out more.


When Vali got back, she found Issei asleep again, this time, his face planted on the couch. She grabbed a blanket and put it over him, slipping a pillow under his head.

"Sweet dreams." Vali gently whispered.

Despite his craziness today, she couldn't stay mad at him forever. With all that had recently happened to him and his many burdens, Issei could do without all the nagging for today.

Rexis thought to himself. Through Issei's eyes and his own spiritual awareness, he observed everyone.

'If only you knew, Vali. Issei passed out from pain, not just exhaustion.' He sadly muttered to himself.

The reason why Issei was so tired was because his body was still feeling the aftershocks of battle. He'd used Balance Breakers in short time together. He'd been training in his spare time when he wasn't planning. His painful fits didn't need mention either. That, and his lack of rest from all his planning and thinking late into dawn didn't help.

Issei was pushing himself and making things worse for himself. Despite all that, he kept going. Rexis admired his determination. He was reluctant, but he swallowed his doubts, fears, and pride, and moved on. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Issei. Yet, despite all that, both Issei and Rexis knew that wasn't going to happen.

In this world, power often had a price.

Rexis was doing his best to repair the damage done to Issei's body, but it wasn't good enough. Tragically, senjutsu wasn't going to work. The anomalies of Bahamut's soul being tied to Issei's made the process tricky, often ineffective. Millions of medicines and combinations were tried and failed due to the stress of using Bahamut's power making it all pointless. If there had been a way to save Issei, then thousands of his past incarnations would've been able to avoid their fates too.

Issei could only accept his fate. He was the Host of Bahamut. That power was no blessing. It was a curse. Issei was doomed to die no matter what.

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


Yeah, pretty messed up note to end on for the chapter, right? I know. Still, that's the reality of it.

Anyways, like I said before, this is a part of a 2-chapter update. Again, it's not 2 parts. It's 2 separate chapters.