And I'm back once more. It has been a long long long time, I know. I'm sorry to all of you who have waited very patiently for this new chapter. And while it's not the longest, I'll be sure to try and upload the next chapter much sooner.
Now, I've got a lot of messages over the time I've been away, due to either work or school. Or Smite, as I've started playing it on ps4. Pretty fun game. But I will assure you that I'm dead set on this story.
First of all, for those asking I'm not going to give the story up for adoption. You're free to make your own version of it or whatever, but this story is mine and I will do my absolute best to finish it.
Second, Issei's peerage. You guys have given me a few ideas and I assure you that they will come in due time. Possibly within four or five chapters. Depending how long it takes me to get to the Kokabiwl fight.
And third, Rias's new pawns. I'm getting conflicted responses so I'm going to give it more thought and hold their reveal.
Anyways, after all that. Enjoy.
Issei stood before his king. He was unsure of why he was in his master's office instead of training. He still had school to prepare for and he would have liked to get a little training in. But, then again, maybe this meeting was important for him before he returned to Tōtsuki Academy. Maybe a run through of rules and regulations or something like that.
"You called me, Aniki?" Issei asked, announcing his presence to the heir.
"Yes, Ise, I have some news for you," Sairaorg said.
"What is it?" The brunette asked in return.
"You won't be attending school today."
"..."
"Eh..? Why's that?"
"We have a Stray Devil request. I'm sure you're quite familiar with them," Sairaorg stated. Issei nodded his head in reply. "Good. Then allow me to further elaborate on what your objective is."
This alerted Issei and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The tone in his master's voice was very serious and held heavier weight than Rias when she received an extermination request.
"The Stray Devil is in Europe. You, Kuisha, and Ladora have been assigned to kill it," Sairaorg stated.
"Europe?" Issei repeated. His king nodded his head. "But it's the home of the angels. Is it really that serious to send us into their territory for a rogue?"
This made the heir smirk and chuckle a bit. "It's good to know your growth hasn't been limited to just your physical strength."
'Yeah, because of all those drill sessions you gave me...' The brunette thought dryly.
[He's right though. You have improved mentally as well and have started to actually think things through.] Ddraig spoke, sounding groggy. He must have just woken up.
'Well yeah, after the trade I realized that I always dove into fights without thinking. I did it with Raynare and I did it again with Raiser. Twice. And it either ended in me getting my ass handed to me or almost dying. If I'm gonna prove myself to Rias I have to actually start using my head. The one with my brain.'
[Yes, I got it. But honestly, I believe you should give up on her. She's not worth your time, hatchling.]
Issei's eyes fell at his partners words and he clenched his fist. '...I can't Ddraig. Its just not as easy as you or Aniki believe. This feeling in my heart...its not that easy to just let go. I feel that, at least, if I show her how strong I've become, I could get this weight off my shoulder.'
There was a moment of silence between the gear and user. But a sigh soon broke those short seconds of peace. It was the gear.
[You can't let her hold you back, Issei. Staying fixated on the past can only get you so much. Especially if its just to impress a weakling like her. You must let go if you're to ever truly become strong.]
'She's not weak! She's...dammit why is it so hard... I mean, i know i should move on... But it's still just so hard,' Issei replied, sounding truly conflicted. He wanted to forget her but it was difficult. She saved his life, gave him meaning, and tossed him aside moments later.
[I know it is. But you'll get through it. I promise,] the dragon assured. [She was a stepping stone, one that you'll only grow from and become a better person with.]
'How are you so sure?' The brunette asked back.
Ddraig hesitated once more. The memory of a blue western dragon surfaced in his mind. He quickly pushed it down and controlled the sudden spike in his emotions. [Don't worry about the reason behind it. Just know you have people who believe in you.]
'Thanks Ddraig.'
Once the link was severed, Issei returned to find Sairaorg looking at him with an amused smile. There were hints of pride in there as well. He could only imagine how long he had zoned out in his discussion with Ddraig.
"Ah, I'm sorry Aniki, I got distracted," he apologized quickly with a bow.
The Bael chuckled in response. "No need to apologize. You were talking with Ddraig, were you not?"
Issei slumped his shoulders and turned away from his king. "Yeah, we were. We were talking about Rias."
This made Sairaorg narrow his eyes. And similarly to the boy and his Sacred Gear, he and his master shared a moment of silence.
The heir was reminded of the day before. The conversation he and Regulus shared came back and he could feel the desire for the answer return. Although, it was not like it had quelled much since the assumption was proposed.
For the sake of his pawn, who was already like family to him, he had to uncover the answer. Even if it meant confronting the one who was related to him by blood. Whatever Rias did, he had to know, otherwise Issei's mind and heart would suffer.
The brunette didn't need to prove himself to her. He already had when he saved her from Raiser. When he put his life on the line and dissolved a marriage everyone knew she didnt want. Going against the laws and destiny, for her sake, with no expectant of a reward. He had proven himself tenfold and then some. Issei was more than enough for his prideful little cousin.
And yet, here he was, saying he hadn't felt it was enough.
"Ise, you may go. Kuisha and Ladora are waiting for you. You will be gone for some time, so pack accordingly."
"Hai," was the pawn's simple reply. He then turned to leave.
"Oh, and one more thing," Sairaorg said. Issei turned back. "This is to see how much you've grown. Kuisha and Ladora have your back but this task is to test if you can cover theirs. I believe in you Issei, so go make me proud."
Issei nodded once more before leaving and closing the door.
Sairaorg soon stood afterwards. A magic circle appeared before him, the same hue and symbol of his household glowing, ready for use.
"Oh, and Aniki..." Issei poked his head back in.
"Yes, what is it Issei?" The heir questioned.
"When I get back, tell me how you got that badass lion hiding in the shadows. I'm soooo jealous!" Issei said with a grin before disappearing behind the door once more.
Sairaorg's eyes went wide and he stood stiff for a few moments. The silence was broken by a light chuckle coming from behind the teen. And, as the brunette said, emerging from the shadows was Regulus. He had, what looked like, a grin on his face as he shook his head in amusement.
"So he knew I was there the whole time."
"You didn't reveal yourself to him on purpose, did you?" Sairaorg asked without looking back.
"I didn't. The boy has already grown considerably. I'd say he's reaching the next step in his growth," Regulus replied, grinning widely.
"You mean Balance Breaker, correct?" The Bael asked, turning back to the beast.
It nodded in response. "He's grown so much. Rias unlocked the potential but she didn't utilize it. Now, he's making it into his own weapon and excelling with it."
"Could you say that this mission may unlock it?"
"Hard to say. Sacred Gears are fickle things created by God. Some just need more training while others could take a life or death situation to unleash it's raw power."
Sairaorg put a fist to his chin in thought. He couldn't mull on it long but it was still incredible that the boy had come so far in such a short period of time. Not even he had such a growth spurt. Could it be Ddraig giving him some kind of boost? Or was it something more?
"Regulus."
"Mm..."
"Is it possible for a Sacred Gear to alter the genetics of its host?"
The nemean lion paused for a moment. He then turned to his master with a look that spoke confusion. He was obviously vexed by the question.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you think Ddraig might be altering Issei's DNA? Possibly...turning him into a dragon?"
Regulus thinned his lips and narrowed his eyes. He thought on the idea for a moment before turning back to the heir.
"I've heard stories of gears altering their hosts bodies to accomdate their weight or abilities. But never have I heard of a Sacred Gear changing the actual genetics of its host."
"But would it be possible for such a thing to happen?"
"Sacred Gears were made by God. And he was a lunatic. It just might be possible with everything that fools done."
"I see..."
-XOXOXOXOX-
Rias was doing some paperwork in the Occult Research clubroom. She denied a few more requests from those trying to fill Issei's place. She signed off a few papers the Student Council sent her. And she, of course, signed a consent form for a Japanese expo that would be coming to town in a few weeks.
"Buchou," someone spoke up to her.
The redhead looked up to see her trusted queen, Akeno, standing before her.
"You have something for me?" The heiress asked, setting her reading glasses down.
"No, actually, someone wanted to speak with you. It was quite urgent in fact."
This aroused the curiosity of the Gremory. If Akeno came to her with this, it meant the matter was important. Supernatural important. If it was a human, the queen would turn them away. But for her to be relaying this information, it was no mere human.
So who?
Sona would usually be right behind her. Was it her brother? Or Grayfia possibly?
The doors then opened and she was surprised at who she saw. It had only been a few weeks since he had came, so it was shocking to see him back here again so soon.
"Hello Rias," Sairaorg greeted in a not-so-friendly tone. Akeno snuck past him and out the door, leaving the two kings alone.
"Sairaorg, what're you doing here so suddenly?" Rias asked, still taken aback.
"I've come here to discuss some things with you. More specifically about Issei," the fellow heir replied.
This made Rias sigh. She assumed she knew what was wrong and expected this outcome. "I told you he wasn't much, even with the Boosted Gear. And I'm not trading him back, I already have new pawns and they're actually proving much more beneficial."
This made the Bael narrow his eyes dangerously. "You think I want to trade him back to you? After what you've done? On the contrary, he's become much to important to me Riri," Sairaorg replied, folding his arms.
This made the club leader furrow her brows and look up to face her cousin. He was in front of her desk, looking down at her with an expression that was demanding her to take things much more seriously.
"What do you mean?" Rias asked curiously.
The heir's eyebrows scrunched as he glared at her. "You betrayed his trust. Locked him in this cage that makes him wary and distrustful of anyone. How he came to trust me and Kuisha is well and good but he's doubted himself ever since. Like he's not good enough for anyone when he's the most unique pawn I've ever seen."
This made Rias very curious and she slowly placed her pen down. She stared at the fellow devil before her, trying to find a clue as to what he meant. But there was none and, instead, she found an odd amount of pride. Was he...happy to have the pervert? Was he proud of the blunder she thought was her former pawn?
No, he was weak. He had just gotten lucky against Raiser. How could her cousin, the strongest of all the young devils, speak so highly of someone who was weak and perverted? It had only been a few weeks. How could he feel such pride behind that brash boy?
"You slipped up, Rias," Sairaorg stated. It made the redhead focus back in on him. "Because of you, he found the drive he needed to succeed. Its not the healthiest of choices but it's provided amazing results so far. And, as we speak, I'm not so sure I'll be the strongest much longer."
Rias's eyes widened. He said what!? He had to be messing with her. Trying to deceive her so she would trade back for the perverted idiot. That had to be it! There was no way Sairaorg could be serious about a claim like that. He wanted to be Maou, the strongest of the strong, and yet here he was saying Issei would become stronger than him!?
But, when she looked at his face, she could only see it as one-hundred percent truth. He was confident that his pawn would one day be the strongest of the young devils.
"B-But how?" She muttered in disbelief. "He was just lucky against Raiser. He had to sacrifice his arm to the dragon. There was no way he could amount to anything."
"First of all, the dragons name is Ddraig, learn it. Second, while he sacrificed his arm he did it for you. While the sacrifice gave him the momentary boost it was his affection for you that allowed him to beat Raiser Phenex. Maybe if you paid more attention, you would've seen it."
"Im sure I did! Before the Rating Game against Raiser, and even then, there was little to nothing. It was just lust. There's no way he could be any stronger than that!" She shouted, shooting up from her seat.
"Sorry cousin, but there was more. A lot more. And you made the mistake of doubting a wielder of a longinus. And doubting someone who saw you as their savior, their goddess."
Rias lowered her gaze to her desk. She looked at her hands, seeing both clenched into fists. Was she upset with the fact Sairaorg was telling her all this? Or the fact that she misjudged the one who saved her from her marriage?
Had she really screwed herself? No, no, he was just playing her. If this was all true, why wasn't Issei with him? It was a ploy! A scare tactic. Her intuition wasn't wrong, it almost never failed. The only time was reincarnating that boy in the first place. But she now rectified that.
Finger snaps to her face snapped her from those thoughts and she looked up to her fellow devil.
"Sorry cousin, can't have you spacing out. We both have busy schedules and I'd rather move this along as quickly as possible," the Bael said, sounding the least bit apologetic.
Rias then remembered that the original reason was about Issei. But they had gotten off topic to the point the actual one wasn't said. But if he wasn't here about any of that, what was the real reason?
"Rias..." She looked up to see Sairaorg staring at her with a serious expression. It was dark and showed there was no more playfulness involved. She froze under that gaze as it radiated power and authority. Something he had a large amount of over her.
"Rias, what exactly happened when you originally revived Issei?"
-XOXOXOXOX-
Issei walked into the room before falling face first on the bed. Soon to follow were Ladora and Kuisha, the latter smiling at the brunnete while the former read his book.
It was a large spacious hotel room in a five star hotel at the dead center of town. It had a large living area with halls that looked to lead off to separate rooms. A small kitchen was beside the loving room, the fridge stocked with food. There was also a large couch with a coffee table in front of it. And above both, on a wall, a large flat screen sat.
"You seem tired Ise," Kuisha said, taking a seat on the bed next to the dragon emperor.
The boy lifted himself before grinning widely. "Nah, just happy we made it. I've never been to Europe before so I want to take it all in!" He then flopped back down again, enjoying the soft comforts the bed provided for him. He never knew five star hotels could be this comfortable. "And it starts with how soft this pillow is."
'Haah, I could honestly die with no regrets,' Issei thought, trying to sink deeper into the mattress.
[What about losing your virginity?] Ddraig muttered. This made Issei's eyes widened and he flipped over immediately.
"Oh shit! How could I forget that!?" Issei shouted out.
"Forget what?" Kuisha asked, catching the pawn's attention. He had momentarily forgot she was there.
"Oh I, uh, forgot...my toothbrush, hehe yeah..." He replied, sounding the least bit truthful. He had shouted without realizing who was around him. Damn him and his perverted tendencies.
[Funny how you're starting to deny your perverted urges.]
'Shut up, Ddraig!'
Kuisha, however, ignored his obvious lie and smiled instead. "Oh, that's okay, I brought a spare," she said, pulling a red toothbrush out of seemingly nowhere.
Issei blinked a few times before slowly taking it. He kept his eyes on his senpai, curious of how she always did that. She wasn't like Akeno but she had her own quirks as well that made her stand out.
"T-Thanks Kui-chi, you're always looking out for me."
"Of course, you're family now. We have to look out for one another," she replied, her smile brightening.
Issei couldn't help but smile back and then lowered his gaze to his hands. He fiddled with the toothbrush, rolling it around gently in his palms. A soft, sad smile appeared on his face.
"Yeah, I know. But you didn't have to do all that you've done. You made me feel welcomed and at home since day one. All of you, but you, Kui-chi, and Aniki have truly made me feel like I finally belong."
The queen paused momentarily. Slowly, her smile lowered and she sat there a little stunned.
She was surprised at his response and took a minute to think on what he just said. Her heart rate had increased for a few moments and she felt a small fire light up inside of her. It was a bit strange, since she hadn't felt that way for some time. It was a bit strange but she slowly controlled herself and took a few calming breaths. And just as she thought it was a one off thing...
"I mean...if there's anyone I'd like to see the city with, I'm happy that person's you."
Kuisha felt her heart thump once more and her cheeks grow just a bit hotter. Dammit Issei, why do you like catching people off guard? The innocence on his face and cluelessness to what he did to her. It was almost too unreal. He had the tongue of a devil and he was still new to the whole thing.
The blonde giggled, trying to recover herself. She didn't know what he was doing to her but she wouldn't let it affect her too much. Not now when they still had a mission to do.
Ladora, meanwhile, could see the interaction between the two and decided against involving himself. It was obvious that the two were starting to see each other as more than associates or friends. They didn't know it but all that training was bringing them closer. And this task would only heighten the speed at which it was going. He wasn't against seeing the seeds sprout. So, he left the room to find somewhere peaceful to continue his read. And leave the two young ones to come a bit closer. It'd take some time but all nurtured items did and they always made some thing beautiful.
Once he was gone, Kuisha was calm again and Issei was enjoying the bed once more.
"Well, we have a mission but we have plenty of time to do it. So why not enjoy the sights as well," Kuisha offered with a small smile.
Issei could see that it was warm. Soft and inviting, much different from her usual motherly smile. And it was beautiful on her, only making her look even more amazing. He blushed lightly, taken by such a look. Rias nor Akeno never gave him such a smile and it filled him more than theirs ever could.
But the smile wasn't there for long as the queen soon cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Ise?"
The pawn quickly found himself staring and shook his head. "Ah, sorry, y-yeah, that sounds like fun!" He replied, attempting to recover.
Kuisha giggled once more, always finding her kouhai's antics amusing.
"Great! I don't know much of the place either, so this should be a great time!"
Without another word, she stood and grabbed the brunette's hand. He barely got out a yelp before they were out the door and running down the hall, ready to see what sights and sounds the city held for them.
Alright, stage is set. Gears are now turning in multiple areas. And the new arc is finally underway.
This arc will take the place of the Excalibur arc, with its own plot as well as a few scenes or hints to the original. Sairaorg will now discover what happened to Issei when Rias revived him. Issei and Kuisha's relationship will start to deepen. And ill try to take it as slow as possible but I'm a sap for couples. And the path towards Balance Breaker has begun for our pervy fool.
Issei's Harem: Kuisha, Alice Nakiri, Rindō Kobayashi, Asia, Ravel, Rossweisse, and Roygun Belphagor
Hope you enjoyed. Review to keep up with me. PM ideas and all of that. And I promise to try and provide the next chapter much much sooner.
I WILL BE UPDATING IT VERY SOON. AS THIS UPDATE WAS JUST TO GET THE CHAPTER OUT THERE