"Hello, darling. Did you miss me?"

Issei couldn't believe his eyes. He was definitely not prepared for reality. Assuming the worst, Motohama was most likely dead. Fuck, this was bad. No, this was terrible. "Temme. What did you do to Motohama?" His emotions were getting the better of him. It wasn't going to be long before Issei completely lost his composure.

"Issei, I'm disappointed. You did all this work to find me again and now that I'm finally here, you didn't even greet me properly. Ask me about the weather, ask me how my day was, do something."

Issei ignored her taunts as he tried to find a way out of this. He got hit with a feeling of deja vu, except this time he promised not only his mom but Motohama's as well. He should really stop making promises he obviously can't seem to keep. That didn't even count the fact that she directly contributed to Motohama's sudden disappearance.

Clenching his fists in rage, Issei looked down so she couldn't see his angry reaction that surely adorned his face currently. "Raynare." he said softly.

Raynare could barely hear him, his voice as quiet as the breeze of wind softly blowing during the cold night. She was curious though; wasn't he just angry? "Oh?"

Fingernails digging into his palm, almost to the point of drawing blood, Issei continued. "Build me up. Break me down. Taunt me. Torture me. Kill me. Make me suffer. But why?" Needing to see Raynare's response for himself, Issei slowly brought his face back up to meet her eyesight. With extremely faintly glowing green eyes, Issei raised his voice.

"Why did you have to bring Motohama into this? He didn't do anything to you. You already had unrestricted access to me whenever you wanted. So, why?"

If Raynare was trying to provoke a reaction out of Issei, she was doing a damn good job. She started laughing at Issei, covering her mouth with her free hand, trying not to let her voice escape but failing miserably. This fucking bitch. She treated Motohama like a toy meant to be thrown away to the side once his use was done. She treated Issei in the exact same way, but he didn't mind it as much as he did when it happened to other people. Especially not his best friend.

"I won't lie. He was getting on my nerves a little. He was just always in the way of things. So, I simply...took him out." Raynare shrugged her shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. This problem that Issei was getting into was slowly increasing in magnitude. When it was just him dying, Issei could rest easily knowing that no one else was in danger. He didn't share the same sentiment when other people were included in the equation.

Unless Motohama was also 'gifted', which Issei highly doubted, the only reason he had to die was just due to association. Association with Issei. His stomach became queasy and Issei felt the need to hurl out of sheer guilt. Life was so much easier before all this happened; just excruciatingly dull.

"This isn't a fucking game, Raynare. Your business is just with me isn't it? Leave everyone else out of this." Damn it. He was doing exactly the same thing he stopped himself from doing earlier. The more and more Issei kept on mentioning other people, the more Raynare had to hold over him and even worse, it was people. Not money or any other expendables that can be disposed of without care.

Raynare's hand rose off her mouth as she started laughing uncontrollably. "On the contrary Issei dear, this is the most fun I've had in years. If I knew it was this easy to get you all hot and bothered, I would've saved myself the trouble and killed your friend right from the start. Perhaps even in front of you. That would definitely be a sight to see." She licked her lips with her tongue, her lips moistening with just the thought of Issei's reaction. Although, there would be no real satisfaction in doing that; no chase to be held.

Issei growled through his gritted teeth, visibly shaking as Raynare continued to verbally attack all his vulnerable spots. Issei desperately tried to stop himself from doing anything he would regret, but grinding his teeth closed didn't seem to stop his mouth from opening.

"What was Motohama to you?" Issei refrained from using the word 'who'. He knew Motohama wasn't anyone to Raynare; evident by the fact that she was laughing at his demise. She wasn't even laughing at his expense, she was laughing at his death causing Issei to lose his shit. Motohama's demise meant nothing to her.

"Collateral." She expertly worded it so that it would weave through Issei's defences. Her casual bluntness permeated through all of Issei's walls that he had built up, knocking them all down with one simple word.

Raynare actually surprised Issei by stopping her laughter and settling for a mere smirk instead. Opening her hands up in front of her in a surrendering motion, she relented. "Fine fine, I'll stop. That's not a good look on you anyways. I'm a sadist, not a heartless bitch. I'd much rather have you getting angry at me for the pain I inflicted upon your body, not some random idiot."

Raynare tossed the flip phone at Issei with an underhand throw, apparently giving Issei back Motohama's phone. Issei rose one hand up in the air and caught it in between his palm. Pocketing it, Issei's expression turned impassive as he had one other question on his mind that he needed answered.

"How long?" Raynare smiled at him, clearly knowing what Issei meant, but playing along like she was clueless. She put her hand over her ear and leaned forward to Issei in a motion of being unable to hear.

"I'm sorry could you repeat that, Issei? I didn't quite catch your meaning." She removed her hand from her ear and stood back up straight. "You're going to have to be a bit more clear than that." She smirked at his impatient face, clearly enjoying wasting Issei's time.

"How long did you have Motohama's phone? When did you take it off his body?" The last time Issei knew Motohama had his phone was when he texted Issei back during the time he was leaning against the lamp post. Unless Raynare possessed some sort of telepathy or she tortured the information from Motohama, the subject of their texting on Friday morning seemed too specific for Raynare to impersonate.

He needed a timeframe when she acquired Motohama's phone. It was almost certain that she had read the previous texts, and Issei guessed that Raynare knew Motohama warned him about her. But for how long she had that information, Issei had no idea.

"When I took him out obviously." Raynare gestured with her open palm, smiling at Issei's unimpressed look. "Uhm, it was sometime during passing period on Friday I believe. I forgot which one though; it's been a while since I've actually had to attend school."

That was most likely right after their math class ended, when Issei heard Motohama walking out of the classroom for what he didn't know would be the last time.

Wait, she said she 'took him out'. If there was even a sliver of hope... "Where is he now?" It had been almost four days since Issei had last seen Motohama and there wasn't a high chance he survived but if Issei somehow got out of this, he was going to bring Motohama's body back home to his mother; dead or alive.

"Hell if I know. The last time I recall seeing him was when I stuffed his unconscious body in a locker. He wasn't in good shape, bleeding from his ears and mouth, bruised face with a black eye, probably a lot of fractured bones including his ribcage. It's been four days. I'm sure your friend is long gone at this point and if he isn't, well let's just say he won't be in good condition any time soon."

Issei already knew that; she didn't need to remind him. He wasn't a pessimist but he knew there wasn't any reasonable chance that his life would even come close to coming back to normal. To think it had gone to shit in only three days was a somber thought.

"I'm curious though. How did you manage to come back alive? I swear I stabbed you through the stomach with a spear. Not many can come back from that, I'd hope. Perhaps there is more to you that I originally thought. That would be a nice surprise."

Raynare didn't mention her serenity as she put him down; he didn't need to know about that. For Raynare it had been three days and she spent the entirety of it drinking away all resemblance of regret. Alcohol was one hell of a drug. If you're still able to remember your problems, it meant you're still sober and haven't drank enough.

For Issei though, it had only been one. He didn't have time to get over what happened, and it was very much still a fresh wound. Issei didn't know what he was thinking, and his curiosity got the better of him. His need to know about what was clearly not his business was half witted and fatal. He dipped his toes in something that had repercussions he wasn't prepared to deal with. All because of some damn curiosity.

Issei didn't have an answer for the question that had been bugging his own mind as well. He supposed he could lie to her, but she would've immediately called his bluff. There was simply no other way this conversation could go. He was going to die. Alone. Again. Letting down both Motohama and his mother, not to mention Issei's own.

"Take me to him." Issei said. It was a filler sentence. Issei didn't actually believe for a second that she would somehow fly him over to see his friend, but there was simply nothing else to say. On the off chance that she did take him to Motohama, Issei was going to carry him back to his mother, before dying at the hands of Raynare.

She started cackling again at him. On a second thought, maybe Issei should've just kept his mouth shut and just embraced death silently. Instead he had to listen to what Raynare was about to say. "Or what?" She disappeared from the air with a 'whoosh' and reappeared in front of Issei.

Issei's eyes widened as she picked him up by his face with one hand and levitated them both five feet in the air. She smiled at him, his cheeks cupped in her hand. "Do I need to remind you of the difference of power between us two, Issei? It doesn't matter if you think you're tough. It doesn't matter if you're actually tough. It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a man. It doesn't matter that you never cease to impress me and even if I decide to keep you around for fun, at the end of the day-"

Raynare leaned in close to whisper into Issei's ear. "You're not strong enough to make demands like that… Issei." She moved her hand down from his cheeks to grip his neck before throwing him down on the ground. Issei fell from the air and impacted the ground of the clearing, back first into the soil. A satisfying crunch sound emitted from the result of Issei coming in contact with the earth. A small crater was formed around his body and there was a clear indication where the grass began and where it stopped.

Damn. It was hopeless. The power it had to have taken for Raynare to create a crater was nothing short of depressing to think about. The only reason he was still alive was because they were only five feet in the air and the fact that Raynare had only used one hand. Issei felt his consciousness slip away again and his eyelids closed over defeated eyes.

Struggling to open his eyes to stay awake for a chance of survival, Issei found himself laying down on what appeared to be some sort of igneous rock formation. He was in the same position he was in a second ago, but he seemed to be in another place, an alternate dimension of some sorts or perhaps another world.

It was extremely hot, and Issei was sweating. Judging by the leftover debris of lava bubbling in the background, he should by all means be dying of hyperthermia via a heat stroke but for some reason Issei only felt a mild warmth. It was rather homely. "Yo, partner. Not gonna lie, I'm a bit disappointed. I called you, and you didn't respond. The next time you ignore me, I won't be as chivalrous."

The same deep manly voice from this morning rang in his eardrums. 'Get in line' Issei thought in his head. It wasn't the first person he let down today, but he got the feeling that the voice was definitely someone he didn't want to disappoint. Issei was feeling extremely confrontational at the moment, but the voice served to relax him as it motivated him to get up off the ground.

His whole body ached, but he was able to move his spine, which shouldn't be physically possible. Issei stumbled around getting on his feet and tried to catch his footing by gripping onto something, but the platform he was on had no rock formations tall enough for him to lean on.

Issei fell towards the floor, and in an attempt to cut his nose to spite his face, Issei put his hands forward and bent his knees during his descent. The rocks were not even close to being smooth, and Issei felt the knees of his school uniform threatening to rip apart under the pressure of the rocks.

The palm of his right hand cut along the sharp edges of the rocks and the soot of the rocks got into his cut, contaminating it. Issei panted as he felt the sweat on his forehead drip down onto the tip of his nose.

"Wow. You're kind of pathetic, partner." The voice was ridiculing him, but Issei didn't feel insulted.

"So I've heard," Issei mumbled out between breaths. Holding his breath, Issei brought his knees up and placed his feet on the ground where his knees used to be. He brought his hand to his knees and gripped it, putting his weight on it in an effort to stand up.

Finally able to stand up straight, Issei tried his best not to fall again as he tried again to catch his breath which escaped him once more.

It was at this moment that Issei realized the back of his school uniform had a very big hole of some sorts, probably from when Raynare threw him to the ground, and he felt hot air blow down his back and sting against something. Issei proceeded to rip his shirt off, the use of it completely tattered as it had expended its purpose.

The moment his hand left his shirt, it immediately incinerated in the air. That wasn't because of him, was it? Issei ran his sweaty index finger against the crux of his back, coming in contact with a diagonal cut running from his side to the middle of his neck and shoulder.

"That, I couldn't heal. So I had to cauterize it for you."

His eyes glanced around the place he was in, scanning for the source of the voice while turning his head about.

"Where am I?" Issei asked the voice, hoping that it felt hospitable at the moment. He heard a deep chuckle and realized the voice was coming from behind him. Issei turned around to see a giant red dragon perched upon a dormant volcano. He was a very majestic shade of red, with lavish crimson scales that complemented his radiant emerald eyes.

The dragon's mouth raised up to align with the scales on his cheek that was moving upward. It was a very strange maneuver which Issei could only attribute to the dragon smiling. "I'm glad you approve, partner." The dragon somehow read his thoughts?

"Not exactly. I'm not able to read your thoughts per say, but rather I can hear them. You could say that we are one as of right now. Our souls are conglomerated as my soul is intertwined with yours."

Issei's mind felt like it was about to explode. "So, where am I?" he repeated the question from earlier, still trying to figure out the answer to the question he found more important. The dragon's mouth curved up again, apparently not caring that Issei ignored his earlier statement.

"You are in my inner world, Zangai no Metsu."

'Ruins of Demolition' Issei repeated to himself in his head. The name reeked of power and intimidation.

"I'm not going to thank you for healing me." The dragon let out a deep belly laugh.

"Don't worry, you don't need to say it out loud. I can hear your thoughts, remember?" The dragon brought the claw of his finger up to tap the side of his head. "You're welcome by the way."

Damn him for always being right.

"That's not very nice of you to say, partner." The dragon chastised him.

"Call me by my name." Issei told the dragon. "Partner is such a lousy moniker to call me by. I'd rather you just call me 'child' instead. My name is Issei." Issei elaborated.

"Is it now?" the dragon drawled sarcastically. It still seemed like he was still humored though, his audible amusement escaping his mouth. That was good.

"Indeed it is. May I have yours?" Issei asked the dragon, not wanting to address him by the same pronoun he had called him in his head for the past three minutes.

"You're an interesting host, Issei." The dragon turned serious for the first time in their conversation.

"I am known as Ddraig. And you; you are the Sekiryuutei."

'Red dragon emperor'. What a presumptuous title. Issei remembered what Ddraig said earlier and asked him, "What did you mean by our souls being 'intertwined'."

"I don't believe I stuttered. It's more like we are stuck together until death allows us to part." Issei looked up to Ddraig and watched him fly over to Issei, crushing the volcano with his claws that gripped it previously. The world transformed into a throne room of a palace of some sorts.

The room was a beautiful crimson red, with emerald gems scattered throughout the interior. Issei was standing upon a red carpet that led to and from the throne. There were pillars of flames on each side of the room in the place where sconces would be in a medieval setting.

The throne was the most impressive part of the room though. With smooth ruby and emerald outlines, the throne was huge in diameter. It looked more of a glorified loveseat than anything.

Ddraig descended from the air down on the throne and laid down on it like a cat would. Ddraig yawned in his palm and Issei felt himself levitate from the air. His body was suddenly thrust in the direction of Ddraig's now outstretched hand.

Once he was close enough, Ddraig opened his palm up and Issei was placed on in the middle of it. Ddraig brought it closer to his face, Issei and him now seeing eye to eye.

"Issei, I tire of life. I was once the feared heavenly dragon of destruction. Devils and angels alike, fallen or otherwise, bowed down to my strength. Gods feared me; there seemed to no limit to the depths I could reach. My life had peaked."

The scenery then changed from the throne room to complete darkness and Issei could no longer see Ddraig. "Ddraig?" Issei called out, wondering where he had gone. Then, the black background morphed to somewhere in the air and Issei could feel his body become something akin to an astral projection of some sorts.

Issei's vision was showered in flames of crimson and it remained that way for half a minute. The flames died down in front of him, so he knew that it came from behind him and promptly turned in the opposite direction to see its source.

In front of him was Ddraig who looked much more menacing than Issei had ever seen him. The look in his face could only be described as a product of ferocity. "Don't worry Issei, I'm still here." Issei heard Ddraig's voice coming from all around him, soothing his nerves as he watched Ddraig charge on.

"You're looking at the last memory I had when I was in my physical body. You're seeing through the eyes of my first host, Umastryx. He was only a child when he saw the most devastating fight held in a over a thousand years."

Issei looked down on the ground and saw a boy who couldn't be above the age of eight. He was looking very interestingly at the battle that commenced above him. "Your consciousness has been inputted into the middle of the air that Umastryx is looking at."

Issei looked at what Ddraig was charging at and saw a silver chrome dragon blow snow white mist at Ddraig's approaching form. Ddraig's wings were wrapped around his crossed arms on his chest and his legs were closed; his body was in a drill formation. Ddraig continued on hammering through at a fast pace, opening his mouth to spew out an emerald colored beam of energy that engulfed the white mist and overpowered it.

The white dragon opened the palm of his hand and the beam of energy emitted from Ddraig came in contact with it and went to both sides of the dragon. He had effectively just halved it in two. The white dragon then quickly moved to the side to avoid the red bullet that was hurling towards him.

A whoosh of air had hit the white dragon as the red dragon went past him, moving too fast to control his speed. Ddraig unfurled his wings and opened his legs, steading himself in the air as he looked at the white dragon in fury.

Issei felt a faint feeling of somebody touching his shoulder and whispering in his ear. "That's Umastryx's mother. It was at this point that she decided to intervene and take her son back home. It wasn't safe out here; the other dragon and I were leveling mountains every other second."

The memory shifted and Issei found himself looking in first person's view. In front of him was a much larger display of the white dragon, who looked more stunning in person. Then, a blinding white light engulfed Issei's entire vision.

"What was that?"

"I didn't know at the time, but I learnt from my next hosts that I had been sealed by the Christian god."

"What happened to the white dragon?"

"He got sealed as well by God. Both of us were sealed into a new class of sacred gears known as the Longinus."

"The man who pierced Jesus' side with a spear?"

"The very same. Don't think about it too much; it's just a name. I'll tell you more about them later."

"So what was the point of showing me this?"

The scene switched back to the original throne room, where Issei was standing in the palm of Ddraig's hand. He only encompassed a small portion of it and the feeling of insignificance brushed across the surface of Issei's mind more times than he was willing to admit.

The slits of Ddraig's eyes thinned out of his iris, before his eyes started glowing green.

"Issei. You aren't my first host, and you won't be the last. Many have come before you and have failed where you now stand.

"You know Issei, it hurts to have to see every last one of them go. My last two hosts let me down exhaustingly. There is a period of time when one host dies and another one has yet to be born. During this period, I question my existence as I float around in literal nothingness.

"The space is a very depressing zone of lethargy in what I can only describe as 'purgatory'. Not in the way in which I can't reach heaven or hell, but rather the fact that I am stuck in a solitary prison for all eternity. Can you promise me something, Issei?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Can I trust you not to die on me? I don't want you to die an early death. I want to care for every last one of my hosts, but it's so damn hard when they disappoint me so much. I used to treat every new host like they were part of my family and each time they died, I felt a little piece of my soul dying along with them as well. But I can't put forth the same energy as I did back then. I can't remain optomistic that I will somehow be free or at have a host that leaned upon me as I leaned upon them."

Ddraig's eyes stopped glowing and returned to their normal shade of emerald. The slits of his eyes came back and Issei could see Ddraig's passion.

"I understand that you're mortal and that you will die, Issei. It's a fact I accepted a long time ago. It's an inevitable product of the cycle of life and death. There is nothing you or I can do to prevent that."

Ddraig's voice was straining and it hurt Issei's ears to have someone who he viewed as strong display weakness. It was the fact that Ddraig was willing to display the weakness, that Issei found him strong.

"In fact, I'm jealous of you to a certain extent. Death seems like it just might be the sweet release that I've been looking for the past century or two. The last two hosts I had split my heart in two. But you seem to need my help and as your partner, I'm inclined to provide assistance.

Issei opened his mouth to reply but got cut off by Ddraig once more.

"Get strong for me, Issei."

The world twisted into a spiral of dark crimson flames and Issei felt his feet getting pulled down akin to a gravitational pull. Issei fell deeper down the middle of its increasingly darkening underbelly for what felt like hours on end.

The flames kept spiraling to the point where Issei didn't even remember if they were originally traveling up or down. The thought was on the front of Issei's mind as the world finally turned completely pitch black.

Issei opened his eyes and groaned. He brought his hand up to rub the back of his head since it fucking hurt. Whether that was from the new information or because of the force of the impact remained to be left unsaid.

Issei looked up and saw Raynare standing in front of him, looking down on his body.

"I'm surprised you can still stand, Issei. That fall you had must've took a big toll on you. Sorry about that by the way." Raynare said unapologetically.

"I didn't want to miss the moment when you finally opened your eyes again. I was beginning to worry that you might've actually died on me.

"It's the weekday so I'm free and in a good mood, so take as much time as you need. I was actually wondering if you somehow were able to miraculously get up again. You still haven't told me how you managed it the first time around."

Raynare just continued to watch him as he got up off the ground and stood up straight. Her eyes followed his back as he turned around and walked a respectable distance away. There wasn't anywhere that he could run where she wouldn't find him anyways.

Issei turned again once more to face Raynare, finding his resolve. "Let's finish this, Raynare."

Raynare cackled at him. "Aw, I wanted to see how much more times you could come back from the dead. Oh, well. If you insist."

Issei narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brows, looking more determined than he ever felt in his life. 'What do you have for me, Ddraig?' Issei's left arm glowed red and Issei felt a gauntlet of some sort form on to his hand. The red energy died down and what was left as a result was a metallic looking material of crimson rubies that went from the tip of his fingers up to the upper joint of his forearm.

The gauntlet covered his entire hand and on the center of his dorsal, there was an emerald gem embedded into the rest of the layer. It looked like a crude imitation of Ddraig's scales. It seemed more like a toy than anything resembling the heavenly dragon. Whatever, it would have to do for now.

Raynare started laughing. "So, you've finally awakened your sacred gear. It doesn't matter though, it's nothing special."

'I beg to differ, lady.' Ddraig grumbled from the inside Issei's head.

"Quiet, Ddraig. I'm trying to focus." Issei muttered under his breath.

Raynare formed a spear of energy in her hand and chucked it at Issei.

He didn't know if he was fast enough to dodge it. His sacred gear looked like it was designed for close quarters; he held no chance if she maintained her distance and started shooting spears from afar. Thinking quickly, Issei tried to smack the bolt of energy away somehow with the gauntlet in an attempt to avert its path.

It exploded on impact and purple energy fragments blew up from the reaction, looking like a miniature atomic bomb. Raynare watched the cloud of dust, waiting to see if Issei would come out of it.

Raynare flapped her wings as the sheer momentum of it created a gust of wind and blew the smoke that obscured her vision of Issei. It proved effective as it finally settled, and Raynare was able to see the much larger crater she created from the explosion.

But Issei was nowhere in sight. Now, where did he go? She knew he had to be around here somewhere and flapped her wings down, approaching close to ground ground level. She steadied her wings and prepared to search for him. The wind blew against her hair, and she moved her eyes left to right, seeing if she could spot him.

"Oh, Issei! Where are you?" Raynare called out as she flew around the trees, knowing that Issei wouldn't disintegrate from a blast like that. Or at least, she really hoped not. She was just getting started, and could feel her sadist kinks intoxicate her as they increased in inflammation.

She hadn't felt this way in a long time. She had fought many foes stronger, taller, and sexier than Issei, but Issei somehow managed to worm his way into her heart. He held a special place there and planted his feet down so firmly that even she couldn't wrench him out of it. It was exhilarating.

Issei, hidden behind a tree, coughed in his hand, trying to mask his sound as Raynare flew past him. Damn, some smoke got into his lungs and his left arm was bleeding down from the shoulder. This was bad. If only he could somehow get her in range of her with his sacred gear. He didn't know how much power it would take, but Issei was betting everything on ending it in one shot. After running away from the explosion, he knew that his speed hadn't increased much since he had awakened Ddraig's power. Perhaps, not even at all.

Raynare started shooting spears of light at every single tree in the clearing, trying to force Issei to come out of his hiding spot. Luckily for Issei, they were all in front of him since Raynare had long passed Issei. Nevertheless, Issei held his chest with his non-dominant right hand as he limped towards a secondary tree to use as cover.

Issei heard a 'whoosh' as a spear of light hit the tree he was just leaning on. 'Boom' went the explosion as it hit the tree, scattering shrapnel of wood all over the ground and the air. Taking his right hand off his beating chest to palm the tree, Issei twisted his body to see if he could spot Raynare.

Suddenly, Issei took his palm off the tree as he felt a sudden urge to gain some distance. He backed up as the tree his palm was on got lifted up in the air by its trunk. The roots of the tree snapped and creaked under the pressure of the tree being suddenly moved by force.

Issei couldn't see behind the tree to see who was lifting it, but deductive reasoning told him that it may or may not be someone with black wings and purple eyes. Guessing approximately where Raynare was lifting up the tree from, he triangulated the center of mass of the tree she most likely was behind, charged forward and jumped in the air with an outstretched crimson gauntlet.

'Boost!'

His sacred gear pierced through the tree like butter and he felt his hand come in contact with something as the rest of the tree incinerated from the flames that erupted when Issei punched through it.

Whatever Issei had in his hand and he both gravitated to the ground since Issei couldn't stay afloat in the air due to the absence of flight. The flames of the gauntlet died down as the emerald gem in the center glowed jade for a second then turned back to its usual hollow dull shade of green.

Issei held Raynare's throat gripped in his hand who had flushed pink-colored flesh around where the blood of her throat stopped circulating. Issei was surprised that her skin wasn't burnt from the flames of Ddraig. Whatever race she belonged to was certainly durable if nothing else.

He slammed her against a nearby tree and started choking her harder. He choked her so hard, she started to shrink in his hand and turned back into the physique of Yuuma. Except, she looked debauched in the black leather that adorned Raynare when she transformed. The look just didn't suit the innocent personality she was aiming for.

"It's a shame. I liked you better in your true form. I think you looked beautiful."

Issei choked her out, and she opened her mouth, trying desperately to breathe some air. Her wings flailed out violently. It didn't seem like Raynare could currently control them, and they were instinctively moving out on their own. Issei used his right hand to smack them away. They were actually surprisingly light, it seemed that the rules of aerodynamics still applied to Raynare's wings as well. They cringed under Issei's light shove and bent down, lying down at her side.

Raynare's eyes rolled to the top of her head as she passed out due to asphyxiation. Her knees collapsed under her weight, and she buckled under the tree she was pinned up against.

A rustling of leaves made Issei look to the left and saw leaves falling down from the crown of its tree. Issei quickly turned his head towards the source, not expecting another presence nearby. Issei looked at the nearby tree, which was still rustling, and the ground shook under his feet, leaves falling down the tree until the miniature earthquake stopped.

All but one leaf had already hit the ground, with the only leaf left descending slowly to the ground with grace and fervor. Issei waited patiently as a burst of black energy with a silver outline quickly spread across the forest and unveiled a completely different image underneath.

Issei's eyes kept on the leaf falling slowly, not wanting to see the moment when it hit the ground. It now turned into a pink sakura sweeping beautifully down the air, the vibrant pink color suiting its elegance much more than the original lush shade of the leaf.

Issei turned around him and saw the source of the sakura. The dark verdant trees turned into cherry blossoms and the dark gleam of twilight had transformed into a white background. Even the ground Issei was standing on was white, with no indication of the crater that used to be right behind him. Issei turned his eye back to the sakura, which was now settled down on the white floor. Damn, he had missed it.

"Beautiful, is it not?"

A feminine voice came from atop the tree where the sakura fell from, with no doubt in Issei's mind that she was the source of the rustling noise. Issei looked up and saw a beautiful girl with long luscious crimson hair and ocean eyes, leaning on the thigh of her outstretched leg which rested on top of a cherry blossom branch. The only imperfection to her appearance was one small ahoge sticking up stubbornly along the roots of her hair.

She wore a white blouse tied underneath a black corset by a ribbon. Her skirt was short and showed off her creamy white legs; it was the female Kuoh Academy uniform. Issei didn't think he had ever seen or would ever see anyone look this good in it. Issei felt a breeze of air coming from his left and saw the girl's bangs move left along with his own; both succumbing to the wind.

Her black shoulder cape blew along her shoulders as well as her skirt which fluttered across her waist. Issei felt the sleeves of his own shirt cling to edges his skin. How was there still wind? Issei didn't see a source where the air could be coming from.

The black and silver outline came again, this time from somewhere outside the white background, and started closing in on them. It went through the girl harmlessly and as Issei saw it appear in his peripheral, he knew it went through him as well.

Once the circle had closed in, it dissipated into thin air. The clearing was back to its original look, and Issei clearly saw the crater in the side of his eye. He looked back at the girl and asked her "Who are you?".

The girl didn't respond and disappeared with a whoosh. 'Oh no, not this shit again.' Issei felt himself get hugged from behind and saw a red circle appear under his feet. Issei struggled against the grasp of whoever was holding him, but the world turned white.

His vision returned and he immediately turned around, backhanding the person who embraced him. He felt the arms let go and the punch of his sacred gear was absorbed by a crimson circle that appeared out of nowhere. The red circle had engravings on it; the same engravings that were on the circle that appeared under him.

The force of Issei's punch blew a gust of wind in the direction it was thrown. The person who conjured the circle's hair blew back. Oh, it was the girl. Both of her hands were in front of her, no doubt to maintain the circle that Issei now knew belonged to her.

"Why did you do that?" Issei didn't know if the girl in front of him was an ally or not. It seemed like she was waiting for his and Raynare's battle to finish, so it was unlikely that she was on Raynare's side. However, she didn't help Issei either and left him to fend for himself, so she probably worked as an independent third party.

The girl put her hands down and smiled while saying "It was more fun that way.". She had a demeanor to her that for some reason, Issei couldn't get mad at. He expended all his emotion fighting Raynare and now all that was left was just emptiness.

Issei sighed and put his hands down as well. He already had enough magical females for one night. It seemed that none of them were alright in the head.

"Aw, you're no fun. Okay, I'll bite. I'm the woman that saved you when you were dying."

That's probably why she looked and sounded familiar. Crimson hair and blue eyes, her features weren't all that prevalent in Japan and she didn't have a discernible appearance of any one race. Issei didn't really know any other females that matched her description. Or females in general for that matter.

"I remembered her looking a lot better." Issei thought out loud. The girl pouted.

"You're evil."

Issei smiled back at her, purposely pretending to say it unknowingly to gauge her reaction. She seemed friendly enough. He supposed he could humor her for the time being.

"You shouldn't talk that way to your master, my adorable servant."

Issei mumbled "My name is Issei." under his breath.

"That's what I said isn't it?"

Issei looked incredulously at the girl in front of him who donned an innocent look on her face. She dropped the look of obliviousness and started giggling in her hand, smiling at Issei while doing so.

She then stopped her giggles and said, "Nice to meet you, Issei. My name is Gremory Rias." She outstretched her right hand out for a handshake. Issei looked at her questioningly and looked down to his gauntlet, which was still on his left arm, and then back up to her.

She laughed again, this time with actual euphonious laughter, and exchanged her right hand for her left. Issei sighed and shook her hand with the hand that didn't hold his sacred gear. She had a firm grip and a really nice handshake. That, and her skin felt extremely soft.

So, this was this infamous Rias Gremory that Motohama and Matsuda kept telling him about. She wasn't exactly who he imagined. He imagined a pretentious girl who shoved her beauty down everyone else's throat. Motohama said she was too out of league and settled instead for his aim to marry the female pop idol, claiming that it was a much more realistic goal.

"Wait, what about Raynare and Motohama?" Issei wondered about both his friend and Raynare. Well not for Raynare, he could give less of a fuck about her. He just didn't know if she was dead. Did she even have the same anatomy as a human? Air might not be a necessity for her unlike with humans. The thought of Raynare still living to see another day made him sick.

"Don't worry. Akeno is dealing with her as we speak. I'm pretty sure you killed her, but my vice president is going to lay waste to her body. Soon she shall be gone, reduced to atoms." Issei heard a clap of thunder in the background that was a bit too quiet to be caused by natural forces.

Akeno was probably Himejama Akeno. It didn't seem like it was a coincidence that the two prettiest girls in the school both wielded magic. Vice president, huh? The Occult Research Club housed two magic users that Issei knew of. He wouldn't be surprised if Akeno and the rest of the club were all the same race as Rias. Was she even human? Could humans even wield magic?

Motohama would love to be in his position right now.

Still feeling the cold breeze of the air, Issei guessed that there might be a window open and went to go look outside. Leaving his back exposed to Rias wasn't the smartest idea, but Issei highly doubted he had enough juice to go for another run tonight. His shoulder no longer bled, and unblemished flesh was in the place his wound used to be. Did Rias somehow heal it by touching him?

Looking back at Rias curiously, he saw her pull down the white long sleeves of the female Kuoh Academy uniform. He didn't even notice that they were rolled up previously, leaving her forearms exposed.

Issei heard the sound of thunder again and it more or less confirmed his hypothesis from earlier. There had to be an open window somewhere for him to hear its proximity. He looked around the room and saw an open windowsill that was blowing cold air onto his shirtless chest. Bangs flowing in the wind, Issei approached the window sill and looked out of it.

He saw a yellow bolt of lightning coming from the air around where he assumed Motohama's house was. This window could see practically the whole courtyard, Issei mused. It boasted an impressive view of the school and he could see the building of the Kendo Club from where he was standing.

"Where are we?" Issei knew that they were somewhere in Kuoh Academy, but in which building he had no idea.

"We're currently in the second floor of the old schoolhouse, where the Occult Research Club meetings are held."

There was an old schoolhouse?

"As for your friend, my other servants searched for him but found no trace of him in the school or anywhere else." Issei gripped the smooth wood finish of the window harder in his palms, taking in the new information. He wasn't going to be able to fulfill his promise to Motohama's mom after all.

"But" Rias continued. "He could still be alive somewhere out there." Issei tried to find his voice, but it escaped him.

After a few attempts and several coughs, Issei croaked out "How?".

Don't get him wrong, this was really nice to hear. Issei just didn't know how he could've survived in his condition if Raynare's words held true.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you healed me back to life. I didn't figure magic could do things like that." He supposed that magic could heal any and all wounds inflicted. It would make sense; it was magic after all. It was given its name for a reason.

"Not exactly." Rias responded, cutting off Issei's musing.

"Hmm?" Issei wondered back, murmuring through chapped lips.

"I don't specialize in healing magic. You are in every sense of the word, dead." This… this was hard to take in.

Rias elaborated, "You're no longer human. You've been reincarnated as an Akuma; you are now the pawn of the house of Gremory."

Devil? Issei heard a bleak noise from behind him and turned around. Rias now adorned black wings behind her that must've come from her back since Issei didn't see them on her body earlier.

It was an intriguing sight. They didn't look as good as Raynare's wings, Issei noted. Instead of onyx feathered wings, they were black wings with clear veinage. They weren't exactly draconic like Issei saw on Ddraig's body, but they looked okay he supposed.

Rias then turned around and Issei saw where her wings cut through the fabric of her black corset. So, not everyone shredded their clothes when they transformed. That's good, Issei didn't want to go streaking every time he sprouted his own soon.

"Is...is that okay?" Rias stammered out, seeming unsure of his reaction. She was worried about his response for the first time in their conversation and fidgeted anxiously in place, extremely unconfident.

'What was she worried about?' Issei wondered. Oh that's right.

"To be human isn't something that's bound to the physical world, Rias." Issei started as he turned back around and looked outside the window, staring longingly at the night sky. The full moon was out tonight, shining marvelously on the school grounds.

"If it were, there would be no drawn line for what we call 'human'. Humans in biology are simply the name of the species that evolved from primates. It's quite fascinating that one of the main antonyms for the word 'human' in its adjective form is 'robotic'.

"To be considered 'robotic', it suggests that one lacks any resemblance of feelings. From this, we can derive that to be 'human' means that one is able to feel, by contrast. Humans in biology are considered different from the other animals because they are aware. They are known for their unparalleled intelligence, but so many other species are not that far behind. Chimpanzees, octopuses, dolphins, dogs, cats." Issei listed off examples of popular breeds of animals which displayed strong levels of intelligence.

"So what makes a human 'human'?" Issei continued. "In Christianity, what allows humans to rule over the world is the free will that God had bestowed upon Adam and Eve. Man being 'made in God's image' doesn't suggest physical similarities but rather the idea of the soul being translated across the mortal realm. To be 'robotic', one cannot be able to feel emotions or have very little of them. In psychology, the closest thing to these types of people are psychopaths. Some psychopaths aren't able to feel emotion, but a more accurate assessment would be that psychopaths in general just don't understand emotion. The feelings we cherish are hysterical and hilarious; our own moral code just doesn't make sense to them.

"To be inhumane doesn't suggest a lack of emotions. It means that one is able to feel emotions and still choose to commit vicious atrocities. What allowed humans to rise to the top of the food chain is their constant strive to rise to the top. Humans aren't the strongest of creatures. They enslave their own kind, domesticate other animals, kill and rape their own brothers and sisters. Humans hate change because the idea that they aren't the pinnacle of evolution burns their mind. However, we still manage to evolve through technology and such and will continue to keep advancing as a society. The difference between those who are complacent and those who wish to evolve is what makes us 'human'.

"For innovators, they never stop reaching for the sky. To reach outer space was considered unfathomable not too long ago, incomprehensible even. Now, rockets and satellites are being sent up to space to scan for life outside the known borders of our galaxy. In theory, with the right amount of time and effort, humans could accomplish anything they set their mind to. Time travel, teleportation, bending reality. That's what makes us human. The ability to feel, the neverending dissatisfaction with life, the continuous search for the unreachable, the unachievable.

"It's not a surprise that humans usually only feel satisfaction at the end of their life. Jealousy, hatred, lust. These are all biological human emotions that are also shared by lions, wolves, and tigers. What makes humans different is the ability to feel more than just negative emotions; to have a conscious. The idea of morality revolves around the concept of what's considered right and wrong. To judge someone, it doesn't necessarily mean that the judge or they jury believes that they're greater than the defendant, stronger than them, a better person than them.

"If we call judgement from God 'divine judgement', why don't we call the punishment we exact on other people 'human judgement'? It's because you don't need to be able to be a god to tell what's right and wrong. It's the disregard for these types of feelings that make people 'inhumane'."

Rias followed Issei's trail of thoughts and filled in the blanks. "Sociopaths", she realized what he was alluding to.

"Indeed." Issei hummed.

"Sociopathy is the understanding of emotions and the disregard of it. It's something that simply isn't valuable to them. They are manipulative, but are still fueled by whatever ambition they choose to have. Whether that be power, dominance, or even status, they are still fueled by the human goal to grow and to shape the world and still feel the same jealousy, anger, and lust as the rest of us. However because of their disregard for all the positive emotions, they are still considered human in a sense but they only partially so. Unlike psychopaths, they are able to grasp at the strings of morality, the fact that what they're doing is wrong, and yet they still continue to do the things the way they do because they simply don't care. Thus, we consider sociopathic actions 'inhumane'.

"Sociopaths think that human emotions are worthless, parasitic even. They believe that being controlled by any type of feelings are a sign of humanity's weakness, but I tend to disagree. When a man cries, he is not being weak, but rather strong in that moment. When you go to the ends of the earth for someone you love, you are objectively foolish, but you're also subjectively brave. Helen and Paris, Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra. It's in these stories in which humanity shows its vulnerability, its succeptability. To be 'human' is a weakness in it of itself. When a man isn't strong enough to lift a car, we give the excuse that 'he's only human'. However when pent up emotions break through the dam people spent tens of years building up, we say the same thing.

"It doesn't matter if I am a devil, an angel, or the scum of the earth whose only purpose in life is to stick under the sole of somebody's boot. As long as I am able to feel and be motivated by those feelings, I will still be 'human' if I choose to be. I wish to stay human, Rias. What's the point of power if you can no longer feel anything amymore. To be ambitious, to be curious, to wonder about the inconceivable. Lately, I admit I have been extremely apathetic. That's why I've considered myself 'dead'."

Rias couldn't find the problem. "So just stop being sad then?"

Issei chuckled darkly at her confusion. "I'm not sad, I'm depressed. Sadness and depression are synonymous but they don't have identical meanings. Depression is, in the simplest of terms, the inability to feel happiness. If sadness is considered the opposite of happiness, to be unable to feel happiness doesn't automatically mean that one is on the other side of the spectrum. I'm not sad; I'm numb."

"You said you didn't have anything to live for?" Rias asked out loud, remembering what Issei said from earlier.

"Indeed I did." Issei responded. Not his exact wording, but it along the lines of what he meant.

"Live for me." Rias said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. She sounded so sure of herself, that Issei automatically wanted to agree with her and say 'yes'. He turned around and saw Rias smiling back at him. It was infectious.

"Just like that?" Issei asked.

"Just like that." Rias affirmed.

Issei didn't laugh at her. He didn't scorn her, he didn't scoff at her statement. He simply turned around and leaned out the window once more.

"It's not that easy." Issei responded.

"Can I make it easy?" Rias asked, wanting to help.

"Go ahead." Issei wondered if she actually had an answer or she was being rhetoric.

"I'm your master, you are my adorable servant. I order you to live." She sounded so childish, it was quite endearing.

"Rias, do you know why suicides occur the most in the spring?" Issei didn't expect an answer. "There is a positive correlation of increasing suicides in first world countries compared to third worlds. Suicide is the privalege of the rich, one could say. The poor quite literally cannot afford to give up, they have to keep on working for their family; they must get out of the ghetto. The number one coping mechanism for depression is to distract yourself.

"The poor have a clear and defined goal. They get rich, they support their family, they travel around the world. There is a saying 'poor people don't know how to be rich'. A homeless man wins the lottery, spends it on gambling and becomes homeless once more. If all your life you are trying to get rich, then money is just a means to an end. What happens after that? If you can't answer that simple question, then that end is simply the end of your life. Whether that be literally or figuratively, they have reached the pinnacle of their life, and all their effort henceforth had gone to this one and only goal. There is simply nothing left.

"The idea that money can buy happiness goes through every poor person's mind. Poor people are able to become rich. Their life gets better, they wear tuxedoes, they dine at the fanciest restaurants, have sex with the most beautiful of girls. But they still aren't happy and it makes no sense to them since their life is objectively better. But that's because they're wrong. Their life hasn't become better, just their lifestyle. Money can't buy happiness, but it can make things that make you unhappy go away. Since they are already rich, the inability to feel happiness is a jarring conclusion to reach.

"No one knows for sure why people kill themselves most in the spring, Rias. But it's always been my personal belief that it's because people come to the realization that they can't be happy. School ends, summer starts, distractions go away. People kill themselves because they don't think life is worth living anymore and more often than not, they feel alone.

"It doesn't matter if they are the most popular person in high school. It doesn't matter if they have an endless amount of friends and family showing their support, reaching out to them. They know their loved ones care for them, they know that they're there for them, they know that they love them. They get that, and yet they still feel manage to feel alone in the end.

"Summer is when life is supposed to be fun, it's supposed to be good; they're supposed to feel happy. Once that fun is gone, that's when people should start to end it in theory. But in reality, they end it in spring instead of fall, because the happiness never started to begin with. Having fun does not mean that you are happy. You can laugh, you can smile, you can cry. Laughter is a result of humor not joy.

"Living for someone else is not a simple solution, nor is it a permanent one. When they're happy, you're happy. When they're sad, you're sad because they are. When they die, you die as well. If your life is hung by the small string that connects you to another person, then that string can get cut by the dullest of plastic knives.

"If you are romantically interested in someone, you may talk to them in order to get your feelings reciprocated eventually. If your relationship is built upon the fact that you are interested in the other person when they inevitably say no, you will be devastated. People will always find a way to let each other down, disappointment is inevitable. But the relationships you have become brittle if they hinge on the fact of one thing. Because if another person is your love interest first and your friend second, the foundation of your relationship is built on a house of twigs.

"Life is of a similar fashion, Rias. When you live for another person', the phrase doesn't necessarily have to mean that your heart stops beating when theirs do, but rather it's a figure of speech. That's pretty obvious, is it not? But what we don't realize is that since you 'live for another person', when that person dies, they take your metaphorical heart with them; your soul."

Thinking back to Ddraig and remembering his melancholic face, Issei said "I don't wish to become immortal, Rias. If I cannot die, all that I care about is not infinite along with my life span. If what I care about is people, and I live for them, then watching them die while I live on is not a happy thought. I won't live for someone else, no matter how temporary it may be.

"That's why I can't live for you, Rias. If I live for you, then I won't even be considered 'living'. I'd be a husk of a human being, a hollow shell, a carcass. I won't be necessarily inhumane but rather simply just not-human; robotic if you will. A life of servitude for someone isn't exactly the most ideal. I'd rather curl up in a ball and sit in the corner while crying for my mom. I will always and forever will be eternally grateful for you saving my life, but I am Hyoudou Issei first, pawn of Rias Gremory second. Once my service is over, if I were to stick around it won't be because you were my old master; it will because you're Rias."

"Oh." Rias let out; it sounded like she was sad but pleased to hear that at the same time. Rias considered herself an above-average master in terms of caring for her servants, and ordering Issei around was never her intention. But still, his words managed to reach all the way to the deepest parts of her heart. It made her feel guilty for the crimes she hadn't committed and made her forget about the ones she already had.

Everyone thinks differently and no one has the same thought process, but hearing Issei's perspective made her smile. It wasn't the matter of whether or not she agreed with him, it was the manner in which he said it in that made Rias so interested in him. His passion for what he thought was right was extremely admirable in her opinion.

Staring at his lowered head Rias wondered what to say to him before he continued on once more.

"People often dedicate their lives to someone, whether that be a political figure or a religious one. They are ready to lay their lives down at a moment's notice. But the difference between a soldier and a veteran is what exactly they're fighting for. A soldier fights for a name, a veteran fights for an idea. Nationalism is much more complex than attributing it to 'fighting for a country' simply because it has 'nation' in its name.

"You don't need to fight for something that's established, you don't even need to fight for the place you call 'home'. You simply need to fight for the qualities you value in life. That's your true 'home'. Presidents have terms, countries can switch allegiances. But it's only when nations forget what they originally fought for, that soldiers stop to think for a second and reconsider. The people that died so they can be where they are at now, the people that sweat blood and tears for an idea they valued; the people that believed in something so strongly, that they set out to accomplish their goal even at the cost of their own life. A country is just a name, Rias.

"Similarly, God in Christianity is just a name capitalized to signify his importance. It's much more than just worshipping your creator because of the fact he created you that makes one kneel down. Rather, it's what he represents that makes you grateful. You want to protect those ideals, you want to fight for it.

"The modern day view of God in Christianity being a merciful god is an extremely recent development in religious history. One of the main beattributes in Christianity is 'fear of the lord'. The fact that perception of God can change suggests that perhaps the blind faith that people put in to him is a bit more than just dedication to a name that belongs to a person they don't truly know.

"Faith is something that describes the continuous worship of something you can't see, something you can't touch, taste, smell or feel. Someone you don't even know is whole different story. Nobody expects to be able to understand God, but they should at least be able to have a decent understanding on how he operates. The 'why' is a question in which everyone has their own each individual answers. If there exists different sub-factions and denominations of the church, which God stays most faithful to the original? Which bible holds gospel and which one holds blasphemy?

"The three Abrahamic gods worshipped in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are one in the same. They all originate from the same God, but they each believe their own interpretations of him and what he represents. Christians believe that the messiah will return someday, while Jews believe he is yet to come. Islam believes a similar notion and denounces the legitimacy of Christ. Who's to say which is right and which is wrong? People go to God to ask for his guidance, but whichever church they pray in first is the one that they will stay in. Whatever book that they open first is the one that they will believe in.

"It is not uncommon for people to want to switch their religious beliefs and not all of them do it because they found indisputable evidence that proves that the other is real. To forsake your original religion, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to stop believing in what your religion teaches. But rather, it's how they treat people and certain aspects of life that makes people renounce one's faith. It suggests that perhaps it's what the religion represents and not 'who' it's about or 'how' the religion functions.

"Athiests baptize themselves into Christianity because the idea of a merciful God secures their afterlife. Muslims choose to desert from Allah because their people are forcing their socratic beliefs onto others. Jewish people convert to Buddism because they want to reach nirvana. They don't need to believe in Buddha just as athiests don't have to think that God is scientifically real, they just have to believe in their representation as an intrinsic value.

"The Crusaders and the Muslims both slaughtered people in God's name and its ironic because they didn't slaughter all the infidels for God's name, but rather because of it. Religion represents a reason to fight, a motivation to go on, an idea to believe in. And it's strong, Rias. It's fucking strong.

"I don't want to be like them, Rias. If I live for an ideal, I need to accept that I'm selfish. If I live for a person, I need to accept that I'm worthless.

"Answer me this, Rias. You've been watching me for quite some time haven't you?"

Rias had expected this, but definitely not so soon."Is that a problem?"

Issei thought for a second before answering back. "No."

Pondering more, Issei continued "You could've saved me or intervened whenever you liked. There was no real reason that I had to die was there?"

A heavy silence filled the air as Issei knew his words hit true. Or at least true enough for Rias to take a moment to consider her response. It had to be somewhere in the ballpark of half-true and entirely.

"Do you mind?"

Issei knew that while she likely may or not have held a role in his death, she still allowed him to die. By affiliation, she most likely was able to save Motohama as well. Even if her servants weren't on surveillance 24/7, it still fell under her duty to watch over the students of the school she resided in. Whether or not her responsibility was to protect them, was something that Issei couldn't provide an answer for.

He wasn't someone to hold a grudge anyways.

"No." Issei finally responded. Motohama's death was as much of his fault that it was Rias'. He knew Motohama wouldn't want him to blame himself nor her, and he knew that shifting blame around the circle of those guilty is simple madness.

Issei hoisted himself up off the window and stood up straight. Rias' eyes traced the scarred skin on his back which had recently reopened in his and Raynare's battle. It bled in the moonlight, blood dripping down the middle of Issei's back. It was ugliness incarnate; a disgrace, an imperfection.

"I can heal that if you'd like." Rias offered. She wasn't good at healing, but it was still a fresh wound that wouldn't require too much expertise to seal.

Issei waved her off. "Leave it. It's a reminder of my failure and it needs to be something I'll never forget. If I ever do become strong, this scar will remind me of the people I had lost because I wasn't."

Becoming strong was one of Issei goals. He didn't want do it because Ddraig asked him to, he wished to do it out of his own fruition. Magic was an interest that would never cease to amaze Issei, especially now when he had no clue on how it functioned. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that his motivation was to protect his friends or his family. He still cared for Motohama and his mother and loved them both deeply, but he was doing this on his own. He was selfish.

"So you think that the world isn't worth living in anymore?"

He turned around to face Rias with a cheshire grin on his face. His smirk reached the ends of his cheeks and his irises glowed brightly green. The emerald color of his eyes were mesmerizing. They went exquisitely well with his white sclera.

Rias found that she liked his smile and wanted to see more of it. Issei should definitely smile more often.

"I think that the world as I know it just got a little bit more interesting."

"Just a little?" Rias intoned.

"Just a little." Issei repeated.

He was going to live for himself.


A/N: This is the chapter where the tone changes and it's probably the one to see if your interest is kept in the story. The pace will accelerate at this point, but I'm not doing time skips any time soon.

Issei's perspective on depression and other things is simply something that he currently believes in, since its directly correlates with him. He's not going to be omniscient and there are a lot of things besides magic that he is ignorant towards. The point of Issei's opinion is simply just that; because it's an opinion. I'm not asking you to necessarily agree or disagree with him, but it should make sense from a certain standpoint.

Additionally, Issei is using a pretty substantial amount of hyperbole and the sociopathy and psychopathy is simply an analogy. It's going to be a reoccurring metaphor in my story and while not entirely unfounded, it's not the most accurate. There is a much more specific group of people that have the inability to feel emotions, which are people who struggle with alexithymia. But the reason why alexithymia isn't mentioned when talking about being 'robotic' is because it's more of a symptom that occurs frequently in ASPD cases than an actual diagnosis.

The main character is really important in every story, but I think you'll find that my other characters will be equally if not more interesting than my take on Issei. His motivations right now if they weren't already obvious enough is simple. His curiosity and interest in the magical world . It's the same motivation everyone who watches anime has to continue to watch. His curiosity and intrigue is what makes him human.

His motivation and perspective are both susceptible to change, and this may or may not be his final take on things. However, I won't spoil the story for you. His character will undoubtedly continue to develop and so will my world, and it's up to you choose whether or not want to stick around to read it. The time you invest into this story I can never give back to you and I consider the time you spend reading my story more valuable than the time I spend writing it.

If you don't like the way I write and/or the characters that I create are handled, you are of course entitled to your own opinion. But I can guarentee you that my characters will be dealt with that in a way that you've never read before in High School DxD's universe, canon or otherwise. They aren't written different for the sake of being different, I choose to write them in this way because I find them more interesting. I would like to think my iteration of Issei is a bit more intruiging than simply just being a BAMF.

The path this story went so far was extremely linear.

In the beginning of the story, Issei finds the world dull. If he didn't have some sort of life changing experience, the only alternative is just for him to discover a new world. The interactions between characters are extremely boring if it's one-sided, but I can understand if you guys liked it when everyone was interested in what Issei had to say. The fact that he held all the power to move the conversation forward might've appeared cool to you. I just personally don't enjoy writing people like that, as I find it extemely boring and taxing on both me and the reader's interest. This story was meant to be realistic, not real. The plot is character driven, not protagonist driven.

Rias will have her own moments of intelligence soon as well. This wasn't a conversation of someone who has depression and someone who has never experienced it in her life; this was to show dialouge between someone who 'understands it' and someone that doesn't.

Anyways, have a good night.