Alright, back at it again. Now, I have to warn you guys, but there's going to be even more time skips from now on. Not because I'm rushing the story, this was all a part of the original plan, but I just kinda feel I've gotta let you know that it's necessary for the story. Just like I said before, Issei's daily life, despite what has (and will be) happened/happening is very peaceful. There are usually long gaps in between the incidents that he encounters. These chapters are essentially just the (mostly negative) highlights of his life as a Sacred Gear user. Otherwise it would just be a slice of life.
Regardless, as I've said, be patient. I'm not gonna rush pivotal development towards Issei as a warrior or a person simply because there are a couple readers who want Cannon to come sooner. But if it's any consolation, we should be reaching cannon in about 4 or 5 chapters at most. Just a little estimate. Who knows, it may be sooner. Since there are going to be some chapters coming up that will be longer than usual chapters and will have more than one timeskip in them so there's that.
P.S. If you're wondering whether Issei will encounter any Fallen Angels, Sacred Gear users, Church members, etc. Then Yeah, ha, he will.
-SCENE-
"Bam! Bam! Win, Ratin-chan!"
It was morning in the Aikawa Household. It had been a full 2 years since the incident involving "Zealous". Issei was now 10 and a half years of age.
On the couch, sat Issei with the small girl named Maki (now aged 8), in his lap, cheering for the hero of the Tokusatsu show they were watching. They were both dressed properly with backpacks by their sides. Their attire would imply that they were going somewhere.
[Nnngh! So this is the monster from the East! I must use my Ratin-soun to defeat it!]
"Uuu…"
Maki suddenly became a bit uneasy while watching her show. It was at the mention of "the monster".
"Ah... Let's watch something else."
Issei changed the channel almost immediately. Maki was scared. And he knew what it was that spooked her.
There was a certain monster in the show known as the ["Monster from the East"]. Being just a young girl Maki, was afraid of a few things. The loud sound of thunder, earthquakes, the dark, and "monsters"— most like any average girl her age. She could stand the fear of the natural occurrences like the quakes, thunder, and dark, as long as Issei was around. The problem was the monsters. She seemed to have an odd fear of monstrous beings. Issei had believed it was a normal fear— until recently.
Issei wondered why it had taken him so long to realize, but there was a deep reason for it. It explained why Maki's parents, especially Satoshi, could always tell that Issei had just used his Boosted Gear moments before interacting with them. They would tell him that he had a different "air" to him. Ddraig explained that there were people in the world who were more "aware" than others, when it came to the supernatural— Spiritually aware.
—In other words, Maki's family were "spiritual mediums".
This worried Issei greatly. If the family was more spiritually aware than most, then that meant they were all the more susceptible to the supernatural. They could more easily be detected or found. It was no wonder that Satoshi had broken whatever "spell" those Devils placed him under. Not only was he a genius, but he was a "medium". This did not put Issei in a wonderful situation when it came to his secret weapon known as a Sacred Gear.
Regardless, Maki's fear of monsters and other beings was more than just an irrational, childish fear, it was part of her natural instincts as a medium. Just his luck. Now he can't ever take the risk of letting Maki sleep alone until he reaches a level of strength where he can instantly awaken himself to any threat within a 50 meter radius. That could be overkill, but he wouldn't take the chance.
"Uuu…. East is scary, Nii-Nii…"
Maki whimpered a bit while curling up in Issei's lap.
Issei's mind drifted to the monsters he's encountered in comparison to the fake monster from the show. The Nightwalker, the "Demon chimps", The large "white beast", the beast that distorted time, even "Zealous".
Then, there's the one from the show. It's just a man in a plastic and rubber costume that resembles some sort of exoskeleton armor. If he recalls, it's meant to be something like a bug, but the exoskeleton armor is colored purple and red and hardly even covers his whole body. So, it more resembles an exoskeleton from science fiction with the design of bug shelling. The worst part, that Issei finds a little tasteless, only because it scares Maki, is that the monster from the East is said to "eat" people. Because he's a bug. He supposes that it would be an actually intimidating villain, if not for the fact that it's never truly implied or shown that he does eat anyone, since it is a kids show. But either way, the idea of it alone bothers Issei, especially since it's in a kids show. The idea irks him in general.
To experience death by being devoured….
He remembers the "Demon chimps" clearly. Those small beasts who were eating people while sitting in a tree. —It disgusted him. All of the media that portrays people being devoured by various monsters. They don't even know the half of it. He could never look at such media with clean eyes again. What a horrible fate. The worst death imaginable.
….
—The image of a severed hand with a ring on it flashes in his mind.
….
"Yeah…."
He pats Maki's head.
"It is scary, isn't it….."
He prays to the God that cursed him with his Boosted Gear, that their deaths were not similar...
"Kids~! Time to go~!"
Akane called out to the children from beyond the living room. The two stood up from the couch, picked up their backpacks, and walked out of the living area. Satoshi and Akane were waiting at the entrance.
"Come on, come on. Obaa-chan wants to see you. We shouldn't keep her waiting."
Akane nudged the kids out while Satoshi closed and locked up the door. The family hopped into the car and made off towards their destination.
"Mama! Obaa-chan is gonna like Nii-Nii?"
"Yes, honey, I imagine she will."
Maki hopped in her seat while Issei stared vacantly out the window. He was the only silent one in the car.
The family was currently making their way to see Maki's grandparents home, Akane's parents, and stay there for a couple days. Issei has never met them. Usually, he would stay over at a friend's house while they went on their long drive visit to the grandparents house. But, this time was different.
"Issei-kun."
Satoshi called out to Issei from the driver's seat, snapping him from his thoughts.
"Thank you for coming. I know it might be hard. Just tell me if you ever feel uncomfortable. I'll bring you home if I have to."
"Mm."
Issei answered with a nod.
The reason Issei never accompanied them on their trips to that house was because it was in the T-prefecture. A certain town resided in that place. That's house of Akane's parents— was just beyond the edges of Kuoh's outskirts.
It was nowhere near his home, which was towards the center, but he would be able to see the whole place from afar, if he looked. The only reason he came, was for Maki. But he did not feel any less uneasy.
In fact, he decided to take a nap in the car.
At least then, he wouldn't be able to see it, out in the distance, as they closed in.
Ding-Dong~
Satoshi rung the bell of the house the family was outside of. Steps were heard a few seconds after. Then, the door opened.
Dakun!
"Ara~ it looks like our guests have arrived."
"Obaa-chan!"
Maki ran to hug her grandmother who greeted them at the door.
"Ohohoho~ I have missed you too, Maki-chan."
Akane hugged her mother, followed by her husband afterwards.
"Hi, Okaa-san."
"Good to see you, Okaa-sama."
"Oh~ Akane. And Satoshi as well, it's so good to see you."
Issei stood on the sidelines while they all interacted. He still did not feel that he belonged.
"Okaa-sama. This is Issei-kun. He is the son of the Hyoudou's."
Satoshi gestured to Issei behind him. The Grandmother's attitude became sullen upon realizing him.
"...Oh, hello, sweet dear. Come closer."
The Grandmother hugged Issei sweetly and rubbed his back.
"Such a sweet boy. You have your mother's eyes."
Issei felt an unbelievable tightness in his chest. The woman reminded him of his own grandmother. His father and Satoshi's mother. It hurt to remember her. It hurt for both him and Satoshi.
His grandmother was never the same after the funeral services. Now, she is vacant, and usually unresponsive. She seldom remembers things that are not recalled to her by others. She treats Issei with sweetness and always sings to him. Yet, there are times when she wonders why Issei always visits without his parents.
It hurt to remember her.
"Now, now. Come on in. Akane, your father is in the kitchen. Let's not keep him waiting."
The entered the house, and with that, their stay began.
"Haah!— Hah! —Hah!"
It was early morning. Issei was taking a light jog. Usually, people his age wouldn't be exercising in such ways, but Issei was not "normal", after all.
[That should be enough, don't you think, partner?]
Issei gradually came to a stop. He took a seat on a bench after drinking from a fountain. He looked around the area, but there was not much to see. It was quite a foggy morning. The most he could see was a few meters down. There was a forest right ahead of him.
[You have been overworking a bit, haven't you, partner?]
"...Hm…"
[Well, at the very least, know when you've reached your limit. You may be able to boost up to 10 times, but the more energy you exert over time while using that power, it will drain your stamina.]
"I know... That's why I'm trying to improve that now…"
[Yes, I know. But, you tend to lose yourself in the middle of training at times. If you are going to train, then you need to focus. Focus isn't only needed when improving your instincts.]
"Right…"
—Ping!
Issei suddenly felt a tingling feeling on the back of his neck. He whipped his head in all directions. It was his instincts.
[Partner? Do you feel that?]
'Yeah. Where is it?'
[To the east. Something is about to enter the forest.]
Issei looked to his right. Off in the distance, there was a figure heading into the forest.
'Ddraig, what is it?'
[I do not know. I cannot tell from here.]
'Human?'
[No.]
'Of course not.'
The figure entered the forest, escaping from Issei's vision.
'Should I follow it?'
[It is up to you Partner. You may ignore them, if you wish.]
Issei contemplated on what he should do. Ignore it, and move on with his life? Or, interfere, despite not being originally involved? This was the first time something didn't directly affect him. He would return home after the next day. Would it matter if he did nothing?...
["..As of now, the only assumption may be that the children are no longer with us.."]
..….
'..Dammit.'
Issei bolted forward to follow the being who entered the forest.
'What is it heading for? A forest? Bad stuff always happens in places like this. Maybe it noticed me and is trying to lure me out?'
Issei's mind scrambled through the possibilities of what exactly is the being he is following, and what its intentions were. But as he was running, he quickly lost sight of the figure. He slid to an abrupt stop.
'What? Where did he go? I can't feel him!'
[He is…. —! Behind you!]
"Ah? A kid?"
[—?!]
Issei whipped his head around, only to see something swiftly pass him.
"Over here~"
He whipped back around again. And—
"Yo."
—Only a meter in front of him, stood a young man in his early 20s with messy, slightly spiky, creamy-white hair which looked like it didn't belong on a living person. He was dressed a bit like a young skater and was resting his arms on a spear resting on the back of his neck. He seemed to have a laid back attitude and was smirking curiously down at Issei.
"Kids shouldn't be wandering into misty forests like this. You'll scrap your knee. Ah, hold up. You probably speak Japanese, huh. —Ahem. Sorry bout that. "
Issei was immediately set on his guard. He was already taking his stance and spawned his Boosted Gear.
[Boost!]
"Woah!"
The man spun the spear expertly and took a proper leaning stance.
"That's not a kid's toy, little man!"
Both of them were on guard, but Issei could tell that the man was not as nervous as the sweating Issei.
'Ddraig…. What is he?'
[—A "Fallen Angel".]
The man— The mysterious Fallen Angel, he put his hand up in a non-threatening manner.
"Alright... Let's just calm down, kiddo... No need to be feisty."
Issei gritted his teeth in frustration and anxiousness.
"...Why are you here, Fallen Angel?"
The man looked even more surprised.
"Woah, woah, woah! You know that much?! That's dangerous, kid! You're not just any chip off the old block, are ya!"
[Fool. You should not have told him that you knew of his nature. Now he will see you as a legitimate threat.]
'Well, how much of a chance do I have in winning?'
[Without knowing of his proficiency as a spearman, the possibility is high, but also uncertain. In terms of pure power, he does not seem too much stronger than that Zealous, judging by his latent aura. But his stance and movement implies that he has a skill level that could easily dispatch of such an opponent. Not to mention, that he possesses the ability to create light spears. If he has the confidence to use a regular spear, despite his natural power, then that just means that he is an even more skilled warrior than the average crow. All in all, my optimistic estimate is a 50/50.]
'I wish I hadn't learned what optimistic meant…'
[Indeed. Realistically, you will die before you hit him.]
The man suddenly held his hand up as he relaxed his stance. Issei only increased his guard instinctually.
"Woah, woah! Hold on there, kiddo! Just chill out, okay? Let's just talk this out. I ain't gonna hurt ya."
'..Do I trust him?'
[You shouldn't.]
Issei retained his stance while the Fallen Angel sighed.
"Haah... Well, I guess that makes sense, huh. Look, kid. I ain't here for you, alright? Even though that thing you got there is really a bad hand."
He pointed to Issei's Boosted Gear.
"..But still, you ain't my objective. I'm here for something else. I can't be wasting my time with you."
Issei's eyes narrowed.
"What are you planning?"
The Fallen raised a brow.
"If I tell you, will you chill out?"
Issei didn't answer.
"Haah.."
The Fallen Angel sighed again and crossed his arms.
"Alright, whatever. Look, kid, like I said, I ain't here for you. I'm here for another kid. I'm here to find my boss's kid, you know? She's been running around wherever, and I gotta find 'er and make sure she's A-ok. I'm supposed to take 'er back too, but that's not the problem. I just can't find 'er. I'm closing in on the trail but you're in the way. That's the thing, ya see."
Issei's guard only increased with his words.
"Ah, nah, that's not what I…. Ugh. I suck at this shit. I ain't the negotiating type. That's not why I got a fucking spear, ya know? Damn [Azazel]. Do your own shit, will ya? Just 'cuz Barakiel hasn't moved for a while...!"
The man seemed to pop a light bulb over his head in realization.
"Ah, that's right! Hey, kid! How about this? You wanna head back to base with us?! That'd be the shit, ya know! Ah, but there is that little "white" runt... Would he cause trouble with you 'cuz 'a the legend?... Nah, he should be alright. So, whaddya say?"
The Fallen smirked in a relaxed manner. Issei only became even more hostile than ever. His skin felt a little hot. Something felt like it was being released from his pores.
"Woah! Woah! Chill out, kiddo! I ain't tryin to say that I'm kidnapping ya! I'm asking ya! Man, you're a hostile little man, aren't ya? I mean, I don't blame ya. If you know that I'm a Fallen, then that probably means ya had some interaction with one of us... Probably not a pretty one, huh?"
The Fallen stopped rubbing his neck and looked down at Issei seriously.
"Did they kill someone?"
(—!)
Issei froze for a bit. But his shock quickly disappeared.
"...Not one of you guys..."
"...Mm…"
The Fallen was looking deep into Issei's eyes. Issei felt like his whole soul was being exposed in front of him. The Fallen relaxed and cracked his neck.
"Haah.. That so? Well, maybe it was from the one of the other sides then. Had to be something bad if you got that scary fuckin' thing lookin' so young. But if you live around here—"
The Fallen was casually looking around, deep into different parts of the forest, until he stopped mid sentence.
"—Ah."
He looked like he realized something and turned his head to Issei with the same seriousness from earlier.
"You're one of "those victims", aintcha?.."
[—?!]
The Fallen crossed his arms and leaned back to look up into the fog covered sky.
"Aaah... That shit ain't funny, man…."
Issei only felt confusion towards his actions. —The Fallen Angel's tone sounded grim and sincere. He was gazing up at the sky with a distant look, as if he was in deep contemplation.
'Ddraig... What is..'
[Devils and Fallen alike are masters of Manipulation. Do not let down your guard.]
Issei had only noticed it when Ddraig mentioned, his guard had loosened. He solidified it once again and waited for the Fallen to make a move. The Fallen took notice of it.
"Ah, my bad. Touchy subject, yeah? Damn. Who woulda' thought that you'd be in there when that happened? That's some reeeaaally bad shit for the Devils. No wonder you got all that hate in your eyes. Woof. That's rough, little guy. I don't even think I gotta ask you to tag along anymore. Our side or not, you'll just be against those fuckers anyway, huh?"
Issei couldn't make sense of any of the things he had been saying. From the very beginning, there were many things he was lost on. But that didn't matter. What mattered was whether he was truly a threat or not. The Fallen placed his hands on his hips.
"Aaah, but being that hostile is bad for ya, ya know? That means you're more likely to go nuts. I feel like you got some crazy in ya already. Maybe I should take you back with me then.. If I don't, Azazel may just come around himself and that will be super troublesome in this area... Aaah. Damn. What to dooo~…"
The Fallen tilted his head in many directions while thinking deeply on what to do. He suddenly stopped.
—Zin!
Suddenly, the Fallen Angel's eyes shot open, causing Issei to flinch greatly. The Fallen whipped his head to look behind himself.
[Partner, there's something over there!]
The Fallen then jumped into the treeline and ran deeper into the forest.
"Wha—?!"
Issei bolted after him, acting on instinct.
[What are you doing, boy?]
'He said he was looking for some child..! I can't just let him go knowing that!'
[Fool. Did you not listen to his words? He is searching for the child of his superior. That "child" is no doubt inhuman. He is not concerned with you. This does not involves us—! Stop, you fool!]
Skiiiid!
Issei grinded to a harsh stop. Just before him was a clearing with multiple figures in it. Multiple men and 2 children. Issei looked around to find the Fallen. He tried using his instincts and felt a hunch to look left. About 5 meters away, sitting silently on a tree branch, there was the Fallen Angel.
[Quickly, hide yourself!]
Issei snapped out of it and hid in a bush right in front of himself. He peeked through the foliage and observed ahead of him closely.
'This feeling…. They feel like... High-Class Devils?…..'
Issei looked to one of the children. One of them was wrapped in a net. Then—.
…..
There was another young girl next to her, who was the one that caught Issei's eye. One with crimson-red hair.
—Issei's mind came to a sudden halt as the world around him continued moving. He didn't remove his sight from the crimson haired child.
"Now, now, please calm down. I am the [Bishop] of the current Head of the House of Gremory, and the one that is in charge of this area, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. Please call me Agrippa."
[Partner?]
Issei's sight...slowly became distorted. The world gradually turned red in his sight. A similar red color to the hair of the girl. His heart rate began to rise. The image of the girl and her surroundings slowly began to swirl into a spiral as memories clashed violently together.
Ise~ time for dinner! — Ah, you're a victim, aintcha? — The children? I've been killing them, of course — The only assumption is that the children are no longer with us — You will die — Nii-Nii! Hold me up~ — I wish that none of this would ever have happened.. — I refuse to die! — This is the little shit? He don't look like much — Those eyes...they are not the eyes of a child. — I killed him, of course — As I recall, the Lord of Gremory was also accompanied by the next heir to the Household. This territory is to be a gift from him to his daughter. Surely it involves that — This family of yours, they will surely come for that—
….Badump….. Badump….. Badump….. Badump, Badump, Badump, Badump! BADUMP!
—Issei's heartbeat pounded loudly through his head, and shook the world around his view. His gaze was only set on the crimson hair of the child ahead of him. The child with a familiar air around her. The child accompanying the man who held a familiar name. A High-Class Devil...
Issei's skin felt like it was starting to burn. It was slowly, but surely, releasing something. Something dark— Something red like blood— Something that wilted the grass beneath him— Something that burned his own skin. Something that made the air around him unbreathable. Something that implied... —Death.
— [You are but a child. There is simply nothing you can do.]
[—!]
Zin!
"Eh?"
Then, out of nowhere, something small and sharp sliced Issei's cheek. He looked down to where it landed. A small "needle" of light. He slowly looked up to the direction it came from.
The Fallen, sitting up in the tree, shook his head at him and shifted his eyes to the men below.
When Issei followed his gaze—
.
.
—The High-Class Devil Agrippa was staring back at him.
[!?—?!]
[—YOU FOOL! MASK YOUR PRESENCE! NOW!]
Issei clutched his mouth and hunched over into a ball. His mind clamored desperately as he tried to rationally disguise himself.
'Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! Mask it! Put it away! You're not here! You're not anywhere! You don't exist! You're not here! You're not here!... Calm down!... Calm down!….. You're not here... You don't exist….. You're not real... You're not here... Don't think, don't feel it….. There is…..nothing….'
His grip on his mouth slowly loosened, and his muscles un-tensed themselves.
'...Nothing…..'
Issei slowly lifted his head. His eyes were empty husks. His expression was devoid of emotion. He resembled a dead boy with no soul. His mind was clear, and blank.
—Hyoudou Issei was no longer "present".
"Where are you looking?"
One of the men in odd robes asked the Devil. The Devil turned back from where he had previously looked, at a bush.
"Ah, I'm sorry. You must forgive me. I had gotten distracted for a moment."
The Devil peered over his shoulder to look to the young, crimson haired girl he'd brought with him. She was shivering lightly while hugging her arms. The Devil with noble atmosphere who called himself "Agrippa" clears his throat and points towards the depth of the forest.
"How about we have a little chat over there? Don't you think having the children listen to the circumstance of us adults will only make them learn unnecessary abusive words?"
"…Very well."
The Devil, Agrippa, disappeared into the forest with the robed men. Issei observed the two girls left, silently.
"You will be fine now."
The crimson haired girl shook herself off lightly and began to remove the net from the other girl. She shows a smile meant for a girl her age.
"You sure have beautiful black hair. I love the black hair of the Japanese people."
Issei watched silently, until his observation was interrupted.
[Partner. The Fallen Angel. He is going to move.]
Issei snapped out of his hollow state and looked up to the tree in which the Fallen was sitting on. He looked to be completely captivated by the 2 girls. —No. He was thinking. Certainly, if there was any time to make a move and take the girl, it was now.
Rustle..!
"Hm?"
The Fallen looked down to the base of the tree where a rustling was heard. But suddenly, there was a light landing sound from beside him. He turned his head back around.
Ggg…
When the Fallen turned, Issei was there on the branch, pointing his gauntlet straight at his face. A quiet sound was being made with the formation of a small ball of energy in his gauntlet's palm. They stared at each other silently.
…..
Rustle…
The group of men soon returned from the inner forest. One of the robed men stepped towards the small black haired girl.
"…Promise me two things. I will swear to you that we won't lay our hands on you if you keep those promises. First, you must not step foot into the territory that is under our surveillance. Second, to stay besides that girl with crimson-hair every time you do something. As long as you keep these two promises, we will swear to you that we won't lay our hands on you ever again."
The robed man turns away to leave before she can properly answer.
"…May I introduce myself as [Himejima] from now on?"
The man says it without turning back.
"…There are many others that carry that surname. Do as you like."
Saying just that, the robed men leave from the forest. The two Devils then spoke to each other.
"Now then, princess. I will leave the rest to you."
"Was it okay, Agrippa? Didn't you need to do something due to the issue about our territory?"
"I do not have a hobby to pass a judgement on a small lady after all. However, it was fortunate. I will be leaving from this area next month and it was planned for me to work in a different country. If the Devil from a different household that will be taking this territory were to meet with this lady…that Devil wouldn't have been merciful."
Issei raised a brow.
'What the hell is happening? What are they doing?'
The crimson girl turned to the other girl.
"I'm very sorry for the fact that we, the Gremory, took everything from you which includes your birth. You probably had your reasons and you even had the history of your life till now. However, this was the only way to save you."
'...Gremory...'
"No, I'm grateful that I was able to be safe like this."
The small black haired girl smiled sweetly. Issei felt his shoulders lighten a bit at the sight. He looked to the Fallen. The Fallen was watching silently, with a distant gaze. There seemed to be some sort of solemn understanding in his expression. It was an expression too complicated for Issei to understand just yet, at his age.
The Devils ended their conversations almost abruptly and spawned circles that reminded Issei even more of that day.
Shin!
[—?!]
With a quick flash of light, they were all gone.
"What?!"
Issei was shocked while the Fallen simply sighed.
"Well, there they go."
The Fallen stood up, jumped off from the branch, and into the clearing. Issei quickly followed him.
"Wait, what happened?! Where did they go?!"
The Fallen turned to him, casually.
"Home. And with the girl I was set to bring too. Haaah... Damn. That's my ass alright."
The Fallen sighed while stretching lightly, as if nothing happened.
"Wait—! They took her?! You mean..! What are they gonna do with her?! What's gonna happen to her?!"
Issei was in a terrible state of concern. The crimson girl mentioned that the girl was Japanese. And her name was supposedly "Himejima". In other words, she was human after all.
This revelation sent Issei's mind into disarray. Once again, another child. Another one he couldn't save. Another one he couldn't meet.
—Another one to add to the list.
"Eeh, I wouldn't worry too much about her."
"Heh?"
The Fallen spoke casually while cracking various parts of his body.
"Well, Devil or no Devil, even I have to admit that she's in good hands."
"Hah?... With the Devil?..."
"Mmm…. Well, most Devils are shit. I'm sure you know that. But, I guess there's always one or two that happen to not be irredeemable shitbags, ya know? Hell, it's us Angels, Fallen or not, who think we're the "good guys". No matter what, the Devils are always the "bad guys". And that's just the way it is. Anyway, that's that. I guess my job is done. I'll have to report my failure back to the Governor."
"I don't understand…"
The Fallen ignored Issei's comment and asked him curiously.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
Issei responded hesitantly, while giving him a suspicious look.
"Huh?... Uh... I'm Issei…"
"Issei, huh? I see. Alright. Hey, Issei."
"W-What?"
The Fallen pointed straight down at Issei.
"That aura you let out, whatever was the cause of it— it's gonna drive you crazy."
(—?!)
"...What's that supposed to mean?..."
The Fallen shrugged.
"Just what it means. That's just all there is to it. That's what that type of hate does to you, ya know. You just don't "stay normal" that way. Especially for an existence like you. The way your story goes— it'll end the same way it does for everybody else."
"..."
The Fallen turned on his heel, presumably to leave.
"Wait..!"
The Fallen stopped at Issei's call. He tilted his head back.
"I... Who are you anyway?..."
"Hm? —Ah, yeah!"
The Fallen smacked his forehead as he turned around, as if realizing something.
"My bad. I asked your name and I didn't give mine. I'm [Bal]. I'm from [Grigori]."
"Gri...gori?"
"Well, don't worry about it for now. I'm sure you'll find out in some time. Not sure how much time though. That doesn't depend on me, unfortunately. But, judging from what I can tell, you don't look like the type who'll go around indiscriminately killing people, will you?"
Issei's eye twitched.
"...I am not a Devil…."
The Fallen named Bal raised a brow before suddenly bursting out in laughter.
"Ahahahahahaha! Is that so? Yeah, yeah, alright. I hope so. I don't want us to have to try killing each other the next time we meet."
The Fallen— Bal, nodded his head in understanding. Issei only tilted his own.
"Next time?.."
Bal smirked.
"Oh, yeah. I'm sure we'll meet again. One day."
Foom!
Out of seemingly nowhere, some dark-grey colored wings with feathers popped from Bal's back. 2 pairs of them.
"So long, Red Dragon, Issei!"
Foom!
(—?!)
Bal flew off and escaped Issei's vision in a second. Issei was left in a state of shock.
'He knew what I was?!'
[Of course he did. You revealed your Sacred Gear to him. My reputation is not one that sleeps in the darkness, boy.]
'Seriously?...'
Issei looked down at his gear.
'Maybe I should be careful with that next time…'
[Hmph. Is that so, boy?]
Issei looked up at the sky Bal had flown off into.
"...Fallen Angels…."
At the very least, this event ended inconsequentially.
End
Alright that's that for that one. Sorry this one was a bit tame. As I said before, there are going to be time skips coming in so that every event is shown back to back. Next chapter is gonna be a big one. The coming chapters leading up to cannon will most likely be longer than the usual ones since they are gonna be the most significant events in Issei's backstory. Very significant. Trust me you have no idea.
So yeah, decided to tie Issei's backstory in a bit with another one. I wanted a way to solidify Issei's growing hatred. Now he's met a Fallen Angel who's not a dickhead. His image of Devils isn't the best right now. And he's got some foreboding warning from the Fallen Angel named Bal. Also, the Aikawa are mediums. This explains not only why the genius Satoshi could break the spell of High-Class Devils and why he could somehow snap Akane out of it as well. Of course, this puts them at a much higher risk than normal people. Issei's luck really is shit.
So tell me what you guys thought. Now that it's revealed that the Aikawa are mediums, do you expect some bad shit to happen to them? What about Bal's foreboding warning about Issei's hatred? What does this little connection between backstories mean for the future? Did the Hyoudou's really suffer such a dreaded fate? Now that the Fallen Angels know of Issei, what do you think this will change about his future? Maki is starting to get bigger, but how big will her boobs be?
Hey don't look at me, Issei's the one starting to have trouble taking constant baths with Maki now that's she starting to get bigger and bigger. At this point he shouldn't even be taking baths with her. But he can't do anything about it. She won't take a bath otherwise. By the way, they're separated in age by about 2 years. So Maki should be two grades below Issei at all times.
Read, Rate, Review go crazy.
Stay frosty.
