*Revives*
Ahh well I don't really have much of an excuse to explain my sudden death as a writer... it was a combination of life and what is written below
Well the last chapter and some of the reviews to it has shown me that I have to review my work for a bit. Hence I decided to take the time to think of exactly what direction the story should take. I have an ending in mind but there are so many ways to get to that and so many ideas I could use that I just decided to take time to consider how exactly this is supposed to go. Even now I'm finding it difficult to choose what to put in and what to exclude.
Anyway I stalled this chapter because I needed to make sure this chapter had the details I needed for the future without being to obvious... Some important bits and pieces of foreshadowing are included in this rather classic(bordering cliche) development as you will see later. Though that particular event was necssary in Ophis' development
Ahahaha, writing a multi-chapter story was certainly far more difficult than I had thought~
An inquiry: I was made aware that quite a number of people read the fic for its omakes. I would like to know if it would be a good idea to simply publish a different story where I can put the current and future DxD omakes (those that aren't directly connected to this story) in there. I would be grateful for a response.
Answers to some of the reviews:
FMM Tomomi:
Thank you for reading through the whole thing and giving your input and I will certainly take your words into consideration.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan:
I certainly apologize for the last messy chapter. I will take measure to improve myself so I will be able to make sure that my work is able to be understood by all who read it
Mad Random Writer:
Melty Blood and Rival Schools respectively.
Thank you for your input and I will assure you that the relationship between Great Red and Ophis will continue to develop further in the future chapters
FateBurn and Karlos1234ify:
Thank you for your reviews~
WarriorMan199456:
Yes the sibling love was what I was going for and I'm glad that that was apparent. Also, thank heavens I was able to convey Great Red's intended character right
Once again, thank you for that inspiration. Great Red wasn't actually supposed to get a role beyond "being the absurdly powerful existence that Ophis and Ise would spent quite a bit of time with but was never really going to be too active in the story itself unless absolutely necessary". It was why her screen time had been increased in order to show the start of her development and a glimpse of the conflicts she'll be facing
I am truly grateful for your input!
No omake for this one. Still rather busy with life but that'll change soon
Disclaimer: I-I.. I DON'T OWN HIGHSCHOOL DXD!
Okay... link start!
===[The Dream of the Infinite]===
==[Dimensional Gap: Great Red]==
She stared up and looked at the iridescent sky of the dimensional gap. The colours seemed to swirl and fly past her sight. It was something one could compare to the northern lights only it wasn't fleeting or temporary.
Truth be told, despite the amount of time she had spent inside the dimensional gap, she had never really taken the time to marvel at its skies, always far too busy distracting herself with flying in it. Now that she had had the chance to simply sit and take a look, she couldn't help but understand why Ophis had been so enamoured by the sight.
[Haaah…. Damn this is troublesome]
Great Red sat on top of a large flying red dragon. Said dragon she was sitting on at the moment was in fact her actual body. Right now she was utilizing the female vessel she created that looked like a palette swapped version of Ophis. The difference was that Great Red had a red colour scheme, her eyes gold instead of grey and her hair white instead of black.
[Heh, didn't expect to ever find myself riding on top of my own body. This is pretty amusing…]
She let out a scoff followed by a sigh. It had been several hours since she had met up with Ophis, who had Ise and his parents in tow, inside the dimensional gap. She could clearly recall the expression on Ophis' face as well as the desperation in her voice as she begged her for help.
She bit her lip and calmed herself, trying to banish the images in her head. The mere thought of the event never failed make her angry.
If she were given the choice, she would vent her anger by flying but unfortunately the current situation did not allow her to do so. If she were to make the slightest movement right now, there was a chance that she would awaken Ophis who was currently sleeping on her lap.
To reiterate, the Ouroboros dragon was currently sleeping on the lap of the Apocalypse dragon, said dragons taking the form of cute little girls in revealing gothic Lolita clothing. Even Great Red herself was having a significant amount of trouble processing the current situation.
[To think something like this would actually happen. If I were to be given the chance to tell my past self about it I'm pretty damn sure I'll be looked at like I'm crazy]
She shook her head and let out another sigh. After meeting up with Ophis and hearing her plea, she immediately took action. She used her powers to encase the boy in a large red spike, channelling energy to preserve his body and allow it to regenerate. The boy was thankfully still alive despite his injuries so with enough time, he should be able to recover. The only issue was the boy's missing arm but that was something they could deal with later.
Ophis had taken the parents back to their home. The two adults had miraculously survived the whole ordeal with nothing more that scratches and bruises. Great Red had to wonder what kind of absurd luck they had considering they were kidnapped by some kind of deranged devil and had to go through Ophis' rampage. In the end Ophis went back quickly to check on Ise and make sure he was recovering properly.
Great Red left Ophis to watch over the boy for the next hour in order to take find the boy's missing arm. Even if it had decayed and rotted she would still be able to restore it to its original form.
Unfortunately, when she had arrived at the scene, the only thing she found was a scene of absolute devastation. It seemed that Ophis had been pretty thorough with her rampage and no traces of the boy's missing arm or the enemy devil could be found.
Unable to find anything, she went to the Hyoudou residence in order to check on Ophis' vessel but it had gone missing as well. Though frustrated, she decided to leave that problem for later and deal with the ones they had now. Mainly, fixing the boy, his parents and getting Ophis to get some rest.
The first one had already been dealt with. The second would need to have their memories of the event erased. The last one on the other hand was actually the most difficult. Talking had done nothing as Ophis resorted to one syllable responses and did not budge from her spot no matter what. Not knowing what else to do, Great Red resorted to tactics found in the manga Ophis brings in that she had read in secret.
[Damn it… this idiot… making me do so much work and embarrassing stuff when I could be flying…]
With her awesome power to manipulate dreams and illusions, Great Red banished the memory from her current thoughts and hid it from the view of the readers. The apocalypse dragon had found it to be too embarrassing to reveal. The only thing that needs to be known is that fact that said embarrassing tactic had somehow lead to Ophis sleeping on her lap and it will be left at that.
[Tch…. Look at you. All comfortable like that… if you weren't so damn troublesome awake I would kick you off my lap…]
She pinched Ophis' cheek slightly out of pettiness. She stared long and hard at the sleeping form of the Ouroboros dragon and had actually, despite everything, felt slightly jealous at Ophis for looking so peaceful while sleeping.
[Oi … Ophis, what is it like? What is it like to sleep and dream?]
She asked, her curiosity getting piqued. Despite ruling over dreams she had never had one herself. She had seen the dreams of countless existences yet had never had one of her own.
It was truly ironic.
[If I slept… what would I dream about?]
Great Red mused. She had never attempted it before. She recalled having once thought about doing it but had never gone through with it. This is was the first time in centuries that the thought had sprung up in her mind again.
If she were to be more honest with herself she would probably admit it was slightly frightening idea.
She had, after all, seen as many nightmares as dreams, but more than that she was afraid that things she didn't like thinking about might rear their ugly heads. Dreams were reflections of one's inner world where the greatest of desires and the deepest of fears were stored. Even if she ruled them she couldn't control her own so easily.
[You told me back then that you were willing to do anything just to see that boy again… that the boy gave you what you needed to do anything…]
She looked at the boy and then back to Ophis. Even now she failed to understand why Ophis had drawn so much strength from a human. She had seen humanity through the reflection of their dreams and humanity and general had failed to interest her.
Right now however it was a bit different.
[I never really understood that in the past… but right now, even just a bit, I think I can get it….right now, I feel like I can give it a try…]
She closed her eyes and relaxed herself. She couldn't help but scold herself for being so hesitant.
'Ophis. Wake me up if I see a nightmare okay?'
She thought to herself as she allowed her body to slowly drift away and be claimed by sleep.
===[The Dream of the Infinite]===
==[Hidden Base: Rizevim Lucifer]==
"Rizevim-sama, will you need anything else?" Servant number 1 asked as he carried a large bag that contained various sweets and toys. Rizevim had to make a detour to a few stores and obtain them for the sake of keeping Lilith occupied.
"No that will be all~ make sure to keep Lilith-chan occupied~" Rizevim replied with a playful tone and a large grin. He sent the servant away after giving him a few more instructions, primarily on how to make sure that Lilith knew he was sent by Rizevim in order to avoid being turned into dust.
Once the servant left, Rizevim's expression changed drastically. Every bit of humour and cheer that could usually be seen in his face was erased, leaving only a serious and steely face. He put up his arms on top of the table and clasped his hands, resting his chin on it and began to review the events that had transpired.
On the table were various files. They contained information collected on the parties involved in the event collected by his subordinates. He grabbed one of the files on Shalba Beelzebub.
"The whole course of events was sparked by Shalba Beelzebub's desire to kill the boy named Issei Hyoudou. His reasons are unknown but it is likely revenge, though from what I can only wonder."
His voice was deep and cold. He spoke like he was detached and uninvolved in the whole thing. He then proceeded to grab a file on Ise and began to skim through it.
"Issei Hyoudou was a boy who happened to be the wielder of the Boosted Gear. One of the longinus, the container of the Welsh Dragon Ddraig, capable of doubling the wielder's power every ten seconds"
He flipped through the pages, this time coming across a picture taken of Ise accompanied by Ophis. One of the few things human beings could be praised about was their ability to create useful and practical pieces of technology, he made sure to take advantage of it.
"The boy had also seemed to share a deep bond with the Ouroboros Dragon Ophis. Further investigation on the connection between the two will be required to make any proper conclusion. Shalba Beelzebub however, seemed to be fully aware of this fact"
He then grabbed a file on Ophis. It was noticeably thinner compared to the other files. Information on Ophis was scarce as there were few willing to make contact even when she had made appearances.
"The Ouroboros Dragon… it seems she had indeed taken the form of a little girl like reports from the past had stated. During the observation her power levels were noticeably far lower than it should have… I'll need to find the reason behind that as it may explain Lilith's existence"
He dropped the file. He rested his face on one of his hands and began to contemplate.
"The plan had been executed well despite the results. The Ouroboros dragon was successfully delayed by the use of [Palaselene Utopia] while the boy was transported to Shalba Beelzebub's location. The interference of the unknown entity however had given Ophis the chance to make a rescue for the boy and his family"
It was interesting to note that the entity that had interfered had an appearance almost identical to Ophis but what was more interesting was what happened afterwards. They have yet to determine the identity of said entity.
"The Ouroboros dragon, who seemed to be under some kind of pain, did not immediately pursue the boy's location and had returned to their home. There, her body had suddenly gone limp as if her consciousness had been cut-off."
That part was what he found most interesting. He was sure that whatever pain Ophis was suffering from was caused by something else he was unaware of. Another thing was the fact that Ophis, according to reports, engaged Shalba in combat a few minutes after he had seen her body collapse in the Hyoudou residence.
"It would mean that Ophis may be utilizing two different bodies… the lack of power that was observed can be explained when we think of the body I had encountered as the 'fake' while the one she had used to fight Shalba was the 'real' body."
He opened his eyes and took out one of the pieces of candy he had given Lilith earlier. He recalled the events that occurred after Ophis presumably left the fake body in the Hyoudou Residence.
"The only thing that I'm unable to explain is Lilith. If Ophis had indeed used her as a fake body, then Lilith shouldn't have had a consciousness of her own."
The 'fake' body that Ophis left in the Hyoudou residence had, for one reason or another, been able to regain consciousness. Lilith, as he had named her, seemed to neither have Ophis' personality or memories like she was a completely different existence.
"Hmm… I will have to make sure to investigate that boy. It seems most of the things that have happened revolved around him…"
He concluded as he picked up another file. It was the report on the things his subordinates were able to recover after the battle between Shalba and Ophis.
"Hmm…. Shalba-kun's remains and the boy's severed arm… Well now I'll see what I can do with these things. Uhyahyahyahyahya~"
===[The Dream of the Infinite]===
==[Dimensional Gap: Great Red]==
Why do I exist? Who made me in the first place? Why was I made like this?
[I don't know…]
For what purpose do I live for? What is my power for?
[Be quiet!]
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
[SHUT THE DAMN HELL UP!]
Her body jolted up as she woke up from her sleep. She was sweating badly and panting. She bit her lip until it bled out of irritation. She clicked her tongue and sighed.
[Damnit….]
She sat up straight and wiped the blood trickling down from her lips. She took a few breathes to calm herself from the dream she just had. She looked around and saw that she was still sitting on top of her true dragon body flying around the skies of the dimensional gap.
It took a few minutes before she could properly calm down.
[Heh… I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else…]
Dreams were usually reflections of one's subconscious. Great Red, one who had bore witness to countless dreams of various existences knew that more than anyone else.
[How long has it been… since I've last thought about that crap?]
Years, decades and maybe even millennia. It had been so long since he's done anything but fly that she couldn't remember doing anything else. Yet now the questions that she had once buried into the farthest parts of her mind had once again surfaced.
[Tch… ]
She clicked her tongue and stood up only to realize something important, one of them being the fact that she could stand up because the one that was supposed to prevent her from doing so was noticeably absent.
That's when the slight panic set in.
[Ophis?!]
She frantically called the name of the one who was supposed to be sleeping on her lap. She immediately looked around the area where Ise was recovering but she was nowhere to be found.
[Where the hell is that idiot!?]
She stopped herself to think. It was impossible for anyone to attack Ophis without her noticing so it was apparent that she would have gone off on her own. There were very few reasons for Ophis to leave this place since the boy was here so what else was there?
'The parents!'
The thought struck her like lightning. The Hyoudou couple were left relatively unharmed by the whole ordeal so they would most likely recover consciousness fast. Considering what they had witnessed it was pretty likely that they were frantic and worried for their son's well being.
[That… idiot!]
Two ordinary human beings whom had been kidnapped and forced to see their son fight for his life and be gravely injured will definitely not take things well. It was possible that they may even blame Ophis for everything considering that she had indeed been the indirect cause of it. Hence the best way for them is to have their memories erased.
The problem however was what Ophis was most likely going to do. Great Red knew that Ophis would go and confront the two instead of erasing their memories to take responsibility for her actions. Though that act was admirable it would definitely turn for the worse.
She opened a rift in the dimensional gap and quickly flew in. She was lead to the room that both Ise and Ophis used. She flew outside the window and went to the first floor.
'This isn't one of you damn mangas! Humans aren't that forgiving, they reject things that they don't understand, and they scorn those that they see as monsters!'
It made her worried. Worried that Ophis was going to be called a monster and be rejected by the people she saw and treated as parents.
He would much rather keep getting nightmares that see that again.
There was no real assurance that it would happen. In fact it was entirely possible that Ophis would be forgiven but the fact that there was even the slightest chance that the parents would display the worst reaction to Ophis was enough for Great Red to take action.
If the worst reaction was shown then Ophis would definitely have that horrid expression in her face again.
Frankly Great Red would much rather have her most horrid nightmares than see that face kind of expression again.
'Damnit Ophis!'
She went inside the house and stopped when she saw Ophis face to face with the Hyoudou couple. The two adults looked frantic and confused while Ophis looked slightly reluctant. The two parties simply stood there in silence not, staring at each other.
She attempted to move but for some reason she couldn't.
She could stop everything now. She could save Ophis the pain by knocking them all unconscious and erasing the memories of the Hyoudou couple. She could prevent Ophis from going through a horrible experience that she would no doubt be put through if she doesn't move now and she could prevent her from having that horrid expression again.
'Ophis…'
Yet despite knowing all that, she couldn't bring herself to do it. No matter how easy and simple it would have been and no matter how much more it made sense she couldn't find the strength to move. It felt like she would betray Ophis if she did.
Great Red herself may have not known it but the thought of betraying the trust of the Ouroboros dragon trumped every other desire she had.
She clenched her fist and bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She stared at Ophis who only then seemed to have noticed her presence. She pulled her attention away from the Hyoudou couple and looked at Great Red.
'Don't you get it? I've seen enough of humanity to know better so damn it just let me do it! It doesn't matter if those two are different; the fact is that it's entirely possible that they aren't! Save yourself the damn trouble!'
It wasn't that she believed that the whole of humanity were inflexible and unable to accept others. It wasn't because she thought that humanity had no ability to change. The reason why she knew how they would react is because she had seen countless times how far humans were willing to go when the safety of someone precious was stake.
It didn't help that she and Ophis were existences far beyond human comprehension. Normal human beings couldn't possibly understand why they would do what they do.
Despite the fact that Great Red had said no words nor had she communicated mentally, Ophis was able to discern her intentions easily from the look on her eyes alone. She closed her eyes in response and shook her head.
When she opened her eyes Great Red understood that she couldn't do anything else. Ophis' eyes were determined and Great Red was sure that nothing she could do will stop her now.
She flew down to the ground and waited. She grasped the hem of her skirt tightly and waited for the inevitable outcome. She glared at the Hyoudou couple for a few seconds.
'I swear to myself that if you make her cry I will give you nightmares for the rest of your damn lives…'
She switched her sights to Ophis shortly afterwards, hoping that this doesn't hurt her too much.
===[The Dream of the Infinite]===
==[Hyoudou Residence: Ophis]==
Family, it was a word that was foreign to her in the past. She only learned what it meant to have one when she had joined Hyoudou Ise's side and became part of the Hyoudou Residence. She only learned how truly precious it was when a part of it disappeared without warning.
'They will despise me…'
That was the most likely reaction. She knew that they were going to do it because they cared for Ise. Their son was hurt badly and she was the one who had been the cause. There were no excuses to be made.
She knew why Great Red was adamant in erasing their memories. It was probably for the better all things considered. However no matter what happened, no matter how bad it may get she didn't want to lie to the two people she considered as her parents.
'Family…. Should always be truthful to one another… and should never hide things from each other…'
That was what she believed and that was what she was going to do. How they would react after her words frightened her and made her hesitate but Great Red's presence gave her some strength.
'Ise… Great Red… please…'
She took one deep breath and looked straight at the Hyoudou couple. Both of them were confused at the appearance of Great Red but didn't say a word. She gathered her strength and began to speak.
"Tou-san… Kaa-san… I'm sorry…"
She said those words as she bowed deeply until her head touched the ground. She once learned it was the appropriate thing to do when one had done some unspeakable act of horrible proportions.
"Ise was hurt because of me…"
She continued, not raising her head.
"…Ophis… why was Ise attacked?"
Mrs. Hyoudou spoke first after a few moments seemingly forcing herself to speak. Ophis raised her head in response and displayed her wings. She did her best to carefully hide the fact that she was trembling.
"I am not a human being. Ise had been targeted because I had come here to befriend him"
That was the most likely cause. Though she herself didn't know what the reason for Shalba's action was, she knew that she had caused it in one way or another. The couple kept silent ad Ophis looked on the ground and continued to speak.
"I am… a different kind of existence… "
She started, unable to raise her eyes and look at the Hyoudou couple. She didn't know what kind of expression they had on and she was afraid to find out. She took their silence as a prompt to continue speaking.
"I had met Ise a long time ago and decided to follow him out of curiosity… there were many things I did not understand and I had thought I would be able to if I stayed with him…"
She recounted the days she first set foot on the Hyoudou residence. She spoke slowly as she continued the story and despite herself she couldn't help but smile a bit at being reminded of those times. She was reminded of her wish to continue those precious times for eternity.
"I was correct… being with Ise thought me how truly interesting and wonderful this world can be. I had thing like emotion, friendship and family…but…"
Her voice broke for a moment and she clenched her fist tightly. That particular memory of Ise was the one memory she despised.
"…but Ise disappeared… I thought I could stay by Ise's side forever but Ise wasn't like me… our time had an end… "
'Ise had an end unlike her'
Were the words she had not spoken.
She bit her lip and she couldn't help but shed tears. The memory of Ise's last moment was burned into her mind. His smile as he passed on was painful to remember.
"I wanted to see him again… I wanted to keep staying by his side… so I did everything I could to find a way back to him…"
She closed her eyes once and lowered her head once again. She didn't know if they were able to understand what she was saying and it was likely that they didn't but she continued to pour out the words she felt were appropriate for the emotions she had been experiencing.
"…but because of that Ise as attacked. He was hurt badly and even though I promised to protect him… I couldn't… I failed protect Ise…"
She lowered her head again, redoing the dougeza. It was the only she could do right now.
"I'm sorry… everything was my fault… I was the one who hurt Ise…"
===[The Dream of the Infinite]===
==[Hyoudou Residence: Mrs. Hyoudou]==
It was a surreal site for her; one she didn't know how to react to. She could still remember how she and her husband had started the day with the usual morning routines, thinking it was just another normal day.
That of course changed when a horde of bees suddenly surrounded the house. The bees gathered in one spot and burst into black flames that proceeded to take the shape of a man. The man that approached them was menacing and frightening. Both of them were unable to make a single move as the man had approached and captured them after rendering them unconscious.
When she next opened her eyes, the sight of her son, battered and heavily injured, greeted her. She could remember the sheer horror that encompassed her whole body as she helplessly watched her son struggle in a battle he was clearly losing. She wanted to get up and shield her son but was unable to even move. She could hear the struggle of her husband as he was doing everything in his power to actually go to Ise at that moment.
She witnessed her son somehow go against the man that had kidnapped them and fight with everything he had. She witnessed how the man, despite all her son's efforts, was able to take down her son and come close to killing him.
She vividly remembered how Ophis, her dear adoptive daughter that had come into their lives one day, stepped in while clad in a jet black aura and took down the man that was about to kill her son.
Even now she had been having a hard time understanding everything. Hearing her adoptive daughter's explanation of the existence of things like devils, dragons and other creatures that could have only been found in books and those hero shows that her son liked to watch left her overwhelmed.
If not for the wings that had suddenly sprouted in her adoptive daughter's back and all the things that have happened before, she might have just dismissed it all together.
She wanted to clear things out, to understand more of what was happening, to know exactly why her children are being involved with supernatural things, and the identity of the girl that was standing to the side, the one that looked for too much like Ophis.
She probably could if she was able to focus on what she was being told but it was mostly flying over her head at the moment.
Right now there was something she needed to do before everything else.
She looked at her husband from the side and noticed the pained expression on his face. He looked back at her and understood what she wanted to do and nodded.
Her adoptive daughter already finished speaking and had once again bowed down until her head touched the ground. It looked like she was waiting to be executed. Neither her nor her husband were able to understand much of what she actually said but she did know one thing.
It was the fact that Ophis was blaming herself for everything that had happened.
She approached Ophis after she finished talking along with her husband. She noticed how the girl that looked like her adoptive daughter tightened up momentarily. She would have to make sure to ask who she was later but she needed to prioritize.
She sat in seiza right in front of Ophis, her husband did the same. She looked at her daughter and recalled just how pained her voice was as she spoke, the guilt and self-deprecation that were present in every word she uttered.
"Ophis-chan"
She called, eliciting a small shake from the girl. She considered whether her tone was a bit too harsh and adjusted it accordingly.
"Ophis-chan, raise your head"
Her husband spoke this time, making sure his voice was as gentle as possible.
Ophis complied after a few moments, slowly raising her body up but kept her head lowered and focused on the ground.
"Ophis-chan… raise you head and look at me"
She asked and Ophis slowly turned raised her head to look at her. Ophis' still had a rather blank expression but it pained her to see how afraid she was from her eyes. The traces of tears on her face made her want to hit the man that caused all of this grief for them to deal with.
She raised her hands and Ophis closed her eyes, probably expecting a slap or a physical assault of some sort. The other girl seemed to be clenching her teeth and wanted to stop her but before she moved Mrs. Hyoudou pulled Ophis into a tight embrace.
"You stupid daughter… I don't know much about what happened or anything about devils and dragons… but I do know that this is not your fault and that you shouldn't be blaming yourself."
She held Ophis tighter and her husband came closer to start patting her head. Ophis didn't reply but she buried her face on Mrs. Hyoudou, her mother's, chest and reciprocated the hug.
"I'm sorry"
Ophis spoke after a few minutes, apologizing again in a quiet and subdued voice. Mrs. Hyoudou pinched her cheeks in response.
"Alright, enough of that... We don't blame you for anything that happened and like I've already said, you shouldn't blame yourself either. I'll get angry if you keep doing it so no more of that okay?"
Mrs. Hyoudou could only sigh in relief when Ophis nodded in response. Now that that was taken care of, she needed to ask the most important question that she's been wanting to ask. It may have been rather inappropriate given the situation but she needed to know no matter what.
"Ophis-chan… where is Ise and is he okay?"
Ophis raised her head but before she could reply, the other girl who liked identical to Ophis approached them and took a rather imposing and imperial stance.
"Great Red…?"
Mrs. Hyoudou figured that that was the name of the girl who approached them. She, her husband and Ophis found themselves waiting for Great Red to speak.
"Gao gao. Gao gao gao gao!"
She found herself speechless. She didn't know if that was some kind of code word or something else but when she had looked at Ophis, it seemed that she understood. Her husband however was just as confused as her.
"I am the one called Great Red. Your son is currently resting in my home so there is no need to worry"
"Ah…?"
"That is what Great Red said."
"I-I see…"
She found herself mystified by how her daughter seemed to understand what the one called Great Red was saying but she was truly relieved to find out that her son was perfectly fine.
"Gao gao gao gao. Gao gao gao"
Great Red once again 'spoke'. Though to both her and her husband, it seemed like she was using the word used to represent the sound of growling but not actually growling herself. It was rather strange all things considered. She was thankful that Ophis was able to translate for her.
"The boy was badly injured but he'll make a full recovery. He won't be able to use his balance breaker in the foreseeable future but we'll train him so that he can fight without it"
Ophis seemed to have been slightly surprised when she realized what that sentence meant as she translated what Great Red was saying to them. She noticed how her daughter looked questioningly at Great Red who had looked away at the same time.
Mrs. Hyoudou would make sure what kind of relationship the two had later and what they meant with 'Balance Breaker' and being 'unable to use it'. Right now she just wanted to see her son.
"Great Red… would you please let us see Ise?"
Her husband asked before she could do so herself. Great Red thought for a bit and nodded.
"Tou-san, Kaa-san, the place we are about to go in is dangerous for normal humans. I will be using my power to protect you now."
Ophis reluctantly separated from Mrs. Hyoudou and used her power to place a protective layer of energy on both of them. It felt strange but Mrs. Hyoudou could feel the warmth that came from Ophis' intent to protect both of them.
A ripping sound could be heard and she and her husband found herself gaping at the sight of a portal like thing that was opened by Great Red.
"T-This is… so surreal"
Mrs. Hyoudou could only nod at her husband's comment. Once they were able to see Ise and confirm his safety, they would all have a long talk about things.
"Let us proceed. As we enter, please do not let go of my hand"
Ophis reached out and grabbed both of them by the hand. The three of them followed Great Red into the portal she made.
===[The Dream of the Infinite]===
==[Unknown Location]==
A young boy looked up dark and starry sky as he sat on one of the boulders on the mountain summit. There were no sources of manmade lightning anywhere but the moon was more than enough to illuminate the surroundings.
"Hmph… this is certainly boring"
He was no romantic by any sense of the world. He was able to recognize and identify beauty but he never found himself appreciating it. He had attempted to understand why some were so passionate and so driven by it but he had failed. He simply didn't find it interesting.
In the end, nothing beats the thrill of battling strong opponents.
[Vali, are you going to attempt to find stronger opponents?]
He considered the question before replying. If he tried hard enough he would probably be able to find opponents capable of proving a challenge at his current level.
One would argue that there were more than enough insanely strong beings in the world that could fit the criteria but though he had a love for battle, he was by no means the type to fight ones where he would be crushed without question.
That wouldn't be fun. Those types of enemies, ones capable of destroying him in a blink of an eye, would be reserved for the future when he was strong enough to fight them.
"No Albion. For now I'll continue training"
He answered after some deliberation. It was the best course of action to take in order to prepare for the future.
[Is it because of those dreams?]
Vali nodded in response. The dreams that Albion spoke of where ones that showed an older version of him doing battle with various strong opponents like the Norse God Loki, Fenrir, and many others. He had even met the most powerful existences, Great Red and the Ouroboros Dragon.
He smiled as he recalled the dreams. He was unsure of how they had started but if it was any indication of what the future would be like for him then he would be very content. The dreams he had allowed him to experience the thrill and excitement of fighting those battles and he could barely wait for them to occur.
[Hmm… it seems the red one has awakened]
Vali perked up at that statement. It meant that Albion's counterpart, the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig had finally become active and that meant one thing.
"Issei Hyoudou"
He uttered the name with excitement. Among all the enemies in his dreams, there was one opponent that he had the most enjoyable time fighting. Issei Hyoudou, the wielder of the Boosted Gear and his rival, was someone that could be considered special among the wielders of the power of the heavenly dragons just like him.
To sum it up, the dream had shown that the two of them were considered to be the strongest wielders and inheritors of their respective sacred gears. Being able to surpass all their predecessors and reaching a state that was unheard of before.
He certainly hoped that his dreams rang true or he would be truly disappointed.
"Heh… so he has awoken. From the dreams it looked like he didn't awaken his power until much later but looks like this time he has an early start. Given this much time, then he would most likely be stronger when I meet him"
He didn't understand how it worked if he was completely honest. Just now he was absolutely sure that the one who was wielding the Boosted gear was indeed Issei Hyoudou. He had no proof to back it up, just a strong feeling within himself.
It was as if there was some knowledge fed into his mind the moment the dreams had first started to show.
He didn't know how it started or how to end it. He once considered them visions from the future but had thrown the idea away since there were too many details that were different from his own life. The fact that the Red Dragon Emperor awoke so early was just another one of those details that was different from the dreams.
He would have given it more thought but in the end, It didn't matter if the dreams he had were visions from the future or visions from a past life for as long as there was some truth in them.
He wanted to become strong and be able to fight strong opponents. He had no interest in a world were neither can be done.
[It seems this will certainly be interesting. If those visions can be believed then I will be having an interesting meeting with the red one in the future. Its best we prepare for it]
"Yes. If that Issei Hyoudou was able to achieve that level of strength in such a short time then starting early should make him even stronger. I'll need make sure that I can match him when the time comes"
===[The Dream of the Infinite]===
A/N: Thank you for reading and review if you feel like like doing it. Please respond to the inquiry at the top of this chapter if you have the time.
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