...
HOLLOW'S END
...
Just as threats of death looming in on Rias Gremory, a torrent of massive unfamiliar memories rushed into her mind.
Memories of a different life where she met and revived a certain brown-haired boy to be one of her servants, who later wormed his way into everyone's heart with his unlikely kindness, his unwavering courage and his unshakable will. Most important of all, it was him who saved her from her blighted fate, who softened her heart, and the one who made her fell in love with.
Those memories were so vivid, so genuine, so heartfelt, and so damn pleasant that she had unconsciously shed her tears down onto the floor. She cried because that life full of vigor and passion could have been the life she led, but instead, she was bound to this cursed destiny, unable to escape from her loveless marriage and the impending demise.
More than that, it took her great effort not to drop on her knees right then and there and wept as if mourning for the loss of a person dearest to her.
Then she heard their sadistic snickers and scornful mockeries, those that were about to take her life for their arrogant pride and selfish belief.
They thought she was shedding tears due to fear of her own death. They thought that she was nothing more than a self-conceited girl who only knew how to live an extravagant and luxurious lifestyle. And they thought that she deserved to get whatever punishment they shall deliver to her.
But how could they understand when they know naught of her struggle, of her solitude, and of her hollowness?
All of a sudden, fear and sorrow disappeared completely from Rias' mind, replaced by a newfound rage and a fierce will to live.
No, she would not let these people ravage her however they wanted, she would not accept her fate of dying here. She still had to search for that brown-haired boy and tell him how much he meant to her in this world. She shall survive, she must do, no matter what the cost is.
The Devils that confronted Rias was taken aback momentarily because of her unexpected resolve, but they gained their composure back and began to attack.
Oh, she would make them pay for underestimating her.
...
After pummeling another giant beast made from «Annihilation Maker» to the ground and finishing it off, Ise took a look at the scenery before him.
The Underworld was in its most wretched state ever since the Great War due to the Old Maou Faction's coup d'état. The sky was darker than its usual color, ruins dominated the whole area as far as the eyes could see, and demonic flames wreaked havoc at everything in their path, burning both the living and the death together.
The reason that Ise being here was to clean up whatever the mess those remnants of Old Devils had caused.
He wouldn't even bother to do it if that had nothing to do with him nor humanity in the beginning. After all, this is the Devils' internal conflict and their own realm, and he simply had no obligation to help either side of them.
However, the circumstances this time was a bit different.
Because he possessed both «True Longinus» and «Holy Grail» at the same time, Ise inevitably became the target of the Old Maou faction since they were the one holding the latter Sacred Gear that was stolen by Cao Cao.
What the old Devils didn't expect was how powerful the brown-haired boy had become.
Regardless of how many assassins they had sent after him, Ise would always slay each and every single one of them with such ease that it frightened them. Then in moments of desperation, they decided to stop chasing him down and instead focus on the coup d'état that they had been planning for a long time.
When he heard about what was happening in the Underworld, Ise had first chosen to stay silent and not to act on it.
But there were various reasons telling him to do otherwise. He knew that the current Devils of this generation mostly didn't have any ill intentions towards mankind, combining with the fact that if the Old Maou indeed succeeded, Earth would be their next target.
Or at least that were what he was trying to persuade himself.
Suddenly, a strange sense of sentiment washed over him, together with memories of another life that he had no knowledge of.
Memories where he had met and become a certain Devil's servant, memories where he could still living his days normally as a student despite the frequent battles he engaged in, and memories where everybody around him became the comrades that he could trust his life with, even including his once enemies.
Relief and Anger, Gratification and Envy, Contentment and Resentment, many opposite emotions were swirling inside his mind. Oh how he desired that life so, how he craved for that life so, yet still couldn't do anything but to be glad that somewhere in the other timeline and dimension, another Ise was having a happy life.
Then he abruptly flew off into distance, going straight to a place that he didn't even expect to exist in his mind. Something compelled him to go forward, and for once, he listened to it without questioning or understanding why. He simply knew that if he was to be late, then terrible things would happen that shall make him regret for the rest of his life.
And he had already regretted a lot of things, so he could do nothing but feverishly hope that he would make it in time.
...
She stumbled back and fell down on her knees, body battered and bruised from the merciless assault of her enemies.
Rias had given more of a resistance than she had thought she could, which made her assailants be slightly surprised because of the determination in her attacks. But they finally pushed her to her limit, and she was barely able to use her last strength to stay awake amidst the heavy urge to close her eyes due to weariness and blood dripping from above her eyes.
In frustration, helplessness and bitterness, she thought.
"So is this the end for me?"
And just as all hopes were lost for her, something suddenly crashed from the sky.
The impact was so great that it shook the whole area and made the entire mansion collapse, killing some Devils in its way. Shalba and Katerea were luckier as they came out unscathed, but the aura emitting from the perpetrator was alarming. They immediately put on their guard as instincts told them that this was no ordinary being.
After the smoke caused by the crash had settled down, appeared a figure clad in an enormous armor with a mixture of Crimson and Silver colors, complete with three pairs of gigantic Dragon Wings of light.
Before they could even register what was going on, it was over in an instance.
The Dragon knight was so unbelievably fast, so ridiculously strong, and so overwhelmingly powerful that all the hostile Devils in the vicinity were killed within mere seconds. Despite being descendants of Maous, Shalba and Katerea couldn't escape from their deaths as they quickly fell one after another.
When all is said and done, the Dragon knight turned to Rias' direction.
Although this was the first time they have truly met each other, she felt that she had known him for a very long time. And when he released his armor, her doubts were confirmed.
Here he was, Hyoudou Issei, the one she had been constantly searching for, the one she had dreamed of being with, and the one who shall fill up her hollow heart.
He strode slowly toward her, and she stayed unmoving where she was. Both of them were taking their time as if they were still ascertaining the other's presence.
When he finally stood in front of her, Rias delicately reached her hand and touched his face, trying to make sure that he was not an illusion she created in her mind.
And after what seemed like an eternal moment of silence and serenity, all restrains were broken loose as she embraced him tightly, afraid that he would vanish if she ever let go of him, wailing out every emotion she had bottled up inside her fragile body. Ise also embraced her in return while trying his best not to further hurt her already injured state, being thankful that he arrived in time and got rid of those who threatened her life.
Two hollow hearts at last had found each other and began a new journey to a brighter future for them.
...
Just as he was embracing and comforting his lover, somehow Ise felt that he wouldn't have to worry about what could have happened to his other self from another lifetime and dimension. He wasn't sure of the cause, but his intuition told him that the other Ise have already found his own happiness despite the constant encounters of violence and death.
Little did he know that the beautiful red-haired girl in his arms was also feeling the same thing.
Rias' dream had stopped right before she could witness her other self's death. It was greatly depressing to see a girl who had never experienced true love to die without even finding out who was her soul mate, and Rias shuddered at the mere thought that she could have been suffering the same fate if not for the boy embracing her.
It was odd, considering that she didn't know whether her nightmare actually occurred or not. But something told her otherwise, that it was real, and that her parallel self was finally able to meet the one that had been missing from her life.
Both of them then closed their eyes in blissfulness, silently whispering their gratitude to Fate.
" "Thank you for letting me meet him/her, and thank you for letting us stay together..." "
Souls from different lives connected, and happiness was achieved twice.
...
The End
...
A/N: I know that somebody might be saying something like this: "Is this guy for real? He marked this as complete and yet kept adding new chapters to it!"
I swear, this wasn't in my intention. Despite wanting to finish it totally, I always feel like writing more and more to it every time I read back on it. And guess what, my hands moved before I could comprehend what I was doing :D
Anyway, this is the actual final chapter. I hope that you all have enjoyed this fic so far as much as I wrote it.
See you guys in my next story, probably.