I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
Hours had come and gone since he lost control of his body before falling deep within his subconsciousness. His body was floating on top of what seemed to be the waters of an endless ocean surrounded by darkness except for a few light spheres. It was quiet, peaceful, and lacking any form of pain, but Issei couldn't sleep forever, nor could he escape the cruel reality he had to face.
"Get up, child. We have things to discuss." The voice of Ddraig called to him.
Issei reacted to the voice, opened his eyes, and began sitting up before looking in front of him. "What?" The boy screamed after he saw the form of Ddraig in front of him. The large crimson western creature was a sight that could scare anyone off. He tries to move away from Ddraig but finds his escape route blocked by several human bodies. He turns around and screams even more after seeing their faces.
Several humans, women, and men stood around, forming a wall preventing Issei from escaping. Their bodies seemed mangled and almost mummy-like. Their faces didn't have eyes, but each husk was focused on him and his movements.
"This can't be real! None of it can't be real! Mom! Dad! Help me!" Issei says as he takes a fetal position trying to protect himself. He was about to have a complete mental breakdown.
Ddraig sees this and sights. "I should have expected this. You're still a child, after all." Ddraig decides to change shape into something more approachable. It has been millennia since he took human form, so he decides to copy Issei's form, at least for now. His body shrinks in size before it transforms into an exact copy of Issei except for his green eyes.
After his body is done transforming, he approaches the crying child. Issei is still crying, and his body is shaking in fear. "He is not in the best state. I need to be careful with how I approach him." He extends one hand towards Issei's head before patting him. "It's okay if you need to cry; go ahead. We have all the time we need. Cry as much as you want, and I'll wait until you feel ready."
Ddraig says no more and pats his partner's head until he can relax.
Hours came and went as the crying continued until the tears stopped. Ddraig watched as the child sat silently and focused his sight on him. "Are you ready to talk?"
Issei nods.
"Good. My name is Y Ddraig Goch. What's yours?"
"Issei, Hyoudou Issei."
"Issei, good. I imagine you have many questions, and I may have answers, so work with me. You're the first child I got as a partner, and our current state is completely unexpected. So go ahead and ask anything."
"You're that dragon, right? The one that I saw in the mirror?"
Ddraig looks surprised after the question and figures that something else is happening. "Don't move; I need to see something." He touches Issei's forehead. The dragon starts to see Issei's memories at a fast speed. Before long, Ddraig understands the whole situation. "So that's what was happening. This whole thing is truly a strange case. Yes, Issei, I'm that dragon you kept seeing in the mirror."
Issei looks at him and gets angry. "Why did I see you? What's all of this? What are those things?" The child begins to ask, but Ddraig stops him.
"One question at a time. I will explain this as clearly as possible so try to pay attention. I'm Ddraig, a heavenly dragon. I fought against gods, demons, and fallen angels long ago. They killed my original body, and one of those gods decided to seal my soul inside an object created out of my flesh called the boosted gear. Got it?"
Issei slowly nods.
"Ok. The booster gear is one of many sacred gears, objects put inside humans randomly while inside their mothers' wombs. These objects give humans superpowers."
"Like in the books I read?" Issei asks.
"Like in those books but much cooler." Ddraig slaps himself mentally after realizing how dumb he sounds but decides to continue since it seems to be working. "Many people like you had gained the booster gear since birth, and you're my latest partner, but something went wrong this time."
"What went wrong?"
"All those dreams you've been having, my image in the mirror, all of the weird things you've been experiencing shouldn't have happened. Those dreams were memories, and some of theirs as well." Ddraig points at the husks that surround them. "They are most of my previous partners. Now they exist as symbols of my sins."
Issei looks around in fear but recognizes a few faces, although they lack eyes. "So those were their memories and yours? Why was I seeing them?"
"I don't have all the answers, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the crack I saw within the boosted gear." Ddraig focuses for a second and makes a replica of the boosted gear arm appear in front of them. "This is what the boosted gear usually looks like. I'm supposed to be caged within this thing for the rest of eternity, and you weren't supposed to see any of the things you saw. It may be due to the damage the gear received during my last fight against Albion, my rival, but my memories and theirs had flowed into you since you were a baby. You were supposed to live a normal life until you awakened the booster gear around 16 or 17. Heck, maybe never even actually using it. Some people never awaken their sacred gear throughout their whole lives. None of this should have happened, so I'm sorry. I imagine that it wasn't fun seeing all of those things. There are things nobody your age should see."
Issei sees how the Ddraig lowers his head as a sign of apology. "So, it wasn't your choice?"
"No. Kid, I have done many things that I'm not proud of, but I'm not a fanatic about making my partners have traumatic childhoods due to weird dreams. I'm not that kind of being. I don't even choose who becomes the next boosted gear's host. It's a random system, and I don't think anyone controls it since the god of the bible died."
"Gods can die?"
"Yes, gods can be killed or die due to certain circumstances, but we have other things to discuss. Right now, you and I are sharing a body thanks to my soul escaping the boosted gear. I know you didn't ask for any of this, but I saved your life. Your body was a mess when I took over. So what's the last thing you remembered?"
Issei stood quiet for a second before the memories flowed in. "Fire, flames, mom, and dad. They need help. I need to go back." He turns to the dragon expecting to get some help.
"Kid, I'm sorry that I have to say this, but your parents are possibly dead. Those flames were covering your body when we escaped the house; I doubt any human can survive those flames. They are dead, Issei." Ddraig watches as Issei starts to have a mental breakdown.
"No… no, no, no, no, no. They can't be dead. My parents can't be dead. We were going to be a happy family. I lied about my dreams. I kept them hidden. It can't be true." In a moment of desperation, Issei begins to punch Ddraig's chest. "Give them back. Give me my parents back!"
The dragon couldn't help but feel sorry for the child.
Ddraig extends his arms and catches him in a hug. "Go ahead. Let it all out. Blame me, scream at me, bite me and let all those feelings run wild. I'm going to be right here until the end."
Thus, began many hours of emotional outbursts. Issei did everything in the book, from kicks, biting, and punching the dragon, but Ddraig didn't move an inch. He stood right beside the boy at all times. At some time, Issei pushed himself so hard that he went to sleep again after draining all of his energy, thus leaving Ddraig alone with his thoughts.
Ddraig saw his partner's body shivering in his sleep, so he decided to go back into his dragon form on a smaller scale and cover Issei with his body. His wings warmly covered the small figure of the child. His body heat offered the boy the support he needed at the time, leading to the shivering stopping.
"This wasn't supposed to happen, but I can't go back. I need to do this if I truly want to free myself from that prison and the endless cycle of fights against Albion. I'm sorry, Issei, but I'm making this choice for both of our sakes; you're stuck with me. You're alone, and your life will never return to normality, but I will ensure you find happiness along the way." Ddraig thought as he looked at the boy.
With Issei taken care of, Ddraig refocuses his attention on the body he now shares with Issei. The damage the flames caused was extensive, but it was nothing he couldn't resolve. The major problem was the broken booster gear within the child's body. Ddraig feared the chance that it might get used against him again, and he also saw the item's use for him, so he made a choice.
What was once a piece of his body should return to him.
While the body was being altered within the egg to accommodate his power, Ddraig was also dissolving the gear and fusing it into this new body. "I will never go back to that prison, but I'm going to make sure that the boosted gear still helps us to survive. Return to me, my former prison. Become a tool that can protect us."
Outside of the egg.
Tiamat continues to watch the egg patiently. For Tiamat, this was the first time she had seen a human body undergo a shredding process. Dragons were similar to snakes; one would shred their skin to cure their worst injuries, but this was far from a standard case. "A human? Can this even be possible? What about the nutrients he needs? How long is it going to take?" Tiamat had many questions but could only see and wait for the results.
Although not widely documented, the process was a fascinating subject. A dragon usually sheds its skin after gaining a certain amount of power or after serious injuries. A regular process usually takes months, and dragons find hidden places to do it since it leaves them open to attacks. Unfortunately, Ddraig's current case was something never seen before. Instead, he was forcing a human body into the process to make it a viable vessel for his soul and power.
Tiamat was curious to know if it could be successful, but Great Red had high hopes. She could expect a successful shedding at the end since Great Red was so sure about its success. The dragoness could only wait and see.
"You better be ready to answer my questions when you come out, Ddraig, and now that you're free from the Boosted Gear, there is no excuse for you to escape the debt." She thought as she looked deep into the inside of the egg. The calm unconscious of the child was still visible, but Tiamat knew that the appearance wouldn't last long if the process was going to be successful.
Meanwhile, Irina.
She didn't want to believe what she was seeing. Instead, she completely blocked her parent's voices as she watched the remains of what was once Issei's home.
Paramedics and firefighters walked back and forth while searching the whole house for the bodies. The entire neighborhood was distressed after seeing the destruction the flames had caused. Everyone saw how the official brought two body bags out of the remains from the burned home.
The tears began to flow at the horrendous sight.
"I can't believe this."
"How can such a tragedy happen?"
"They say they can't find the child's body."
"Were the flames so strong that they didn't leave any remains?"
"That poor child."
Irina felt how her whole world came crashing down. Her heartbeat decreased, and her voice was gone. The tears continued as she tried to make sense of this. "We were together just yesterday. You were sleeping on my knees. Issei..." Her mind shut down after not being able to endure the shock. She loses consciousness due to stress.
Her parents were forced to grab her and walk away from the scene with her unconscious body, but her dad saw what others couldn't see. Almost hidden from the human, a single black feather lay trapped within the leaves in one of the trees closest to the house. He also detected the remains of magic within the area and knew that this incident wasn't typical.
Someone had done this, and he had an idea of who was responsible.
Meanwhile, within Grigori, Private laboratory 00.
A fallen angel continued to ponder about the object in his hands. He was one of if not the most famous of beings in all of the fallen angel's faction. He was known as the cruelest fallen angel and a former seraph; his name was Azazel.
The leader of the fallen angels had created many things throughout his life, but this specific tool was possibly the best. "The sacred gear seeker? This object was supposed to be inside my private vault, so why is it here?" Azazel asks himself as he looks at the artifact.
The tool was something he developed to find specific candidates that could be useful as part of his faction, but he also produced it to know where the next red dragon emperor would appear. Vali, the current white dragon empress, was under his protection, and he knew that keeping her away from her possible rival was the best option.
The fight could mean Vali's death or, even worse, lead to her losing her sanity. Azazel wasn't willing to let that happen, so he found the current Red Dragon Emperor through this artifact. Then, after seeing his position, he put the artifact in his vault to prevent any problems with Vali. Finally, he found the artifact on his lab table. Now, he needed to determine who could have taken it out or for what purpose.
Suddenly, the door to the lab opened up.
"Azazel!" Another fallen angel approached him. His name was Shemhazai, and he was known as number two in the faction. "Kokabiel and several other fallen angels have disappeared. Nobody has seen them in the past 16 hours, which is weird even for Kokabiel."
"What? Did he leave a note?" Azazel asks.
"None. Kokabiel's chambers are empty as if he had departed to no return. The other missing members' chambers were found empty as well."
Azazel grows silent before he turns back to the artifact in his hand. "Wait! Kokabiel? Could he? No, it can't be. Damn it! Tell everyone to find Kokabiel and his group right away. Bring them back to me no matter what!"
Shemhazai nods and leaves the room right away.
Azazel was seeing red at the moment. "Kokabiel, how could you? Did you kill that child? You insane bastard!" Azazel wasn't a saint, but he would never go as far as to kill a child that hasn't even awakened his powers. "Damnit!" He looks at the sacred gear seeker and destroys it in anger.
He was tired of fighting and looking to enter an era of peace with the other factions, but it seemed that Kokabiel had other plans.
"When I get my hands on you, Kokabiel, you will wish for a swift death!" Azazel said as he moved to check his lab. If Kokabiel took the sacred gear seeker, he could also have taken other things.
Many hours later, back with Ddraig and Issei.
The boy began to wake up once more after sleeping for many hours. He felt drained of tears and energy, although those things didn't apply in this place. He was sad and depressed after remembering what Ddraig had told him.
He felt empty and devoid of any driving force.
"Issei?" Ddraig asks while he turns back into his human form.
Issei's eyes look at him but lack the life and desire that any human should have. Ddraig wasn't surprised by it as he understood how serious the situation was. Issei was a six-year-old child and lost his family.
He could have easily ignored the child and continued with his plans, but the dragon wouldn't let that happen.
"Issei, grab my hand. I know everything seems meaningless, but I promised to help you fill that void. Nobody can't replace them, and I don't expect you to forget them, but we're going to get through this together. Just keep following me." Ddraig extended his hand towards Issei.
Issei looks at the hand for a moment before he slowly takes it. He didn't know what future awaited him, but Ddraig seemed like one of only two lights in his life at the moment. The second one was Irina, and he doubted that he would see her anytime soon.
Outside of the egg.
Tiamat continued to protect the egg until a particular presence captured her attention.
"My oh my. Another being has decided to take residence within my 'Home.'" The steps of this figure resonated within the dimensional gap as it approached Tiamat and the egg. Its presence was undeniable, and its strength was comparable to Great Red's.
Tiamat saw the figure, and her scales shivered before her presence. Although she looked like a small petite girl, she was far from being just that. "Ophis."
"Would you look at that! My dear Tiamat. How many centuries had passed since we saw each other? 10? 15? I still remember your past self. Afraid of nothing and ready to face any challenge until I smacked some sense into that little head of yours. What do you have there?" Ophis asks as she approaches the egg.
Tiamat quickly hides the egg and disregards her own security to protect it from Ophis. "Stay away. I don't care how strong you are. This egg is mine to protect, and I prefer dying than facing Great Red's anger."
Ophis smiles at her reaction. "It seems you have changed a lot. Just look at you! The big dragon king protects an egg with her life on the line. Don't worry; I don't need to touch it to know who that is. Ddraig, isn't it? That is something I didn't expect to see. The old Welsh Dragon has finally escaped prison and found a new vessel for himself. This is truly an event that needs to be celebrated! Tell me, how did he do it? Did you help him escape?"
Tiamat stays quiet and continues to guard the egg. She didn't care about Ddraig, but he owed her a debt, and Great Red had given her a task, so she was willing to put all in the line for this.
"Not feeling talkative today? Are you worried that I might try to hurt him? My dear Tiamat, you can relax. I won't touch either of you. I'm happy for Ddraig. A dragon like Ddraig will benefit me, so don't stress yourself out. To prove it to you, I will give him a gift." Ophis disappears from Tiamat's sight before reappearing next to the egg. "Ddraig, my sweet Welsh dragon, this is my gift to you. Just a little drop of my power for you. Grow strong, and may one day we meet each other again like the first time we meet back then." Ophis kisses the egg, and a snake pattern appears in the egg for a second before disappearing.
Tiamat is in shock and quickly opens fire against Ophis. Several energy attacks are fired against Ophis, but she gracefully evades each one.
"Are you mad because I kissed your mate?" Ophis asks with a smile on her face.
Tiamat blushes before continuing her assault against Ophis with no positive results.
Before Ophis can continue to enjoy the fun for longer, a massive beam attack connects with her. She blocks most of the damage, but she still is injured by it. Her eyes turn, and she finds him, her nemesis. "Great Red. So, you finally show yourself."
"Leave this place!" He orders before charging a new attack against her.
Ophis smiles before disappearing. "Until we see each other again, Ddraig and friends."
Tiamat takes a couple of deep breaths while feeling how the heavy task in her shoulders has become even worse. She then turns her attention back to the egg and carefully examines it.
"Did she do something to it?" Great Red approaches Tiamat.
"She said she gave him a gift. I don't know why but she gave him some of her power." Tiamat says.
Great Red stays quiet while he thinks. "That child will never learn and only continues to cause problems for me no matter the place or time. I will take action since there's no other way around it." He turns his eyes towards the much smaller dragoness. "Tiamat, stay still for me." Great Red puts one of his claws on Tiamat's head while the other is placed on top of the egg before he transfers some of his power onto the pair. "I have given you two some of my power. I need you to protect that egg at all costs, and I need Ddraig to be even stronger. Make sure that nobody gets close to Ddraig until he can defend himself."
Tiamat feels the boost she has received and nods. "I'll ensure he is safe even if my life is at risk."
"Good." Great Red says before going silent. He knew what was approaching and was preparing everything to ensure that his fate didn't repeat itself. Ddraig was a blessing he didn't expect, but he was willing to play his cards much better than his other selves.
With that event out of the way, time kept moving forward. Days became weeks. Weeks became months, and months became two years.
A particular day.
Tiamat was resting while paying close attention to her surroundings. The egg had turned darker and bigger after so long. She wasn't able to distinguish the insides of the egg. Since Ophis, few other entities have approached the dimensional gap. Fallen angels got too close once as curiosity got the best of them.
Rumors began to circulate regarding her and the egg. Devils around Ajuka had said that Tiamat had finally found the perfect mate and was now taking care of the egg. Some angels had to go all the way to the dimensional gap and tried asking her about the egg, but she pushed them away with all her power. But nobody except for her, Great Red, and Ophis truly knew about the true identity of the egg.
She had even started to become a little attached to the egg. She had begun to imagine what new form Ddraig would have after he exited the egg and how much she would grind him into the dirt to make him pay his debt to her.
"I might even consider Great Red's recommendation. Taking ownership of your new life doesn't sound too bad. Making you into my slave sounds like a good idea." She thinks, yet while daydreaming, the egg begins to crack.
"Eh?" The first cracking sound got her attention. "Is it happening?" Tiamat moves the egg a little away from her and watches the process take place.
More cracks began to appear all around, and within a few moments, the egg exploded into pieces. A bright light blinded Tiamat for a few moments before the dragoness saw the awaited dragon.
His body was much more prominent now than his original one. He was as big as a decent country while Tiamat was barely city size. He had two sets of wings instead of just one. The first pair of wings was constituted by bright red pointy feathers, while the second pair was similar to Tiamat's draconic wings but much more extensive. His scales were mostly ruby-colored, but he also possessed several black and golden-colored ones. Several parts of his body appeared protected by armor, and a bright green jewel shone brightly in his chest. His tail ended in the shape of a trident, unusual for dragons. He had six limbs instead of just four, two strong legs, and four monstrous arms which could overpower anyone. His head possesses two curve horns that point toward the front and not just two but six eyes. Finally, instead of one month, he had two now.
It was indeed a scary sight to witness.
Tiamat was in shock after seeing his appearance, and she even felt a little afraid, but she took the chance. "Ddraig? Is that you?"
This new dragon turns his sight towards her. His six eyes watched her every movement and analyzed her from head to toe. "Thanks for protecting us, Tiamat." His voice was a mix of two very different beings. His body shines once more, and his shape changes again.
Instead of the massive dragon, Tiamat sees a small child with spiky dark brown hair and a few strands of green hair. His eyes were green, and his whole torso had red tattoos that only Ddraig could have. His legs and lower half were currently protected by armor pants and clawed boots that seemed similar and different from the previous armor that the boosted gear offered its user.
His eyes lacked brightness behind them.
Tiamat turns into a human and approaches the child. "Wait, are you Ddraig? Who are you?"
"I'm Issei Welsh. A pleasure meeting you, Tiamat-san." Tiamat heard a child's voice, but his tone was a little somber, and he didn't smile.
The child's eyes turn darker and more draconic before Tiamat hears a different voice. "Yes, I'm Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon in the flesh. Who else are you expecting, Tiamat? Albion?" The voice was deeper and more adult-like.
Tiamat is in shock. "Great Red needs to see this with his own eyes," Tiamat says as she touches him with her claws to ensure she isn't dreaming.
Ddraig seems annoyed by this but says nothing.
Two years had gone by, and the egg had finally opened. The story of Issei Welsh and Ddraig was just starting.