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
The pair were frozen in place.
"Ddraig, we have to move. Let's get them out." Says One of the fallen angels.
"They have antimagic measures around this place so we shouldn't waste any time in this place." The other one replies after noticing a few runes on the ceiling on the way here.
"I know just give me a few moments." Ddraig touches the door of the cell before melting it away. "We have been looking for you throughout this whole castle." Ddraig approaches the kids without losing any time. He sees the state of their bodies. "Bastards."
"Stay away. We don't have anything to do with you." Said Gasper. Valerie puts herself in front of Gasper to protect him.
Ddraig ignores his words and continues to approach the pair. "I'm not your enemy. None of us are." The dragon grabs the helmet of his suit and removes it before leaving it on the floor for now. "My name is Ddraig. I am the Welsh Dragon. My team and I came to this place to get you two out of this place."
"He is a kid like us." thought Gasper.
"His eyes are creepy." Thought Valerie
Ddraig points his finger towards the chains that are attached to Gaspers before he shoots them down with a few small fireballs.
Gasper falls to the floor which surprises Valerie. She turns around before she aids him. His body is unable to stand up.
"I'm not your enemy. I came here to help you. This place is not a place for a child and your injuries tell me all that I need to know." Ddraig continues to move. "We can get you out of this place, you just need to let us help you two." His hand reaches out into his pocket storage before he grabs two blood bags with his right hand. "You're going to need these."
The children look at the bags with visible interest. Their bodies haven't tasted any human blood since they were babies. The rest of the inhabitants in the castle prevented any blood from reaching them due to the fear of them becoming stronger.
Ddraig approaches the pair even more before he kneels in front of them. "Let's also get that mask out of your face." Ddraig uses his left hand to cut Gasper's mask with a single hit.
The pieces of the mask fall onto the floor and they reveal his almost skeletal face.
Valerie is deeply affected by this. "Gasper, how did we last this long like this?"
"Here, you two need to drink this. We don't have too much time." Ddraig offers the bags to the children.
Gasper looks at the bags before he turns towards Ddraig. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"I will answer that question once we get out of this place. Eat now and talk later." Ddraig says.
Valerie grabs the bags before Gasper can continue to talk. "We need this. We can talk afterward." Valerie pushes one of the bags into Gasper's face. "Bite it."
Gasper doubts for a second before his hunger takes over. His sharp canines sink into the bag and start to suck all the blood out of it. His body grows hot with excitement as his body absorbs the nutrients of the blood.
Then a memory rushes in. A memory of the past.
"Gasper, my poor child. I can't get us out of this hell but at least I can give you my blood to make sure you survive. Drink it, my child. Make sure you survive and find a way out." Her voice was weak but it had a certain charm.
"Mom…" Gasper continues to suck every last drop until the bag is empty. His injuries ceased to bleed and his body gained some strength but it was still far from being optimal for him to move on his own. "Thank you, Valerie."
Valerie shakes her head. "Is okay."
"Now drink yours and let's move on," Ddraig says.
Meanwhile, outside of the castle.
Explosions continue to take place around the outside of the castle as the second team continues to draw the attention of the vampires inside the castle.
"Take this!" Kuroka creates five wheels made out of black flames before she releases them against a group of vampires who were surrounding her.
The wheel forces her enemies to evade the attack while the less fortunate ones are crushed and left unable to fight by the attack.
"Kill that bitch. Kill every single one of these intruders." Screams one of the leaders of the faction who was present in the area.
"Why don't you face me yourself instead of just giving orders?" Baraqiel appears before the leader. He charges his fists with electricity once more before he knocks the air out of the old vampire with a series of electrifying punches.
The vampire falls to the floor unconscious and Baraqiel looks around the area.
"God, they just keep coming one after the other. Come on, Welsh Dragon. We can't stay for too long in this place." Baraqiel thinks while making sure that the rest of the team is not getting killed by the onslaught of vampires.
"Baraqiel-sama, we are ready. Help is on the way." A small magic circle appears next to Baraqiel's face and the voice of Raynare is heard from it.
"About time." Baraqiel looks towards the sky and watches as three small missiles start to approach the castle.
The projectiles make contact with different parts of the castle but instead of causing explosions, they release some kind of crimson gas that starts to spread out.
One of the three missiles descended close to the area in which Kuroka was fighting and it didn't take too long for the gas to reach its objectives.
"What is this?" One of the vampires asks. The vampire smells the gas and finds nothing wrong with it at the beginning until his eyes start to get irritated. "What is happening to me?"
Other vampires start to feel the effects of the gas as well and the symptoms that come with it.
Vampires start to fall to the floor while screaming in pain and scratching their throats. Breathing became difficult for them as well as the inside of their throats were getting irritated by the gas.
Kuroka looks around and only finds the vampires screaming on the floor. "A gas that only affects vampires? Azazel's inventions are insane."
Raynare's point of view.
"Reload and shoot once more. The gas effects won't last very long." Raynare orders the rest of the team.
"Got it." The rest of the fallen ones replied.
"What is that gas?" Asia asks after seeing the missile contents.
"Vampires have weaknesses to different things like any other being. Holy symbols and artifacts are a few of them. Sunlight makes them weak and irritates their skin. Asshole-sama and the rest of my research team have investigated the weaknesses of many beings throughout the years for ways in which to stop possible enemy attacks. One of our creations was this gas and it proved effective at stopping vampires but is not lethal. Its effects can last a few minutes depending on how much exposure the individual vampire has to the gas." Raynare explains.
"You helped to create this? You're amazing Raynare." Asia says with a smile that wasn't visible due to her helmet.
"I'm a researcher after all. I hope that the rest of our inventions might prove useful in the future as well." Raynare looks towards the castle. "Welsh-sama, come on, give us an answer."
Back in the dungeons.
"Are you okay? Or do you need more time?" Ddraig asks. His helmet was covering his face once more.
Gasper, who is getting a piggyback ride from Ddraig shakes his head. "I'm fine. We can go."
Valerie was getting the same treatment with one of the fallen angels. "Please, let this be the right path for us."
Both were too weak to make it to the surface and out of this hell even if they had received some blood bags.
"Alright. We're using magic to transport ourselves outside the castle as soon as we reach the surface." Ddraig says.
The rest of the team nods and begins to move alongside him. They run across several rows of cells while being surrounded by the disgusting scent of the place.
"This is horrible. How could someone do something like this to his own children? The lack of nutrients, the horrible cells, the mask and chains, all of this is disgusting." Rias thought while she ran right behind Ddraig. "Issei, how can something like this be possible? They are just kids."
Gasper strengthens his hold on Issei after hearing the question.
"… I don't have a clear answer for you. The complexity of the mind of living beings is something that is hard to understand. To us all of this is horrendous but to vampires, it might be something different. But even if they claim to have a reason for doing all of this I choose not to understand or accept it. Sometimes it is better to be selfish and follow your own values while other times it is okay to stop and reflect before acting. It depends on what kind of situation you might find yourself in." Issei replies.
"So, it's okay for me to hate all of this?" Rias asks.
"It is alright. Hate what you want to hate and love what you want to love, you're free to think any sort of way you want to. Now focus on the path ahead of us. We're getting closer to the stairs and my nose is telling me that we might be getting some company soon"
The groups continue to run through the cells until they reach the stairs and the first thing they find is two of the guards from the surface waiting for them.
"Leave the fighting to me and focus on moving forward. We need to get out of this place." Issei gets ready for a tedious run towards the surface.
Meanwhile, the throne room.
An old rustic man with long black hair and crimson eyes sat down on a golden throne. A glass filled with wine was resting on his hand while he heard the complaints of his followers.
"My liege, we have been unable to take care of the intruders. My men have informed me of a mysterious gas that has spread out inside one of the areas of the castle."
"This is a declaration of war, my liege."
"My liege we need to capture one of the intruders and find out who is responsible for this atrocious act towards our glorious home."
King Tepes ignores them. His mind was deep in thought at that moment. "A group of unidentified intruders that don't have scents. What kind of faction could pull something like this and for what reason? Is this an actual declaration of war or is someone trying to get something out of it? I'm still alive so my head is not the target." King Tepes turns towards his closest advisors. "My children, have you heard about any deaths within our troops?"
"Not a single one, father." Replies the oldest son.
"We are yet to hear about any sort of kill," Marius replies.
"So, what is their objective? What did they come here to obtain? Our treasury is not accessible from inside the castle and its location is a secret. What can they get out of this place then?" King Tepes asks.
"Rescuing someone. Maybe one of our victims. If they are human then it would make sense for them to enter the castle without being detected." The oldest son says.
"That would mean that they already failed. There's not a single human alive within the castle." Marius laughs.
"That is indeed true. But what other reason might they have unless is that? One doesn't just barge into a den of vampires without an objective. Unless they know something we don't know about." King Tepes says.
"What are you suggesting then father? Is there another treasure that we don't know about?" The eldest son asks.
"Marius take the Vladi siblings and go to the dungeons. Make sure that the dhampirs are still there. Don't waste a single second." King Tepes says.
Marius excuses himself and transforms into a flock of bats that exits the throne room.
"Father, does this mean that they came for those two?" Asks The eldest son.
"My child, dhampirs are half-humans and because of that, they don't possess as many weaknesses as us. They also have the chance of obtaining one of the so-called sacred gears. I fear what one dhampir could become if I let it go free. We need to keep them under our claws and make sure they never become a challenge to us. I allowed the existence of those two for some amusement and respect towards the late memory of my former friend Vladi but the time has come for the child to die. That girl will also die if my assumptions are true. They won't get out of this place alive." King Tepes claims.
But he lacks the knowledge of who the person inside of his castle was.
Back with Issei.
"You monster….." Another guard says before his body is thrown down the stairs.
The group looks behind them and finds several other guards that were left in similar states. No amount of armor, shadow manipulation, or bat transformation were able to help them against Issei.
"And here is the exit. Let's get out of this place and reunite with the rest of the team." Issei says, opening the door.
The group follows after him and before long they are back on the surface. They find themselves in an oval room with several different paths and a massive water fountain in the middle.
Gasper and Valerie look around. Their eyes are static at the sight of so many new colors and the new smells surrounding them.
"Gasper, we are finally on the surface," Valerie says as her eyes become watery.
"We are. We're finally out." Gasper replies. His head rests on Issei's shoulder while he lets a few tears out.
"Go ahead and release some of your pain." Issei pats the head of the Dhampir for a second before he forms a small magic circle. "We got the children. Mission accomplished. Retreat from the base and return to the crow. Don't hang around and return to the crow."
"That's my Welsh-sama, what's their status?" Raynare asks.
"Need medical assistance and a new diet. Tell Asia to get ready but first get back to the crow."
"Understood. See you back in the crow." Says Baraqiel.
"See you there," says Raynare.
The magic circle disappears.
Issei sighs and feels relief for a second before his instincts kick into overdrive. "Dammit." Issei takes Ascalon out.
Several shadows approach the group from all directions before they come out of the floor and try to impale everyone on the group.
"Myriad of blades." Issei uses the sword and cuts the shadows down before any can reach his team. "Magic circle now!"
Both fallen angels nod and they created a teletransportation circle below the team.
"Oh no, you won't. Get them." Marius screams.
8 vampires approach the group from different directions with the intent of killing everyone.
Gasper recognizes the faces. His grip around Issei's neck grows stronger due to his anger. "Welsh Dragon, please lend me your power. I need to kill all of them. I'll pay any price for this. They need to pay for what they did to us."
Rias and Valerie are in shock after hearing what Gasper said.
"So, these are the targets of your anger?" Issei sighs. "Go now. I'll finish here before I go back." Issei gets out of the teletransportation circle alongside Gasper before meeting the enemies head-on.
Rias tries to get out as well but the fallen angels keep her inside. "Issei!"
"Gasper! What are you doing?" Valerie calls out his name.
But neither was able to stop them. Both girls watch as the pair left to start a fight for vengeance before they are transported away.
Back in the Black Crow.
The rest of the team awaited the return of Issei and the others.
"What is taking them so long?" Kuroka asks.
"Maybe they were forced to fight another group of vampires," Baraqiel says.
"We need to wait and see." Raynare joins in.
Before anyone can say another thing, the group watches as the magic circle brings another group of their allies back.
Their joy is cut short after they realize the missing dragon.
"Where is Issei?" Asia asks.
"He stayed behind for some reason. We believe it was due to the Dhampir child." Says One of the fallen angels.
"He what?" Asks Kuroka.
Rias approaches Valerie. "Who were those vampires? Why did Gasper ask him to kill them?"
Valerie tries to hold the tears in. "They are the ones that torture us the most throughout all of these years. One of those vampires is my brother and the rest are Gasper's siblings."
The revelation takes everyone by surprise except for Baraqiel.
"The hate of one child against his family. Are you doing this for his sake or just to teach him a lesson?" Baraqiel sat in silence while he awaited the end of this mission.
Back in the Tepes Castle.
A storm was about to start. The rumbling of thunder could be heard throughout the whole castle.
A sense of dread and fear started to invade all of the inhabitants of the castle as one beast set out to hunt his prey down.
Issei blocked the attacks of the vampires before kicking them away from him with ease.
The vampires stood up once more after being kicked and took stances around the boy while holding their weapons.
"Who are you? Why did you have that monster on your back?" Marius asks. "That kick wasn't a normal kick. This child is nothing normal."
"You ask about my identity as if a dead vampire needs to know who killed them," Issei replies. "Gasper, are you sure that you want this? Once I start I won't stop and their deaths are going to become part of your sins. Are you willing to accept that? Are you willing to exchange your life for their deaths?"
Gasper looks at each of the vampires. "I am. I have been enduring their torture for as long as I could remember. I have been robbed of my own freedom, and they have also taken Valerie's freedom away. Some of you claim to share a father with me while also making me endure the worst kind of treatment. I will exchange my life for their deaths. I have no family in this castle and only see the ones that made me and Valerie suffer. Kill each one until there's not a single one left. For the sake of our freedom, take their lives away."
The vampires back away a few centimeters after seeing his eyes filled with anger. The monster they had helped to create was about to bite back and take its well-deserved revenge.
Issei laughs. "Then I accept your soul as payment. For just this night I will become your blade and help you to transform into the monster they will see during their last moments. Go insane for just this once. Let's begin then."
"You're surrounded by all of us. What can a child like you do?" One of Gasper's siblings asks.
"Hahaha, that's the funny part. This is not a fight and we're not trapped in here with you." Crimson flames start to surround all of the area. All exits, windows, and possible ways of escape are blocked by Issei's flames. "You're trapped in here with us."
*I'm my own master now (Spirit of the Wolf Mix)*
Their legs begin to shake as his power is released. Some try to keep their stances and face the challenge in front of them but others begin to doubt their chances. Their eyes look into the eyes of Gasper for some sign of fear or weakness but at this moment he was only filled with raw anger and hate.
He was truly the monster they had helped to create.
One of the siblings tries to attack with his sharp vampire nails but these are quickly cut down by a swift movement of Issei's sword. "My nails?"
"The first victim." Issei lifts the sword once more and makes a diagonal cut that separates the body into two parts. Blood shoots out like a fountain from the lower half which stains Gasper and Issei's face.
"Gregorius," Gasper calls out his name before tasting his blood. "Disgusting."
"Next one." Issei cuts the distance between him and one of the ladies present in the room. He lifts the sword and cuts both of her arms.
"Ahhhhhh!" She screams in pain.
"Miranda." Gasper continues.
Issei lifts her body through the neck before he stabs her with the sword a bunch of times.
"Stop.. it….." Miranda tries to talk.
"The dead shouldn't talk," Issei said before cutting the woman into two halves that fall on opposite sides of him.
Issei and Gasper turn their heads towards the left. "Alexa."
The female vampire tries to run after hearing her name but Issei was faster than her. He grabs one of her legs and starts to smash her around the floor like some ragdoll.
Each hit is stronger than the one before and the other vampires present can't help but feel complete desperation.
In the end, the bloody body of Alexa is lifted by the extra set of arms that Issei has.
"I'm…. sorry." Alexa tries to find some mercy.
"You didn't care about our pain either," Gasper replies before Issei cuts her head off.
"Then the next one should…" Issei releases the headless body and turns around. "You." His finger points to a young man with similar hair to Gasper.
"Percival." Gasper looks at the male with not a single drop of mercy. The memories of those nights were still fresh on his mind.
Percival uses his shadow to create some kind of cocoon to protect himself.
"Bad choice." Issei summons more of his flames and these start to take the shape of his army. The burning copies approach the cocoon before they create thin spears that they began to use to pierce the cocoon.
The screams of Percival are heard by the rest of the group. They were frozen due to the fear and even breathing became almost impossible for them.
It doesn't take long for the cocoon to start to burn until nothing other than ashes is left behind.
"Go and burn the other corpses as well. Now let's see, who should be the next one." Issei looks around.
"Walter." Gasper points his finger towards the next sibling.
"You can't do this, Gasper. You can't kill all of us. That would mean the end of the Vladi bloodline." Walter tries to use reason.
"I don't care. I'm not a Vladi and you're not my brother." Gasper remembers how many times they told him the same thing.
"I think your chest seems to lack space. Let's make some." Issei orders the extra set of arms.
The arms approach the vampire.
"Stay away. I can't die here." Walter screams.
"You don't get to choose," Issei replies.
The arms force their way into the chest cavity of Walter before they start to pull his organs out. Walter tries to fight back but the arms are much stronger.
After some moments, Walter lays on the floor with tears in his eyes while his organs lay around the floor. "..Gas- "His words are cut short as the flame soldiers descend on him and finish the job.
"Five done and three left. Who's the next one?"
"All of them until nobody is left. Until I can't no longer feel this rage!" Gasper's eyes start to change and something activates for the first time in his life.
The remaining vampires feel how their bodies get frozen in time.
"My body! What is happening to me? Gasper? Gasper!" Marius tried everything but his body wasn't responding.
"Could this be your power Gasper? Let's finish this and take you back to a place where you can start again." Issei approaches the final victims of this execution.
They couldn't move an inch nor could they scream but the pain was still there and they were going to suffer until the last second.
A few minutes afterward.
He was laying in front of the last victim of his vengeance or at least their remains. Blood covered the whole place and both boys were also covered from head to toe. The last punishments were too brutal to be even considered fair but Issei followed through with the task until the very end.
"What do you feel now after seeing them in that state, Gasper? Are you happy with what you got out of our deal?"
"…. I….. don't know how to describe it. It just feels weird and not what I was expecting." Gasper looks into the result of his desire. "They were supposed to be my family and they never showed me mercy. They burned me, stabbed me, broke my limbs and so many things that all of this punishment seems nothing compared to what they did to me. Tell me, is this what I'm supposed to feel?" Gasper tries to turn around.
Issei stops him. "You need to watch out. Your sacred gear is still active. Let me cover your eyes until we can figure something out." Issei looks around and finds one piece of cloth that remained from the curtains of one of the windows. He picks it up and ties it around Gasper's eyes. "Vengeance is something that is meant to disappear as quickly as it's done. You can't feel happy forever if vengeance is the only thing that you have. It Is a one-time enjoyment that disappears once it is done."
"… I think I understand." Gasper relaxes as Issei puts the cloth around his eyes. "Is this power why you came for us?"
"It's hard to explain but I will give you the answers you're looking for once we're back in the underworld. There's a lot that you need to understand if you want the full answer."
Gasper goes silent for a few seconds before he talks again. "Can you promise me something?"
"What?"
"I don't want to suffer like this ever again. I don't want Valerie to do it either. I just want to be happy and not to feel any pain." Gasper starts to release a few tears. "I want to live. I want a life with Valerie away from this place. I don't want more chains or torture. No more hunger or fear of being hurt."
Issei pats his head. He understood this poor child. "I understand your desire. I can make sure that happens so just leave it to me. Just trust me and I'll make sure you can feel happy. I'll be the brother you never had and help you to become someone that can protect what matters to him."
"Can you do that?"
"Only if you let me help you."
"I sold my soul for vengeance so my life is in your hands."
"And I accepted the job but not for the sake of owning you but for releasing you from the hate you felt. This is the first and last time you ever do something such as this Gasper. You can't become this monster ever again. Do you understand that? You're not the monster they were creating. Got it?"
"… Yes…"
Issei pats his head once more. "Alright. Let's go, little brother. Is time for us to leave this place. We might never come back to this place. Let's go towards your new life." Issei gives him another piggyback ride.
"Yes… brother." Gasper relaxes and rests his head on his brother's back.
Issei looks around one last time before he reabsorbs his crimson flames back. Then he creates a magic circle before he disappears alongside Gasper.
Back in the throne room.
King Tepes stops trembling after feeling the disappearance of the strong intruder.
"Father, who was that?" The remaining son asks.
"… A true monster, my son." King Tepes didn't want to believe it but his instincts told him what he needed to know. "Marius…. I'm sorry, my child."
The Tepes Faction lost more than what they expected that night.
Back in the Black Crow.
The group watched as a magic circle appear before them.
They counted the second until they saw him.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," says Issei.
A few seconds go by. The rest of the team sees the blood and smells it as well.
"You idiot!" Rias moves before anyone can react. She slaps him across the face.
"That hurts but I understand. Sorry for making you worry." Issei smiles.
Rias slaps him again. And again. And again, until she can't endure it anymore and hugs him. "I feared the worst. You stupid fire lizard."
Issei smiles. "It's okay Rias. I just needed to take care of something with Gasper. Sorry for making you worry. It wasn't my intention." He looks at the rest of his group. "I'm sorry."
Raynare sighs. "You need to be more careful, Welsh-sama. You almost gave us a heart attack."
Asia approaches him and joins the hug. "I'm just glad you're back."
"Glad to have you back, Issei but don't do it again. We're a team and losing you is not something we want." Kuroka said while looking more relaxed.
"Can we call the mission done then?" Baraqiel asks.
"Yes, it is done." Issei kneels and puts Gasper on the floor. "The targets were rescued without any deaths on our team. The mission was a success."
The ship explodes into cheers and screams of celebration, but one young girl ignored everything and just walked towards her friend in between all that celebration.
Gasper feels the arms of someone around him. "Valerie?"
"Thank you. Please don't go away ever again." Valerie says.
Gasper puts his arms around her as well. "I won't."
Sometime after, Lilith.
"Congratulations Welsh Dragon. You did it." Azazel said.
"It was thanks to everyone. It went well because the team worked well together." Issei says.
"It was indeed a success but we hope for less blood," Michael says.
"A few sacrifices needed to be made but as long as they don't know who was responsible we can relax." Sirzechs takes another sip of his coffee.
"Now we need to discuss who's going to take care of the children. The boy had his first dance with his sacred gear. He lacks control over it." Ajuka says.
"I want to ask that you leave them to me. They need to stay together and I can make sure that he learns how to control the sacred gear one day." Issei says.
"You want to take the responsibility of raising two sacred gear users? Are you sure about this?" Serafall asks.
"I am. I promised him that I was going to take care of him and after what I saw is best if I'm the one that leads him. It would also hurt to separate them since they are connected. We want them to trust us and make sure that they stay with us." Issei explains.
"He was calling you brother for some reason. Does it have to do with your little blood bath?" Shemhazai asks.
"It does. Just trust me with the two of them. I only ask this from all of you." Issei lowers his head.
The rest of the alliance grows quiet for a few seconds before they start to talk once more.
"In the end, it doesn't really matter who takes care of them as long as they are within the alliance. I approve of giving him the responsibility of the pair of Dhampirs." Michael says.
"Things might change in the future. For now, I also approve of this. Make sure to protect them from any danger." Sirzechs says. "Who knows if one day Rias gets to have either of them on her peerage?"
Ajuka, Serafall, and Falbium give their good eye as well.
"I don't think we can say no. Protecting those children is what matters in the end. So, you have my approval as well." Azazel says.
"Mine as well." Shemhazai joins in.
"I'm only representing my father's interests but I don't think he would disagree with this. You have my approval as well." Ganesha is the last one to accept.
"Lift your head Welsh Dragon. You might look like a child but you're a man and a leader before our eyes. We believe in your actions so make sure you continue to prove to us that our trust in you is in the right place."Michael smiles.
Issei lifts his head. "Thank you."
Much later, the rooftop of the Chaos Residence.
* Home Made Kazoku - Thank You!*
The chaos family sat down on the rooftop while sharing a calm late afternoon with their new members.
"So that's what the sun looks like. Is so bright. What do you think of it, Gasper?" Valerie asked.
"It is indeed beautiful. I never thought that the world outside would be so bright." Gasper replied.
Both were wearing new clothes which hide most of their scars.
"Look at them. After so much time in the darkness, they are finally able to enjoy what the outside looks like and it is all thanks to you." Rael said while looking at Issei.
"I couldn't do it by myself. The mission was a success thanks to everyone that participated in it. Asia, Raynare, and Kuroka did a great job." Says Issei.
"It was nothing. I enjoyed the exercise that I got from it." Kuroka turns towards the pair of Dhampirs. "I also feel proud of being involved in their rescue."
Asia nods. "I'm happy for them. After seeing their bodies, I couldn't feel happier about them getting to live with us. They deserved all the love they can get."
"It's up to us to make sure they can enjoy their new lives." Raynare joins in.
"We already have Tosca, Asia, and our kitty cat but two more children won't hurt us," Tiamat says while hugging her daughter.
"Tia, please let me go." Tosca blushed.
"Nope. You're so cute when you blush." Tia said.
Issei smiles while he looks at the faces of those around him. "A place where I belong…. Ddraig is this what we're trying to reach?" The Welsh Dragon looks into the sky and thinks about his past. "Two years ago, I lost everything and now I have something precious to me." Issei then feels the arms of an invisible dragon around his neck. "Don't worry, I'm not forgetting you either Ophis. This is our home now."
Things that he couldn't control made him lose his humanity and family, but something else came out from the flames. This is his story. The story of the child that is walking a path that nobody else could take on.
The path is far from over.
Arc zero: From the flames I was reborn. The child that became a dragon. Done.
Arc one: The luck of a dragon is not fair. The birth of the sacred nest. About to start.
*Notes from the author: We have finally reached the end of the story's first arc. God, that took some time, and many things took place. I want to thank all of those that have been following the story until now. We are far from over with this story. I hope that you continue to support it until the very end. Let's hope that the next chapter doesn't take that long. I'll see you back in 1 year and 6 months (Is a joke).*