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 group of representatives from the alliance made their way through the extensive open land of Greenland. The place was mostly covered by snow and no human settlements were close by which the group expected.
In the front of the group was Azazel who was closely followed by Ganesha, Tiamat, Gabriel, Serafall, and Raphael.
The group had no guards alongside them nor did they seem to possess any weapons with them. They knew that they needed to show the best side of the alliance to gain the support of the goddess.
"One wouldn't consider this as the best place for a goddess such as Gaia to have her temple. Is practically devoid of life if we only look at it with the eyes of a being without knowledge of the supernatural." Serafall said as the presence of several beings became more obvious.
The bloodlust of many beings was becoming stronger with each step.
"Keep calm everybody. We're about to cross the veil." Raphael said as the ground continued to push forward.
The group didn't back down and before long their path led to them crossing a certain point that few beings could cross.
The space around them changed in a matter of an instant as the snowy open fields disappeared and became green hills filled with plants, trees, and flowers. Many of the plants found around them were extinct and very rare amongst the other realm.
But all of that didn't matter to them as much since they found themselves surrounded.
Monsters as far as their eyes could see.
Hydras, gorgons, minotaurs, chimeras, were just some of them as the number of monsters surrounding them was in the thousands.
"... I always expected them to continue to increase their descendants but this is a bit small when compared to my expectations," Azazel says after seeing the creatures before them.
"Small? What are you even saying Azazel?" Serafall asks.
"I'll have to agree with lady Serafall. This is an impressive number of descendants for just one pair of gods. Typhon, Echidna, we know you two are here. We came as Gaia asked us to ." Ganesha says as he looks around for the pair.
The monsters keep their distance from the group but continue to growl at them.
Tiamat focuses her attention on the scent coming from a particular direction. She lifts her hand and points her finger in a certain direction. "Come out. You can't hide your scents from me."
The monsters turn their eyes towards the true dragon king before moving away to reveal the sight of two beings resting below a tree. A man with blue skin, auburn hair, and the lower body of a snake that divides itself into several tails. His face appears to have two sets of closed eyes.
Next to the man, was some kind of lamia which had short purple hair and purple scales. Her tail was similar to that of a rattlesnake. Her chest is covered by a golden blouse. The woman who was resting on the man's chest lifted her head to look at the group.
"... I appreciate the fact that none of you attacked my family. Shows that you have manners so I'll give you 80 points but you were a bit loud so I'll take 10 points away." The snake lady moves away from her partner and begins to approach the group. "Mother Gaia was expecting you. You had the decency of coming through the entrance instead of breaking in so I'll give you an extra 50 points. My name is Echidna, mother of all monsters and wife of the sleeping god slayer over there. I welcome you into Mother Gaia's temple, the primordial garden."
She lowers her head as a sign of respect.
The group does the same.
"We appreciate the invitation," Gabriel replies.
"My, my, you two haven't changed much since the war. Azazel you still look like a womanizer. And Gabriel you still look like a virgin who hasn't experienced the joy of love." Echidna says while looking at the group.
Azazel smiles with some shame. "I have changed a lot even if my face doesn't show it."
Gabriel just blushes and stays silent. "Does it seem that obvious?"
Echidna then turns to Raphael and Ganesha. "Raphael, you haven't changed that much either but I feel something a bit different. The same with you Ganesha, I'm truly amazed at the fact that the child of Shiva would be walking alongside other pantheons."
"Many things have changed, lady Echidna," Ganesha replies.
"The winds of change arrived late but they won't disappear anytime soon Echidna," Raphael says.
"Seems like it." Echidna then turns her sight towards the last remaining members of the group. "Tiamat…. You have changed a lot, we can chat at another time and you young lady are a new face. Tell me, what's your name child?"
"Serafall Leviathan is my name, Lady Echidna." Serafall presents herself while being mindful of the being before her. "Deep breaths, don't fail this mission."
"The pleasure is mine, child. Leviathan… it seems that the new lords of the devils have learned some manners. Well, we shouldn't keep her waiting. Mother is waiting for you. Follow me and ignore my family. They won't attack you as long as you don't attack first. Children of mine, clear the path for us." Echidna shakes her tail and the sound that it creates spreads out around the area.
The monsters quickly disperse and clear the way for the group.
"Wow, they truly listen to you?" Azazel asks.
"Well after my first children's actions in the past I got a hell of an earful from Gaia. She told me to stop having children if I couldn't keep them out of trouble. She even forced me to move into the temple if I wanted to stay on the planet. I stopped having children after a few hundredths and now I keep them in check so that their numbers don't go out of control. Let's move on." Echidna says as she takes the lead.
"What about Typhon? Aren't you going to wake him up?" Gabriel asked.
"No for now. Is better if he is not involved in the discussion." Echidna admits.
"Battle maniac?" Tiamat asks.
"Yes. He has gotten better but it is still a bad habit of his." Echidna begins to move with the group as they discuss a few things on their way to Gaia's temple.
Tiamat's eyes wandered around as she saw many of the things she couldn't taste anymore.
"The memories… I wish Gaia would bring some of these plants back into the outside world."
"Have you tried some of these things?" Serafall asks.
"All of them. That purple fruit with weird red rings is particularly tasty. Its texture is juicy but soft. It practically melts in your mouth after each bite." Tiamat points her hand to another fruit. "That blue one with spikes is a hard one to open up but its insides are very tasty. I ate many things throughout my life. Mother Gaia would use her power to create many different plants and animals over the years but this also meant that some things would disappear as new forms of life took the place of others."
"Eden, Gaia's unique ability. The world is an extension of herself and it can change however she wants. Father asked her to use that same ability to create the perfect conditions for humans to live in." Gabriel says. "I apologize for what you had to lose for the sake of humanity."
" It is alright, Gabriel. Since I came out from my egg I knew that everything around me was going to change even if I didn't want that. I can only thank Gaia for letting me grow up in this world." Tiamat admits.
Echidna turns her sight toward Tiamat. "Once the discussions are over I could get you some seeds. The world outside won't be good for the plants but the underworld might be a good place for them to grow."
"Would you do that for me?" Tiamat asks.
"I can't deny the pure desire of a child of this world. Food is something that should be shared. I'll get you the seeds afterward." Echidna turns around and continues to guide the group.
"Thanks," Tiamat replies.
"You seem more at peace than what I remember Echidna. you and Your husband created many problems for the Greek pantheon. Mischief and madness were your cups of tea as you went through life. What changed?" Raphael asks.
"... Age, experiences, Gaia, many things are to be thankful for my current self. I know my sins and the actions of my sons and daughters can't be forgotten. Orochi in Japan, Bashe in China, I can go on and on with their names. I let them run will and many died because of their actions. At first, it didn't hurt but after some time the pain settled in. I cried and blamed myself for not stopping them when I had the chance. But now I won't let that happen to these ones. I'll keep them safe within this paradise alongside Typhon until they are ready to coexist with the outside world." Echidna explains in a serious tone.
"I appreciate the sincerity. The world outside is practically made for humans and they lack knowledge regarding the supernatural. But maybe that time for them to go out will come earlier than you can expect." Raphael continues.
"What do you mean?" Echidna turns around.
"Humans will learn the truth about their creation and place in the whole picture of creation soon. The world that they know is going to change for the sake of their survival and Gaia is crucial for that to happen." Raphael looks straight into her eyes.
"Raphael, what are you talking about? Humans aren't ready for all of this. I can clearly see that." Echidna argues.
"They aren't but the circumstances won't make it easy for the alliance to keep the truth hidden." Ganesha takes the opportunity to get the ball moving. "Lady Echidna, dark times are coming, my father had visions of the future which prophesied the coming of three calamities. This planet, the different realms, Ygradssil as a whole is going to be in danger of being destroyed."
Echidna grows pale at the severity of such a comment. "Don't tell me that-"
"Trihexa is just one of them," Serafall says.
Echidna's body shakes in fear at the mention of the beast of the apocalypse. "... Let's reach Gaia. This is too much for one being to handle."
"We know. We have been dealing with this information for the past year and six months. Preparations for its return have begun but we need all the help we can get." Tiamat said as she grabbed Echidna's hand.
Their eyes met each other. "... I understand. If Gaia is willing to help your group I might be willing to do as well and maybe even ask Typhoon to offer his help. He's a battle maniac and a bit insane but he'll hear me out."
"We'll appreciate any help Echidna." Tiamat smiles and before long the group is back on the road.
The fields filled with Echidna's and Typhoon descendants extended for what seemed to be forever. The effects of Gaia's power on the area were surprising, to say the least. It almost felt like they were on a whole different planet at the time. As they advanced they began to feel her presence, like a warm aura that was calling out to them.
Their eyes saw as the roots of a large tree became more common. The group was then surrounded by them and shortly after they found themselves close to the massive tree.
On the base of the tree, they saw one single figure sitting on top of a large bed of flowers.
Her rainbow-colored hair seemed to be made out of stardust. Her pink flower pattern eyes were warm and inviting like those of a mother. Her face seemed young but there were also signs of a hard life filled with regrets and pain. Her body was covered by a blue robe which seemed to be made out of stardust like her hair.
"Tia! Come and give your old mother a hug!" Gaia's warm and welcoming voice called out as soon as her eyes met.
Tia smiled as she went ahead and approached the goddess. This was the goddess that allowed her, Ddraig, Albion, and all of the other higher dragons to call this planet their first home. A mother that had never hurt them although she gave them too much freedom.
Tiamat was embraced by the goddess. "You have grown so much. Just look at you. I remember that young dragon who hatched inside a volcano. The whole mountain was covered in lava as a small azure flying lizard rose into the sky in the search of food. My dear Azure Chaos. You were so small back then."
"Mother Gaia, stop. You're making me blush." Tiamat replied.
"Let your old mother praise you, Tia. It has been quite a while since you and I saw each other. You have stayed away from the planet for a long time." Gaia says.
"I know. It was hard for me to stay in that volcano with so many humans around. There was also Ddraig's death." Tiamat admits.
"Ddraig… it finally happened. The Crimson dragon and the Azure dragon together. It took some time but you two are finally together. I can smell his scent all over you. Tell me where is he? Too proud to come and visit his mother figure?" Gaia asks.
"He's… he is taking some time to relax and get his emotions under control. There's a lot we need to talk about." Tiamat turns around and signals the others to approach.
"I can tell. I heard many things but it's better to confirm everything with my ears. The children of Yahweh, children of Lucifer together, and a child of Shiva together as allies is not a sight I thought I would ever see." Gaia says as she looks at the group. "Thanks for bringing them to me, Echidna."
"It was my pleasure, mother Gaia," Echidna says.
"Take a seat, children. Tell me all that I need to know." Gaia creates several seats and thus the meeting begins.
The next day, Issei.
As soon as he opened his eyes he felt the freezing temperature around him. The whole room was covered in ice. His body was being hugged by Yukime and Kuroka.
"It happened again…. I can't let this continue." The dragon tries to get up but both of the girls prevent it from happening.
"Stay down. It's early. You had a close one last night." Yukime says.
"... Fire?" Issei asks.
"Hot temperature and your power began to quickly rise. Kuroka and I moved quickly to calm you down. Your memories of that night might become more troublesome in the long run. Have you thought about locking those memories away?" Yukime asks.
"... Forgetting about my past?" Issei begins to ponder.
"Just blocking the parts related to all of that until you're able to completely accept that part of your past. If this continues you might hurt somebody and maybe even worse. Your powers, the blessing of Ophis, the blessing of Great Red, all of that going out of control is a recipe for disaster. You and I know that." Yukime looks into his eyes.
"... If I do that I'll lose something important," Issei says.
"It's going to be there just sealed in the deepest part of your being. I'll help you in any way I can but give it some thought. " Yukime says as she rests her head on the pillow once more.
"My memories. Mom, Dad…. Can I live on knowing that something is missing?"
A few hours later.
The small group found themselves in the streets of London. With Elaine at the front, the group was traveling throughout the city while buying a few items and visiting a few places.
"This is so good." Kuroka said as she continued to enjoy the macaroni cheese stuffed grilled cheese in her hands. "I can't understand how humans come up with such great ideas for food."
Issei pats her head. "I'll admit that is a very good combination. But watch out about your ears. They might show up if you lose concentration. How about you, Ophis? Do you like it?"
The ouroboros dragon just nods along as she continues to munch on the food. "Tasty…."
"She's sooo cute." Le Fay claims as she sees the small dragon eating her food without a care in the world.
While the rest of the group was enjoying their time, Yukime and Elaine were chatting not too far from them.
"So that's the reason why you two took the same room as him. I thought something else." Elaine says.
"Although the idea sounds appealing, nobody in his life including Tiamat has that close of a relationship with him. Right now he is a bit unstable and making sure that he is back in control is more important than anything else." Yukime admits.
"I can see that. All that power going wild would be troublesome. Thank you for calming him down and preventing the worst of scenarios." Before she can say something else, Yukime stops her.
"It's my task. Tiamat entrusted me with his safety and I take any mission seriously. Especially if it involves something that I have an interest in."
Elaine looks at her. "Why are you interested in him? I get Tiamat, I understand Le Fay having a crush but what attracts you to the Welsh Dragon?"
"Hope that he is the right one and a bit of the attractiveness of a strong dragon. I'm not young and I'll admit that there were others in the past who attracted me but each one only wanted my body and some even wanted me as a tool. I truly want him to be that person that would finally be the one to remove this veil. I want a good mate and father for my future children." Yukime says with a relaxed tone.
"And your newest candidate is him? I'll wish you luck in regards to him. Love can be the most troublesome of affairs."
"You say that because of Arthur don't you?"
Elaine seems surprised by the declaration. "How did you know?"
"I investigated every female that had some sort of connection to him."
"But-"
"Don't worry my sources are safe and I doubt that the British royals know about it."
"... Please stay quiet about it. They are looking for him and if they know why he escaped they'll use me against him."
"My lips are sealed. I know about their cruelty. As I was researching you, Le Fay and her family I learned a few dark secrets. Did you ever think about why Ulter only has you as a maid in such a big place?"
"I have always been curious about it but his only answer has always been "I don't trust anyone around me but you who have no connection to England and possesses amazing skills are perfect to train my daughter and keep his house in a perfect state." Those were his words."
"There's more to that story. I'll let you know this. What Arthur is doing now was done by Uther Pendragon when he was much younger. He ran away from the house of Pendragon for several years until he was found and brought back by force."
"He escaped? But why?"
"The rest of the details of that story are for him to reveal when the time is right. You could say that parent and child are not that different from each other."
Elaine grows quiet after hearing such statements from Yukime; she needed some time to take in all of that information.
Yukime just kept walking forward until a magic circle appeared next to her ear.
"Yukime, can you hear me?"
"Shemhazai? What's happening?" Yukime grows worried with his tone of voice.
"A target of high importance has been seen on the northern outskirts of London. Mittelt, one of the traitors who left with Kokabiel has been spotted and we're moving all of our forces to capture her. We need you to join the capture efforts since you're close to the area." Shemhazai says.
"... Should I inform him about this?" Yukime asks.
"I leave that to your own discretion. Just remember that there's a minuscule chance of Kokabiel also showing up and as he is now he won't be able to hold back. Raynare has been informed of this as well. Be fast Yukime." Shemhazai ends the call.
Yukime goes motionless for a few seconds. "What should I do? Should I lie to him? Or tell him the truth and risk the mission?"
She turns around and finds a pair of cold eyes that were filled with a desire for blood. "Issei, you heard everything didn't you?"
"... I won't fight but I'll be there. Just as Rayanare has the right of being there, I have the same." Issei says in a cold tone.
Everyone in the group is looking at him but nobody dares to interrupt the conversation.
"... You're not in the best of states. If he shows up, what says that you won't attack him on sight? What says that you won't go berserk?" Yukime asks him.
"I know that you and the others will stop me if I do lose myself. Tiamat trusts your abilities and I do as well. So if Kokabiel shows up you have to stop me." Issei turns his sight towards Le Fay. "I'm sorry. I need to be there."
Le Fay shakes her head. "I'll go as well. Tia is not here so I'll try to help in her place. Elaine, you're coming as well. We're doing this together."
Elaine sight. "I shouldn't support these kinds of actions but I know you won't hear me out. Let's move."
"Right, the hunt is on." Kuroka says in a serious tone as well. "It was bound to happen. I hope to be of some help."
Everyone nods and starts walking until finding a spot in which they could safely travel towards the area in which Mittelt was seen.
Meanwhile, in that same area.
A certain man who held a holy sword walked into an abandoned factory while being followed by several hooded figures.
Touji Shidou kept a serious face as he approached the area of the meeting.
"We're here as the agreement said," Touji called out.
His eyes wander around while searching for the contact that they were supposed to meet.
The metallic sound of steps began to draw their attention. "You should know that I've been waiting for your group for far longer than I was supposed to. Time is valuable and any mistakes can bring trouble for everyone."
Metallic alterations adorned her body, a visor covered her eyes. Her wings had been altered beyond recognition due to some unknown technology.
A cyborg fallen angel stood in front of the group. A fallen one that once went by the name of Mittelt stood in front of them.
Touji was surprised as this was beyond what he initially expected. "What in hell is Mitsuya Kanzaki doing?" His eyes turned back to one of the hooded figures behind him. "Irina, stay calm. We're close to the one behind the tragedy."
The eyes of a young girl behind the hooded had long ago lost their shine as her sadness and anger pushed her into leaving her childhood behind. Irina Shidou was close to meeting not only the fallen angel behind the tragic event that marked her life but also meeting the one who was no longer human.
*Author's notes: We're back after so long. I want to thank all of you for the 1000 followers. Your support pushes me to keep writing this story. We just reached one of the most anticipated moments. It was coming for a long time and I have rewritten this particular event in several ways but only one made sense to me. A true moment in which to show how far and how dark the anger of Issei can go. Kage & Rasetsu, thank you for inspiring the next chapters.*