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
Story 22: Dragon no Daikazoku (Yes, it is that reference)
Beyond the reach of human hands, hidden from almost everyone's eyes, there is a shore. A shore with indescribable beauty and home to some of the most amazing fishes one could ever hope to catch. A place of beauty that usual traveling methods can't reach.
The Astral Shore is its name.
Our story follows a duo, father and daughter, as they make their way towards the mysterious place that few had seen in their lives.
Location: Underworld.
"So, rerun this for me one more time," Tosca said before checking the fishing pole she was holding with her tail. The red and white pole seemed to be made with some of the rarest items. It was larger than other fishing poles, and at the end of its line, a mysterious shining lure hung from its hook. Its weight was too heavy for a human to use, but it was perfect for the young dragoness.
The young girl wore blue shorts and a black one-piece swimming suit. There was a lack of feet wear, but she didn't seem to mind it.
Just a few meters away from her was her father. The Welsh Dragon wore a pair of red swimming trunks and an open white Hawaiian shirt. He was holding a similar fishing pole in his right hand. "Well, we can't get to our destination using a magic circle. This place is not reachable by normal means. One must travel through Yggradssil's branch network and push through the many barriers that prevent access to most realms. So you're going to travel on top of my head while I do the rest." Ddraig said.
"You don't trust me?"
"Tosca, my child. I almost got killed the first time I made this trip, and I was just 31. So is not the safest of travels, and I promised your mom that I would keep you safe during our fishing trips. So promise me you won't try to fly off alone. The same applies when we get there; follow my orders, ok?" Ddraig asks his daughter.
The daughter of Welsh seemed annoyed by the many restrictions that were being placed on her. She wanted to spread her wings and fly alongside him, but he wouldn't allow that. Tosca turns her back to him.
The Welsh Dragon sighs. His eyes switch, and Issei takes over. "Tosca, I know that is annoying, but Tia will likely beat me up if you get hurt. One thing is putting myself in danger, and another is putting you in danger. Just follow us this once."
The girl turned to her father. She looks at him for a few moments before she sighs in annoyance. "Alright, I'll do what you ask. But one day, you'll have to stop treating me like a defenseless child."
The Welsh dragon smirks after hearing his daughter's words. "One day, I'll even offer you some of the best alcohol there is, but until then, you'll be my hard-headed young daughter. Now let's get ready for our departure." The dragon puts the fishing pole away and transforms into its true form before he lowers his head to the floor. "Come up."
"Got it." Tosca jumps on top of her father's head and quickly settles down close to the base of his right side horn. She puts the fishing pole away. Tosca then looks around them and sees the city of Lilith not too far away from them. "I'm ready."
"Great, the first thing is exiting the underworld. Be ready for the sudden lack of oxygen." The Welsh Dragon lifts its four arms and creates a portal.
Tosca takes a deep breath. "Come on, Tosca. You're a dragon now; your lungs will do the rest. Just relax."
The dragon stepped into the portal, and before long, they found themselves in a realm filled with golden light.
Branch Network of Yggradssil.
What was up? What was down? Is this north or south? A million questions might pop up in one's head while inside this place between realms.
All around them, they only found the blinding light of the tree.
"What is this place so bright?" Tosca tried to cover her eyes.
"It takes a while to get used to it. Most beings use some sort of vehicle to traverse the branch network. Take a few seconds, and you'll notice the path ahead."
Tosca obeyed and stopped covering her eyes. As she got used to the light, she began to notice the structure around her. They found themselves in an immense light dome with one exit on the top and a large gate below them.
"This is the base of the tree. Call it the roots of the tree. One can enter the underworld in this place or just directly from other realms." The dragon spreads his wings and takes off towards the exit, leading into a large tunnel of light.
Tosca takes the view in with visible shock.
"In front of us, we'll find a gate. That's the gate that leads to Midgar, or the universe as most humans call it." The dragon explains.
Before long, the gate appears before them. The massive gate covers the tunnel, but the Welsh Dragon doesn't stop and pushes on.
"We're going to crash into it!" Tosca says.
"No, we won't—the first rule of traveling in this place. Gates and doors are not material things. All of this place is an intangible creation of the Primordial gods. Call it an Ethereal Creation. One can only interact with it by using some form of power or one's soul. The gate won't open for you unless you try to open it."
As he explained, the pair passed through the gate as if it wasn't there to begin with.
Tosca turns back and watches as the gate disappears in the distance. "Amazing. What's next?"
"Next is the fun part." The dragon continues, and before long, they exit the tunnel into a massive area that expands into an endless number of tunnels.
"What in the living hell is all of this?" Tosca's eyes grew wide in shock.
"This is the main branch network. From here, you could travel and make your way into any realm, although many have diverse forms of barriers that prevent one's passage. The Norse gods call it "the Bifrost maze." One could lose themselves in this place as there's no official guide to it."
"So, how do you figure out where to go?"
"Well, back in the day, I learned through trial and error. Some realms were easier to access than others, but I learned a few tricks to access the ones I wasn't meant to access. Another thing that could help you is your nose. Try to pay attention to it, and you'll see."
Tosca closed her eyes and started to sniff; although no oxygen was present, she could detect certain scents. "How is that possible?"
"Each realm possesses a certain particular scent unique to them. Muspelheim is a realm of fire, lava, and brimstone. You might compare its scent to sulfur or other things. The Golden Archipelago has a scent comparable to the sea or seaside breeze. The forgotten realm of the vampires used to possess a scent of flesh blood, but these days it has been replaced by that of a rotting corpse. Each realm has its scent, but some have ones that are too similar. The trick is to learn to detect those differences. So one day, I'll train Gasper, Valerie, and you on how to do this since your noses are the best among the children. For now, just pay close attention to what I do."
The dragon pushes on and follows a tunnel in the endless maze.
"This scent, is this the Golden Archipelago?"
"Yes, but we're not going there."
The dragon continues, and a gate appears before them. Suddenly, several golden chains and walls of energy start to block the path to the entrance.
"The usual barriers. Pay close attention, my child. The first way to get through these barriers is by creating an opening through raw power. Then, like a spear that pierces the sky, you need to push through the obstacles." The Welsh Dragon covers his body in pure draconic power and blasts through the barriers.
He receives a tiny amount of damage due to his actions, but they continue.
"What other ways are they? I don't know if I can do that."
"Gaining a key that allows passage or figuring out the barriers and opening a path through that way. Magicians, witches, and similar beings study barriers, so I see Le Fay gaining access. I'm not that patient, and that method usually leads to the security of the realm showing up before you get away. So if you look back, you might see what I meant."
Tosca turns around and sees how a large group of golden muscular beings dressed in togas had appeared.
"What are those things?"
"Members of the golden race tasked with the gate of the realm. They are quite the group and will attack before asking questions. I'll show you my path another day if you ever need to get to that realm. For now, focus on the way ahead of us. It is going to take a while to get to our destination."
"Got it." Tosca seemed excited about what was next.
An hour after.
Tosca found herself holding onto her father's horn for dear life as the path became more dangerous.
The golden tunnel from before had disappeared after 10 minutes, and then they found themselves surrounded by darkness which got quickly filled by small lights in the distance.
Tosca almost believed they were back in Midgard for a second, but it happened.
They were attacked for at least 30 minutes by a rain of literal heavenly bodies (stars) that imploded into energy explosion as soon as they got too close to their target.
"Old man! What is this shit? Where are all these things coming from?" Tosca asks her dad with tears in her eyes.
"I told you. This is not a safe trip. Don't let go of my horn."
The dragon continued to evade the attacks as his child's security became more important. He needed to get to their destination.
"Old man, get us out of here!"
"Keep holding the horn, Tosca. We're almost there!"
The Welsh Dragon pushed himself to the limits of his speed as he chased after the light at the farthest point within the darkness. His eyes were focused on a single light that shone the less amongst the rest.
The more he tried to get close to it, the farthest it got. It almost seemed like an endless fight, but he had one thing to his advantage.
He had done this before and already knew what to do.
"Just a little bit more, almost there."
Then he heard the sound of waves.
"Beyond the lands known to others. Amongst the dear stars that I had created for you. Let us bathe in the endless sea of stars and admire the stars of this endless night. Now open your eyes, my dear." The dragon chanted while several explosions went off right behind him.
The star reacted to his chant and started to shine brighter.
The distance between the dragon and its target became shorter each second until they were enveloped by the brightest of lights.
Tosca closes her eyes due to the brightness.
Location: Astral Shore.
"Tosca, open your eyes." Her father said.
The sound of waves caught her attention, and she slowly opened her eyes.
They were surrounded by pale purple crystalline sand and flora she had never seen. Trees were similar to those found in tropical islands, yet they had weird colors and leaf shapes.
The sky on top of them was dark but filled with stars.
Dark droplets of an unknown liquid seemed to float into the air around them as if this place's gravity was different than any other place.
The sea before them was endless, and the "water" was as blue and crystalline as a sapphire.
"Welcome to the rarest fishing spot in all of the realms. This realm is the Astral Shore. A realm created by Uranus for him and his beloved Gaia."
As soon as the dragon finishes talking, a giant creature jumps from the water.
Its body was as big as the Welsh Dragon and lacked colors; it seemed made of glass. The shape of this creature was similar to a blue whale, but it had feathered wings instead of flippers.
The creature descends back into the depths.
"..." Tosca cannot speak as her eyes take everything in; her mind is trying to process everything her eyes see.
The Welsh Dragon lowers his head and allows the child to jump off, then transforms into his human form before he approaches her. "Tosca?"
"Give me a few minutes; it is a lot to take in."
The dragon smirks. His tail appears, and it coils around her waist before it lifts her. "Got it; I'll get us to the deck where we're going to fish."
Tosca slowly nods while she continues to appreciate the view.
The dragon happily whistles as he walks through the crystalline blueish sand. His footprints seemed to last only a few seconds before disappearing behind him.
The waves continue to clash against the sand, and Tosca's eyes even notice a few of the other life in this well-hidden realm. Within the sand, small pink crustacean creatures looked for food. While in the mirror-like water, she could see moving lights that were likely fishes.
"Can you tell me about this place?"
Her father stops whistling, and Ddraig takes over before he starts talking. "Well, the story goes that Uranus wanted to create something beautiful for his bride Gaia. The primordial gods had created many things together, but Uranus wanted to make something with his own hands for her. In secret, he began to work on this place for a long time. Every detail needed to be perfect, so he worked endlessly until his creation was complete. This realm is the final product, and he kept it hidden from prying eyes by putting so many layers of defense that not even other gods could reach it under normal circumstances. While fishing in my youth back home, Gaia approached me and talked to me about the massive beautiful fishes she had seen before. She described them to me, and it got my attention. I looked through many realms but never found them."
"Because they are found here?"
"Exactly. Defeated, I went back home, and Gaia took pity on me. She knew that I enjoyed fishing. The ocean had been feeding me since my first day. Swimming was the first thing I learned to do, even before flying. Fishing was a natural activity for me; I captured enough to eat and release back into the wild everything that I didn't deem worthy of becoming food. Call me the first fisherman if you want, but that was my life back then. Gaia saw that and decided to give me the path toward the mysterious fishes, but she gave me some rules. I could only fish once every year in this place and only take one fish. I could only come to fish and nothing more, so after every fishing session, I needed to leave. I also shouldn't bring those I didn't trust into this place either."
"So you only came here once a year?"
"Nope, I only came here three times throughout all that time. Two times on my own and once with Tiamat. This is my fourth time, and I'm passing this information to you as my child."
"Why so few times?"
The dragon stops and turns to his daughter. "This realm was a gift to Gaia, a realm where Uranus poured all his love for her. It is a beautiful place that should be protected, and even getting a chance to see it is an honor. After we fish, you'll understand what I mean by that."
The young dragoness seemed curious about her father's words, and the rising excitement continued to grow within her. He taught her the art of fishing as a human and dragon. It took patience, and she often wanted to give up, but once she captured her first fish, she felt an unexplainable sense of joy. It was something she had learned to enjoy as much as her father.
The duo continued to move on until they finally reached the long-awaited deck.
The deck itself was outstanding. The support posts were carved figures that resemble Gaia. Light spheres came to life and floated on the deck as they approached. The wood seems new instead of old and brittle.
"Are you sure that this wasn't made yesterday? Does someone else come and take care of it?" Tosca asked her father as she inspected the wood.
The dragon shakes his head. "Gaia told me that I was the first one she had ever told about this place. She can't leave the planet, so she hasn't visited the area in many eons. All of this realm is just thanks to Uranus and his dedication to his craft. The god loved her; you can tell by looking at all this. His hands and power made this woodwork. Ignore all the legends and myths you ever read in the past from human sources. This place can tell you more about their relationship than any other place."
The dragon turns around and points his finger toward the jungle behind them. "Deep inside, you can find a waterfall and a cabin which were likely their private residence away from the Golden Archipelago. I explored just a bit, but I could tell it was their little nest away from everyone. I ask that you respect it just like I do."
"I will. Now can we start fishing? I want to see what we can catch." The young dragoness says before she runs to the end of the deck.
Her father smiles before he walks after her, and once in the end, both sit down on the deck and take out their fishing poles.
"One, two, and go!" Tosca swings her lure for a few seconds before sending it off as far as possible. The lure sinks pretty easily into the depths of this unknown sea. Its light disappears into the depths.
The Welsh Dragon does the same, and thus the wait begins.
"How long will it take for something to bite?" Tosca asks.
"They will bite when the time is right. The fish in this realm are picky and like to play around. The lure is going to work but give it time."
"Understood. So, what do you want to talk about?"
The dragon ponders for a bit. "What should we ask her?" Ddraig asks his partner.
"School? Want me to lead?"
"No, for now. I'll give it a try." Ddraig turns to his daughter. "How are you liking school after these seven months?"
Tosca takes a few seconds to answer. "Is alright. It is still new to me. Other kids call me boss Tosca due to my "strong" attitude. They claim I could be a leader of some group in the future. Some even claim to be willing to follow me."
"Your name does suit you, my child. You could become a good leader if you take the time to develop the necessary skills, such as a calm mind that thinks before acting."
"Do you want me to be a leader? Maybe a general?"
The dragon shakes his head. "I want you to choose your own path or at least a path that doesn't make you the number one enemy of many pantheons. The only thing that I want is for you to be anything but the past me. That is why I let Tiamat take care of your training. She's a far better dragon than me."
"Says the enforcer of the alliance. You're not that same dragon from the stories; that's what mom says. I believe her; after all, you saved me and others as well."
"I… I just did what I had to do. Issei was the one guiding our actions on many of those occasions. I'm not a hero."
"We don't need a hero. We only need the current you, the Welsh Dragon of the present. Two heads suit you better than one."
The dragon reaches out and pats her head. "Thanks, although that won't change many of the things I have done. The past is bound to come back and punish me in some way. That scares me because I have things that I want to protect. This body is not just my own, which means Issei has to face everything I face."
Tosca reaches out and puts her right hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone, old man. We are here with you, with the two of you." Tosca looks at the dark sky. "Thanks to you two, so many things have changed and keep changing. Sirzechs-sama, Michael-sama, Azazel-sama and even Lord Shiva have placed their hopes on you many times. Every time they ask for your help in a mission, I see them putting their trust in you, and I feel proud of it. How many children can claim that their two-headed behemoth of a parent continues to achieve impossible things? Only I can, for now." The dragoness turns to her father. "Are you and mom going to have a child soon?"
The dragon scratches his head. "We promised that after the two years, we were going to have one. That doesn't mean that we'll stop paying attention to you."
"I know, silly head. Mom has talked to me about it. She said that if it were a boy, she would name it Iskandar the Second, and if it was a girl, she wanted to call her Miki. So it makes me excited about having a younger sibling." The child smiles at the idea of a younger sibling.
She turns to her father and sees a few tears falling from his eyes.
"I'm sorry. The name makes me tear up every time it is brought up." The dragon tries to clean his tears.
"Can I ask about them? About grandpa and grandma?"
Issei takes over. "I... They were cheerful when they weren't worried about my mental health. They used to tease each other almost all the time and even dance around the house. It didn't matter that their young son was watching them kissing each other around the house. They paid a lot of attention to me and did their best to make me happy. That's why I started hiding my fears and weird dreams from them. I didn't want to see them argue and fight. I just wanted them to stay happy like always."
"... Do you miss them?"
"Always, but I have to come to terms with the reality that they can't come back, nor can I get that old life back." Issei places his hand on top of Tosca's head. "I will never regret meeting you and saving your life. I don't regret any of the things I have done in these seven months, nor will I do in the future. The life that I have with all of you is the one that I'm embracing. I'm still in pain, but all of you make that pain easier to bear. So thanks for accepting me in your life as a parent, Tosca."
"Idiot, you're the only old man that I have. I didn't have any before you. I don't even feel the need to know who were the ones that gave birth to me. You and mom are all that I have or need. You two chose me, so I chose both of you. I'm the one that decides who my parents are. Regardless of anything else, I'm the one that should thank you for saving me back then. I wouldn't have accepted my death if I had to leave Isaiah alone."
"I can see that." The dragon smiles alongside his daughter. "You would be a hard soul to drag to heaven, and I imagine Orcus having a hard time dragging you to the next life."
"You bet. No reaper is getting this soul of mine."
"Oh, I imagine why. It has something to do with a certain friend of yours." The dragon teases his daughter.
The dragoness blushes and moves her face away. "Don't tell Isaiah, dumb old man." Suddenly, Tosca's fishing pole began to be pulled by her fish of the day. The girl quickly grabs the fishing pole with both hands.
"Don't let it go, Tosca. This is your prey now." The Welsh Dragon said.
Tosca quickly turned serious. Her draconic hands quickly replaced her human hands as she stood up and began her fight with the fish hiding in the depths. Her eyes dilated, and her sharp grin became visible. "Come to mama." She starts to reel the fish in as she tries to drag it to the surface.
The fish fights back as it tries to drag Tosca into the water.
"Tosca, don't let it drag you into the water. A swim in those waters is not an enjoyable one."
"How so?" The girl asks as she continues to fight the battle of a lifetime.
"One is cold as Nilfeheim and Cocytus. It won't kill you, but it will not be an enjoyable swim. Two, they will try to eat you up."
"They're carnivorous? Even the whale?"
"The fishes? Yes, the large whales? No, that I know of."
"There are multiple whales?"
"I have seen at least four at the same time. I didn't investigate for that long due to the cold waters. I'll interfere if you get too close to the edge, only if you want me to."
"Stay away. I'll show you that I can do it. I'm the daughter of the Welsh and Chaos Karma Dragon. I can do this."
"Alright, show me what you can do." The Welsh Dragon smiles as his daughter continues the fight. His own fishing pole began to get pulled, but he quickly had it under control without standing up. "Show me what you got, damn fish."
Two hours later.
The fishing war had continued for the parent and child duo for two long hours. The Welsh Dragon rilled in a large fish with a mouth filled with several rows of sharp teeth. Its shape was similar to that of an Arapaima, but its size was at least comparable to a school bus. Its rainbow-colored scales were too beautiful to be ignored. Yet its deep red eyes showed a deep killing instinct.
The Dragon lifted the fish and quickly put it out of its misery with his trident tail. The tail stretches out and pierces the head of the fish on the surface. The dragon places his hands together after lifting his catch of the day. "Thank you for your meat. I won't let it go to waste. May your soul finds its way back to a new life." The dragon then turns his sight toward his daughter.
Tosca seemed tired, yet her determination was unmatched. Her fish had yet to appear on the surface, but the battle was still anyone's game.
"Take a deep breath Tosca."
"Why?"
"Now is the time for you to end this. The line won't break, but you can't continue like this forever. You need to finish this now. Reel it in and drag it to the surface. Do as a dragon does and capture thy prey, my daughter."
His words inspire her to get even more serious. Her right-hand lets go of the spinning reel, and her tail takes over. With two hands on the handle, Tosca pulls and drags her prey to the surface.
The girl starts to see the shape of her prey after a few moments. Its scales were deep blueish, and its form was similar to a shark or a sturgeon. Its size was a bit larger than her father's fish. Its four yellow eyes were sharp and filled with pure raging instincts.
"I see you, my prey. You're indeed strong, and I acknowledge that. I respect your determination, but I won't back down. You're mine!" Tosca uses all her strength and pulls the fish out of the water.
The fish is right on top of her, and due to the gravity of the place, it seems to float. Tosca lets go of the fishing pole before she jumps to finish the job. Her sharp claw pierces the head of the beast, allowing it a quick death.
Tosca stares at the fish for a moment before she descends back to the surface. "I did it."
She turns to her father.
"You did. Now take your claws out and give it a prayer. One must hunt and fish for food. But one should also show respect for its prey. They died for our sake so show respect to it."
Tosca takes out her claws, and the fish floats a few centimeters in the air. The girl caresses the fish for a few moments before she puts her hands together. She closes her eyes. "Thank you for your sacrifice, majestic creature. Your meat will make me strong and feed the rest of my family. May your soul find its way back to a new life."
Tosca opens her eyes and turns to her father. "Thank you for this."
"Is alright, my child. Now let's put these away. We must depart."
Tosca nods and puts her catch away after removing the hook from its mouth, taking her fishing pole, and doing the same.
Then, her body starts to tumble to the side. "Eh?" The girl asks herself as her legs give up. Her father quickly catches her.
"You're too tired to stand up. Just let me take care of the rest." The Welsh Dragon places her down on the deck before he goes back to taking care of his fish and fishing pole.
As her eyes are looking at the sky, Tosca ponders about one of her wishes. "Old man, can I get a pet?"
"A pet? That would be hard. Normal animals will be too afraid of you. If you want a pet, we'll need to find a mystical beast that is not afraid of a dragon. We will also need to talk to your mother about it."
"So you're not against it?"
"It is unexpected, but I can see why you want one. If we get you one, you'll need to learn how to take care of it once we figure out what to get you." The dragon turns around and finds his daughter smiling while her eyes start to shut down.
"She was too tired to keep going," Issei says.
"Yes, it was a good day for all of us," Ddraig says.
The Welsh Dragon approaches her and carefully places her on his back. With his daughter secured, the dragon makes his way out of the deck and back into the sand.
As he walks across the beach, the dragon remembers a memory of his life as Issei Hyoudou. He could still see them ahead of him, walking through the sand of a Japanese beach with a toddler in his mother's arms.
The sun was hiding the horizon, and the calm breeze had made him fall asleep.
They seemed happy, and his mother sang a song that he couldn't forget to this day.
*Dango Daikazoku by Chata*
"Dango dango dango dango dango dango daikasoku." Issei's mouth began to move as he remembered the lyrics of the charming song his mother had sung to him long ago.
Ddraig began to whistle the tune in his head just like his father did back them.
The Welsh Dragon continued to walk through the sand while his daughter continued to sleep on his back. The young dragoness continued to smile in her sleep.
The memories of his parents quickly vanished before his eyes as the memories he had made alongside his new family took over.
His eyes teared up as he continued to sing and move forward without them in his life.
Memories of Us I ends.
…
….
…
…..
Under a large tree, a large crimson dragon began to open his eyes alongside a Dragonoid that was resting next to him. Both were broken souls, but they couldn't continue to sleep for much longer.
The time to wake up had arrived.
*Notes of the author: I'm not crying. Damn it, Clannad! I'll see you next time.*