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
Our story continues in an open field under a dark sky. The sky held no stars, and the area's pastures were filled with ash. Several burning figures kneel in front of a large tree with a blackened trunk. The figures held their heads down as they prayed to the figures sleeping under the dark tree.
Its trunk was strong but damaged, and its orange leaves continued to fall. Several beings were asleep under this massive tree. The first one was a crimson dragon missing several parts of his body. His body seemed like a broken mirror. The right side of his face was gone, alongside other limbs and pieces of his body.
The dragon began to open its remaining eyes with visible difficulty. He felt weak and broken, yet forced himself to get up with his remaining limbs. His remaining eyes looked around the area.
The ashen fields in which the husks prayed in silence were a disturbing sight to behold. It was a wasteland devoid of life, and the husks offered no hope to anyone that might see them.
Ddraig ignores them and turns his sight to the tree behind him. Under the tree, he found his partner sleeping. His appearance had changed to an older version of the child he had saved, and his human characteristics were practically all gone now. He was no longer the child he remembered and was now a complete dragonoid. Yet Ddraig couldn't smile as Issei was just as damaged as him. One of his arms was gone, and his chest was mainly a void with a few pieces remaining. He could see the dwindling soul where his heart should be.
"Partner. This situation is not what I wanted for you." Ddraig told himself as he saw the critical state of his partner. His eyes shifted slightly to Issei's right shoulder.
The crimson behemoth saw the sleeping figure of Ophis. The Ouroboros dragon seemed calm and at ease in her sleep. It appeared that they had made the right decision by asking her to rest inside of them while the fight was going on. "Thank you for trusting us, Ophis."
His eyes then turn to the creature resting its multiple heads on Issei's legs. "Asca."
The fleshy four-headed beast quickly reacted to his voice. The large beast that initially was just a being made of pure devil energy was now a mash of many different things that coexisted with the dragon. Its body was scally and wolf-like. The beast stands up and awaits Ddraig's orders.
"Thank you for your help. I'll get you to a good blacksmith to get you sharpened up. Just give me time. Alright?"
The beast happily growls before it points its multiple tails at Issei.
"Yes, I need to wake him up. We need to figure out what to do after this." The dragon reaches out with one of his claws and touches his partner's head. "Issei, wake up, partner."
The former human shifts slightly in his sleep before his remaining eye opens up. "Ddraig."
"Partner, how are you feeling?"
Issei looks around and notices the area. "Ashen fields, very ironic." He then analyzes his body for a few moments. "This is bad. Isn't it?" Issei calmly asks his partner.
"Yes. We're in deep trouble. Can you move?"
Issei shakes his head. "I don't think I should get up while she's sleeping." The dragonoid signals the sleeping girl. "I can feel my limbs, but I feel fragile. How about you?"
Ddraig points his claws at his hollow chest. "I'm just as bad as you. We bite too much during that fight. I don't know if I can go all out in this state."
"That bad?"
"If I use the crimson flames, I might lose control."
"Well, I don't think I can do it either. What can we do?"
"Waking up and seeing what's happening outside would be an excellent place to start. Tia and the others must be waiting for us."
"Right…. Ddraig, can you take care of whatever is happening outside? I don't feel that great right now. I…. might need some time to myself."
The dragon felt something strange with his partner. The way he talked was suspicious. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
Issei lowered his face for a few moments. "I need you to trust me. He might be able to help me. Gautama Buddha appeared in my dreams. He said that he was going to help me to heal."
Ddraig was shocked. "Gautama? Are you sure about this? Why would one of the Buddhas reach out to you in your dreams?" The dragon focuses his sight on his partner.
"I don't know, but I need help. I let go of many memories, and my soul is not in the best state. I might need some time to rest and heal. If that buddha is the real thing, he might be able to help me." The former human turns to the sky. "I just need some time."
Ddraig keeps his eye focused on him. Buddhas were practically gods and when they decided to interact with someone is because they had a valid reason. If a buddha was reaching out in Issei's dreams, there had to be a reason, and he only hoped it was for the best. "Take as much time as you need. We need to heal, but you need this more than I do. I can take care of the rest on my own for now. Rest now and come to my aid when you feel ready. Just don't let that so-called buddha play with your mind."
Issei smiles. "Thank you for understanding. Now, we should wake up this sleeping beauty."
"Yes," Ddraig says in a calm tone.
Issei reaches out and caresses the head of the Ouroboros dragon. "Ophis, wake up. It is time to get up."
The girl held onto him as those words reached her ears. "Five more minutes…."
"Ophis." Ddraig reaches out and taps her cheeks with his claw. "Come on. It is time to go back to the real world. You want some food, don't you."
Ophis's ears twitched at the sound of food. Her eyes grow wide open. The ouroboros dragon yawns as she finally awakens. She removes herself from Issei's shoulder before her eyes notice the critical state of the two sides of the Welsh Dragon. "Ddraig, Issei. What happened here?"
The Ouroboros acknowledged both. As she stands up and looks at each one, her fears increase.
"We bite too much during the last fight," Ddraig admits.
"The bastard sort of survived even our strongest attack. He was a troublesome target." Issei joins in.
Yet their words didn't offer any joy to the dragoness. "This wasn't supposed to happen. You shouldn't be dying. I need to fix this."
A dark aura started to surround her.
Issei and Ddraig quickly reacted. Both sides of the Welsh Dragon moved to stop Ophis before she did something that could worsen the situation.
"Don't do anything else, Ophis."
"We can figure this out, just relax."
"We're not going anywhere."
Issei quickly holds her hand as he tries to calm her down, and the ouroboros dragon turns to him.
"You promise that you won't disappear. Can you assure me that either of you is going to disappear?" Her tone was serious.
Both males look at each other and sigh. Issei takes the lead. "We promise to make your wish come true, and we're not going to disappear until it finally happens. Rest assured that we won't fail."
"We're always going to be here for you, Ophis." Ddraig joins in.
Ophis grows silent as she reflects upon their words. Her aura diminishes as she comes to accept their words as true. "Don't die on me, or I'll do whatever is necessary to bring you back. I'm not willing to start from scratch with another dragon. You, the Welsh dragon, are the one I choose; nobody else can take your place as my sword. Understood?"
"We understand." The two heads replied as they accepted the delicate status quo. Suppose they were to disappear; who knows what Ophis might do. They had sealed their fate, and they only had a path forward.
Ddraig sighs and moves his remaining arm before lowering it before Ophis. "Time to go back, Ophis; we have slept long enough."
Ophis turns to Issei. "Are you going as well?"
Issei shakes his head. "I'll stay here for some time. I need some time on my own. Ddraig can take care of the rest alone, but if he truly needs me, I'll be back."
Ophis lowers her head in disappointment.
Issei pats her head after seeing this reaction. "I promise to come back, so don't look so down."
Ophis lifts her head. "Promise?"
"I promise, now go."
Ophis jumps into Ddraig's claw alongside Asca. Issei watches in silence as Ddraig flies away with its remaining wings. Its body disappears into the depths of the darkened sky.
Issei turns his sight toward the husks. Each one continued to pray as they surrounded the tree; Issei approached it and took a seat under it again.
"... Here I go, Gautama Buddha." He closes his eyes and gets dragged into a dream where he meets the Buddha amongst Buddhas.
As Issei slept, the husks lifted their heads.
"One day, you should burn brighter than the sun. One day two will become one. One day a new soul will be born from the flames of the past. Let the flames of life birth a new one."
As they pray, their bodies start to burn brighter. Those same flames begin to spread around the fields.
Before long, the ash fields were nothing but fire, yet their flames couldn't reach the tree. Issei and the tree were left untouched for some unknown reason, yet one day, they would burn.
Back into the real world.
Ddraig began to open his eyes. His body felt heavy and sluggish as if he had not moved an inch for a whole century.
"Dear?" A voice attracted his attention.
As the dragon turned to the left, his eyes met those of Tiamat sitting on a chair. She looked tired and concerned.
"Tia." As soon as she heard his voice, she lunged forward to hug him with all her might.
"Idiots, you don't know how scared I was."
"... I'm sorry." Ddraig embraces her back.
It takes a least two minutes until Tia finally releases him from her embrace. Tia looks deep into his eyes as she grabs his face. As she notices the sharpness of his eyes, she understands who is in control. "Why is only you, Ddraig? Where is Issei?"
"He's resting. He asked me for some time on his own…. But he might be involved with something much bigger."
"What happened? Is his soul stable?" Her tone show incredible concern.
"He's as stable as I am, but he claimed that Gautama Buddha in his dreams had visited him. The Great Buddha claimed that he could help him heal."
"A Buddha? Helping him? Now? Can we be sure about this?"
"I'm not sure, but he needs any help we can get. Gautama Buddha is one of the few who has yet to involve himself in any wars or major conflicts. If he is indeed reaching out and trying to help Issei, I will welcome it. That would also mean that he's willing to help the alliance in some sort of way."
Tia reflected on the whole affair for some moments. "It sounds too good to be the truth. We might need to talk to Shiva about this."
"If that puts you at ease, we can do that. Is there anything I should know while I was out of commission?"
"You have been missing a lot of things. You have been out for three whole days and nights. After Shiva went to recover you with the children from the Phenex clan, they found Orcus's daughter protecting you from other reapers. Shiva said that at least 100 reapers were trying to collect your souls, and the girl was facing all of them on her own. So you should thank Orcus and that girl when you get the chance."
"Trust me; I will. Orcus has been helping us a lot, even putting the reapers following him against Hades's forces for our sake."
"He indeed has. After Shiva interfered and the reapers disappeared, the Phenex siblings used at least 17 tears to heal your body. We owe their clan for that. Seventeen tears are far too many for just one individual, yet they used all of them on you. They haven't asked for payment, but we must go to their home and thank them at some point."
Ddraig grew silent as he reflected on this. "17 tears? Was my body in such a dire state after I lost consciousness?" The dragon scratches his head. "We'll go there in the next few days. Those tears don't come cheap and are a resource that has to be carefully managed."
"Indeed. After the siblings healed you, Shiva brought your body to Grigori, and they started working on your souls. It took many hours, but thanks to the combined forces of Ereshkigal and the others, they managed to stabilize your souls but couldn't repair the damage."
Ddraig opens and closes the hand that should correspond to the missing part of his soul. "I can tell, although my physical body is alright, my soul got broken. It feels harder to control my body. Did they figure out some way of fixing the damage?"
Tia holds both of his hands. "They came up with two possible ways of fixing the damage. One involves letting you and Issei fused to create a soul that can endure the power of Ouroboros; they said this method had lower chances of success. The second one involved sacrificing one of you to save the other."
The atmosphere turned cold as those words escaped her mouth.
The purple scarf around Ddraig's neck quickly disappeared before Ophis materialized in the real world. She places herself between Tia and Ddraig while protectively hugging the head of the Welsh Dragon.
"You're not sacrificing my sword!" Ophis's eyes were filled with anger.
"Ophis, calm down. Tia is just explaining what happened." Ddraig argues with her.
"They are trying to sacrifice one of you. I won't allow that to happen." Ophis argues back.
"Nobody is sacrificing anyone!" Tiamat screams.
Ddraig and Ophis turned to her.
"Ereshkigal and the rest left the option to me. Ereshkigal asked me which one I would be willing to sacrifice. The human child or the dragon? I choose none. I'm not sacrificing either of you."
"But you said-" Ophis is interrupted.
"I'm not doing it. I can't. The current Welsh Dragon has two heads, and if I sacrifice one to save the other, I doubt that I could ever forgive myself, nor can you continue without him or Issei without you." Tia focuses her sight on Ddraig.
Ddraig's face turns pale at the idea of losing his current partner. "I can't lose another one. I promise to give Issei a life of happiness. If he disappeared, I couldn't forgive myself."
"I know." Tiamat grabs his right hand. "That's why we'll make the soul fusion happen. So rest at ease, Ophis. There won't be any sacrifices."
The Ouroboros dragon seems unconvinced but decides to settle down, sitting on the bed next to Ddraig while keeping her eyes fixed on Tiamat.
"What else should I know?" Ddraig asks.
"Ereshkigal recommends that you abstain from using your full power and using "Infinity" more than three times. More strain on your souls will prove dangerous." Tiamat says.
"As expected, this will be rough yet not impossible. Asca, Ouros, come here."
Several red tendrils shoot out from Ddraig's right hand before they form the beast that dwells inside the dragon. Asca stands beside the bed like a dog awaiting its master's orders. The spear sitting against the wall starts to float before it approaches its owner.
"I'm going to need both of you in future fights. We'll need Hephaestus' help to have you two in top shape." Ddraig says as he watches the beast happily growl and the spear slithering around the room like a snake.
"Asca? As in Ascalon? What happened here?" Tiamat questions heree.
"I tried to absorb Ascalon, but the sword fought back. It started to devour my flesh, which angered the king piece that Ajuka had given to me. The fight ended up with those fusing. Pure devil power vs. pure holy anti-dragon power, it was an unexpected resolution but a welcome one." Ddraig says as he pets the beast. The canine barks in joy before trying to chew Ddraig's hand. "No more blood for you now. You ate enough."
"Ouros, come here," Ophis calls the slithering spear back to her. The spear quickly settles on her arms. "This one is my gift for my "sword." This one has both of our flesh. Is mainly a way of stopping any rampage in the future."
"You created a weapon for him? What made you do this?" Tiamat questions Ophis's plans.
"I need him to be strong, stronger than anyone, and I'll help however I can. I care none for the alliance plans, but I won't interfere with them as long as my "sword" is alive and well. If the alliance turns its back on him at any point, I will take him away. Let it be known that I can and will do anything to keep my "sword" alive." Her eyes met those of Tiamat.
"So will I to keep my "mate" alive." Tiamat matches the determination of Ophis.
Ddraig scratches his head. "Can we continue to talk about what has been happening?"
Tiamat smiles. "Right, I apologize for that. Well, let's see. I was given the old capital of the devil's faction. I have worked alongside Tannin's family and other devils to clean it from demonic beasts. Tannin's descendants seemed excited at the idea of a formal dragon's faction taking form. They have been working non-stop to clean it out."
"Congratulations, your majesty. Thou has gained land to cement the foundation of your claim to the crown." Ddraig happily teases his mate. "Does that makes me the royal consort of the true dragon king or the queen of the true dragon king? Do I need a dress?"
Tiamat blushes as she tries to contain her laugh. "Idiot, we're not humans. None of those titles suit you and please don't wear the dress. You're my mate, and that's all. I need none of the human traditions or concepts regarding royalty."
Ddraig approaches his lips to her hand and kisses it. "I know, but I'm still going to tease you about it."
Tiamat blushes even more. "Stop, take things seriously."
"I am taking this seriously," Ddraig argues.
Ophis looks at the interaction with curiosity but stays silent so as not to interfere. "Kissing her hand? Why does it make her blush? Is this part of the courting rituals?"
Ouros and Asca did the same. The spear remained in Ophis's arms while the beast settled to lay on the floor as any other canine would do.
It takes at least two minutes until the conversation can continue.
"The teams that are cleaning the capital had also been exploring its depths in search of remaining items and other missing things. Nothing has been found, so they're likely to finish the process in less than a week. After that, I will use the bracelet. I'm excited to see what this thing can create. Tosca has asked me to let her participate, but I have declined. Is too dangerous to let her join the teams." Tiamat says. "She has been visiting you every day alongside the others."
"I'm sorry that I scared all of you this much."
Tiamat plays with his hair which is reaching his chest. "You need to be careful for the sake of our family and the alliance. The Youkai factions have agreed to join us, and we were waiting for you to wake up to finalize the agreements. They want us to travel to Kyoto to sign the agreements."
"That's good. What about the others?" Ddraig listens to her while he closes his eyes with a smile. He was feeling happy about this news.
"Gaia activated the Garden of Eden," Tiamat says.
Ddraig's eyes open in shock. "Oh no. What happened after that?"
"She presented herself to the human world and revealed many things. "I am one of your creators. You're not alone in this world, nor is this the only place with life forms. This world where you stand today is an extension of me. I have decided to stop this age of ignorance in which you claim superiority. Dark times approach us, and it is time for you to work with the Yggradssil alliance and me or face the approaching dark times on your own." this is a close summary of everything she said. She kept the death of the Bible God a secret for now, but every human knows that there's more than just themselves."
"How did they take it?" Ddraig asked in a worried tone.
Tiamat sighs. "Major nations such as England, China, Russia, and the USA denied Gaia's claims initially. They turned their weapons to Gaia's sanctuary and threatened to take her down."
"Please tell me this is a joke." Ddraig couldn't believe the idiocy of the leaders of those nations.
"It is not. Humans went ahead and threatened our mother. Yokai, vampires, and other supernatural beings escaped before anything happened. I took the children out of the planet before Gaia could take action. Those threats forced Gaia to show them how minuscule they were. The planet's surface was turned to sand in less than a second, with humans sitting on top. They were left naked and without any water. No buildings, no plants, no animal, just sand."
"Gaia did that?" Ddraig didn't expect such a cruel test.
"She did. Humanity was forced to face the cruel reality of their existence for a whole hour. Many humans that required machines to survive were spared as Gaia protected them inside flowers that sunk in the sand. Everyone else had to face it, from children to adults."
"What happened afterwards?"
"After the hour had ended, Gaia restored almost everything to what it was before, with a few exceptions. She took most of humanity's weapons, from nuclear weapons to most firearms. Gaia told them that nothing created from the planet's resources would get used against her. She also changed many of the fauna and flora of the earth alongside other things. Mother said humans had a month to choose whether they would join her or still threaten to fight her. Then, after the month, she will change the world and move forward with the alliance's plans. We have a lot of chaos as humans figure out what is next. Japan and other nations had thrown in the towel already, while England and the USA still held in their statements of not fearing a fake goddess. As it looks, the world will end up separated into two, the nations under the alliance and the human-only nations. Shiva has been right all along."
Ddraig holds his face as he comes to accept one more of the visions of Shiva. "Humans will divide themselves as ideals and beliefs will birth two new flags that replace all other flags. Shiva's visions are terrifying when they come true. What about the supernatural communities?"
"The Yokai communities went back to earth alongside the magicians' institutes, the Carmilla faction of the vampires, and other small communities. The Tepes faction has not returned alongside other smaller groups, such as cults and witches' societies. It is likely that Gaia has blocked their access to earth," Tiamat explains.
"Carmilla's faction returned? Have they reached out?" Ddraig asks.
Tiamat scratches her head once more. "They sort of reached out before all of that happened. One of their members appeared before us, hoping to gain our support for her plans to restore her former realm and asking to get your blood." Her eyes turned to him. "Is there something you want to say?"
Ddraig's mind takes a few seconds to remember what happened before. "Wait, does the girl look young with pale blond hair and deep red eyes? Does she seems similar to a western doll?"
"Yes, and yes. Now explain yourself, D-E-A-R." Tiamat's tone turns colder.
"I did not create this situation. As I was trying to reach Mitsuya, Carmilla's faction opened a path for me, and one of its members was unusually drawn to me. The girl bit my neck against my will and sucked my blood. She acted like a wild animal and ignored the mind control that was placed on everyone by my ability. I did not offer my neck to her." Ddraig argues.
Tiamat's eyes twitch in anger. "I'm erasing her fangs from your neck right now."
"Tia, you don't have to do this. She's not my mate."
"Maybe not now, but I know your damn male syndrome. I'm marking my territory right now. Ophis out of bed."
Ophis jumps off the bed and watches as Tiamat pins Ddraig on the bed. "Curious interaction. Why doesn't he fight back?"
Ddraig no longer had the appearance of a child but that of a male in his 17 or 18, yet Tiamat still towered over him in stature. "Tia, please hear me out. We don't need to do this. Think about Ophis and Asca."
"I don't care if they watch. I'm just marking my territory." Tiamat's tail holds his hands in place while the dragoness caresses his chest with her hands. "Your child form was cute and fun to tease, but this is much better now. I can feel your two hearts beating at full speed. Your little friend down there is not helping either."
Ddraig's eyes were drawn to her figure. From her azure hair, eyes, and burning crown to her magnificent well-tone muscular body, it was a total feast for his eyes, and he couldn't ignore it.
Tiamat's fangs sank into his neck with sharp precision. Ddraig felt like a small sheep in the jaws of the big bad wolf.
"Am I going to let her do me like this?" His eyes turned to the side only to find Ophis looking at them with curiosity and amazement. Ophis could see the blush on his face.
"Are you a pervert?" Her eyes were judging him.
Then his eyes caught the door of the room slowly opening. "Oh no."
The first thing he saw was his daughter's face, followed by Gabriel's, Serafall, Le Fay, Kuroka and Raynare's. They stopped in their tracks as they watched the whole affair in shock.
Tiamat stopped biting and sucking before she smirked while sitting on his chest. "And that's how I reaffirm my status as the number 1, D-E-A-R." She licks the blood and admires her work for a second before she notices his blushing face looking to the side. The dragoness continues to smirk as she turns to the side, only to start blushing herself.
"Mom? What is all of this?" Tosca asks her mom.
"You're a pervert," Gabriel says as she covers her blushing face.
"So, number 1, is this how you like to play with him? I'll take your challenge on." Serafall says with a slight blush on her face.
"..." Le Fay is just blushing. No words can explain how happy to see him she is or how ashamed she is of finding them in this situation.
"And you called me a pervert before?" Kuroka questions Tiamat's actions, yet she is just as excited to do something similar.
Raynare says nothing and just approaches the duo. Once she is close enough, she kneels before them. "Is a pleasure to have you back, my lord Welsh. Would you like us to give you two some space, or are you ready to get changed?"
"... Give us five minutes and get me some clothes. Also, get Ophis some food. She must be hungry." Ddraig appreciates Raynare's professionalism.
"As you wish. All right, everyone, let's go outside. The couple needs some time alone. Ophis-sama, come with me. I'll get you some tasty food." Raynare extends her hand to Ophis.
The Ouroboros dragon turns to Ddraig one last time before she grabs Raynare's hand and follows her out of the room. Asca and Ouros stay in while the maid pushes everyone else outside the room. In between shouts and screams, the door is closed by the maid, who also turns the lights off.
Asca and Ouros quickly moved to a corner of the room while ignoring the duo.
Tiamat is still frozen in shock and blushing like crazy.
"Tia, can you release me?" Ddraig asks his mate.
Tia releases him, and Ddraig wastes no time embracing her between his arms. "See, we need to be mindful of our surroundings, my sweet mate. Also, remember to lock the door."
"Yes…" Tiamat inhales his scent as she settles down in his arms. "Are you mad?"
"No, but I hope you don't expect me to submit like this regularly. I'm the dragon of domination, not the dragon that likes to get dominated." Ddraig slowly sinks his fangs into her neck.
Tia lets out a slight moan. "I love you so much."
Ddraig releases her. "I know. Do you want to continue our conversation?"
"Yes. Le Fay is going to need your help. The government of England has banned her entry into the country. They claim to have her dad's life on their hands. Elaine is here with us, but they only allowed her to return to pick up their belongings."
"That's a trap. The Lords of England might know about her connection to Arthur. They won't stop until they get him back. Arthur won't return until he's ready to face them and put an end to the whole affair. I promised him I would keep Le Fay and Elaine safe while he was away. They won't kill Uther until they have Arthur. I'll take care of it. Anything else?"
"Asgard. Someone from Asgard has reached our doorstep. Something happened to Thor, and we might need to go to Asgard to rescue him. She's a young valkyrie with a strange left eye. Her name is Rossweisse."
"Asgard…. I might have to face Odin after so long." Ddraig feels the humidity of tears on his chest. "Is alright. I'm not planning on dying."
"I'm still scared Odin is just the beginning. Susanoo has sent a challenge letter. He has demanded a duel to the death with him in two months. Everyone wants your head." Tiamat cries in his arms.
Ddraig continues to embrace her. "I can't die. I won't allow that. This life is not my own to throw away. Issei and I have so much to cherish. I will not fall, no matter the challenge. I won't die; I promise you that."
The couple continued to embrace each other without knowing what the future had in store for them.
….
….
…..
…
Rain-SID*
Rain continues to pour down on his broken body. His four arms had been cut into minced meat. His armor had been cut down and ripped from his body by his opponent.
He could still hear his laugh while the cold rain continued to fall on him, and his crushed eyes continued to bleed due to the damage he had received.
He could not see; he couldn't hold his sword.
The screams of his allies and family became louder each second, yet he couldn't even stand up. His soul couldn't control his body on its own. He didn't want to give up.
"I want to live. I want to continue to love and be with them."
The sound of several Buddhist rosary beads attracted his attention.
"So do I. So get up, partner. This duel is not over." A voice called out to him. "Let us continue to burn, Ddraig. Until the end of time."
Notes of the author: We're back. Let's welcome a new year with one last chapter.*