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 unfolds within the Underworld, specifically the main government building within Lilith, the capital of the devils. As with any other members of the Alliance, a myriad of issues loom, demanding the leaders' guidance or direct intervention.
Within an office filled with requests, complaints, and the usual expected paperwork, one of these devils continued to go over the mountain of papers that had taken over his desk. His eyes looked tired and even a bit stressed, yet he pushed on as he had to carry on like his fellow satans.
"This is ready. Take them and deliver them to the proper agents. Bring me the remaining ones and tell everyone else to take the rest of the day off." His voice denoted his authority and maturity as he was not just worried about finishing the task at hand but also mindful of those who worked under him.
The devil, acting as his secretary, shook its head in disappointment. "Lord Ajuka. It is time for you to return home. Nineteen hours of constant paperwork is far too much. I don't want to be disrespectful, but your wife won't be happy."
"... She'll understand. I have to finish this before I get to relax and go home." Ajuka argues as he takes up a different document. "She-"
Before another word escapes his mouth, Ajuka feels a chill running down his spine. As his eyes turned to the front door, he saw a pair of red eyes peeking in from the slightly opened door.
"A-J-U-K-A, how long are you going to keep me waiting?" A feminine voice asks as the door slowly opens all the way. Her long black hair was not helping to make her look any creepier. "Is this what you want to show to Ramses? That his father doesn't care?"
A tiny baby happily chewed on its toy while resting in its mother's arms. A pair of small purple horns grew from its tiny forehead as a unique and not-too-common characteristic within a hybrid like itself. His hair was as dark as the night, and his eyes resembled his father's.
"Lord Ajuka, I will continue with the paperwork. Go ahead and follow Miss Suzaku. Your family is as important as our people's issues. Balancing personal and work life is crucial. Do not forget this," the secretary said as she forced Ajuka to stand up and pushed him out of the office.
The door was tightly shut behind Ajuka, now facing Suzaku's angry expression.
"I wanna hear it. Go ahead." Suzaku said as she glared at him.
"..." Ajuka scratches the side of his face as he faces his wife's anger. "... I'm sorry."
"And?"
"... I shouldn't stay out for so long."
"AND?"
"... I need to spend more time with you two…. I'm sorry." The devil said with an apologetic expression.
Suzaku seemed extremely mad, but she understood why he had done it. "Let's go home. I made a meal for us." Suzaku carefully passes Ramses into his father's hands.
Ramses's eyes grow wide as his eyes meet those of his father. The tiny hybrid moved the toy away from its mouth before it started making baby sounds, which denoted its happiness at the sight of his father.
"Sorry for not seeing you for so long. Your father might be wise but is still a fool who can make mistakes." Ajuka smiles as he carefully embraces his firstborn. Ajuka might be known as one if not the most remarkable minds within the devil race, but this hybrid was his proudest achievement, and any other devil could understand why he was so happy about it.
A child for a devil is a blessing that no other treasure can't match, and for Ajuka, this was no different.
Suzaku is touched by how Ajuka carefully caresses Ramses and plays with him. "This is why I feel for you. Even the smartest devil can have a soft spot." Suzaku raises her hand before a magical circle appears and transports them away.
Location: Himejima Clan Mountain.
The pair reappears inside a small yet cozy Japanese home. She had previously lived with the rest of the clan in the principal residence on the mountain, but after her marriage, she felt the need for more privacy, so this small home, a bit isolated from the rest, became their tiny nest away from everyone else.
The house was welcoming. As soon as anyone put a foot inside, they detected the scent of cinnamon across each room—a constant temperature that wasn't too cold or hot. Scrolls and ancient books were found in many places around the home, but so were mysterious toys that were brought for Ramses.
The place barely had two rooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, yet the couple didn't need anything more as they shared a taste for the simplicity of their nest away from the rest.
Many questions arose amongst the residents of Lilith as to why Ajuka was choosing to live away from its people, but nobody dared object to his choice. Not even the researchers who were part of Ajuka's peerage dared to interfere, as this was a rather personal matter, and only Ajuka had the authority to decide where he would take residence.
As Ajuka took a seat at the floor-level table, he carefully admired Suzaku as she started serving multiple plates before using her powers to create small paper minions, which carefully transported the plates towards the plate.
Ajuka had to applaud the impressive mastery his bride possessed over a mere few paper shikigami, which, in the scale of Shinto exorcists, was a basic level of training that had few to no uses outside exploration or distraction and in few cases depending on the user as tools for combat. "It is amazing how one simple tool can have uses beyond combat or intel gathering."
"The shikigamis are more than mere minions if someone knows what they are doing. All the things that we learned as mere children can have uses beyond our tasks as followers of the Shinto gods. I'll ensure Ramses learns all I know by the time he's a teen. You might want to raise him as the next head of Astaroth, but I want him never to forget what he inherits from me even when my time is over." Suzaku says calmly, as she is not blind to her limited time as a human.
Ajuka doesn't seem shocked, knowing their time together as husband and wife will run out. "It is better to have loved and been loved, although it is for a limited time. I married Suzaku, the human, and I won't force you to sacrifice your humanity. That same humanity is what led to the birth of Ramses. Us devils have one or maybe the lowest birth rates amongst all the races." Ajuka carefully caresses the horns of his child, which makes the boy giggle. "I was asked to marry many members of my race, but I rejected that time and time again. One of our tasks is to procreate and make sure our race doesn't die out, and that made me create the evil pieces as a method to help our issue. Yet, this, you, Ramses, and me, this small family of ours is far too precious for me. I'll be happy for the rest of my life if I enjoy as many moments as possible with you two and any more children resulting from this union. Even when our time comes, the memories, the moments, and everything that we share will always stay with me, Suzaku."
His words dig deep into Suzaku, who can't even face him as she blushes due to the heartfelt confession. "... You…. who's teaching you such words to use against me? Is it Sirzechs?"
Ajuka smiles while shaking his head. "This is all me and no other outside sources. Is the brightest mind of Lilith not allowed to express his feelings?"
"... Idiot…." Suzaku finishes serving the food before she walks towards the table and sits next to Ajuka. As she sits, she grabs her child and looks deep into Ajuka's eyes. "Eat and make sure not to leave anything behind. I'm worried about your health if you keep pushing yourself this hard. Even devils need to take care of themselves."
"... Right…." Ajuka nods before he grabs the chopsticks and begins to eat. His face denotes his joy as he enjoys every bite without even a hint of disgust.
"... Hey…. You really want to have more children?" Suzaku asks with a blushing expression.
Ajuka raises an eyebrow before he places the food down. "Maybe, but I'm okay if Ramses is the only one." Ajuka examines her face before he recalls the state of the Himeyima clan. "We can't force Ramses to care for the Astaroth family and the Himeyima clan simultaneously. A sibling will be best, but I don't know how lucky we might be to have a second child. One is already a blessing."
"We don't know until we try…. I might want a daughter who I can teach everything a lady should know," Suzaku admits while caressing Ramses' jet-black hair.
"... A daughter will be good. I just hope the Himeyima clan does not reject her. I can tell some are afraid of Ramses and his horns." Ajuka admits as he recalls the faces of some of the clan members at the sight of his son.
Suzaku shakes her head. "They'll learn to accept this path—those who remained decided to stay, knowing nothing would be the same. As the remaining clan blessed by the Shinto gods, we must be open to this new era's changes. We'll no longer be just humans as time passes; others will walk their paths away from past purist ideas."
Ajuka nods as he recalls how the other four clans were dissolved after they rejected the idea of joining forces with the Alliance. The blessings and powers each clan gained from the Shinto gods were taken away, leaving them mostly useless, even if their members recalled the techniques and kept some of their powers obtained through the generations.
The Himeyimas remained the sole human followers blessed by Amaterasu.
"Anyways, go back to eating before food gets cold. We'll have time to discuss these things later on. For now, let's focus on the moment. Okay?" Suzaku asks with a smile.
Ajuka nods before he goes back to eating.
He even deserved a break from the hectic day-to-day routine.
Meanwhile, Hephaestus's Forge.
The army of golems transported metals, minerals, and rare materials from one side of the forge to the other as the god did his best to finish the week's requests. So many different customers made it almost impossible to keep up with the demand, yet Hephaestus somehow made it work.
"Request #1529 is ready for shipping. Gaia almighty, who would have thought that business would increase so much in such a short time? I almost missed when our request didn't go beyond 100 per year." Eury said as she placed a large blackened battle-ax in a special container before letting the golems take it away.
"The Alliance continues to gain supporters, making it much more viable for customers to reach us. You remember that entering the Golden Archipelago was no easy task. Only brave and sneaky customers could get to our forge back then. Even then, we rejected many of them." Hephaestus says as he continues to iron the final details in a small butterfly-shaped collar. "And done…. I hope she likes it…. He asked me to watch over these things while he wasn't around."
Eury approaches her dad with a small gift box to place the gift in. "He wouldn't have asked anyone else for such a thing, but I can't help but be surprised with his pre-measures…. Do you think he was preparing himself for his death?"
"... He might have. Ddraig…. He was expecting the worst to happen soon. Maybe it was Shiva's constant reminders or just his own instincts telling him that something terrible was going to happen, and sadly, he was right. I just hope that we will find the dragon hunters and whoever created that weapon when he wakes up. Nobody should have such a destructive weapon that doesn't distinguish between allies and enemies. Samael's Breath shouldn't be a thing, to begin with; a sinful weapon only comparable to the 'Box' we left behind in the archipelago." The god didn't possess any joy while knowing that the all-terrible box remained a distant yet real weapon that could spell disaster if it fell into the wrong hands.
"Just who could be the one behind such a weapon? Who of all the gods within the underworld with access to Samael would dare to create such a weapon? Do you have anyone in mind?" Eury asks as a list of names appears in a small window before her.
Hephaestus shakes his head. "Nobody comes to mind, but I'm sure about one single god. Hades wouldn't allow such things to be created. He denied involvement and claimed we were trying to incite an altercation between our factions."
"Are you that sure about him?"
"I am. Hades might be a fool and a stuck-up who can't see reason, but I know he takes his task seriously. When different pantheons place those sinners within Cocytus, they knew that Hades will not let them escape, and to this day, not a single one has escaped. If anything, someone else is playing a deadly game behind his back. A game that will put everyone in trouble."
"Right." Eury seemed concerned, as anyone else would after learning about such a deadly weapon being secretly traded around. If humans were concerned about atomic bombs going off, then members of the Alliance were worried about Samael's Breath getting released into any realm.
It was such a dangerous situation, but luckily, the weapon had not been seen or detected in any realm since that fateful day. Yet its threat remains a possibility that no member of the Alliance will dare to ignore.
Eury could see the stress on her father's expression. Like many others, he had worked on methods and tools to counter the weapon if it ever showed up, but none of the options was a perfect solution to the problem. They had no samples to test it on, and besides the ever-destructive crimson flames that Ddraig possessed, nobody put the entirety of their trust in what-if solutions. Knowing that the theme affected him, the goddess chose to change the theme. "Cheer up; Cleria won't like to see your face like that."
Her commentary caused the intended result as Hephaestus blushed while trying to evade her eyes. "What sort of madness are you speaking?"
"Oh, are you really trying to lie to me? Do you think I don't know, my dear father?"
"Know what? Cleria and I have nothing going on." Hephaestus said as he looked away.
"Nothing? What about last week's kiss?"
"What kiss are you speaking of?" Hephaestus began to sweat as he recalled that particular moment.
Eury smiles as she kneels down and reaches out to grab one of the small golems on the floor. "I have been keeping an eye on your little drinking sessions without me. You have been sneaking behind my back to go out and drink with her. I was watching you two expecting something of the sort to take place since day one, but you two really took your damn time to have any advances. I understand that your past love lives play a big part in why neither of you took a step forward so quickly."
"Eury-"
"A deep connection is growing between you two. One that has been based on trust and mutual respect with a nice spark of affection. I had doubts about your next lover; Aphrodite left many scars, which made you close yourself to connecting with anyone else so profoundly. You've been a wonderful father to me, but it is time you step out. I see Cleria as a wonderful lady; she has proven her intentions are pure throughout this time. I approve of her, so when either of you decides to take a step forward, do keep in mind that I support your romance. It's never too late to love again, Dad. Love is knocking on your door, and you can't get better advice than I give you." Eury smiles as she caresses the golem. "Emotions, born from mutual affection and understanding, should flourish, and as your daughter, I want nothing more than to see you happy."
"Eury….." Hephaestus couldn't help but teared up after such words. "... I don't know if it is suitable for me to seek her out. Our pasts…. The scars that each of us carries might be too much."
Eury shakes her head. "Scars are meant to heal, and you two have been helping each other to do just that. She remembers her former lover, and his memory will always live on within her, but that doesn't mean she's not open to allowing another to form such a strong bond with her. You're the guy that she calls out regularly for many things, be it chatting, dinner, or simply a walk through the parks of Shangri La; you're the guy she seeks. We both know that you don't talk to me about Aphrodite or anyone else. She's a theme you're rather selective about who gets to hear your deepest thoughts. Take a swing if you please, and if she's the one who does it first, embrace this new bond. I wouldn't mind a younger sibling."
Her words make Hephaestus blush even harder and make him think about it deeply.
A future with Cleria is not something that he doesn't dislike, but his scars might be the ones to keep him back.
In a different place of Shangri-La.
The welcoming breeze of the peaceful days within Shangri La invaded her office through the balcony. Once inside, one could see the many photos that hung on the walls within the room.
Each one was taken within Shangri La, and many depict its denizens within festivals or other celebrations as the city. She was the founder and the main leader of the city. Although she wasn't having a good time, she couldn't just shut herself away. She missed him, but she had to be strong for him, so she continued to take photos of the many things that he had missed and the many things they would do together once he woke up.
"Dear…." She called out to him in her sleep.
It had been so long since she heard his voice or felt his warm embrace. It felt as if an eternity had come and gone since he closed his eyes.
He wasn't dead, she knew that, but it almost felt as if he had died once more. So close and yet so far from her reach.
Her dreams were a mixture of pain and joy, as he showed up in every single one. He was always smiling and assuring her that he would return, only to vanish into thin air as if it were a phantom of the real one.
It was the same today, yet it felt so much more real than before as he embraced her and assured her that he wouldn't take much longer.
As his draconic body embraced her, she could feel its warmth, the ever-growing power that dwelled within him, and, above all else, his love for her. Her own draconic shape was tiny before the behemoth, which was her mate, yet she felt no fear as he wouldn't hurt her.
She knew it was still him, even if his shape had changed once more into one resembling a divine dragon with a crimson halo covered in ethereal armor. Large rosary beads were spinning around his body, like planets around the sun. It was still her beloved mate, no matter how much his appearance changed.
"Tia." A voice called out to her.
"No…." She hoped to remain within that sweet dream for longer. She held onto him as hard as possible, wishing to stay by his side.
"Tiamat, wake up." A different voice calls out to her.
"No…. let me stay here." Tiamat held onto her beloved, but sadly, the dream crumbled around her.
The massive crimson dragon released her with a smile plastered on his face.
"I will return. Just a bit longer. I must embrace the blessing he entrusted to me and make it a part of my core. For his sake, I can't fail." His voice felt all too real as the dream came to an end.
As the dream ended, Tiamat's eyes opened up, and before her, two figures stood.
"Sorry, you were crying. We thought that it was for the better to wake you." Gabriel said. Her eyepatch was gone, and her face denoted her lack of sleep.
"Did….. you see him again?" Serafall asked. She didn't look any better than Gabriel or Tiamat, as each was deeply affected by his absence.
"... Yes, but it felt 'real.' As if he was reaching out to assure me that it wouldn't take him much more…. I must be losing my mind." Tiamat said as she grabbed her face.
Gabriel shakes her head alongside Serafall. "All of us have been going through it. We dream about him, expecting each dream to get us closer to his return. I won't deny that a few of those dreams felt different, but maybe we need to lower our excitement. Patience might be our only tool to endure the wait."
"But maybe you're into something this time around. What did he seem like now? Did something change?" Serafall asks.
"... Larger than before. His shape seemed to have changed again, like a snake shedding its skin. It almost seemed as if he was truly a dragon god….. It was as if Issei had led his evolution into this new form. A new dragon god of our own." Tiamat said as she recalled his shape.
"Shiva is really getting what he saw in his visions. Our beloved Welsh Dragon continues to change into something nobody else besides Shiva thought possible. Some might even call it blasphemy." Serafall said as she turned to Gabriel.
"... Great Red and Ophis are the closest thing to deities for dragons. Ddraig and Issei are the catalysts for creating a third divine dragon, which is surprising yet not impossible considering all the events that led to this point. The broken booster gear, Issei losing his humanity and sharing a vessel with Ddraig, Issei starting his pilgrimage into Buddhahood; all of it almost seemed fated to happen. Calling all of it blasphemy would mean denying all it took to get us here. Like any other Buddha candidate, Issei had to sacrifice a lot, and Ddraig had to face his sins to get here. Father…. He would likely have never approved of him and his current divine status, but I do, and that's enough for me." Gabriel admits with an expression that holds no doubts.
Serafall nods as she feels proud of how much Gabriel has changed. "See, this is why I like you so much as a rival. You're just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. I can't wait until we have our sons and daughters. I know they're going to be the best siblings."
"..." Serafall's commentary left Gabriel speechless and blushing as the idea of a child of her own grew on her more each month. That mysterious 'dream' didn't help either, as the visage of that mysterious girl with wings covering her eyes made her feel a stronger attachment to the idea of being a mother.
"See, you're even blushing at the idea." Serafall continued to tease her.
Tiamat couldn't help but smile at the sight of her fellow brides. They weren't just the other love interests of her mate but also her allies and somewhat sisters who would support each other. A sisterhood that kept growing strong, especially now that the central figure in their lives was absent. "I'm glad you two are here. I don't want to imagine not having either of you around."
Serafall and Gabriel couldn't help but smile at her words. "We're in this together," The pair replies confidently.
Yet their touching moment would soon end as someone burst into the office.
"My lady, we have an emergency. A message just reached our system from a realm outside the jurisdiction of the Alliance." An agent said as he presented a small document.
Tiamat reached out and read the contents before her eyes grew wide.
'To whoever is reading this message. We need help. Our home is under attack by outsiders. We need any aid available. Enemies possess mysterious weapons; be careful- Morrigan'
"Call everyone in. They made a move. Our enemies are going after the Outerworld and its deities. We have no time to waste." The Chaos Karma Dragon stands up with a determined expression as a new mission has been chosen. One that would likely lead to deadly encounters against enemies that lay hidden from the Alliance's eyes for far too long.