Fenrisfiltiarn: I'm glad you liked it, poor Dorian has no idea what he's walked into...

FateBurn: Thank you!

Slayer Cross: Based on the powers shown, it would certainly be considered a god-killer. What its power is compared to the others is yet to be seen ;)

OBSERVER01: Dorian and Sona can bond over that...trying to be sane amidst chaos XD. The innocent Einherjar will need to be educated on the definition of "trap" lol

AxelLord20: As always, reading your reviews is a real joy, it means so much that you've enjoyed it all this time :D Fear not, for the noble Einherjar will be reunited with his Valkyrie in due time, at the summit itself...

fanficcyberman: Ah the mystery girl. The same whose silhouette Dorian witnessed on his first hunt in the snow, who visited his match against Modi and was briefly seen in Kokabiel's hideout. Who could she be indeed? XD I hope to never disappoint.

naruto: Indeed, they'll know an attack is coming, yet by what or how many is still in question. Perhaps they'll be able to prepare a little better...perhaps.

Neverwilt: I remember our talks! How have you been? Thank you for your kind words, if I can improve on the potential I feel canon had at first, even a little, then this is all well worth it :D

And with that...ONTO THE SHOW!

"It is nice to meet you Mr. Vla…Gasper," Dorian reintroduced himself after being given the run down on Rias' second bishop who apparently had been her first. "I have never met any vampires, not even a half one, it…?"

Before he could continue his question, Gasper had retreated behind a tree, absolutely terrified of the newcomer to the Occult Research Clubhouse. Dorian looked himself over, confirming he was still dressed in only his Kuoh girls uniform, based on how scared he looked he was worried his balance breaker had deployed on its own. He was still growing accustomed to this boy wearing the short skirts of Kuoh Academy.

"Don't worry, I'm friendly I promise," he chuckled a bit which only seemed to alleviate the young vampire's fear a small amount.

"A-are you a devil too?"

"No, Einherjar," he bowed politely. "Asgard of the Norse Pantheon, though I have worked with your mistress Lady Gremory in the past." He turned to Issei and the others. "Is Rias here by chance? I was informed she may have an update from Sirzechs."

"Not yet," Koneko informed. She left with Akeno and Kiba to meet with her brother. They won't be back for at least a few hours, we are helping Gasper become more comfortable and grow stronger in the meanwhile."

More comfortable? Is that why you were chasing after him with garlic?

"I had free time courtesy of Sona," Saji explained his presence with a hint of absolute sorrow. "Imagine the pain of being separated from my king only to discover what I thought to be a blonde beauty was in fact a guy!" He bit back tears as Issei nodded in understanding.

"Can I go back to the box now?" The young half-vampire devil sheepishly asked Issei and Saji who shook their heads sternly.

"Here," Koneko held out the handful of garlic once more, causing Gasper to scream, his pink eyes to shimmer with a light that entranced him. Gasper jumped to his feet, running towards a nearby bush and hopping within, peering out still shaking.

"Poor guy, why is he so…?"

Dorian jumped as he spun, realizing that the others behind him were unmoving, more than simply not taking any action they were completely frozen. A bluish aura surrounded their bodies, each one locked in the action they had been taking a moment ago. Turning back, he realized it had coincided with the shining effect in Gasper's eye; he could not help but look impressed.

"Did…did you do that?"

Gasper poked his head out of the bush, looking at Dorian with a tilted head, utterly confused.

"Y-you aren't affected by it?"

"Affected by what?" He slowly realized everything around them was similarly frozen and it was not limited just to the others. The birds, bugs, even branches and limbs blowing in the breeze were stopped cold as the color seemed to drain from the area. He had to squeeze his eyes and slap himself a few times to make sure it wasn't just him.

"I…I make people stop moving when I'm scared," he muttered with a sniffle. "I can't help it, but it just happens. It makes everyone scared of me; I don't want to be scary!"

"Gasper," Dorian walked up to the bush before taking a seat. "If I may say so you are the LEAST scary person I have ever met, and that includes a talking squirrel."

"They were always scared of me before, back at the castle. I want to go back inside! I don't want to look at my friend's faces when I freeze them. I did the same to Valerie…and now to them!"

Valerie? A childhood friend?

Dorian felt very awkward, with the others frozen in time he was on his own. All the same, he felt bad for the young man. As he learned from Olympus, being raised outside the norm was seldom easy or pleasant. No doubt it was even worse for a half human half vampire; the image of violet-blue hair ran through his mind at the thought.

"You don't have to," Dorian shifted his weight so that he was the focus of Gasper's attention. "I'm not frozen after all, though we just met." The young man sniffled but did not move, holding eye contact with him a bit longer as if to confirm he was unaffected by his gaze, still utterly perplexed that he was still moving.

"How do you do that?"

"You are not the first person to ask that," he could not help but think back to Ona.

Her powers over time didn't affect me either…what is happening to me? Or has it always been like that?

"Will they be like that long?" He motioned back to the others still unmoving.

"Th-they'll be able to move again soon, they always do. It'll be a blink of an eye to them, but to me…"

"It's a lot longer?" Gasper nodded. "I get that, I have access to a place where time is sort of weird too. Well, I'm not going anywhere," he reached into his jacket, pulling out his lyre. "If you want, I could play something while we wait."

How lonely he must be every time this happens…

The two sat there for a few moments in awkward silence. Dorian had offered, yet had no idea how to get started helping someone out of their shell. He started playing a gentle tune, something soft which Gasper seemed to appreciate. He blew gently into the wooden instrument, eventually starting to bob back and forth, smiling as best he could. Gasper slowly started to calm somewhat at the tune that only they could hear, every other being in the radius paralyzed and unable to take in the calm melody lost upon the frozen winds.

Later…

"Whoa!" Issei shouted as the others snapped out of their moment of incapacitation. "Hey, where did Gasper get to n…?"

"Got any threes?"

"No Dorian-senpai, I…"

"No no no, you're supposed to say go fish."

Dorian and Gasper were sitting by a bush, the young half-vampire looking over the scattered playing cards. Unfortunately, the time from Gasper's point of view had been longer than expected, forcing them to find other ways to pass the time until it wore off. Fortunately, it seems anything Dorian touched remained unaffected and thus the deck safely tucked within his jacket was still usable.

"Ah, so this is where demons come out to play."

The collected devils and Einherjar turned to the voice, spotting a familiar-looking man in a brown kimono emerge from the forest. The atmosphere immediately became tense as Issei moved to protect Asia, going so far as to summon his Boosted Gear.

"Hi there Red Dragon Emperor, you seem to be doing well."

"Azazel…" He growled, clearly the animosity shown by his master Rias was shared. Even Koneko dropped into a combat stance, Saji looking terribly confused but standing ready to fight with his friends.

"The Governor-General of the Grigori?" He muttered under his breath.

"He is," Issei confirmed. "He's been pulling me around on a chain, pretending to be a human hiring me for contracts."

Dorian was still out of Azazel's field of view around the bush with Gasper, things did not look good and considering his personality it was easy to see how he may make others have apprehensions about him.

Devils and fallen angels about to come to blows? Bad idea.

"Mr. Azazel!" He finally stepped out from the hiding place with his arms stretched wide. "How has Asgard been?" He clasped his hand as they met with a professional handshake; allowing Issei and the others to relax somewhat at the gesture.

"As fussy during the day and enjoyable by night as ever," he remarked fully aware of the obvious connotations. "I swear if that Lady Freyja of yours had been in Heaven I may have fallen from grace even sooner than…" he stopped upon realizing the flat glare showcasing the lack of amusement from Dorian. "In any case, I see just about all the most interesting Sacred Gears are here," he glanced about dryly. "Oh, the holy-sword devil knight is absent."

"You mean Kiba? He is with Rias and Akeno meeting with her brother," Issei growled, clearly still not trusting the Governor-General as he stepped in front of Asia to protect her in case of a fight. "And if you planned to do anything to him…"

BOOST!

"Still as resolute as ever," he chuckled under his breath acting as if their threats were none at all. "Too bad, but the rest are here. Hey! Vampire kid!"

Gasper slowly peeked out of the bush he had been playing cards in, having retreated inside once Azazel approached.

"Forbidden Balor View," he started announcing as if at a seminar. "Very dangerous if the owner cannot wield it properly. Boosted Gear, strengthening the wielder every ten seconds, Laerad Ragnarok which seems to have quite the aptitude for adapting to realm energies it comes into contact with."

Dorian tensed at mention of his gear's name, had he learned something new?

"All I can say is it will do well for you to become more worldly, heck visit everywhere you can to expand your palate." The grin on his face clearly spelled out how he was implying something and reveling in the mystery. "Oh, and that is the Black Dragon's Pulse Absorption Line right?" He was looking past them to Saji who was visibly nervous at being the center of attention. "You can use that to drain excess power from the Vampire and prevent complications, keep him from going out of control."

"I can…absorb with this?" Saji was eyeing the black beetle-like bracer latched to his hand with renewed interest, clearly having had no idea such a power of it existed. He had drained the stamina of Freed during the attack and knew of that ability, but was unaware that it extended to other forms of energy.

"Of course," Dorian groaned as Azazel took in the sense of knowing more than everyone combined. "That particular one has the powers of the Evil Black Dragon Vritra, one of the five Dragon Kings. It has the ability to disperse or absorb and distribute the power of those you link with."

What is he getting at? Dorian could tell he wasn't the only one thinking it as the others had relaxed more but looked at him with trepidation.

"Well, there is a faster way as well to help him…he can try drinking blood. Any would technically do, but I am curious what would happen if he did so from the Red Dragon Emperor or one linked so closely to Yggdrasil. It's only natural for a vampire right?"

"Mr. Azazel," Dorian interrupted, the only one there not thinking he was up to something nefarious though knew full well he was up to SOMETHING. "Did you come all the way out here just to educate us on our Sacred Gears?"

"That," he started as his focused expression softened. "And to give you a message from home, they didn't want to risk a transmission to your avian companion being intercepted especially after your run-in with the Barbatos the other night. They've tripled the security detail on all three sides as a result."

Skilja can be intercepted like a call?

"Your beloved former Allmother had an investigation after your encounter with Ms. Barbatos. Unfortunately no luck in divining a location, but she says that a certain path will remain on standby during the summit in case of foul play. A strategy that worked in the past and that you would know what she means."

The title Allmother stuck out to Dorian, it was vaguely familiar but he'd only ever heard Odin claim the name of Allfather. He recalled Thrud previously mentioning that Lady Freyja had left the moniker behind when she grew frustrated with her husband's perverted extracurricular interests. It was solely for the treaty, and the fact that he was never unfaithful to her in the bedroom, instead being content to occasionally squeeze and enjoy the sights, that she had remained as Queen of Asgard. All the same, the two seemed to have grown closer since the battle in Olympus and both were spending more time together. He did indeed understand the message.

"Thank you Mr. Azazel," he concluded after being given the time and location to meet. "We met your escort Vali earlier. I suppose he'll be at the summit too?"

"Of course, every leader present will have their attachés to both assist and for added security. Now then, I just happened to wander by so I should probably head off, I have quite been enjoying this town and would like to see more while here." With a nonchalant wave back, the fallen angel signaled his farewell to the group. The others had finally dropped their battle stance, it being clear he meant no harm on that day.

"If he had no nefarious motive," Issei gritted through his teeth with a question shared by Koneko and Asia. "Then why did he hide his identity from us for so long?"

Dorian thought back to his past encounters with the man. He had never obscured his identity to him, yet he loved to show off. He was curious and while he almost certainly schemed, it had never been in a way to harm those around him.

"I guess," the young Einherjar theorized as the others started thinking of ways to use the new knowledge to better themselves and help Gasper control his powers. "That's just the way he is. I wonder if that insatiable curiosity was part of the reason he fell from grace."

On top of the obvious inappropriate reasons, he half-sighed under his breath.

Old Satan Faction Base…

"Yes, yes of course I should have known I could find something in his energy," Ona Barbatos muttered aloud, no longer holding back her enthusiasm.

The young devil woman was running on adrenaline, her four wings revealed and slumped down as she used all her power to keep going with minimal sleep or rest. It had taken the entire day and then some but she had found what looked to be the answer, or so she hoped.

"A separate chronal signature!" She gushed, cheeks flushed with delight as she pressed forward barely noticing her breathing had quickened as she continued thinking out loud. "Has such a thing EVER happened before? Balor can't even muster that, to move at a different wavelength to the entire universe…I hit the jackpot!"

She rushed to another device, distilling his energy along with his blood. If she found the perfect mixture, maybe even found a way of replicating the finished product, who knew what was possible?

Could my powers work if I align with it? Could it seal me off from the main signature? What could that mean; maybe things would get interesting agai…

The door flew open once more as a tremendous aura of demonic energy slammed into the exhausted Ona, sending her flying into the wall and cracking it from the impact. She fell to the ground only to be plastered against the surface again with a renewed burst, nearly breaking through.

"I said…ONLY if it did not interfere with our goal," her mistress growled. Her voice was low, not yet raised but still exuded utter rage. "You fought the boy again, revealed your presence to him so openly and then couldn't even be bothered to kill him!"

"As…if I am strong enough for that," she groaned, spitting blood onto the floor and showing a crimson smile.

"I gave you pity for being my cousin," she clenched a fist, causing the pressure to increase until her bones groaned. "But I will not brook another childish outburst. We have your ritual, Balor is freed, there is no reason to keep you here to do harm. You will be removed and…"

"You will do no such thing."

Ona's mistress spun, her rage and anger depleting as she spotted who had entered. Releasing Ona, she bowed before the apparent child standing before her.

"There is…no need to be involved," she was uncharacteristically cordial with the newcomer. She wouldn't dare raise her voice to this one whose black eyes stared so flat and uncaringly into hers. "It is merely a matter for myself and my underl…"

"You can go, unless you no longer desire your snake."

The Satan-class devil stiffened, she dared not say another word. With the politest of bows, she bid the strange girl farewell, throwing daggers at her estranged cousin who replied with a coy wink. Only once the door was closed behind her did the raven-haired girl round on Ona who was still picking herself up, making sure her instruments were undamaged.

"I heard you found something unique?" She asked as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred at all.

She isn't too different from…that thing, Ona shivered, remembering the feeling of the child she had spotted in Kuoh, thanking anyone she could that this was not her. She still feared this one, but at least she understood the reason for the fear. With a determined nod, she motioned the Old Satan Faction's benefactor to the microscope, gesturing for her to take a look. The child's eyebrows raised in legitimate interest, Ona could have sworn it almost looked like she was bouncing in restrained delight.

"And this is from that boy?" Ona nodded silently.

"He is too strong for me," she looked away in frustration. She had never cared for power before, only knowledge and unlocking the mysteries of the universe to the detriment of all else. Yet she saw no way of moving forward with this Dorian Held without more strength. "If my theory and calculations are correct, I could emulate this signature with sufficient power and a bit more…oomph of his essence."

The being of immense strength standing before her nodded, raising a single small hand in between them. To Ona's surprise, a lone magenta-colored serpent slithered up her arm to stand atop her outstretched hand. It bent forward, coiling into a strange design before dissolving into a pattern or tattoo that drifted towards her. Ona's jaw dropped open at the incredible energies emanating from this serpent now being offered freely to her.

"If power was what you required, all you had to do was ask."

Crossroads Tower…

Gullbjorn was raised high, catching Durandal on its head, lightning and holy energy crackling in conflict. Another blade wreathed in fire wielded by an Einherjar whistled in follow-up, forcing Thrud to rotate her weapon and catch it on the handle. Behind her, Monster's Bane aimed for her back until she bent with impressive flexibility, stopping the blade cold as her foot caught the Spartan's wrist. She leapt gracefully, leaving the ground as she brought her second leg up, kicking the weapon from Hecuba's grasp as the first, now free, sent her flying with a kick to her bronze breastplate. Able to focus solely on her first opponent, she pushed forward to drive Xenovia back, twirling her enchanted axe again and again until the azure-haired swordswoman could no longer keep up and lost hold of her weapon thrown clear. She moved in, pressing her weapon against her throat.

"Yield?" She asked amid the well-lit subbasement of their tower.

"Not quite…"

Thrud nearly missed it, back flipping she avoided a jab forward with Durandal, now warped into its Greek Legendary Blade shape as Hecuba sought to land a single blow. As in the past, she had failed again though only by the smallest of margins. Landing atop her, Thrud quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping Hecuba's use of her immaculate dagger while disarming her.

"Yield!" Hecuba called at last, signaling her and Xenovia's surrender. Once again, the Valkyrie goddess-in training had bested them both. Her dire, focused expression immediately flattened into an impressed smile, reaching her arm out to help her up.

"Much better than before," she motioned to a thin slice across her leather tunic caused by the near-dagger hit. "You managed to hit me that time."

"We hope to one day challenge you individually," Xenovia admitted while recovering Durandal, storing it within her pocket dimension for safety. "We have seen you sparring with Dorian quite often."

"His improvements have been superb, but remember he does have a trump card with his balance breaker. That and we have been practicing together quite a while, that familiarity breeds understanding of tactics and habits. Ever since picking up Rossweisse's seals he seems to be getting better at seeing the pattern in things."

And he still mentions that signature move he is working on in secret. What is he planning?

"Rossweisse must be quite strong to keep up with you as well," Xenovia pointed out, remembering the rankings of strength from Asgard. "She is considered stronger than even the others of Thor's children correct?"

"We've been pretty close; in truth we were technically equal for the spot."

"Equal?" Hecuba didn't understand.

"If you pit my physical strength against her magical proficiency, we are just about dead even," she admitted. "They don't exaggerate when they call her a genius; even her Grandmother isn't more skilled, just more experience. When rating our strength through combat however, she had difficulty keeping me at range which led to my victories for the title of strongest young warrior. If she had a technique to keep a distance, I'd never stand a chance even with my bow."

Her two sparring partners were collecting a towel and water bottles as they listened intently. Dorian had yet to return from his errands to Rias and Bennia was out late at her manga club. They had all the time in the world to learn.

"She worked so hard in class to the detriment of all else but the improvement shows. Every seal, every style, every calculation to improve on it, she learned them all faster than any in the history of Asgard since before Allfather Borr. If she failed at something, she got right back up and didn't let it get her down."

Except that thesis, she once again recalled Rossweisse's only smudge on her pristine educational record. She tried for so long to prove it existed but never could. She's found more since…

Her childhood friend had been buried in her books when she had spare time with Dorian's shield by her side, the one depicting the very beast whose existence none could determine was fact or false. She thought she'd kept it well hidden, but Thrud had known her since they were little girls. She knew her better than anyone and felt Rossweisse did the same for her. If Thrud had been a gambling woman, she would bet Rossweisse was deep in some ancient tome older than the palace of Asgard itself the moment she got off work. Maybe she should ask her about it…

"So we have a long way to go," Hecuba remarked to a nodding Xenovia.

"Not too far, the fact you can wield Durandal already is incredible, and for Angurvadal to have awoken for you means your potential is vast. And you Hecuba, your skill is as great augmented by the ties to your ancestor Hector. All the same, you move forward without relying on that title which is admirable. Do not let my strength dissuade you from improvement, keep it up and you will each be fighting me alone in-turn."

The three's lesson was interrupted as a pinging sound alerted them that they had incoming. A special pad had been constructed on the higher floors made for accepting incoming teleports from the Bifrost or other similar means. For security purposes, no one could just enter without being approved. The trio hastened to the room, recognizing the source and allowing entrance immediately.

A familiar well-endowed form stepped into the tower, glancing around with a content, almost smug, grin at how the place looked. The three bowed politely.

"Lady Freyja," Thrud started first. "We did not know you were coming today."

"As I wished it," she replied cordially, finally turning to the three. "I trust Dorian is still out on the 'errands' we instructed of him?"

Hecuba scrunched her face in confusion, not entirely understanding the inflection she placed on 'errands' as if it were a code word.

"He…is," Thrud answered hesitantly. "We can summon him back if…"

"Oh no, this was the plan," she motioned for them to stand up tall again. "I have already discussed this topic with Bennia and the others before coming here as this must be done without his presence."

"What must be done?"

The goddess of life and fertility focused on the three, her features suddenly becoming quite serious.

"There are a few questions I wished to ask all of you…on the future."

Occult Research Clubhouse…

"Um…that's okay, we don't have to try anymore," Gasper pleaded as he hid in a fetal position.

Since they had started trying to get him to control his powers, the collected students of Sona and Rias' peerages plus Dorian had tried multiple ideas. As Azazel suggested, they connected Saji's black dragon Sacred Gear to Gasper to siphon his power. This resulted in more controlled use and less outbursts, during several volleyball games he succeeded in stopping the ball before it struck him, albeit still briefly freezing everyone around him as well. Through the physical training and practice, no matter how often it was offered, he refused the option to drink blood from anyone, not even a drop.

Each time as before, Dorian was unaffected and would sit with the half-vampire until his ability wore off. It was clear he appreciated the company, however was still terrified of his own power to stop people from moving. He confirmed the Einherjar's suspicions that his half-breed nature and immense powers had caused great fear from the people where he lived which apparently had been a grand castle in Romania. A childhood friend of his had allowed him to attempt escape only to be killed by vampire hunters, were it not for Rias' arrival to revive him as a devil he would have perished there and then.

This troubled childhood had led to developing extreme agoraphobia which had been the reason he welcomed being sealed by Rias when his power proved to be too great for her to control. Were it not for the upcoming summit and the Barbatos family's inclusion in the conflict they may have left him sealed in his room even longer. He had found places he felt comfortable and was currently hiding in one, a small cardboard box barely big enough to hold him flipped upside down so he was hidden save for his glowing eyes peeking out.

"Gasper, it's okay," Dorian tried to no avail. "No more volleyballs we promise."

"I can't do it!" He asserted again. "I'm not coming out of this box! If I can't see them I can't freeze them!"

"Maybe we should call Rias back to help," Kiba muttered under his breath. He had since returned early after the meeting with Rias and Sirzech which ran over for the others. Saji had been forced to return to Sona and Asia was sleeping soundly after their long day of training while Koneko was out on contracts. Dorian had messaged back to the house he would be late; fortunately they assured him they would cover for him. Only he and Issei had remained to try and improve Gasper's interactions with others and his power.

"No," Issei muttered in a serious tone which surprised Dorian. "The President put this in our hands, if we call her back from an important meeting then we'll just burden her." He stood up and approached Gasper's box, staying at a comfortable distance before plopping down again. "Are you scared?"

Gasper nodded, the box bobbing along with him in an almost comedic manner.

"So am I," he admitted. "One of the strongest dragons ever born is inside me. I don't know why I was picked and every time I use his power…" Issei glanced at his left hand as if it was something alien to him now. "I feel like I am becoming something different. Regardless of that, I resolved after the President saved me to move forward without looking back!"

"But…with that much power it could cause you to lose those closest to you," Gasper muttered as his sniffles died down, clearly referencing personal experience. "Can you keep going, even knowing that?"

"I'm pretty much a moron to stuff like that," he chuckled. "So I don't think about it that far in advance."

Dorian lifted an eyebrow at how uncharacteristically wise Issei was sounding, glancing over to Kiba who shrugged his shoulders, equally perplexed.

"But…I saw the President cry, and I NEVER want to see that again. During the rating game against the Phenex prick, the others fell one by one until only I was left. She cried, and if there is anything I can do to keep that from happening again, I'll gladly keep moving forward."

"I heard about that rating game," Dorian whispered to Kiba as Issei continued talking to Gasper until he finally emerged from beneath the box. "That Issei fought even after you lost and managed to void an arranged marriage between Lady Gremory and an heir to the Phenex family?"

"That is right," Kiba nodded. "We couldn't beat them on our own…but Issei came up with something despite everything. He found a way to help our king, ridiculous though his proclamations might have been."

Wasn't that the time Ddraig said he tried to claim that her virginity belonged to him?

Way to ruin the moment Iggy, Dorian laughed internally. Issei does have a kinder side to him buried beneath his obsession with breasts. It's nice to see it come out once in a whi…

"In truth I am very jealous of you Gasper."

"Jealous of me? Why?"

"Your power to stop time! It would be fantastic; you could sneak a peek up women's skirts anywhere! I could fondle the President's boobs all day long! Even Akeno I am sure, and those exchange students who…"

Issei's face was suddenly planted into the ground as Dorian materialized behind him, cracking the back of his head and cutting off his perverted tirade. Adding on a gravity seal, the Red Dragon Emperor soon found himself plastered to the wooden floor.

I believe he ruined the moment more than I.

I doubt even Mjolnir could knock sense into him, he sighed as the rising opinion of Issei plummeted like a brick.

"Gasper," Dorian put a foot over Issei to keep him down for a moment longer, trying to smile as best he could despite the now horribly awkward situation. "Please don't listen to that behavior. Your power over time is truly incredible; you can do just about anything you want with it. If you learn to control it, you can help so many or at the very least no longer freeze your friends."

"Whatever I…want?" It was clear the young devil's mind was awash with possibilities. He had never been told someone was jealous of his power before, between that and Dorian's seeming immunity to his power he had found two individuals that were so accepting of him. "What do you use your power for?"

Dorian froze as if Gasper's powers suddenly worked, after a few moments he answered as truthfully as he could.

"At first it was to repay Thrud, Lady Freyja, Odin…Rossweisse and everyone who saved me when I was killed. They gave me a home, job and education. I just sort of went with the flow wherever they asked, but now…"

The vision he saw after Olympus, what haunted the edges of his dreams and he had etched into the wooden shield for Rossweisse passed through his mind for the briefest of moments. The nagging curiosity accompanied it, like that feeling that you forgot something multiplied to the nth degree. A chill ran through Iggy's being as well, though she kept it hidden as she always did.

"I guess, I want to help people…but also I feel like I am missing something. I need to…"

BOOST!

With renewed strength, Issei managed to break the seal holding him, sending Dorian sputtering backwards as he leapt to his feet, face contorted in frustration and anger. He locked his arms around Dorian's shoulders who did the same to him, the two pushing back and forth vying for supremacy.

"Goldie! Don't look down on me with pity! The girls all fawn after you and Kiba, but their eyes turn to disgust the moment they lock onto me!" The knight of Gremory looked very confused at the rant which now included his name.

"If you didn't try peeping all the time that wouldn't have happened!" Dorian fired back. "Besides, Lady Gremory and Asia don't look at you like that!"

"The pure eyes of Asia and determined gaze of my President keep me going," he continued. "But I will be the greatest Harem Devil King ever known! For that I need to expand, branch out, and claim all the boobs I can before…why are you back in the box?"

As the two had argued, Gasper took the opportunity to subtly retreat back to the perceived safety of his cardboard box. It was an improvement from before as he had now turned it upside down so he was fully exposed sitting within the brown confines.

"It makes me comfortable when talking to others," he admitted without a hint of regret.

"Is that also why you wear women's clothes, like the skirt?" Dorian focused on the other aspect of him that baffled his mind. A hand of Issei was now shoved in his face but he ignored it.

"It makes me less threatening," he repeated while tugging on it. "Valerie used to dress me up and was never scared of me.

"Hmmm," Dorian muttered aloud as he twisted Issei's arm, locking it behind his back as he drove him to the floor. A light bulb went off in his mind as he jumped to his feet. "Wait here; be back in less than three minutes!"

Laerad Ragnarok appeared on his hand, a blue portal quickly following. Without another word he disappeared inside, leaving the Red Dragon Emperor to pick himself up.

"That bastard," he grumbled as he stood. The two hadn't gotten along since day one and with his return Issei found himself more annoyed than he had been around Kiba before getting to know him. "Ruin a chance at freezing all the bodacious beauties I could ever want…"

"I like him," Gasper smiled serenely. "You and he are very kind," his joy seemed to soothe the young pawn's bruised ego. "If there are more like you all, then maybe I can come out of here…someday."

"I am jealous," Kiba remarked with a smirk. "You two are talking so openly though you need not speak ill of our guest," he scratched his cheek awkwardly referring to Issei.

"He butts in where he isn't needed," he huffed, crossing his arms. "The two of us have absolutely nothing in common."

"That is not true," the knight sheepishly remarked, drawing Issei's attention back somewhat. "You both used to have normal lives before death brought you to our world."

He died to become what he is too? Issei had never thought to question the events leading their new ally to them from a differing mythology and was unaware how eerily similar their origins lined up. I wonder if his death was caused by being stabbed in the back too. Maybe if I can stand being in the same room for five minutes…

"Ha, two minutes 34 seconds!" Dorian shouted as a blue portal deposited him back in the room. Issei hadn't even sensed his return and jumped with a yelp, crashing back to the floor.

The Einherjar was decked out in a business suit; with school hours over he had enough time thanks to the dilation of the Roads to change while acquiring his goal. In his arms he held several pieces of black and red cloth or fabric; no one could really tell what they were from a glance. Approaching Gasper's box, he presented them to him with a smile.

"What are they?" The vampire asked as he reached out to feel the material.

"Think of them as a transitional period, they've been sitting in my wardrobe since I was brought to Asgard and I've never found an occasion to wear them. If you will like them, feel free to take my entire closet as a gift."

"What are they called?" He asked as a wide smile of surety spread across Dorian's lips.

Not long after…

"A kilt!" He announced as Gasper emerged from his bedroom, having donned the first of the clothing Dorian had brought from the tower.

Gasper was far smaller than the tall Einherjar, yet Iggy had a chance to show off her skill once more en route. With her tendrils focused through his fingers she had altered and adjusted the first batch to his size. If he liked them they could easily do the same to the rest. The kilts were much longer than the criminally short skirts of Kuoh Academy, reaching down to just below the young man's knees. He was currently in the processes of flipping left and right, testing the limits of the new attire.

You are incredible Iggy.

I never worked on clothes before, her voice beamed with pride. I think I would like to do it again if we may.

Who knows, Dorian laughed in his head to her inescapable joy. Perhaps we can create a Dress Make technique to counter Issei's.

"They are adjustable," Dorian explained. "This is the standard length but it can also be just above the knee to down to your ankles. I even have the sash if you want something flashier."

"I like it!" Gasper's face had lit up, absolutely reveling in the familiar skirt-like feeling. He barely realized a difference. "Guys wear this where you're from?"

"Sometimes, it was never my fashion so they've been gathering dust. I can have the rest moved over from the tower later." He turned to the other men in the room, planting his hands on his hips proudly. "What do you think?"

The two just stared dumbfounded, their guest being unaware that neither had seen or even heard of a kilt before.

"So…you gave him a longer skirt?" Kiba asked slowly, clearly trying to remain polite in his confusion.

"It's a kilt!" Dorian snapped, reigning in his brief childish outburst at his perceived-ingenious plan being overlooked. "I figured it's familiar enough to his comfort zone. He can wear these until he works up to something else in time."

"It would be nice to have less people mistaking him for a chick," Issei admitted, looking over Gasper. Despite retaining his feminine appearance, it did add a certain masculine flair for the shy bishop...slightly.

"My my, so much happened while I was away."

Behind them, Rias had materialized within a magic circle, Koneko and Asia entering through the door upon hearing of her impending return.

"President!" Issei's eyes lit up at her presence, drifting to Asia as well who glanced away sheepishly.

"Lady Gremory," Dorian nodded, calling her by her title as it was in an official capacity. "I was advised you wished to speak with me, I was unaware you would be away."

"My apologies for the…lateness of my return," Kiba and Issei could tell Rias meant more by her words though were unaware of her mutual plot with Lady Freyja to draw Dorian from the tower. "I wanted to give you the news that a representative of Heaven will be in Kuoh today and he wanted to speak with you."

Dorian stood up a little straighter, Heaven was the last of the three factions he had not interacted with personally.

"Where are we to meet?"

"A quaint little shrine on the edge of town," her eyes danced over to Issei with a grin. "And you aren't the only one they wish to see…"

A newcomer with power to freeze the passage of seconds themselves joins the ensemble, revealing another example of time's lack of effect on the young Einherjar. What could this mean, how is it tied to his dreams and will it impact the upcoming summit watched over by so many? As Always, I hope everyone Reads and Reviews...but most of all Enjoys! :D