|:[Reuniting With Change: III]:|

- :|: - Early Noon : Issei - :|: - Conquer x Iridescent - :|: -

"Huh?" was Issei smart answer before Xenovia kicked off the ground.

Issei quickly forced Ascalon out of his domain, as if it were by the flick of his wrist.

[Blade!]

The blade was upside-down as it materialized out of the glowing emerald gem that disappeared into the back of his hand. Swiftly, Issei turned to grab his trusted sword in the reverse position. Using the flat side of the famous sword, Issei parried the offensive push.

"HHHUAH!" Xenovia drove the sword down, as if to break it.

*—Kkkach!*

...It was weaker than Issei originally expected it was. He wasn't sure if she was holding back or... His eyes narrowed, as she went towards him with a roundhouse kick. Perhaps, she wasn't only good at wielding swords, but also brawling.

Quickly, yet hesitantly, Issei chose whether or not he should use the [Boosted Gear]. He glanced back to Irina, who wasn't paying attention, to finalize his answer. It wasn't worth it, he decided. Not even Irina knew of it yet.

Xenovia came to attack him again, jumping into the air to gain more power into her long slash. "I'm not going to hold back any more!" Her sword matched her fury, sporting a new harsher glow.

Issei parried the blow with a slight tap, trying not to hurt her as he felt disturbed by her... slowness and her rather weak blows. This... is too easy... Even without the [Boosted Gear] or his angelic powers to empower him, Xenovia was... simply much too easy to read, block, attack, and simply, to defeat. If he were honest, he was sure that Irina was faster than she was.

It almost made him scared of how much stronger he was than the purely human prodigy before him. He didn't want to hurt her, he fought only to fight the baddies because he was a hero! But, it never occurred to him that he fought Irina, until now. He glanced to her again, did... did he hurt her?

—No! Fiercely, he shook his head. He did not—would not—could not—ever! Moreover, he made sure to scan her. She was fine, exempting the minor bruises from accepting Xenovia's spar.

However, why was Irina, perhaps... angry with him? Also, after watching Xenovia, he couldn't help but wonder why did Xenovia also look so mad?

Xenovia was confused, much more so than usual. She, a blade prodigy, was losing. Not that it wasn't a normal occurrence, due to her adopted Guardian's usual spars, but her opponent was one she has never heard of. One who was much more skilled than she was and yet! She has never heard of him. No word of such a person—prodigy. Well, of course it should've been expected as he did wield that sword. However, she was the Blade Prodigy, a swift natural (though only in holy sword compatibility). It frustrated her to no end. She has never lost, only in face of the greatest exorcist of all exorcists! When it came to swords, she was one of the top!

She trained for her whole life. Pain, sweat, tears. Everything! Up until recently, her growth had came to a massive halt. Durandal wasn't bending to her will. She was so frustrated! She couldn't drive through as she always did. She had shot through the ranks of her sword school, the ranks of Vatican, and her life, without stop. She wasn't used to making decisions—she was fine with that. She wasn't used to teaming up, but she would drive through and deal with it as she has done for everything else. There was no need for technical, unnecessary things if she had absolute power and some time to focus that power.

But, why couldn't she do that anymore? She felt as if she couldn't become better anymore—an unmovable wall without cracks or faults stopping her, too tall to even think about jumping over.

"Huah!" She roared as she pushed her body to limit, trying to at least to cause the boy to flinch. But, nonetheless, he would dodge and draw back, every time, almost as if he was afraid to block her attacks. However, upon seeing that he blocked her initiation attacks, she thought otherwise.

Again, he dodged! It was so annoying!

She charged her swing again, launching herself. As she move her muscles to swing, her holy blade sliced through the air with a holy aura. "Take this!" Like a crescent, the aura shot from the blade edge and towards Issei, who had yet again jumped back to dodge.

...It didn't even faze him. She simply watched as he used his sword to disperse the attack into the air, where the energy shimmered until it ultimately disappeared.

"..." He looked at her—with those eyes again! He wasn't taking the fight serious at all!

She glared, charging for an ultimate technique. "I-I'm not d-done, yet!" Summoning the most energy she could, she was going to force it from her sword.

"Your attacks..." Xenovia paused, mid-swing, blinking at his sudden words. "they are not..." He paused, hesitantly. "pure."

"T-That's..." Xenovia seemingly stopped and dropped her blade, letting it sink into the dirt. T-Those words... While not the the same as the eight-winged Angel's, it was pointing out what the Angel had also said. Seeing that, Issei dropped his blade and sealed it back into the [Boosted Gear]. In its place, there was dispersing mist.

"I know that!" Her voice held a hidden fury. She couldn't hold it back as she had finally snapped. Tears left her eyes as she shook her head in some foreign emotion, her short blue hair spilling everywhere. "I know that! I know!" But, what did he know?!

He didn't know she was afraid of becoming useless! If she wasn't good at being an exorcist, what was she good at?! She knew she was only good at that! She knew! Knew so bluntly! But did he know?! Of course not! So what if she was a prodigy? And, she wasn't getting any better, anymore! Why?! People were going to catch up to her sooner or later, and leave her in the dust. She couldn't have that, she was far too invested into becoming the best to do so. She couldn't afford for "pure" attacks when she couldn't afford to even slow down her pace!

However, her world was falling apart. She wasn't the same person as she used to be. She didn't know how to drive forward anymore without these... these impossible emotions bothering her! She couldn't understand, and that frustrated her, no matter how much she hid it.

She fell to her knees, her palms to her eyes. "I know..." She knew she didn't want to cry—especially, in front of people she quite literally just met. However, she also knew she didn't want to lose her relevance. She only knew how to fight. Not how to deal with thoughts and emotions she wasn't supposed to have. "I know..."

Issei bit lip, wondering if he was the cause to... Xenovia's sadness. He glanced back to Irina, who had turned away, feeling guilty at watching the spectacle, though she was also having similar thoughts. What exactly had he done?

Steeling himself, he slowly approached the sobbing girl on her knees.

"But, I don't know..." She repeated, finish each within her mind. "I don't know..." She didn't know how to deal with emotions, being useless, slow down, unable to change—overcome anymore.

He stopped before her, and dropped to his knees. Xenovia didn't notice him. Quickly, he racked his brain for something Gabriel would do. What would she do if he were sad—crying? ...She would... most definitely...

He took his arms to surround the girl. She stiffened at his touch, but did nothing about it. He pulled her close, pulling them both onto their knees. Xenovia's arms were together in between them, shaking as her hands moved to somehow stop her tears.

"I won't..." He started to whisper into her ear, "act like I know." He noticed she began quieting. "But, know, it's okay to cry. It shows you're human." That's what Gabriel taught him after all. "You may not understand everything, all the time, but that's what the people around you are for—whether they be family, friends, or comrades." Micheal thankfully taught him that.

"You're not alone. There's no hurry, maybe a change of pacing but there's no need to rush." His mother had told him that when he wanted to make friends. He felt a bit surprised that he remembered it.

"I'm..."

"Ahem." A sudden throat-clearing surprised the three of them. A sister, who looked to be in her late 20's, stood at the room's entrance. Her hair was hidden by her black dressing but her figure was rather pronounce and akin to an northern European actress. However, what stood out was her piercing—almost demonic—blue eyes that shined even in the shade of her hood and her small smile.

She nodded, in acknowledgement, to the brown-haired boy who she has never seen, and Irina, who's eyes widen with respect and a small sense of fear. However, Xenovia stiffened, rigid as a rock, and refused to look towards the person.

"Xenovia." The woman said as she began making her way toward the three.

At the sound of her name, Xenovia reluctantly turned to speak. "Y-Yes?"

"What are you doing?" the woman asked simply, not one sign of her inner thoughts.

Quickly—faster than her own strikes—she jumped from Issei and fiddled with her blue sword. "N-Nothing! Just—Nothing, ehehehe..." Even Issei and Irina was surprised at her quick change in demeanor.

The woman crossed her arms, one of her brows twitching but other than that, she was perfectly still and flat. "Do you remember what I asked of you?"

Xenovia blinked at the question but after a moment, her eyes and expression gained a sense of pride as if she remembered. "Yes, ma'am!" However, just after answering, she knew she had just dug her own grave. She wasn't sure if shattering pride had a tangible noise but she hear something crack within her.

The unnamed woman narrowed her eyes. "Then tell me: what was it?"

"Urk!" Her hand twitched, letting the blade's handle slip from her grasp. "I-It was not t-to, uh, um..." Pleading for mercy with her eyes, she looked towards the suddenly menacing woman, who responded with her eyes, which, in short, said get on with it or something will happen. "-T-To not start any fights."

"That's right." She huffed, in annoyance, then sternly continued, "I'll let you off for this one time." She calmly and gracefully turned to the two other persons of the room. "Ah, I still haven't introduced myself." She did a soft bow. "My name is Griselda Quarta. I will be supervising this group. I hope to get along with you, Irina," and she stopped at the boy, "And, may I ask who you are?"

Issei was pretty sure, she was powerful—to even instill fear into the reckless girl, Xenovia, along with all those rumors in Heaven—as a simple human. Knowing that, he had to draw in his confidence before speaking, still unused to new people, "H-Hyoudou Issei, wielder of a true holy weapon! Nice to meet you, S-Sister Griselda. I'll only be here for a few days, but I got permission from Touji Shidou to attend with Irina."

"Hoh?" She racked her mind for the numerous active true holy swords of the Church ...Actually, after she thought about it, there wasn't that many: 4 pieces of Excalibur, Durandal by Xenovia, Heuteclere within a certain Shidou hands, Ascalon which was said to be in action, and Joyeuse. Recently, Caliburn went missing; it was probably in the also missing Pendragons' hands. Eight swords in total... Still pondering on which sword he retained, she greeted him and Irina. "May I ask which sword?"

"I-" Issei stopped, unsure if he could answered. However, he already has revealed Ascalon to Xenovia and Irina already. So, he internally sighed, hoping if Gabriel would forgive his mistake (he was too excited) before he said, "I hold Ascalon, the "Dragon Slayer"."

...He would've summoned the sword but he saw the woman's eyes narrow slightly. She probably had knowledge on [Sacred Gears] as she was one of the highest ranking exorcists. Whether she knew in-depth about his [Boosted Gear], he didn't actually know, but he could bet that she did know it's appearance and mundane abilities, as such with the other twelve game-changing, Longinus-class [Sacred Gears]. He couldn't he reveal it, not even to Irina. Whenever he summons upon the sword, the gem or the entire gantlet of the [Boosted Gear] would appear for the briefest of moments. He couldn't doubt the piecing eyes of the highly spoken exorcist, even among Angels—even Micheal and that said a lot—wouldn't be able to see it.

"Hmm..." She thought to herself, turning towards Xenovia again. "So, what do you think about your new partner, Irina Shidou?" Her pacing began slowing. However, Issei's eyes narrowed, seeing a familiar handle-like figure outline in her robe as she moved.

Flustered at the woman's presence, the girl fearfully answered. "S-She is... adequate and faster than I am. She, uh, lacks p-power—"

Issei snapped.

His arm flexed and his legs moved.

"...What are you doing?" Issei repeated Griselda's words right back at her. It almost came off as an angry growl.

Issei's eyes narrowed, as he glared at the woman. She dare to hurt Irina?! In his outstretched hand, which he could barely control in his almost blinding fury, the hidden blade from underneath the older Sister's robe was pointed towards Irina.

...J-Just who is this person?! Griselda never intended to harm the girl, perhaps, frighten the girl but she had no thoughts at all to even touch the girl. She was moving at speeds far more superior than Xenovia's or Irina's. However, to intercept her high-speed, light-empowered sword, stopping it completely in its path, simply with his palm... just what madness is t-this c-child?! There was none she knew of that was of this kind of strength. While it wasn't at her full speed, she could tell Issei could move faster than he showed just then, as his breathing was perfectly normal.

She tugged at her blade ...It didn't budge. She pulled harder. Issei refused to let go of the sword. And gripping as he was, he didn't show any signs of bleeding, pain, or discomfort, besides his anger.

She sighed, trying to gather what respect she had left. "I wasn't going to hurt her, only test her, I promise." She let the blade go and let her rob fall. She wore the standard female exorcist clothing with standard equipment. However, her person also carried two pair of quivers at both sides of her waist and mounted atop her wrists were mini cross bows. She shrugged, shooting a glance to Xenovia, admitting something, "I was going to train her the same way I do to Xenovia. I'm often described as a scary and merciless monster because the way I teach."

"Issei," Irina's left hand hesitatingly reached out to Issei. "I'm f-fine, really." ...I should've been expecting it! Irina reprimanded herself. She brushed herself off, and took the sword from Issei's hand, then deactivated it. But... Issei looked kinda, c-cool there... "It's true what she said —I-I mean, it's n-not that you're s-scary, Sister Griselda!" Her eyes met those eyes everyone feared, "Err..." Irina looked down, deciding that it was better to leave it at that.

Griselda raised a brow when she saw how... controlled Issei acted with Irina. This really something else... She push her thoughts away, and clapped her hands. "It's all fine, I don't mind, really."

Xenovia moved closer to the group and addressed her guardian, "Sister Griselda, you said something about a m-mission this morning." Her words grabbed Issei's and Irina's attention, instantly.

"A-Already?" Irina, still pondering over her worth, wasn't sure if she was ready. She looked to Issei. He was... born ready. He looked so... cool holding his own against Xenovia and stopping her new mentor's feint attack. She caught his face and his concerned orbs met hers.

...She looked away, reluctantly. Her sight landed on Xenovia, the prodigy and, despite her being the same age, already had much experience under Griselda.

Who was she, to try to fit in the group?

Was she only allowed to wield a fragment of Excalibur because of her father's ranking? Because Irina had to be blessed a few years ago, in order to even touch a "true" holy sword—unlike a certain bluenette, epitome of sword compatibility.

She shook her head, pushing her thoughts away. She wasn't supposed to think that way. She was supposed to be cheerful! And a hero—who always saves the day and selfless, like an Angel!

"W-Well, Sister Griselda, do y-you think we're ready?" ...Am I ready?

Vorpal: I realized that Issei was already an angel and didn't actually needed to be [Brave Saint] in order to join Gabriel in this story... A HUGE mistake on my part... Meh, doesn't really change what I'll do... +Unless! (Get it "un-less" and it's a plus sign... nah, u know wat, nvm) U wanna c an Angel!King!Issei? lol.

I didn't want Issei to destroy Xenovia, as you read. But, I wanted Xenovia knocked down a few notches and with a little less pride. It may seem a bit "much" with the tears, but I was too lazy to think of something else. ...I'm just like that.

And, over-protective Issei, no?

As for Griselda, I don't see any real reason for her to join the harem, and I think the harem's size was already enough... But, if anyone can give me a good reason, I may put her in. Does her age really matter when I have Gabriel in it also? That's up to you...

Short story short for such a late update and a short chapter: Flashdrives (Gah! My 70Gb and "hard" work!) are unreliable, I was lazy and this was completely written on my phone after I lost the original.

Bigger chapter next time, I promise! Oh, and like the new picture?

'Til next time, ne?

Have a Nice Day!

[Words: 3,206]