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
The sound of instrumentals guided the trio as they walked through the halls of a building within the Sitri territory.
Le Fay held the left hand of the Welsh Dragon, who had changed his appearance into his younger-looking self. The young magician bit the end of her free thumb as she tried to remain calm.
She was stressed, far more than when they had faced the royal family.
Elaine and Ddraig could see it as their destination kept coming closer and within reach.
"Le Fay, you're going to be fine," Ddraig said as he tried to assure her everything would be alright.
"How can you be sure of that?" Le Fay asks as she barely holding it together.
"Miss, it is just a trial. The other singer is an amateur, just like you. This is an experiment to see if you two would work well together. It won't hurt to try." Elaine said as she tried to calm her down.
"But what if I mess up? This will hurt my prospects for the future." Le Fay argues as she feels the tension of what this experiment could mean for her future.
Ddraig stops walking and turns to his young bride. He holds each side of his face with extreme care. "Look at me. Failure is not a possibility in this event. Many singers have talent from the beginning, but others have to train daily to achieve their goals. Regardless of the result today, you can still get a teacher who will guide you on your path as a singer. Serafall has made a fortune in the human world as a producer in the shadows. I promise she will get you all the resources you might need to succeed. If your dream is to make millions listen to your voice, I will support you all the way, but you need to have the will to push on against these fears. Your brother and father won't hear you unless you ensure your voice reaches every corner of the tree. You need to push those fears aside and do your best."
"But what if my best is not enough?" Le Fay questions the dragon.
"You have the rest of eternity to improve. Issei and I know that your voice has potential. Show us that you have the will to go through this. Let us see you shine. Let us hear your voice. Let it captivate millions of souls across the tree. Shine as bright as a star, but this will only happen if you have the will to do so. This path might take years, so it is best if we start now. Take it one step at a time; let this be where you can start your journey." Ddraig said with a confident expression.
His words made Le Fay's heart beat like crazy, and she saw no signs of lies behind his eyes. He was truly here to support her, and although she hoped to make her brother and father proud, above all, she wanted her "Dragon in Shinning Armor" to see her shine.
"... You promise that you'll be at every concert?" Le Fay asks.
"I will buy every ticket if I have to." The dragon replies.
"You'll buy all the merch?"
"Maybe not everything, but I promise to buy all your singles and discs." Ddraig jokes.
"Dummy." Le Fay kicks his left knee.
"Auch! Is this how you show your care for me? I'm still using a walking cane." Ddraig continues to joke.
"Take my words seriously." Le Fay argues.
"I am," Ddraig says.
Elaine shakes while holding back her laugh. "She really needs to be less violent with him."
Le Fay glares at her from the corner of her eye as if saying that she knew what she was thinking.
Elaine waves her hands as if saying she did nothing wrong. "We shouldn't keep them waiting for much longer."
"Right. Let's move on. Come on, Le Fay." Ddraig says as he drags her along.
"... You better take me to eat something sweet after this." Le Fay says with an irritated tone.
"Maccarons or ice cream?" Ddraig asks.
"Both." Le Fay replies.
Ddraig smiles. "Sure, as many sweets as you want."
A short while after.
The trio arrived at a fully prepared music studio. As soon as they entered the room, they were welcomed by the grinning face of Serafall Leviathan, who wore glasses and a Lolita outfit as she turned her chair around.
"Welcome to my domain….. Oh my, Lilith is my boyfriend in his cute boy form." She stopped her presentation and jumped out of her seat before holding Ddraig within her grasp. "You're so damn cute in this form. I love this; I see both forms at any point—the charming, mature boyfriend who dominates and the cute boy whom I want to dominate. I can't-" Her rambling was stopped as Le Fay got in between.
"You're not corrupting this form. I personally asked him for this, so only I get to enjoy this form of his." Le Fay argues.
"Come on, Le Fay-chan. Don't you know that sharing is caring?" Serafall asks as she tries to grab a hold of Ddraig.
Both girls start to argue over the boy form of their beloved dragon, who takes this chance to get away and say hi to the other people in the room.
A very feminine man in a pompous outfit and a serious guy in fully black attire greeted the dragon, but his attention was mostly drawn to the lady sitting in the seat next to Serafall's.
"Ingvild, I'm happy to see you after so long," Ddraig said as he came closer.
Ingvild jumps from her seat and takes him by surprise as she hugs him. "Sorry for not visiting. I was under treatment after the trip. The medicine had to be changed as the symptoms got worse."
"Is alright. Are you feeling better now?" Ddraig asks as Ingvild releases him.
"Better. My sleeping schedule is back to normal, but the researchers said that they will keep a close eye to ensure that the symptoms remain under control." Ingvild explains. "I… I thought my voice wouldn't reach you back then."
Ddraig shakes her head. "It reached me and Issei. I'm sorry for losing control like that."
Ingvild shakes her head. "You were in pain. Our allies got hurt, and you were blaming yourself." Ingvild places a hand on his chest. "I felt your pain back then. Your anguish as you fought. I… hope that you never have to suffer like that ever again." Her expression denoted a sincere expression of her worry for the dragon.
"Ingvild…." Ddraig smiled as he listened to her.
The pair seemed drawn to each other as neither looked away, but two sets of arms dragged Ddraig away from Ingvild before he could say anything else.
"Are you getting close to Ingvild without telling us? You didn't tell me that you liked him this much." Leviathan questions Ddraig as she holds him within her breast with a cold tone.
"Is she your next target? Are you trying to romance her?" Le Fay joins in as she hugs his chest, glaring at him with yandere eyes.
"... No?" Ddraig replies with a confused expression.
Le Fay turns her face towards Ingvild. She examines her from head to toe before offering her hand. "My name is Le Fay. I'm this dragon's second bride. Nice to meet you." Her tone seemed a bit possessive as she presented herself.
Ingvild smiled as she held the hand. "I'm Ingvild Leviathan. Ddraig is a friend, so don't worry."
Le Fay and Serafall looked at her. Their eyes seemed to doubt her words as if saying, "Are you the next? Have you fallen for him?"
Ingvild felt their gazes as if they were a pair of judges trying to decide her destiny. "Did I do something wrong?"
Ddraig felt the inquisitive auras of his two brides and chose to intervene before things got sidetracked. "Le Fay, Serafall, we should get to what we came here for. Ingvild must feel the same."
Both girls glared at the dragon as if trying to figure out what secrets he was hiding from them. Unluckily for them, he had nothing to hide.
Serafall releases him, but not before stealing a kiss from him in front of everyone. "I can't wait until the wedding night."
Ddraig was taken by surprise due to the forwardness of the devilish general.
Ingvild blushed after seeing Serafall's actions while Fay puffed her cheeks, as she wasn't ready for such actions.
"Alright, let's get on with this. As you might already know, I had my finger in many human businesses, especially in those involving music, cinema, and every shape of art. Pauline Cesaro and Samuel Wills are two of my allies in the human world. Both have worked with some of the most famous artists and singers in the human world. Idols, Boy groups, Songwriters, and solo artists; mention any, and they likely have a connection to me as I sought to spread my control over every corner of the human world." Serafall says as she drags Ddraig alongside him. She sits down and forces the dragon to sit on her knees.
She then begins to caress the hair of the dragon as if she were showing her ownership over him.
"Many famous singers don't have mastery over their voices when they begin, so this session will be used to test your talents without training. Based on what we see, we'll decide if we should make your debut as solo artists or as a duo." Serafall explains.
"Wait, so you might want us to sing together?" Le Fay asks.
Serafall nods. "Starting as a duo might be a good way to make a name for yourselves before debuting as solo artists. It will serve as a period where you develop your voices and other areas. A duo will also prove helpful if your voices can match each other. A singer has a voice and the ability to perform for the public by playing an instrument or even dancing. A duo allows you to gain experience as the responsibility is shared between the members." Serafall points her fingers at the pair. "We have time, so we'll seek to make your debut a few years from today."
Le Fay and Ingvild look at each other with doubt, as the age difference is very visible.
"Come along; we first need to test your singing." Serafall claps her hands as Pauline, the very feminine man, opens the door to the recording room. "Ingvild, you're first."
"Me?" The girl asks.
Serafall nods. "You can sing, but we want to put it to the test. Show us what you have."
Ddraig looks at her and gives her two thumbs up. "You can do it."
"..." Ingvild seems a bit worried, but after a few moments, she steps up to the stage and enters the room. The earrings shine as they transform into headphones for her.
Le Fay watches her with interest and even a hint of jealousy as she seems determined to sing to the best of her ability.
Serafall touches the panel of control as she turns her seat around. "Alright, Ingvild. You can choose the song, and we'll play the instrumentals for you."
Ingvild grabs the microphone hanging from the ceiling before reflecting for a moment. "Love Antique by Yoko Takahashi."
"Yoko? Alright, show us what you can do." Serafall says before she gives Samuel a signal.
The song producer nods as he works precisely to procure the chosen song's instrumentals.
The song starts to play over the speakers, and Ingvild closes her eyes. "Deep breaths. Show them what you have."
"I am just about to forget you."
Ingvild starts singing, and the impact is immediate as all eyes are focused on her. Her voice is like a siren seeking to charm anyone who listens to her voice, yet it denotes the emotions she feels as every lyric escapes her mouth.
"A sad diva trying to find her path while letting go of her past. A path that remains unknown yet one that could bring her happiness." Le Fay felt Ingvild's emotions and couldn't help but grab her chest as her voice captivated her.
She wasn't an expert in controlling her notes, but she was doing great for an amateur.
Her voice pulled the strings of Ddraig's heart as if a deeper connection was tying them to each other, but he remained calm and chose not to dwell on it for longer.
As the song ends, a tear escapes Le Fay's eyes as she meets the eyes of the Diva before her.
Serafall touches the console. "... Beautiful. Come outside."
Pauline opens the door, and Ingvild comes out while smiling.
The group claps for her, leading Ingvild to blush and even try to hide her face from them.
"You did great," Ddraig says as he smiles at her.
"... Thanks." Ingvild replies as her face turns even more red.
The eyes of Ddraig turn to Le Fay. "Show them what you have already shown me. Shine once more."
Le Fay nods as she steps forward to the stage.
Ingvild notices a mysterious glint emanating from Le Fay as she passes by. "Magic dust?"
As the door closed, Le Fay picked up the microphone without hesitation.
"Your choice?" Serafall asks.
"Re:I AM by Aimer." Le Fay replies.
"You got it," Serafall replies as the song starts to play shortly after.
"This is all to make sure my voice reaches out to all. Father, brother, mother, and you who support me above everyone else." Le Fay focuses on Ddraig as the first lyrics escape her mouth.
"Please hear me"
"I want to tell you"
"Please sing to me"
"I wanna hear your voice."
Like a fairy, Le Fay starts to float, and so does everything around her as her magic affects gravity.
"Shine bright, my maiden who defies gravity," Ddraig says as he falls even deeper for the fairy he stole from the royal family.
"Sing so that they might hear you, no matter how far they are." Elaine did her best not to cry as she listened to her student/sister-in-law.
"A voice who defies gravity. Is your voice seeking to reach everyone, even those in other realms?" Ingvild is charmed by the voice of the young star before her, who sings with such emotion that she can't help but want to join her.
Like Ingvild, Le Fay's voice lacked refinement, but the talent was there.
As the song came to an end, Le Fay returned to the ground. As she came outside, she was welcomed with a round of applause from everyone present.
Both seemed to have a natural affinity for singing, and none could deny it, but Serafall wasn't done with either of them.
"Back into the room. You two shall sing together to test how well you can match each other." The devilish general orders.
Le Fay and Ingvild look at each other before entering the room while smiling. They seemed to acknowledge each other as equals after listening to each other's voices.
"What should we sing?" Le Fay asked Ingvild.
Ingvild scratches her cheek. "I'm not sure."
"I'm choosing this one. Ring My Bell by Blue Drops." Serafall says with a cheeky smile. "Sing as if you're trying to capture his heart." Serafall then pinches Ddraig's cheek. "This song needs the emotion of someone in love, so make him your target."
Ingvild blushes even harder as she doesn't hold such emotions. "I can-"
Le Fay stops her. "Follow my lead, and don't worry about it. You can do this." The fairy starts to float alongside Ingvild before she grabs the microphone. "Just let yourself go."
The song starts to play as their eyes are drawn to Ddraig. The dragon gulps as he feels a bit ashamed of being such an open target for this kind of thing.
Le Fay starts. "I can hear my heart bell."
"'What's the matter?' You ask." Ingvild follows.
"My heart bell is ringing." The pair then joins in as a perfect duo, and then a spectacular performance begins with Ddraig as the single target for the song.
Serafall smirked from ear to ear as her goal was achieved. She turns to Pauline, who gives her a thumbs up. He starts to stream the whole song to an unknown user.
Ddraig holds his chest as his emotions are taken for a wild ride. Everyone else seems to disappear except for the three of them.
He feels like a fan in the first row of a private concert just for himself. His heart couldn't contain its joy as his emotions ran wild.
"I want them to shine even brighter. I want others to witness this. I can't keep this to myself." He felt so proud of them as they seemed perfect as a duo, but deep inside, he felt something was missing.
A piece that could bring this perfection to a new stage.
"Can you see it?" Serafall asks softly in his ear. "They can do it as it is, but we can do better. A piece is missing, but I think I have it. Do you want to see it? Do you want to see how bright they can shine if I bring that remaining piece?"
"... Will this hurt them?" Ddraig asks.
Serafall shakes her head. "Never, I want this to work. I will protect them because you care for them. You brought something wonderful before me, and I want to make it into more than just a group. A symbol of what the Alliance could mean for the future. Let me show you what I have in store for the realms to witness."
The song ends, and the two girls are screaming in joy as they see the reaction in Ddraig's face. The dragon was more than just charmed; he was their first fan, and they couldn't feel any better.
"Did you like it?" Le Fay asks as she exits the room.
"I love it," Ddraig replies with a smile.
"I told you, Ingvild. He loves our duo." Le Fay says as she turns to Ingvild, who's trying to hide her blush from Ddraig.
"I'm not lying, Ingvild," Ddraig assures her.
"... I see, but don't look at me too much. This is…. New to me." Ingvild admits. Her heart is still racing.
Serafall claps her hands to regain their attention. "You two did great, but I have one more surprise. This person took me by surprise as I was walking through Shangri-La. I didn't expect to hear such a voice as I took a break around a park, but maybe destiny had brought us together. Raven, you can come in."
The door to the studio opens. A new figure shows up. A black mask hides the figure's identity. Its clothes cover every inch of its body.
"Code: 001-Raven." The figure replies with its normal voice.
"Who is this person?" Le Fay asks.
"An agent who is affiliated to the Alliance under Yukime. I asked our dearest Yukime for the right to pull this agent away from her training to see if she could join our small project." Serafall explains.
"I didn't accept anything." Raven replies.
"Yet you came. You heard them sing. This calls out to you. You can be more than just an agent. The tree has the right to hear your voice." Serafall says as she signals the path to the cabin. "The choice is yours."
Raven remains motionless. Nobody can see her expression behind her mask nor can they tell who she is. This mysterious figure remains silent for another moment until she steps forward and enters the cabin.
"You want this unknown individual to join us?" Ingvild asks.
"You'll see. Le Fay and you can be an amazing duo, but if there's another one with such a talent wouldn't three music divas be even better? Just give her a chance," Serafall says before she touches the console. "Your song?"
Raven grabs the microphone. "Alone by Yukata Yamada."
"The same song? Very well." Serafall replies.
The song starts to play, yet Raven doesn't remove her mask as she starts to sing.
"I have done so far."
"But beneath my soul,"
"I know I could have gone with you,"
"Sing a song awhile,"
"And I'll be calm again."
Her voice grabs a hold of everyone's hearts as her emotions are on full display for them to witness but the most affected is Ddraig as his chest hurts with each lyric.
The voice of this mysterious individual tries to bring broken memories to the surface.
Memories that his other self couldn't clearly remember.
The pain he felt as he heard her voice was impossible to describe.
"This pain. Does your heart seek someone who might never come back? Who is the person you seek to find?" Le Fay and Ingvild thought the same thing as their eyes teared up.
The song continues for a while longer. The Welsh Dragon doesn't move an inch as his mind tries to figure out the identity of the mysterious figure. "Who are you?"
Everyone except Ddraig applauds. Raven remains inside the cabin as her mask meets Ddraig's gaze. Each one hopes to get an answer from the other but such answers will have to wait as the time for the fateful was still far away.
Serafall smiles as she turns to the other two future divas. "Do you want to give it a try?"
Neither replies as they open the door to the cabin and enter.
"I take that as a yes. Alright, everyone this is the final test. If they can do this, the future will be set in stone. We'll make them shine across the realms as the most influential group ever created. There will be books written about what we're creating today." Serafall says with a cheerful tone. "Your song is Sayonara No Tsubasa by May'n and Nakajima Megumi. Sing to it with all your heart. Can this song reach the target of your feelings?"
The song starts to play and just like before gravity is affected within the cabin. The trio look at each other as they choose to do their best.
"The winds that shake the horizon" Le Fay begins.
"Is the blaze burning?" Ingvild follows suit.
"Shivering, I stand at the entrance of the world" The three sing harmoniously as if they had done for a long time.
"Until my feelings are delivered, I can't die." Raven takes over.
And so the song continues with the three singers taking turns without missing the song or interrupting each other. Each one puts everything they have into the singing, every emotion as real as the next, seeking to reach the target of their feelings.
The world around their target and themselves seemed to disappear as their voices became the method to deliver these feelings they felt.
Their target was in tears as he couldn't look away. With each lyric, their singing cut deep into him, and he couldn't explain it.
Maybe it was the song… No, it was them and the emotions they felt that were cutting him deep.
They tried to reach him with their song, but he knew he might not be around to reply to those emotions and the ones of many others. He imagined the many girls he had met and grown attached to and his heart sank as he imagined not seeing any again.
Serafall saw him in such a state, and she felt worried for him as this was not within her expectations. "Ddraig?"
"I…. I…." The dragon could not reply as he tried to regain control over his emotions.
The song ended, and the three singers rushed out of the cabin, but Raven stopped herself a few meters from hugging the dragon.
"Ddraig? What's wrong?" Le Fay asked as she saw his state.
"Does something hurt? Should we take you to the medics?" Ingvild asks.
Ddraig shakes his head. "You three were more than amazing, but I must take a breather. Serafall, I leave you the rest." The dragon steps up and starts to walk away—those present watch as the Welsh Dragon exits the room without saying another word.
"Serafall-sama?" Pauline turns to his leader.
"Get everything started. The project is a success, but he's my main worry right now. Take care of the rest, and we will discuss it tomorrow. Le Fay, come with me. Ingvild, I'll see you tonight. Raven…. Please don't run away from this. This can be your future, and whatever you seeking to achieve can be possible through this." Serafall stands up and rushes outside alongside Le Fay.
Ingvild is left extremely worried about the state of the Ddraig while Raven is left with many things to reflect on.
A few minutes later.
Serafall and Le Fay looked for him all around the inside of the building until they found him on the rooftop. Amongst a small garden, Ddraig rested under a tree while covering his face with his hands.
Both girls approach him in silence while saying nothing. They took a seat on each side of him.
"... Sorry. You shouldn't see me like this." Ddraig says.
"You above everyone else should have the right to get a mental breakdown under heavy stress. Do you wanna talk about it?" Serafall asks.
"... Not sure if I should." The dragon replies.
"... You shouldn't keep things hidden from us. We're supposed to stay together and secrets won't help either of us." Le Fay argues.
"You're going to hate me when you learn about what your father and brother are planning." Ddraig jokes.
"Killing the royal family? That's no new. I always known about that." Le Fay argues.
Ddraig looks at her from the corner of her eye.
"I know a lot of things. I'm not stupid. Even if I might be missing a few details I know the gist of what's going on so I won't think about it until the time comes." Le Fay admits. "Do you want to talk about your problem?"
"... I should be more careful about you. You can give me surprises when I least expected it." The dragon says as he pats her head.
"Ddraig, don't change the subject. What's happening?" Le Fay asks as she grabs his right hand.
Serafall grabs his left hand. "Talk to us."
"..." The dragon remains silent for a few moments. "I might die in the future. This time might be for real."
"Dying as in your soul cracking into a million pieces?" Serafall asks.
Ddraig nods. "Shiva told me that I might face Susanoo soon and this might be my last duel. I'm worried about dying and leaving everything to Issei instead of facing it together. I'm afraid of not being there for any of you. I'm afraid of letting go of this life which has given me so many things."
"Honey. Is alright to feel like this. You have two hearts and emotions like the rest. You have the right to fear a few things. We're all afraid of something. This is why we need to talk about these things." Serafall says as she leans against his shoulder.
"We're supposed to face these things as a family. Nobody is dying under our watch so don't be scared. I doubt that a simple prophecy will define your fate. If the Shinto gods do come for your head we'll protect you. Regardless of past mistakes, you don't deserve more punishments." Le Fay leans on his other shoulder. "Who says that Susanoo has the right to pass judgment upon you? Is likely that he also made mistakes back in the war so his hands aren't clean from sins. He doesn't get to choose who dies or who lives. Don't think about it too much."
Ddraig remained silent as he reflected. He felt too drained to move an inch or to even argue about this so in the end he chose to try to follow their advice.
It was best not to dwell on it.
At that same time.
Raven watches the trio from behind a hiding spot. She was still surprised about everything that had taken place.
"Ddraig is the one in control but is Issei still in there? Is this what he wants? Can he recognize my voice?"
She had many questions but few answers. As she prepared her escape, a small terminal activated in her arm.
"001-Raven, deliver this message to Tiamat-sama. Ddraig didn't kill Tsukuyomi. Susanoo is blaming Ddraig as a scapegoat for his own mistakes. Tell them to keep him away from Susanoo. There's no need for such a fight. Also, prepared an intensive care room for me. I might need intensive surgery when I return. I'm losing a lot of blood."-Yukime.
Her blood ran cold as she read the message. Regardless of what the message had said at the beginning. Her concerns now lay with her boss's state.
Her infiltration mission had gone wrong at some point and that was a massive issue.
Countdown:... 6