Chapter Forty-Four: DREAD

Vin awoke to the sounds of screams.

Clambering to his feet in a panic, the teen scanned his surroundings with wide, fearful eyes. Gone were the crowds of people tightly packed into rows upon rows of airplane seats; instead replaced with the rough, uneven geodes of a shallow cave, the cacophony of rainwater blitzing down upon the mountain outside casting an echo of sound that enveloped him completely.

That was until another scream cut through the rainy night.

"GGGGGYYYYYOOOORRRAAAAAGGGHHHAAAAHHHAAAHHHH!"

The haunting, inhuman wail reverberated throughout the cave like a phantom; startling Vin into action. Eyes casting around the cave, the teen prepared himself for the unseen dangers that could be lurking just behind any deep patch of shadow. He tried to summon his Sacred Gear, yet it was to no avail. He tried to summon a light spear to illuminate his surroundings; yet that too was met with nothing.

Vin's nose caught the scent of something behind him. Carefully, he turned around to the back of the cave, beginning to make his way over, desperate for answers.

Not five steps back, and the tip of his foot connected with something.

Bending at the knee, Vin reached down to scoop it up, holding it closer to his face to get a closer look.

A rotting visage of a human skull stared back at him.

"!"

Vin flinched back. The skull tumbling from his hands and crashing against the cave floor with a clatter.

Breath hitching, Vin stepped away from the back of the cave. The deep scent of rotting meat no longer subtle to his nose.

"GGYYYYAAAAAANNNNNGGGNNGGHHHH!"

Another wail broke through the rainfall, finally drawing Vin's attention back to the entrance. Still desperate for answers, the teen wasted no time in fleeing from the cave.

Vin flinched as the cold and heavy patters of the rain beat down upon his body. Tugging his jacket tighter to his frame seemed to do nothing to stop the chills that raced up and down his body as a strong, cold breeze blew through the twilight, carrying with it… smoke?

Vin turned to face the source of the breeze and froze.

From high atop a weathered mountain path, Vin stared downward to the sight of a moderate village set at the foot of the rock. Acting like a beacon in the dark of the night as the furious glow of flames crackled and roared, burning with an unmistakable fury in spite of the torrential weather.

"GGGGYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

Another wail carried on the breeze. It made Vin's face go pale as he realized the wails sounded eerily like those of an infant.

As if his body was moving on its own, Vin broke into a sprint as he raced down the mountain path. He needed to figure out what was going on, he needed to make sure that the painful, horrific wails weren't…

Before he knew it, he found himself nearing the base of the mountain. The intensity of everything around him overwhelmed his senses, causing his heart to sink to the pits of his stomach.

The smell of smoke, burning plant-life and broiling meat filled his nostrils. The painful cries now undeniably come from not just one poor infant, but several: their cries contorted into teary, haunting wailing; as if they were calling out for something or someone. The sound all underscored by a deep, booming chant that Vin couldn't quite make out.

The sensations of it all stirred up a flurry of emotions within him: horror, shock, fear, and above all else, a terrible, violent fury.

His legs carried him forward, further down the path, right until he finally reached the outskirts of the village.

"BURN THEM ALL! SCORCH THEM DEAD!"

The deep booming chant rose from crowds of villagers as they hoisted farming implements and torches into the air with fever; roaring in sadistic merriment as they surrounded a cornfield which went up like a pyre. The haunting cries of whatever poor, infantile things trapped within grew more and more desperate as they seemingly called out for aid that was not coming.

"I CAN'T HEAR AS MANY ANYMORE!" One gruff voice cheered above the rest. "KEEP IT UP, LADS!"

That spurred another wave of cheer from the villagers as they continued to chant away. Thrusting their spades into the edges of the cornfields to keep whatever was within trapped inside.

This was utter insanity.

Vin felt sick to his stomach as the scent of immolated flesh grew heavier in the air. Gritting his teeth, his fury broke through common sense, as he charged towards the village gates.

Before he knew it, the ground fell out from under him.

Shock temporarily providing mental clarity, Vin looked up as he tumbled down into a pit, the facade of solid ground crumbling and falling down along with him.

*SH-SH-SH-SHUNK!*

"GGGGGGRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Pain. That was all he could feel as his back was torn up and punctured by a myriad of spikes that awaited to cushion his landing. One punched clean through one of his thighs; another tore up his shin. One speared itself through his shoulder, joined by two that bore themselves straight through his back and out his torso. It was only by a small miracle that his head missed a gruesome impalement by a spike that lay a mere two-inches from his face; its gilded surface reflecting the light of the distant pyre.

After a moment, a small group surrounded the pit's surface; their torches illuminated them within the darkness. Vin wanted to call for their aid, wanted to beg them for assistance, but his mouth wouldn't obey his pleas.

"I'll be damned, Charles, your trap actually worked!" One of the men cheered.

The center-most figure – Charles, assumedly – shook his head, "Not yet it hasn't."

Charles pointed down at Vin's impaled form, each finger embossed with a set of fine golden rings. "See, the beast still lives, despite its state."

"Then what do we do?" Another villager cried.

"I could merely summon more gold to finish it." Charles turned to them with a toothy grin, "But I believe in charmic justice. The beast must suffer as you all have suffered! You there, bring the barrel over!"

"AYE!" The group cheered in fanatical glee.

A set of villagers hoisted up a barrel and began to pour it over the edge of the pit. Vin winced as the substance fell on top of his battered form; searing against his grievous wounds and matting down his hair.

Sputtering as the liquid dripped into his mouth, Vin spat as much of the oily substance as he could from his-

Vin's eyes widened, as he finally managed to open his mouth.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT-!"

It was too late, as Charles grabbed a torch from one of his men, he stared down at Vin's pleading form.

"Fare thee well, foul beast." Charles spat, "May thee burn in hell!"

"NO, STOP-!"

Charles tossed the torch into the pit; causing Vin to go up like a fireball.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHH!"

Vin howled, his entire body searing with more pain than he'd ever known before. Desperate to escape the slow immolation of his own body, he trashed against the spikes piercing through his body, tearing the wounds more and more; yet it was all to no avail.

As his skin bubbled and his brain became overloaded with the sensation of his fiery death, Vin focused on the visage of Charles, the funeral pyre reflected back in his eyes and off the set of golden rings he wore over each of his fingers.

With the very last of his strength, Vin went out into the night kicking and screaming: his own dying wails joining in choir with the sounds of the dying children in the corn.

"GAH-!" Vin lurched upward. Sweat profusely poured down his brow, his pupils dilated, and his breaths coming in ragged, shaky huffs.

He gazed down at his arms, clenching and unclenching them as he slowly realized he was no longer burning alive. A final sigh of relief letting the tension out of his shoulders.

"Thank fucking god…" Vin breathed, before hissing as his nervous system was assailed by a brief jolt of pain.

"Ugh… I fucking hate that…" Vin groaned as he slowly sat up in his hotel bed. Looking out as the silvery-glow of the night cast itself upon his room.

As far as the eyes could see were countless rows of compacted buildings; historic architecture weaving around modern constructions in a medley of infrastructure that bordered on labyrinthian. Just under the canopy of the soft moonlight, the streets lit up like a flickering flame, countless street lights and patio lamps bathing the walkways of the great city, a golden, ethereal glow.

Under any other circumstance, the sight would've utterly enraptured him. But right now, it only served to bolster the anxiety churning around the base of his stomach.

Lisa, Vincent, Mary-Ann. They were out here, somewhere.

Vin rubbed his eyes, before peering over his shoulder at the alarm clock housed next to the bed.

It was about quarter-to-four in the morning.

At this rate, Vin knew sleep was futile. The struggle to even fall asleep amidst the thoughts swirling his brain would take far longer than just waiting until daylight.

Swinging himself onto his feet with a grunt, Vin stretched and cracked his joints as he walked towards the small kitchenette in his suite. Cracking open the mini-fridge, Vin nabbed a can of Red Bull.

He hadn't taken a sip of the stuff in about a year now; the last time probably being when he last pulled an all-nighter to work on some creation he was doing…

Cracking open the tab, he brought the drink to his lips and began to gulp it down feverishly. Soon, the fog of his sleep ebbing away from his brain as the Energy Drink artificially kick-started his body.

Setting the half-drank can down, Vin walked over to grab hold of his jacket; a simple brown leather jacket with a hood. Shrugging the garment on, while getting suited back up in the one set of clothes he'd brought; Vin reached over to where his phone rested next to the alarm clock.

*Bzzzttttt!* *Bzzzttttt!*

Right before Vin could grab hold of the device, it began to vibrate against the table; the screen lighting up to proudly display an alert for an incoming call. Vin grit his teeth together as he read the caller I.D.

Xenovia.

Gently scooping his phone into his hands, Vin stared down at the screen in contemplation as it continued to buzz in his palm.

"..."

Vin set the phone back down on the nightstand and walked away, even as the knife twisted a bit deeper into his heart.

He tried to tune out the sound by focusing on lacing up his shoes. Letting out a small sigh of relief as the phone finally went silent.

Then two seconds later, it started to ring again.

"..." Narrowing his eyes at the device as Xenovia tried calling again, Vin swallowed a lump in his throat. "Sorry, Xenovia."

He left his cell phone abandoned on the nightstand as he threw open the doors to his suite's veranda. With a small running start, he planted his foot on the bannister, and leapt out into the night.

Landing on one of the nearby rooftops with ease, Vin quickly cast a glance back up to the hotel complex behind him, looking to make sure no one had accidentally caught a glimpse of him.

Eyes meticulously glancing up the towering hotel building, everything looked to be fine.

Then his eyes reached the top of the building.

Someone lay perched atop the roof of the hotel, their figure obscured by a large, tattered cloak that billowed in the evening wind. Narrowing his eyes, Vin sank into a combat stance as he watched whoever was stalking him from the roof slowly rise to their feet. Tall, gangly limbs sporting patchy, discolored flesh poking from under the dirty rag it draped over its frame.

A shifting beam of moonlit caught on the razor-sharp, nearly foot-long claws it had in place of the fingers on its left hand, twitching every few moments as if it barely was restraining its impulses in some perverse attempt at restraint.

It tipped back its head, the hood falling away as it let out a sharp, chortled, toothy noise into the night.

"URAK-AK-AK-AK!"

Then it leapt from the building.

"Shit-!" Vin bit back a curse as he tossed a light spear at his assailant. However, the creature was agile enough to twist out of its path, leaving the light spear to fly off into the sky harmlessly.

The beast rolled into its landing, pouncing out at Vin with its claw; forcing Vin to leap back with a beat of his wings; sending him to the next rooftop over.

The thing slowly bent into a hunched-over stance, like a panther silently stalking its prey under the cover of shadow and foliage. The air whisking through its fading, greasy auburn hair, its vaguely-feminine face peeled back in its best attempt at a snarl, despite the fact that its mouth was bound behind a line of thick, visible cross-stitches.

But what sent a shiver down Vin's spine was how the creature's gaze seemingly bored into him, despite the fact that it no longer had any eyes to speak of; instead it's face was pockmarked with two sinking pits where eyes one laid, layers of dry blood caked around his gouged-out eye sockets like some macabre imitation of mascara.

"...What in the fuck..?" Vin stammered.

The creature raised its right hand, leveling the barrel of some rusty machine quite literally bolted to its arm in place of another hand.

*BLAKA-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM!*

The weapon on the figure's right hand roared as it belched out hot rounds of buckshot at Vin, all while charging after the teen with shocking speed.

Not missing a beat, Vin summoned his Sacred Gear, throwing up a crystal wall to protect himself from the oncoming fire. Before having to pivot away once again as the abomination rounded on him once again. Another swipe of its claw deflected by a timely-light spear, Vin tried to defend himself from the merciless assault of whatever creature had been sicked on him.

The two dueled back and forth: ducking and weaving around each other at high speed. Sparks kicking up like small fireworks crackling as the sizzling coalescence of pure light clashed against the jagged bite of sharpened bone.

Vin deflected yet another slash; twirling his light spear around before rapidly lashing out into a thrust with the magical weapon. The beast let out a choked snarl through the stitches that bound it's mouth as the light spear tore through a gash through the side of it's ribs, causing a noxious odor to fill the air as pungent black blood to bubble out the wound; sizzling into clouds of foul smoke against the scalding edge of the weapon.

Despite his nose curling at the repulsive stank, Vin wasn't given a second of reprieve. With a shriek, the monstrosity stepped forward, willingly goring itself on his weapon even more to try and shish-kebab him.

"What the fu-GRUH!"

Vin was forced to abandon his weapon and disengage as the tips of the creature's claws swiped along his left shoulder, leaving three streaking cuts that tore through the fabric of his clothing, leaving blood dribbling down his arm.

The beast hunched over once more, stalking Vin as the two began to slowly circle one another. The teen noted how the creature seemingly sniffed incessantly at the air, its head twitching back and forth as it moved. No doubt it's lack of eyes was the cause. His brain buzzed with ideas, moving a mile a minute to try and triangulate some sort of plan.

"Uuuuurrrrrkukukuk…" The monster let out a low, chortling growl, "KRRR-AAK!"

The beast finally raced towards Vin once more, claw poised to puncture right through his chest. Vin raced forward, Crystal Weaver humming in sync as at the last moment, he threw himself to the right. Claw sailing through the air mere inches away from his face, Vin crashed to the rooftop floor, and swung his hand towards his opponent.

Before the beast could even turn around, a gigantic spire of crystals burst out from the roof, its jagged edges tearing at the monster's limbs, leaving it shrieking in pain as it was roughly shoved off the roof and to the alley below.

Vin remained lying there, listening to his heart pounding in his ears. When the distant thud of rotting meat slapping against concrete finally reached his ears, he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"W-What… What was that thing? A zombie?" Vin thought aloud as he slowly climbed to his feet, letting out a hiss as his shoulder let out a wail of pain through his body.

Vin slowly walked over to the edge of the rooftop, straining his eyes to peer down some six stories into the alleyway below.

[It certainly seemed like a corpse.] Bheithir chimed in.

"Well it certainly smelled like a corpse too." Vin cringed at the odor that clung to the stagnant air like a sickness, "Ugh… That's rank. What could even make something like that, a necromancer?"

[It's a possibility, but Necromancers would only be able to vaguely control them.] Bheithir let out a hum, [But even a skilled Necromancer wouldn't be able to make a dead body move as fluidly as that one did.]

"I guess that rules out a Necromancer." Vin furrowed his brow. "But what the hell could've made that thing?"

[I can only assume whoever's behind all this sent them here.]

"Yeah. Thank fuck I woke up when I did." Vin breathed a sigh of relief, as he took another glimpse over the edge of the alley.

"Uh… Bheithir?"

[Yes?]

Beads of sweat began to form on Vin's brow. "Where's that thing's body?"

*Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-!*

*CR-RNCH!*

Vin let out a scream as left forearm suddenly roared in pain; almost as if a bear trap had suddenly sunk its fangs into his limb. Glancing down at it, Vin's face blanched as his gaze was met by the emotionless-visage of some drake-like skull. With hollowed-out eyes and flaying skin and scales alike stapled into a tattered cover, the briefcase-sized head clamped down on Vin's arm with a bite force that shouldn't have been possible for a mere piece of carrion. The tether connected to the back of the skull draped down into the darkness of the alley below.

Then, the spinal-cord-esk cable began to reel inward with terrible force. All at once, Vin's footing was ripped out from under him as he was dragged off the rooftop. Letting out gasps and yelps of pain as his body was brutally whacked against the building's walls, Vin crashed into the dark alleyway in a messy heap. The stank of rotted meat and old garbage filling his nostrils and choking his every breath.

The head reeled him in further into the darkness of the alleyway. In his panic, Vin summoned a light spear into his right hand, preparing himself for whatever was reeling him in like a fish from the lake.

A gigantic clawed hand seized Vin's midsection, as the morbid-tether released its grip on Vin's arm and returned to its caster. Vin tried to swing at his captor's neck, but the creature simply swatted the weapon away, seemingly unphased with the way the light spear seared a cut into the side of its enormous forearm.

The abomination hoisted Vin up to its eye-level like a rag doll. The giant's short, brown lochs stained with matted blood of all shades, tousled and ruffled under the giant bands that wrapped around its head, keeping the gigantic padlock everything above its mouth obscured. With no lips to speak of, the monster's mouth was left on full-display; all horrid gums and crooked fangs dripping with gore.

The teen could feel the rising bile in his throat when the stench of carcass wafted into his face with each hot, shaking breath the creature expelled from its jaws. Vin squirmed as best as he could against the vice-like grasp the monster subjected him to, but his struggles got him nowhere.

"G-Get the fuck off me-!" Vin growled.

"Urrrrooogghhh." The beast groaned in a deep treble.

"ARGH!" Vin yelled as the monster squeezed harder. "F-FUCK!"

Vin's mind raced to find a way out, glancing around at his surroundings as best as he could, despite being right in the face of the gigantic Frankenstein-esk beast.

"Ur… Ak-Ak…"

The gangly, vaguely feminine beast from before emerged from the darkness, seemingly unbothered as it stood there while its entire right side threatened to fall off its own body.

"ORAGH!" The giant seemingly wasn't all too happy with Vin's distraction, shaking Vin in its grip, causing the teen's head to spin back around to face it.

*KR-TRUNCH!*

"Grrrruuuhh..!"

The giant slammed its gigantic padlock-laden face into his head as Vin's vision swam. The single headbutt nearly robbed him of his consciousness instantly. With the coppery-tang of his own blood dripping into his mouth, Vin gave one last weak struggle against the monster's grasp. The monster growled once more, as it reared its head back.

*KR-TRUNCH!*

Then again.

*KR-TRUNCH!*

The beast pulled its head back up one final time, fresh blood splattered across the rusted veneer of its shackle.

The only saving grace was that Vin's consciousness faded away before the last headbutt even made contact.

The chimes of the violin were the first thing that drew Vin's ears, fluttering through the air, aimless and formless as it accompanied the underscore of piano as they danced and weaved a downward-dirge.

Vin let out a growl as the murk in his head refused to fully part. The taste of rust laid heavy on his tongue. His body utterly drained of any energy it may have once had.

But what truly spurred Vin back to cognizance was the horrid sensation of pain lacing through his palms. Like a concentration of fire placed square through his hands, he could intimately feel how it felt; how it sobered his mind just enough to recall what had happened before his untimely slumber.

Remembering it all sent a shot of dread straight-through his mind. Vin took a few deep breaths, nearly gagging once more when the rancid smell of carrion reached his nostrils, caked in old blood.

He tried to clench his fingers, but he got nothing.

More panic set in, Vin eyes still remaining screwed shut as he hoped, nay prayed that this was just a nightmare…

Still no response from his digits.

Eventually, Vin forced himself to open his eyes.

"No, no, no, no…" Vin whispered, the sting of tears beginning to form in his eyes as he glanced down at his palms; each one pierced right through by a large metal nail, effectively crucifying him to a chandelier that hung down from the ceiling.

He wanted to throw up, he felt like he was going to; but he had nothing left to give. So Vin simply hung there, heaving frantic breaths, letting out dry heaves as his tears freely flowed.

"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening…" Vin pleaded with himself over and over.

Vin tried to use the classical music coming from behind him to ground himself. Slowly, his heaving slowed, his tears giving way to smaller sniffles.

'You have bigger fish to fry, you fucking idiot.' The remaining, pragmatic part of Vin's brain snarled at him, forcing him to take his gaze away from his gored-hands and instead focus on taking in his limited surroundings.

What first grabbed him was his sheer elevation. Due to his position, hanging from his pierced palms atop a chandelier, the teen was able to look down over the dimly lit room from high above. Fighting more nausea as the vertigo began to slowly swirl around his gut, Vin looked down at the floor, absolutely caked in blood stains, to the point where there may have been more blood than cracked, broken tile spanning what he could see.

All around were surgical tables in various states of mis-care and disarray; walls marked by dents, craters and even more dark blood. Off in one corner of the room, piles of bones and rotted meat piled up into a macabre mountain.

It was like he'd been transported to some horrific grindhouse from a horror movie.

Vin lifted his head to the roof and closed his eyes. "You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay, you're going to be-"

The teen's attempts to placate his own nerves were broken when the dirge echoing through the room ceased.

Vin felt tears welling up in his eyes once again as the loud sounds of something huge scraping and dragging along the floor sounded out from behind him. The deep, heavy footfalls of massive limbs drew whatever unseen horror closer and closer to him.

Then came its voice; a horrible facsimile of speech, like the grinding of pulpy-flesh and dry bones grinding against one another given the barest semblance of clarity.

"sO, thE pRodICal sOn awAkeNsssssssss."

A gigantic claw reached into Vin's peripheral, with the teen paling at the sight. Haphazardly-stitched together patches of flesh barely restraining a mish-mash of ligaments and muscle that oozed with blood. It's misshapen, chimera of a hand – large enough to completely curl around Vin's body on its own – clasped its terrible digits around the side of the chandelier, before tugging the fixture around.

"!"

Vin's eyes widened, as he took it all in. It was so terrible, so fundamentally wrong that he could scarcely put it into words. To call it a dragon would be an insult to the very concept of the species.

Its rotund, serpentine body was dragged forward by two large front legs: contradicting its heavyset appearance with powerful, bulky legs bulging with artificially-accumulated musculature held in place with thick stitches and bindings.

The thing had no wings to speak of anymore; instead two hulking appendages draped with scraps of old wing membrane that hung like tattered flags. Adorning the tips of its 'wings' were the contorted perversions of humanoid hands which it'd used to spin Vin around.

Moving up from its body, its long neck wore the cracked, discolored remains of a dragon's lower jaw like a necklace. Patches of burnt-scales and flesh of various tones dotting every inch of its body, a long, flowing mane of false-hair flowed down the back of its neck.

Only instead of hair, it was layer upon layer of human hands, each writhing and clenching their digits absentmindedly as they squirmed atop the dragon's body in a way that reminded Vin all-too much of swarms of maggots.

At last, whatever exactly became of its head was left covered by the top-half of the same dragon skeleton. It's empty eyeholes peering into only blackness, and a single visible facial feature being a single bulbous eyeball which peered out from a great hole cracking right through the top of the skull's forehead.

"grEeTiNgsssss, cHilD of mAn." the creature snarled as its singular gaze bore into Vin. "wE'rE sO pLeAseD to hAVe thEe cOmE! I tRuSt thE iNviTatIon wOrkEd?"

Vin tried to bury his fear, and bite back at the abomination set before him.

"Where are they, you bastard? Motherfucker, I swear if you laid even a single hair on their head-"

The creature chuckled like the clattering of bone. The foul stench of rot curled Vin's nose as the beast shook from its laughter.

"wOrrY nOt, bOy. i hAvE enSuReD tHeY hAvE bEEn tReAtEd wItH tHe bESt hOnoR."

The monster's eye narrowed. "bUt, ennnnnOuGH aBouT tHeM… i tRuSt yOu'Re liStEnINg, moThEr?"

Despite how weak Vin felt, Crystal Weaver still managed to summon itself. A soft amber glow pulsing from within.

[J-Josunth? I-Is that you?] Bheithir stammered. [... What in t-the world happened to you?]

The dragon's eye dilated.

"jOsUNtH iS dEAd!" The dragon roared, smacking the chandelier with one of its wings.

Vin's head swam as he was rocked around like a rag doll, each swing of the light fixture tugging at his impaled palms, sending excruciating pain lacing hot, up and down his limbs. Tears fluttered down his cheeks as he screamed out in agony.

"yOu oUgHt tO kNoW dAMn welL wHaT hApPeneD, yOu wORm!" The dragon bellowed out. "oR dId yOu nEvEr eVeN cOMe lOoKiNg fOr uS?! dId yOu jUsT liE bACk iN yOUr lIttlE-pIssiN'-cAvE wHiLe wE bUrNeD? dId yOu heAr us cAlliNg foR yOu?! bEggINg foR yOu to hElP uS?!"

[Josunth, please! Listen to me!]

One of the dragon's wing-claws shot up and seized the swinging chandelier. Once forcibly bringing it to a halt, the dragon raised its huge, hulking head right up to Vin's face.

"wHaT rIgHt dO yOu hAvE to cAll me tHaT naMe..?" The fury and venom dripping from its every word as apparent as the foul smell of blood and bone on its breath. "tHe nIgHt wE bUrNed waS the nIgHt thAt mY rEsPecT fOr yOu diEd. nOt eVeN aBlE tO pRoTeCt yOuR cLuTcH… a paThEtIc tHinG liKe yOu is nO dRaGoN. yOuR nAmEs mEaN nOthInG!"

"i aM no lOnGeR jOsUNth, sOn oF bHeIthiR!" The dragon reeled back to stand tall before its prisoner. "yOuR leGaCy mEaNs nOtHiNg tO mE… foR i aM onLy NEKROTHYS, the gReAt stItCheR!"

[...I'm… I…]

"sPaRe mE yOuR dRiVel." Nekrothys growled. "iF I dEsIrEd yOuR cHeAp aPoLoGieS, i'D hAvE cOmE cRaWliNg to yOu on mY kNeeS."

"nO…" Vin shivered back as one of Nekrothys's bent, hacked-up fingers rose and caressed his cheek. "i'Ve tHoUGhT loNg aNd hArD on wHaT i'D dO to yOu…"

The lilt in Nekrothys's voice was as undeniable as it was unnerving.

"i'll tEaR yOuR liTtlE vEsseL heRe tO PiecEs, aNd sTitch hIs loBotOmiZeD reMaiNs tOgeThEr aGaIn. mAkE yoU uNdErGo eVeRy horrOr iMaGinAblE, tRaPPeD iN a bOdY tHaT wOuLd nEvEr dIe… tHerE'll be nO eScApe fOr yoU, mOthEr~"

"bUt aLaS, sUcH fuN mUsT wAiT a wHilE." Nekrothys bemoaned. "mAsTeR hAs eNtrUsteD mE wIth a gReAt dUtY to rEpAy hIm fOr my rEssurEctIon; sO thE cOmplEtiOn of thE mAsTeRwOrK mUsT nOt bE dElaYeD! sEe, aT leAsT oNe oF us cAn keeP thEiR pRomIses!"

Nekrothys tilted its head back and let out a deep, choking laugh that nearly shook the foundation of the room.

"mAkE yOurSelF at hOmE…" The dragon turned around and began to leave, his stomps growing more and more faded, until at last, Vin was alone.

Vin released a shaky breath he didn't even know he was holding in.

This was insane, all of it.

The true implication of Nekrothys's threats began to weigh on Vin's mind. He was doomed. No one knew where he was, himself included. He had no idea where his family was. He had left his phone in his hotel room.

It all came crashing down upon him.

No one was coming to save him.

"B-Bheithir…" Vin began to sob, his tears falling down and down so far he couldn't even hear them hit the ground. "...W-w-what the hell am I doing..?"

[...]

"I mean, look at this!" Vin spat out between sniffles. "I shouldn't even care about these guys anymore right? But I tossed everything away to come here."

"And look where it got me!" Vin hissed, more fresh tears spilling down his face as the nails dug into his palms. "I-I-I'm here – wherever the f-fuck here even is – fucking c-crucifed to a chandelier!"

"... I'm going to die here." Vin hung his head. "I'm going to fucking die here…"

"..."

[...]

"... Goodness, this is the one that blew my wing off?" A familiar voice roused Vin out of his depressive spiral. "How utterly pathetic."

"W-Wha-?" Vin's eyes widened as he visibly bristled. "YOU!"

"That's right boy, ME." Kokabiel looked up at Vin, arms wide. "You seem like you've gotten yourself in quite the situation."

"How did you escape? Baraqiel and Vali captured you!"

"Same reason your little family was captured." Kokabiel shrugged. "The Brigade works fast."

"..."

"Oh what's the matter, brat? Where's your fire?" Kokabiel cracked a toothy smirk.

"... Leave me alone, you bastard."

"Hmph, watch your tone brat." Kokabiel flew right up to match Vin's eye level and snarled. "I could blow you apart without so much as lifting a finger right now."

Vin grimaced, before closing his eyes.

"Do it then." Vin sighed. "It beats whatever the dragon has in mind for me."

"Oh for the love of…" Kokabiel groaned. "You're pathetic, you know that? You're less than nothing! You're nothing but a spineless, insignificant, worthless little insect who couldn't accomplish a single damn thing in your life!"

"You're right…" Vin conceded, more tears falling down his eyes.

"Don't start the waterworks yet, boy; I'm not finished!" Kokabiel barked at him like a drill sergeant.

"I haven't even started to mention how you're the reason your little friend died: you should've acted quicker, you should've done more than just stand there and watch." Kokabiel gave a sadistic laugh. "What your little whore of a girlfriend saw in you is beyond me."

Vin grit his teeth, but otherwise kept his head down.

"What? No biting retort? The Sekiryuutei would've been cursing me out by now, telling me to shut up." Kokabiel scoffed. "Come on boy, let me have it! Show me some fight!"

"..."

"Fine then." Kokabiel huffed. "You'll have some time before you get chopped up, so I think I'll go get you some company! It's late in the Underworld right now, everyone's asleep, Sirzechs is probably at his office and Azazel is back at the Grigori dealing with the fallout of my breakout."

Kokabiel's smile turned feral. "So let's go for a record! How many of your little Devil friends can I kill in their sleep? I'll even bring you their heads; line them up right next to you so you have some company~"

Vin's eyes shot open.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Vin tried his best to lunge out and bite at the Fallen Angel, ignoring how the flesh on his hands tore painfully against the nails. "I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Really now? Come at me then, boy!" Kokabiel smiled as he drifted back down to the floor. "Oh wait, you can't, can you?"

Vin's gaze bore down on Kokabiel, huffing and puffing with pure, vitriolic rage. Vin struggled once more against his gruesome bonds. Then again.

"Clock's ticking boy~" Kokabiel taunted. "I'm starting to get bored!"

Vin's rage built and built with each large gulp of air and each thrash against his bonds. Vin's brain cycling through images at a breakneck speed.

His parents.

Lisa.

Irina. Ezekiel. Jafar. Vanessa. Griselda.

Issei. Kiba. Rias.

Barakiel. Azazel.

Xenovia.

With tears in his eyes, Vin summoned up all the strength in his right arm and pulled down.

"GRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

*SHHHHLLLLRRRRRRIIIIIIPPPPPP!*

With one final yank, Vin tore his hand free of the nail. Leaving a gigantic gash splitting his hand in twain, right between his middle and ring finger.

"GGGGGAAAAAAAAA!" Vin couldn't think, Vin couldn't comprehend anything but the violent pain that laced through his hand. Blood poured out of the wound like a faucet.

But he didn't have any time to waste. Still screaming, more and more tears pouring hot down his face, Vin pumped his body up with his left arm.

"OH FU-AAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!" Vin let his body weight fall once more. More flesh yielded as it was forcibly separated by the nail.

Again. Up, down. Tear

"GAAAAAAAARRGGHHH!"

Again.

"KRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Again.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!"

AGAIN.

The blood vessels in Vin's eyes popping, he grit his teeth and tore at his brutalized palm one last time.

"YYYYYYYRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!"

*SSSSHHHLLLLLL-RRRRIIIIIIIIPPPPPP!*

The flesh finally gave away. Vin plummeted down towards the floor, letting out a shout as his feet absorbed the fall.

Vin heaved breathes of the rank air like a lifeline. His adrenaline beginning to ebb away, Vin held up his hands to properly inspect the damage.

It wasn't pretty. He couldn't move any of his fingers, his hands pouring out blood from the gruesome ravines he'd carved through his own hands, rending them into hulks of gorey meat.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, fuck, oh my fucking, oh fuck, oh fuck…" Vin began to hyperventilate.

"Cover them with your crystals before you bleed out like a dog." Vin glanced up to see Kokabiel glancing down at him impassionately. "What are you waiting for, my fucking permission?"

Vin swallowed the lump in his throat as he summoned Crystal Weaver. With a quick pass over each hand, he sealed the bleeding limbs within a pair of crystal arm blades, which quickly filled with a dark red hue at their center.

"Able to walk?" Kokabiel half-asked, half-demanded. "Let's move."

Vin rose to his feet proper, taking a step forward.

Then pivoting on his toes to try and stab Kokabiel.

The Cadre vanished in the blink of an eye as Vin's arm blade hit nothing but stale, pungent air.

"That's rather underhanded of you, boy." Vin spun around to find Kokabiel leaning behind him. "I thought you heroes were supposed to be all about honor."

"Fuck you, bastard." Vin snarled. "Why are you even here?"

"Goodness, you're dense." Kokabiel moaned. "Listen to me here, and listen good boy, because I'll only ever say this once: I'm not here to kill you or your friends; I'm here to help you. But only if you pull yourself up by your damn bootstraps and try to save yourself."

"..."

"You got all of that, boy?" Kokabiel turned around and started to head towards a door opposite to the exit Nekrothys slithered through. "Let's move, we have work to do."

"Why are you doing this?" Vin spoke up.

"You interest me, plain and simple. You managed to grievously wound me; as a mere human, no less." Kokabiel glanced over his shoulder, the duo making their way through the decrepit, dilapidated laboratory. "Now stop sniveling; you have more things to worry about than your pathetic little brooding."

Vin sucked in a sharp breath as he tried to push down the waves of pain and nausea rippling through his system. Eventually, he gave the Cadre a short nod.

"Right… Let's go." Vin grit his teeth.

Kokabiel's face split into his trademark grin. "That's more like it."

The unlikely duo made their way to a set of heavy steel doors. Kokabiel planted his hand up against its surface for a moment.

"..." Kokabiel sighed and stepped away from the door

"What?" Vin questioned. "Just open the door."

"You open it up – it's useless if I do it." Kokabiel conceded, gesturing for Vin to move ahead. "But understand what will happen if you open that door, boy."

Vin raised his eyebrow. "What the hell are you-"

"You have two choices, boy." Kokabiel warned. "Once you open this door, there's no force in Heaven or Earth that'll let you go back. This is your crossroads, child…"

"What are you-"

"Are you satisfied with your ending? All of what you've had up until now?" Kokabiel reiterated. "Or are you willing to chance throwing everything away to keep on going?"

The emotionless void of Kokabiel's tone sent Vin physically reeling. Taking a step away from the door, Vin felt the lump in his throat growing as the pittering of distant droplets splattering onto tile chimed in the distance. The teen closed his eyes and swallowed another breath.

"Like I have a choice." Vin finally looked up, his gaze steeled and his brow furrowed.

The battered-teenager took a step forward and pushed the steel doors open with his shoulder. All while trying to fight down the way that Kokabiel's face-splitting grin sent chills running down his spine, along with the single word that spilled from his lips like a curse.

"Good."

Well yikes, that sure was a chapter, huh? Unlike the last chapter, which was the subject of the most rewrites ever, I was really able to start with a super strong beginning in that dream sequence. That dream is actually an idea I've had kicking around for a while, so I'm super glad I finally found the exact moment to use it. True to the chapter's name, I think the dream certainly succeeds in filling me with terror; especially that final sequence. Never thought I'd get to write a scene where Vin gets brutally-murdered, but it was sort of a morbidly-fun topic to write. I'll chock it up to being such a refreshing concept for a scene.

Now onto the meat and potatoes of this chapter; the actual enemies! I know for a long-time people have had (pretty valid) criticisms about Vin not actually having distinct enemies that are removed from Issei/the rest of Team DxD's rogue's gallery. Aside from Purge, which has been foreshadowed and lurking around since the Excalibur/Holy Sword Arc, Vin has been pretty dry on that front. With that being said, we're finally getting to see some more unique, original villains coming into the fold here: only we're 44 chapters in… Oh geez…

Anyhow, the two 'zombie' character's we see here were super fun to come up with! I don't know if it'll ever come up in the story itself, but I've taken to calling the lankier one with the shotgun "The Stalker" and the huge giant with the padlock head "The Gatekeeper". I actually drew them while on shift at work before I ever thought of including them in this story, but their designs ended up being something I really liked, so that encouraged me to bring them in here proper. Their design inspirations come from a few different places; probably a mix of horror and horror-adjacent media that I can't quite think of off the top of my head right now; but choices like The Gatekeeper's padlock-mask are very "Evil Within" coded.

And then there's Nekrothys. Oh, dear sweet Nekrothys. I'm certain that you've all picked up on it by now, but the Graal may or may not have been used to revive Bheithir's dead children. So we're actually diving a bit into the original myths surrounding Bheithir; specifically the version of events that are depicted in this chapter's introduction (there are a few different versions of the actual folklore, I simply chose to go with this interpretation).

But focusing on Nekrothys himself, I hope I was able to sell just how wrong this creature is. It's a patchwork chimera built from the carcasses of countless things, growing into the skull of its own body – with a mane of hair that's made up of human hands, for pete's sake! If this arc is all about going into horror, then Nekrothys himself is very much the quintessential example of grotesque body horror; a real Cronenberg-Monstrosity and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to write more truly demented monsters in my story, especially since the last time we really got adversaries like that was all the way back with the first few Stray Devils in this story's first arc.

The last super notable thing is… well, Kokabiel's back! This arc is allowing me a lot of freedom to experiment, so I thought bringing Kokabiel back into the fold for a bit would be a super interesting addition. I've got some really, really cool – and at risk of sounding like a snob, subversive – ideas I want to do with Kokabiel's inclusion here, so I don't want to go too in-depth; but just know that his inclusion is very purposeful and like pretty much every single element in this story arc, he was included with careful consideration in regards to how he reflects certain themes and concepts the arc is about in general.

Alright, with my little spiel out of the way, I believe it's time for the…

REVIEW ROUNDUP:

Vtrox says… (This one's for Chapter Two, actually)

sorry, this may seem old, but I call BULL. There are many people who have sacred gears and still stayed with their families (Sona peerage for instance). Griselda was talking about exploitation while being very exploiting.

I hope Vin will realize that soon enough.

I thought I should respond to this, even though this review is on such an old chapter. Who knows, hopefully Vtrox will choose to continue and eventually get the chance to read this themselves!

So let's discuss chapter two for a moment (wow, that feels weird to type). I will be the first to admit, chapter two is not one of my best pieces of work; as it suffers from what I believe to be one clear issue.

One, it was written in 2021. DxD: Alternate is the first fanfic I've ever gone out of my way to publish online, and it's only predecessors have been two other DxD fanfics I wrote during the years prior under the COVID lockdowns – both of which totalled up to about 20-ish chapters of content and were NOT GOOD. What I'm trying to say here, is that the first arc of DxD: Alternate was written when I wasn't as seasoned as a writer creating full-on narratives. While I had a basic idea for what I wanted the plot to be at the time, I largely winged-it when it came to writing out the chapters themselves; unlike now where everything is far more planned and fleshed out before I ever begin typing on a google docs page.

As a result of that lack of experience and insight, from both my own time as a writer and from the skill sets I've developed as a result of my Professional Writing major in University; chapter two doesn't stand as the most well-fleshed out chapter. It exists to channel Vin from the casual life of a citizen to the life of an exorcist-trainee with the church, all while establishing the little chip of his shoulder regarding his old life; which is something we're obviously exploring a lot more in this most recent story arc. In all honesty, the reasons presented in the chapter for why Vin has to separate from his family do come off as a bit arbitrary; but I still agree with them.

For one, Griselda tells Vin that it's to protect his family from people looking to get to him through harming them. While this feels like it's primarily borrowed from super-hero media, I think in hindsight it holds some precedent; especially since we've now seen how Ethan, Jafar, Vanessa have directly suffered losses of their immediate family to this life. In addition, the idea that Griselda/the church could let Vin's memories be wiped and then send him on his way is a bit ridiculous. Even with his memories wiped, Vin has unlocked his Sacred Gear that cannot change. So the option of mind-wiping a boy and letting him loose on society with geomancy superpowers he can't really control invites tremendous room for incident; and equally, someone far more nefarious coming by to seduce or radicalize said individual.

In all ways, it's clear that the best course of action now that Vin had awoken his Sacred Gear is to firmly break away his connection to his family for their sake, while also giving him a firm, guiding hand to help him develop his abilities for a purpose that's generally-moral. Let's be clear, there is no way Vin could actually oppose the church in any meaningful way, especially at the point he's at in the beginning of the story. If he tried to run or defend his family; well truthfully, he'd probably be put down for the populace's safety, as well as to defend the whole 'supernatural secret society' thing we have going on.

While it may seem arbitrary at first, I hope that this explanation helps you see that there is legitimate reason to the actions the Church took during chapter two. By the way, all of this isn't to dismiss the idea that Vin is inherently a victim in all of this; that's core to his character; the idea that he did not choose this life, the idea of constant loss and conceding is integral to Vin's psyche as a character and his role as a hero in this story.

There's not really resentment towards the individuals in the church either, Griselda was a fine mentor for him, and the training program did let him find a new family. There's no discounting the horrible reality of the situation, but there's also no discounting that everything Vin finds precious in his life now stems directly from his time spent under Griselda's tutelage at the Vatican.

It was great to hear from you, Vtrox;and I'm glad that even three years removed, you feel strongly-enough to leave your own thoughts on the story. It shows a level of dedication and interest in the story when someone brings their thoughts and criticisms to the piece, especially when we're so far in already, so there's no extrinsic reward to leave a review. Thank you so much and I hope that you continue reading on, experiencing the way I feel I've grown as an author, and hopefully some day you're reading this same response! Take care!

Royalrain20xx says:

Well now, uhhhh… Happy late birthday to Vin? So I'm just gonna label this one from "Daaaww how sweet" to Goddamn Nightmare:

First off, it was pretty cool having to see an interaction of Vin and the boys just shooting the shit in the bath. From discussing each others preferences to women, to Vin talking a bit about his goals before his life turned to the supernatural, to even getting to see the genuine friendships they've all made the longer they got to know one another really had a sense of just a genuine good time between friends despite their current/recent differences in their factions. Second, having the peerage go through each other's mail felt like going through a classic P.O. Box video, albeit without Vin going full theater mode on his hate mail from "passionate" devils, really showed the fun side lf it all. And finally-saved this one for last-the spice! Ho boy, do Vin and Xenovia sure feel comfortable in their relationship now! I can't really describe it in detail given the context, but man, if there were a certain man with a with a certain voice looking over Vin and Xenovia getting ready to perform, he'd be screaming "Oh myexpeditiously.

Now, with all the happy crap out of the picture, lets talk about Vin's goddamn nightmare. What in god's name will that boy experience to leave him in the state we saw him in that intro?! I mean this happened at least 5 days AFTER the day of the "Reunion" so what could possibly take place to where we see him commiting the cardinal sins of teenage life; smoking and drinking. And that's not even getting into Bheithir's baggage, that dragon's clearly gonna make this worse, am I not the only one feeling that? Also, the fact that he'll be going alone with no backup surely won't leave some very long lasting consequences, oh no-I'm sure things'll be great once Xenovia seems him again. Overall, this chapter got me hooked for the hell that's about to be unleashed during this arc, and given the people most important to Vin are caught up in the crossfire, I can't imagine they're gonna receive him with open arms given what's happened to them. Either way, whoever pulled this off-imo has already won.

As always, it's great to hear from you once again, Royalrain! Thanks for always leaving such detailed reviews, they're a blast to read and then re-read through!

Starting off, I'm glad you enjoyed the bathhouse scene with the guys so much! One of the core things I've been trying to push for a lot more in my story is this genuine element of brotherhood between the members of the core cast. Of course, that potentially can run the risk of distracting from the overarching storyline, so I'm making a lot more attempts to naturally weave in these moments of characterization for the cast. I've always loved coming at scenes with the 'Seinfeld' approach, which is to basically have a scene about basically nothing, then having the characters themselves elevate the scene by simply bouncing off each other. The guys shooting the shit in the bath was a ton of fun to write, and I'm super glad you enjoyed it so much!

In much the same vein, the PO Box scene was super funny to write! It was a simple premise I had constructed to solve the problem of creating that call-to-action that'd bring Vin to France on his own, and the end result was something that I was super happy to create. I've always been a big fan of having a more witty-edge to my dialogue (banter is my favorite), so the PO Box scene was really a great chance to cut-loose and have fun with all these characters. I've done theatre and improv quite a bit over my life, so when I end up writing dialogue, a lot of the cadence and rhythm of the dialogue comes from me imagining it being performed; which is why I have such a preference for either witty, banter-based dialogue, or some more long-winded monologues. My favorite line from that scene is still the one where Vin, mid-reading goes "Did Zeke write this shit?" It makes me cackle every time I read it.

And like you said yourself, then there's the spice. So for a bit of insight, this portion of the bathhouse scene was supposed to be pretty different, with more of a focus on Xenovia washing Vin's hair in a tender-sort of way. However, as I continued exploring that idea, the concept of it all sort of evolved; which led to me leaning more heavily into the concept of these two hormone-addled teenagers having a fun little go at each-other. With all the flirty back-and-forth I had written between the two in the chapter prior, it felt the most right to do.

With that being said, god was I terrified while writing this scene! We all know how this website can get with its intolerance for material like smut; and I really didn't want to have to push this story into an M-rating, since that'd significantly-limit its visibility and outreach on the platform. So instead of 'defanging' the scene, I thought I'd lead far more heavily into the idea of implication. Looking at the scene from a bird's eye view, it's pretty tame all things considered; they don't really do much, and when it begins to ramp up, that's when we cut the scene. I thought that I could still grant that sexual-thrill and risque tension in that scene by simply relishing in the implication of it all. You'll notice nothing was actually overtly mentioned (besides the grinding), so it still is technically kosher for the platform. It's a take on a 'sex-scene' far more akin to a Y.A. novel, and in that I think I was able to strike a balance of genuinely tender moments between the two and something a bit more fun and saucy. I'm glad that you enjoyed it so much; although I'll be honest when I admit I don't know exactly who you're referencing with that dialogue. I read it as if it was C-3PO talking, lol.

When it comes to the introduction of the last chapter, I'm so glad you're captivated by it! This was my first time employing 'In Medias Res' in my story, and I'm so, so happy that the scene left you with so many questions, and that underlying sense of dread, like "oh shit, something's going to go horribly wrong soon", and well, with this chapter now, you know, yeah, we're going deep with this one.

To your point, Bheithir's involvement and past is starting to come to light a lot more in this chapter. She's always been a bit of a confusing character, especially in contrast to other Sacred Gear dragons. Not being super keen on helping Vin out, being implied to have not been sealed in the Gear by GOD like the others, and being actively-antagonistic and hostile at times. Bheithir is a type of character who's going to be explored a lot over the rest of the story; because inherently, her struggles are, by-proxy, also Vin's struggles. They are partners, but right now, they don't really act like it. Bheithir doesn't view Vin as more than a source to gather energy. But with the concept of Nekrothys, Bheithir has a physical embodiment of her past and her own mistakes put right in front of her, courtesy of the Graal!

As a matter of fact, the concept of the 'past' is a big theme of this story arc. Most obviously is the reintroduction of Vin's family, but in addition, Nekrothys being one of Bheithir's dead children serves as the physical manifestation of Bheithir's own past coming back. The past never dies, and no matter how much you want to run away from it all, it'll find a way to come back. Be that with Kiba, Akeno, Asia, Koneko, Vin and of course, Bheithir. It's going to be a push that really takes Bheithir into a more active role. What kind of active role that'll be, you'll have to wait and see.

Thank you so much for writing in again, Royalrain; it's always a blast to hear from you! I hope that this chapter really got you excited for what's coming up, because oh boy, are you in for one hell of a ride!

Antex-The Legendary Zoroark says:

OHMYGOSH! MORE DRAMA AND MORE INTENSE EMOTION! Why do you keep playing GAMES WITH MY HEART?! Lol! I gotta admit though, I didn't expect the dark beginning of this chapter and seeing as you mentioned this part will be DARK, I can only guess as to what evil plans you have in store for Vin! *gulps with a shudder* You, my friendly and fellow author, are a mix of genius and mad! But that's the kind of combination that makes a fanfic SO interesting!

Now then, regarding the non-gritty and inevitable dark stuff that'll likely happen, let's get to the more light-hearted stuff. First and foremost, I liked how when Vin first woke up, everything seemed like another normal (by supernatural standards that is) day. That was perfect timing and a good start to begin this with. Then came the training and Azazel's questions with Vin which I'll admit, concerned me a bit as I'm certain Vin will be quite the anomaly for some time as this fic continues. Next was the nice guy-bonding moments between Vin, Issei, Kiba, and Gasper whilst they soaked in the hot steamed bath! Had to laugh at how their conversation started out casual along with thinking of their hopes and dreams for the future! Then when it came to the topic of ladies? Well, I have to say that that was the main highlight I enjoyed the best. I barely suppressed a laugh when Vin realized why Kiba said the lips of a lady are so appealing to him. LOL! And when Issei nodded in agreement to Vin's "sage-ly wisdom" was another good moment that made me nearly compare him to those wise men on the mountain running their beard. Cliche maybe, but hey, paints a funny and accurate picture all the same! Xenovia and Vin having a little private time was cute too. I could definitely feel the love they have for each other with each interaction. Truly their bond is something to be treasured. I do hope Vin's reckless solo mission here will make sure to hammer in how such a bind is needed and to be treasured. Plus, like any delicate flower, it can wilt if one is not tending to it. Oh and can't forget the Fan Mail! Nice bonding moment with everyone along with the unfortunate inclusion of hate mail… oy vey.

Overall, this chapter was the right combination of fluff, slice of life, and an inkling of what's to come! Until next chapter, keep up the grand work!

P.S. Koneko's and Vin's interaction was adorable (and awkward but that's par the norm with Koneko) and yet again, another fav highlight of mine.

P.S.S. One final thing. I wanted to thank you for your kind words on how much you appreciate my reviews and comments. I know I mainly comment and at times won't make my reviews as long (unless the story really ignites that "reviewer spark"), or even comment/review at all, and yet even so, your words are extremely kind. It makes me very happy to inspire and keep the authors of the stories I follow happy and willing to always put in their best on any and all future content. Nearly made me shed a tear in fact. So! Keep being the best author you can be and I'll continue the same as your reviewer/commentator for this story! If you also wouldn't mind, I'd also like some of your opinions on my stories too. Just a suggestion and no need to commit. Again, until next time!

Oh wow, this is a long one! You always spoil me, Antex, I swear…

So starting off, it's awesome to see just how excited you are for this next arc! I know that the concept of getting dark and serious in a world like DxD can not always be people's cup of tea; and often times can even border of edgy-absurdism; but hearing how intriguing you've found the opening for the last chapter really assures me that I'm on the right path here. Especially since I can tell how emotionally-invested you are in this narrative!

It's good to see that you appreciate the way the chapter was laid out in terms of how the tones of the scenes worked together! I always like when I can play with contrasting elements in writing, so by framing the opening scene of Vin at the cafe in Paris with that super cryptic, dour and very dreadful atmosphere; only to contrast it with that super upbeat, fun smash-cut to the events several days prior, it really helps create that horrible contrast, and it evidently worked, considering how excited and even a bit fearful of what might happen next!

You're right when you say that Vin's been consistently framed as an anomaly in this story. It's by design, with Vin always intended to serve as something of a foil to Issei; two boys similar in plenty of ways, but also contrasting just as much. Vin's journey as a character is meant to parallel Issei's own evolution as well. Your concerns may very well be warranted…

Like I said in response to Royalrain's review, the bathhouse scene with the guys was so much fun to write, so I'm glad that it was so well-received. I love giving the chance to have characters just be people in super-plot-heavy stories like these, since it gives such a refreshing break and really grants some more depth to everyone, even if that's just through comedic banter. I personally think the way you see Issei teasing Kiba about his Kuoh Prince title in that scene does leaps and bounds more to solidify and showcase the two's brother-like relationship than just one of them saying out loud "You're like a brother to me."

On a side note, I've been dropping little jokes regarding Gasper for a while now, but I love the idea that Vin doesn't really know who Gasper is right now, purely by virtue of not spending as much time with the Dhampir as anyone else yet. That'll get fixed soon, and this scene was a step forward in their own little relationship, but it's a funny bit I've had for a while.

I'm overjoyed to hear that you're enjoying Vin and Xenovia's relationship! There partnership is something integral to the story and to Vin's character, and as someone with admittedly, a pathetically-small amount of experience in dating and relationships, I'm glad that I've been able to craft this fictitious couple to be something that's well fleshed out and above-all, fun to read! You're right though, the events of the story are going to have some effect on their relationship. You can already see that Xenovia hasn't really taken well to all the times Vin's been badly injured, and the events of this arc surely aren't going to help that fear. I mean, this arc with Vin in France takes place simultaneously to when the rest of the cast is taking on Diadora Astaroth, so that on its own brings in a lot of complications.

Finally, I wanted to say thank you for the kind words at the end of your review. Seriously, the first time I read through it – I won't lie – I started to choke-up a little bit. Your message was really, really sweet; so thank you so much for everything!

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, Antex. Even with how horrible, terrifying and grim the entire thing was! Have a good one, and I can't wait to hear from you again!

Well that about wraps it up for the Review Roundup this time! Remember that if you have any thoughts, critiques, questions, theories, anything you want to share; don't hesitate to drop a review! I read through them all, and any time someone leaves one, it honestly makes my day!

Other than leaving a review, if you want to show your support on this story; you can do so by dropping a follow and a favorite on this story, or even just sharing it around via word-of-mouth. I'm so happy with the community we've cultivated here, and I can't wait to see it continue to grow!

I hope you're all ready for the story to continue, because this one's going to get crazy! Now that I'm free from the shackles of loosely-interpreting canon, you're going to get some real wild stuff out of me! Hope you're all ready for it!

Until next time, my friends…

ROCK ON!