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 adventure continues within the desert as the team follows the compass to reach Ra's temple, but today wasn't a peaceful day like the ones before. They had finally escaped the sandstorm only to find themselves chased by a new obstacle.
From beneath the sand, hundreds of giant creatures with reddish exoskeletons and at least four massive pincers began to chase after the ship with the intent to devour everyone inside. Upon closer view, one would see them and think, "giant mutant scorpions," but these creatures seemed much worse. As their mouths opened, a series of goey appendages came out and began to shoot a mysterious gooey substance against the ship.
Rogier quickly ordered evasive maneuvers, as getting hit by any of those projectiles would spell problems for them.
As it evaded the projectiles, the ship turned from one side to the other. Those that were inside the ship were forced to hold onto anything they could as the boat continued like this for a while.
It was a pretty dangerous situation, but thankfully they had a way to counter the beasts.
As the "scorpions" approached their target, an unknown assailant suddenly pierced a large group with an impressive attack that was too fast for them to track.
The beasts' eyes turned in all directions as they hoped to find their target until they saw it.
A black steed dashed through the sand while its rider, clothed in silver armor, held a large silver lance that shined like a star. The horse took a sharp turn, and its hoofs created a large cloud of sand as it touched the unstable sand floor.
To the surprise of the beasts, the steed was holding one of their pincers in its mouth before it chewed right through it like some kind of bloodthirsty creature.
Yet the beasts were not afraid of the steed as it was he and its rider against all of them, or so they thought until they felt its presence.
As their eyes turned to the right, in the distance, they saw the red dorsal spines of a large behemoth that was swimming beneath the sand. They couldn't see its face or its whole body, but they felt threatened as it approached them with impressive speed.
The "scorpions" stopped chasing after the ship as their instincts told them to group up and face the approaching enemy.
The ship got away, yet the mysterious swimmer approached faster, like a sand shark ready to attack. The "scorpions" prepared themselves for the attack, but the swimmer suddenly disappeared as its spikes sank beneath the sand.
The scorpions looked around for their attacker, but they were too late to realize its location as, from beneath them, a giant dragon jumped forward with its mouth open as it devoured a large part of them. Its massive body covered the sun momentarily as it descended right into the sand on the other side.
The pieces of its brethren fell from its jaws to the sand as none were lucky enough to survive the dragon's jaws.
The steed and its rider took this time to attack once more, eliminating the remaining "scorpions," leaving no survivors behind.
A new predator had arrived in the desert, named Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon.
A few minutes later.
Ddraig, in his dragon form, continued to swim alongside the ship as it kept most of his body beneath the sand. The sand was not kind to his human form as it got everywhere, but to his dragon form, the opposite happened as the deeper his body was, the cooler he felt beneath the surface.
While he continued to swim, several of his team members had set up shop on top of him with towels and umbrellas as they peacefully enjoyed the breeze they started to feel not too long ago.
Rogier tried to make sense of the view as Serafall, Ingvild, Yasaka, Gabriel, and Ereshkigal peacefully rested on top of the dragon's head as if the beasts from before had not happened.
The fact they all had bikinis was not helping his sanity.
"Don't worry about it too much, Rogier. Just let them have this one while it lasts." Baraqiel said as he approached the blonde devil. "The clouds and the breeze make it more manageable for them. Once we get to the Grand Nile, we can all shower to cool down even more."
"I'm trying, Sir Baraqiel, but it is hard to take this sight in and not find it too weird. We're on a mission, after all." Rogier says. "Look at them? It feels more like they are on some kind of vacation."
Baraqiel doesn't even look at the girls and just shakes his head. "We're barely three days in, with several weeks ahead of us before we reach the target. A bit of peace is more than welcome; otherwise, we must endure being trapped inside the ship at all times. None of us except our resident fire-breathing lizard can tolerate these high temperatures in this desert. I know you're a Phenex member, but even you must admit it is too hot. So, if Ra and his allies want us to take the long route, we should make the most of it." The fallen angel said as his ears detected the cheerful screams of Liv in the distance.
"Faster, Sieg. Show me what you can do!" Liv continued as they pushed speeds past the human realm.
The former Valkyrie leader was riding Sieg with no problems, as the steed could not sink into the sand due to its magical properties. The pair seemed to enjoy their freedom as it had been at least three hours since they began to run all around the ship's immediate area while also surveying the area for possible problems.
Rogier had little to no argument he could make as this also helped him to give his familiars time to rest as he switched to using the veils while they ate and rested beneath the sand.
In the end, Rogier was forced to just go along the flow as it was best for him to test his luck against a group of ladies.
Gabriel's POV.
As a seraph, Gabriel had never been part of such activities as going to the beach for a day, going camping, shopping with friends, watching movies, and many other acts that were normal to humans. As the daughter of the Bible god, she had followed specific holy mandates and a rigid life of purity that allowed no space for such acts…. Or so it was for a long time, but things had changed a lot.
The most attractive woman in all of heaven was now wearing a two-piece bikini and a pair of glasses as she enjoyed the breeze alongside the other girls.
Even angels could be affected by such temperatures, and although she initially rejected the
"Serafall, drop some ice for us, please," Ereshkigal said as she lay next to her.
"Give me a second," Serafall said as she raised her hand and summoned a small shower of ice for them.
As the ice touched their bodies, it began to melt, leaving them all wet. If the paparazzi were present, the photos would have made the front page as the sight was incredible. Even the members of Rogier's team had to glance a few times at the view of the ladies.
"That is great," Yasaka said, using her multiple tails as an improvised fan to help with the heat. "This was a great idea."
"Indeed…" Ingvild said as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the refreshing sensation of the water running through her body.
"We gotta thank, my sweety, for being so open to the idea. The deck wasn't made for things like this, but Ddraig's head is perfect, and his slow movements from side to side are enjoyable. I promise to make it up to you tonight." Serafall said as she petted his scales.
Ddraig said nothing, as a mouth full of sand didn't sound like a good idea.
"He says that you don't need to do anything; he's happy to help," Yasaka said as she read his mind. "You're quite the active girl, Serafall. It seems you're enjoying your nightly activities a bit too much."
Gabriel blushed as she listened to this.
"Hey, it is hard not to want more. Ddraig is good at what he does, and I want to learn more about his body. I was amazed at how big he-" Serafall happily says before she's interrupted.
"He says to calm down with your explanation. Nobody needs to know about what happens in our bed." Yasaka says with a blushing face. "He says your perverted side needs to calm down."
"Sorry, it was hard not to share it," Serafall says as she smiles.
"But I wanna know. What kind of expression does Ddraig make as you touch him down there?" Ereshkigal says as she tries to tease the dragon.
A small ball of light floating near the group turns deep red as the person behind it can barely hold it together.
Gabriel blushes even more as the conversation turns more impure.
"Sorry, can't tell. That is for my eyes only or those who get involved with him," Serafall says with a cheeky grin.
"So you're not against him getting more lovers?" Ingvild asks after she recovers from her blush.
"No, because he's not in for pleasure; he only gets involved with someone if the feelings are mutual. The ones he allows to get close are bound to be girls we can trust. We wouldn't have this conversation if he only cared for sex." Serafall says.
"So you wouldn't have gotten involved with Ddraig if he had made some sort of pickup line like, I'm so crazy about you that I just wanna take you to my room?" Yasaka asks.
Serafall bursts into laughter. "Never, and I can't imagine this lovely enforcer saying such things. It is not something he would do, and I had experience with suitors like that in the past. I didn't enjoy it back then, and I don't enjoy it now."
"Seems like you didn't have a pleasant past when it came to suitors and love prospects back then. What was different when it came to the Welsh Dragon? What made it click?" Yasaka asks, sounding interested.
"For one, he didn't care about my titles or money. It was the first thing every other male ever told me. "We can lead the Sitri clan to a new era. Our union will give birth to the strongest devils." It was always the same; to them, I was just an object, a golden ticket to the Sitri fortune and influence. I was the perfect trophy wife they wanted to show to the others. So I defended myself and took each one down." Serafall admits.
"..." Ingvild says nothing as she remembers how every other girl in the Leviathan clan was married off, even if they were barely 14. She was only lucky because of her father, and blood purity was essential to the faction back then. It was the way of their faction, and they could do little to nothing.
"But with him, it was different. First was that night he pulled a guy's heart and crushed it before his very eyes for offending me. I know he didn't just do it for me, but Lilith knows that I couldn't ignore him after seeing that. I felt attracted and asked him for a date, but before we even went on that date, he was already going along with my shenanigans." Serafall grins as she remembers the early days of the romance.
"The famous movies. I still can't wrap my head around how you got him, Tiamat, and the rest involved with your acting business." Yasaka said.
"I can be pretty effective at recruiting talent, but his initial roles were just to improve his image within the Alliance. Kids are an easy way to influence parents. He did a fantastic job attending every practice session and even taking private classes with me to improve in some areas. The cute yet serious Welsh dragon was a hit amongst the public. I can confidently say that my sweet dragon can act and play any character with enough preparation. It was that same talent that helped him to keep Odin away from the capital after all." Serafall said as she praised the talent she was cultivating within her beloved.
"What about it if he uses that talent to lie and gain the heart of someone?" Ingvild asks.
Serafall chuckles. "Ingvild, we're devils. There's no lie we can't see through, and Ddraig using that talent to lie is beyond him. He doesn't need to lie; Ddraig knows that lies can't last forever. He did help Hephaestus to find the truth about his former wife, so I can't see him lying his way into a relationship."
"Confident words, those are. Are you 100% sure about Ddraig? You think there's not a single secret he has that he hasn't told you or someone else about?" Yasaka questions Serafall.
"Let's see. I know Ddraig has a thing for Raynare, and they will likely end up as a couple one of these days. I know he loves the maid costume, so that's another one; maybe I'll dress up for him one day. Anyways, I take the blame for any of his cosplay tastes. He's still on edge regarding Yukime but cares for her and sees her as a good friend. Ereshkigal and him have a complicated relationship due to their past, but they have agreed to have a child in the future. I know his involvement with your family and how he's the mediator between you, your daughter, and Aku, Yasaka. He promised Kuroka to take her seriously when she grows up. There's also the thing with G-" Serafall stops herself as she feels Ddraig's power spike up.
Gabriel looked confused as she felt her name was about to be mentioned.
The devil smiles as she caresses his scales. "I'm sorry, that last one is a private business. He has no secrets to keep from us, his beloved brides, besides one little one regarding Le Fay's family, but that's a different business. Our relationship works because we speak about these things."
Yasaka and the rest are left frozen as they can't believe everything she knows. Ereshkigal tries to hide her face as Ingvild and Yasaka look at her.
"Ddraig? How can you just tell her so many things? Don't you fear the consequences?" Yasaka questions the dragon. A few seconds go by until she receives her answer. "What do you mean that is all about a healthy relationship?"
"It is that way. To have a harem, he needs to be open about these things, and even if he tries to hide something, I will find out one way or another. For example, I already know he asked Hephaestus about proposal rings. As soon as I learned he had visited my parents, I knew it was official. He wouldn't have visited them if he wasn't trying to ask them for their blessing." Serafall smirks as she drops the bomb that defeats any male.
The dragon seems to growl under his breath as he feels defeated.
"... He says that he only asked for advice. He claims he made no requests." Yasaka says.
"Oh, but you know I'm always checking just to be sure. The wedding is not happening anytime soon, but I'll happily accept the ring alongside the proposal over the next four or five months. Tiamat has her bracelet, and I get a ring; Le Fay can wait for hers until she's older." Serafall continues.
"He says he will get some assistance hiding these things from you and the rest. It is bound to destroy his plans for gifts." Yasaka says.
"Don't be mad about it, Ddraig. It is fun to see how much effort you put into these things. These are the kinds of things that make me love you more. You can be as mature and serious as you want while also having soft spots like this. I can laugh with you, cry and talk about anything with the assurance that your attention will be on me, not other things." Serafall continues.
The other girls could only scratch their heads as they saw the closeness between the couple while also feeling a bit sorry for the dragon as he seemed utterly trapped within the grasp of Serafall. Maybe Tiamat was also part of this spider's web, and Ddraig's every action was already known to them. He was doomed to be unable to run away from them.
Maybe such was the destiny of every male dragon that decided to have a harem.
"I get it; you have no problem with his harem, but what about his past? Are you ready to face the many enemies likely waiting to come after his head? I read the legends and hear stories about his actions in the past. Although the present Welsh Dragon feels completely different from the ones in the tales, Ddraig can't erase what he did. Grudges don't die that easily." Ingvild asks.
The atmosphere switches as Ingvild brings a theme that isn't easy to acknowledge. The sins of the dragon, the lives he had taken, and their effects on others.
"Ingvild is best if we don't speak about that. We all made mistakes." Gabriel says as she tries to change the subject. Some things were best left for other times.
"Is alright, Gabriel. The moment this became a serious relationship, maybe even before it was official, I already knew I would stand by his side. As members of the Alliance, we must remember that few of us are devoid of sins. Ddraig killed many, and I did as well. Gabriel likely killed many members of other factions, regardless of whether it was ordered or not. We live lives that aren't easily white or black; we are all shades of gray. Where the line between right and wrong is hard to draw, we are the ones that draw the line. Everyone can say that they are right, and there will always be those that object to it. If tomorrow an enemy comes looking for revenge against Ddraig for the father they lost to him, I will stand with Ddraig regardless of who he killed because I know that he will try to make amends or look for a way to ease the pain of the other side." Serafall continues. "He's no saint; he is a dragon that made mistakes but has also done good for the sake of others. He is like me or any of us; he can choose to be better and try to make amends. So yes, I will stand beside him against any that hold grudges against him because we're allies, and I also love him."
"Is this what standing beside the Welsh Dragon means? Or is this the determination of a full-grown adult that has seen more than I have?" Ingvild asks herself as she remembers the young Serafall back on the night of that dance party.
Her cold expression lacked a smile yet hid the dreams of a child who could not escape her fate.
Centuries had passed since that night, and now the missing smile was visible as the girl she met back then had grown.
"Can I stand as proud as you one day?" The hybrid asked herself as she stood at the beginning of her path.
The others were as captivated by Serafall's words, but one amongst them was more affected than others as her feelings became more complicated to manage.
"Can I call myself pure with these feelings that dwell inside?" New questions arose inside the resident Seraph.
Night time.
Gabriel made her way to the ship's deck, hoping that the night breeze would help put her mind at ease.
But luck wasn't on her side as the one causing most of the mess inside her was sitting there with his back turned to her.
"Khonsu must be watching us," Ddraig said as he looked at the full white moon in the purple night sky. The moon seemed to possess large craters resembling eyes, making it seem as if the moon was looking down into the realm. "But I doubt he is going to try something against us. He's not known for such acts if we're to follow the legends."
"... What are you doing here, Ddraig? Shouldn't you be sleeping? What about Serafall?" Gabriel questions the dragon.
"She's sleeping with Ingvild tonight. They needed to chat amongst themselves. What about you? Looking for some fresh air, or is it too hot in your room?" Ddraig continues as he remains seated and motionless.
"You didn't answer all of my questions?"
"... I was thinking about who might be after my head. The conversation from before hit me like a train as the list is vast, and I have been taking it too lightly."
"I… I'm willing to help if you need a hand in deciding what to do, but please don't choose violence first."
Ddraig chuckles. "I'm not planning to go around killing each of them if that's what you think. No, there's enough blood in these hands as it is. I'm just thinking about who I can sway away from wanting to fight me to death and who I might need to face regardless of what I say. I already agreed with Ereshkigal to a solution, but I don't think that such an approach can work with the rest."
"Having a baby with everyone that you have wronged is not viable in any way. It just worked with her because of the circumstances and her desires. Motherhood can be quite extreme."
"True."
"Besides her, who else are you thinking of?"
"Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Top of the list as of this moment. Likely the most dangerous."
"The Shinto Storm God. Who did you kill to gain his anger?"
"Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, or that is what I think I did, as I didn't confirm his death. I remember we were fighting in the war, and Susanoo dropped his guard, so I tried to use that to finish him with my claws, but Tsukuyomi got in the way. My claws pierced right through his chest. His eyes met mine, and they seemed to plead to me to forsake Susanoo's life. Before I could choose, Nezha came from behind and forced me to retreat. The last I saw was Susanoo holding Tsukuyomi in his hands as he screamed for help. I know Tsukuyomi died, but I don't know if he died by my hand or someone else."
Gabriel remains quiet as she reflects on this. "I can't confirm nor deny your involvement as I didn't see him with my eyes. The war was a mess, and when Trihexa appeared, it worsened as the deaths increased. For all we know, Tsukuyomi could have survived your attack and instead died at the hands of others, but that's hard to figure out unless we question the Shinto gods about it."
"Regardless of it, Susanoo surely hates me with all his soul and likely will seek to cut my head himself. Grudges like those are hard to forget. Maybe….." The dragon remains silent after this.
Gabriel steps forward as she feels Ddraig is thinking about doing something stupid. Her hands grasp his head and force him to turn to her. "Don't die. Regardless of whether you're the one that led to Tsukuyomi's death or not, you must not fall to Susanoo's blade. You and Issei are too important to the alliance and all of us."
The Welsh Dragon is surprised as the Seraph's face shows concern beyond normal levels. The cherry on top is the tear that starts forming in her eye. "... Why are you doing this? This closeness will be dangerous. You don't have to do this, Gabriel." His face softens as he reaches out and clears the tear with his hand. "Calm down. I can't allow myself to fall; I already know that. Now can you release my head?"
Gabriel blushes as she realizes how aggressively she has just acted. As her hands release Ddraig, she can't help but feel how her heart beats faster. "Sorry."
"Is okay. You're trying to make sure I don't do something stupid. It is good that I have a friend like you." The dragon smiles as he turns around. "Do you feel ready to go back to sleep or need something else? I'm here if you need to talk."
Gabriel was about to say something until she stopped herself. "Don't lie. An angel must never lie." Her subconscious demanded her to remain true to herself. No white lies were allowed, not even the ones that humans said to protect their hearts. It was now or never to get the answers she needed. "...I need to speak about something."
"I'm all ears if you want me to," Ddraig says.
"Turn around and look at me." Her tone became more serious and demanding.
The sudden tone switch took back Ddraig. The dragon did as told and found Gabriel holding the edges of her shirt. Her eyes were focused on him.
"I need to talk about myself. Something personal."
"..." The dragon remains silent for a couple of seconds. He could see the anxiousness in her expression. "This is important to her." Ddraig stretches his hand to her. "If you feel that I'm worthy enough, I won't reject to hear you out. Come with me."
*Eve-Shinkai*
Gabriel takes a moment before she holds his hand.
Ddraig stands up and brings Gabriel closer as he reaches the ship's edge. Before Gabriel can speak, Ddraig hugs her and falls into the sand below.
Gabriel closes her eyes as they sink into the sand, but her body is back on the surface a moment later. As she opens her eyes, Gabriel discovers she is sitting on top of Ddraig's dragon form.
The dragon raises his head above the sand before he speaks. "If we want privacy, why not go out for a night swim? If we stay on the ship, someone is bound to interfere, but this desert is vast, and few would dare to approach me in this form. Ready to go?"
Gabriel takes a moment to take it in before she slowly smiles. "Go ahead."
Ddraig began to move farther away from the ship until he determined that it was a safe distance for them to speak. "I'm all ears."
"... Ddraig, what do you think about me? What do you see when you look at me?"
"... A friend. An ally. One of the daughters of the Bible god. A seraph who is slowly pushing forward into a path that lacks the guidance of her father. An outstanding warrior in the field. A pretty effective master. And besides all that, a member of my unusual family, someone who continues to support me. Does it answer your questions?"
Gabriel remains silent before she speaks. "Am I pure? Do you see me as a pure being?"
"I do."
"But how pure? How do you see my purity?"
"As pure as it comes. I never felt malice inside you, and your actions have always fallen within what one would consider under control. You are as pure as your siblings."
"But I don't know if I'm that pure anymore. I fear that I might be falling from grace."
"... How so? What do you mean? Your halo and wings seem fine to me."
Gabriel shakes her head. "Inside, I have doubts about myself and my growing emotions. I spoke to Eury about it, and she sort of guided me to this point. I… feel affection for someone."
Ddraig remains silent for a moment. "What sort of affection?"
"... The kind I shouldn't allow myself to feel. I feel impure because of it."
"Gabriel, you're not impure. Feeling affection is not a sin."
"But what if that affection is… love. The kind that you feel for Tiamat and Serafall."
"..." Ddraig goes silent.
"Ddraig?"
"..." The dragon says nothing.
"Answer me, please."
"... I can't tell you not to feel the way you do. What you feel is something I won't deny, and what you do is also up to you. Falling in love is not a sin before my eyes. It wouldn't be one since your father allowed you to feel such emotions."
"... Then you don't oppose me seeking to follow these feelings?"
"I won't, but I can't support you either."
Gabriel is shocked to hear his words. "Why not? What sort of reason would prevent you from doing so?"
Ddraig sights. "One, I know who these feelings are related to. It was a coincidence that I was there when you spoke to Eury about this. I heard everything, and it doesn't take a genius to see that the person behind such feelings is… me. Two, if anything happens between you and me, it will spell doom for the alliance. Your siblings won't stand up for such a development even if we're allies. I can't just decide to start a relationship with the most cherished and beloved woman in heaven. If your father were still alive today, he would have struck me a million times with his salt spears. I'm the Welsh Dragon, the farthest thing of someone worthy of the great Gabriel. I can't reciprocate those feelings knowing all that, Gabriel."
Everything goes silent as neither says a word as the cat is out of the bag.
A million thoughts are going through Gabriel's mind. The tears are flowing with no end in sight as her emotions go amok. Her heart ached like never before as Ddraig's words hurt like a million stabs, a devastating new feeling she had no experience with.
She wanted to die. She wanted to drop into the sand, allowing it to swallow her whole.
Yet, in her moment of despair, her mind began to pick the pieces of the puzzle.
"You knew about Eury."
"It wasn't my intention."
"Serafall and Tiamat also knew, yet they remained quiet."
"They couldn't approach you to talk about it."
"It also means that you felt something for me, right? Since when?"
"... I don't know. I just had to prepare my mind to reject any advances. This, you and me together, it can't happen even if I feel something."
"You do feel something, yet you deny it because of who I am. I'm the problem."
"You're not the problem. I am. I'm not the right person for you."
"Since when did you gain the title to decide that? Since when did you choose who was worthy of me?"
"Gabriel…."
"No! If this halo is getting in the way, then I will get rid of it. I don't want to let go of these emotions. I don't want to let go of you." Gabriel says with tears in her eyes as she reaches out for her halo.
Breaking one's halo was an act of defiance, rejection towards one's god, and an express ticket to becoming a fallen angel.
"What?" The dragon quickly transforms and reaches out to stop Gabriel.
Their bodies fall to the sand as the struggle continues.
"Gabriel, stop."
"I won't. Why must I let go of something that makes me happy? Why must I remain on the sidelines while Michael likely gets to embrace Athena? Why must I sacrifice my feelings?"
"Gabriel, don't do this. You don't need to hurt yourself for this. I'm not worth it. We can remain as friends."
"But I want to be more. I want to smile alongside you. I want to kiss you. I want to embrace you. I'm not pure like everyone says I am. I want my life alongside yours. I want you as my significant other." Her tears increase as she grasps the halo with all her strength.
The halo's light starts to vanish.
Ddraig does his best to move her hands away, but the closer his hands get to the halo, the more injured they become as the holy energy rejects him. Blood spills in every direction as he fights her inhuman grasp. "Please stop. I don't want you to fall from grace!"
"And I want you! I care for you as much as everyone else. I can't think of a world without you in it. I want to be beside you as more than just your ally or a friend. I want to stay with you."
Ddraig couldn't endure seeing her in such a state. His blood and her tears tainted her beautiful face. "Damn it!" Not seeing another option, the dragon goes for it, hoping for the best.
Their lips meet. The action is so sudden and unexpected that Gabriel's mind goes blank.
Ddraig uses the chance to remove her hands from her halo. His bloodied hands tremble as their fingers interlock.
The halo goes back to normal as it is finally released.
As their lips separate, Gabriel remains motionless as her mind comes to terms with everything that happened, yet the tears continue to flow.
"You're an idiot," Ddraig says. His face looks tired. "You're the biggest idiot heaven has created." The dragon drops his body right next to her while he continues to face her. "But I like you enough to give this thing a chance. If Michael is going out with Athena, then you and I have a chance at this."
"... Are you saying that you-"
"Yes, I want you in my life, not just an ally or a friend."
Gabriel snuggles against his body as she continues to cry. Ddraig can only embrace her as she releases her emotions.
The pair remained in the sand for a while longer until Gabriel fell asleep in his embrace.
Neither knew Eury was secretly watching the whole affair thanks to her powers as a goddess related to emotions. The goddess could only smile as she saw the wonderful creation of another couple. "Good job, uncle. I wish you luck with the ones that come after."
Yet she wasn't the only one watching as another presence continued to keep an eye on each of the seraphs and angels.
Next day.
Ddraig woke up to see Serafall sitting next to him on the bed.
"How are your hands feeling?" Serafall asked.
Ddraig lifted them only to see red bandages with mysterious symbols around each. The pain had disappeared, and the bleeding had stopped. "Better than a few hours ago. Thank Gaia for these things."
"Good. Ereshkigal told me something happened between you and Gabriel last night. Want to talk about it?"
Ddraig grabs his face. "I'm the biggest clown when it comes to love. I tried to reject her, but in the end, I couldn't."
Serafall giggles as she pets his hair. "It's just your luck. Michael and the rest can blame themselves for even letting Gabriel stay with you for so long. It was almost as if it was written in the stars: a dragon and a seraph, a match made on Earth. Living together and interacting daily for nearly two years was a recipe for disaster. I'm still surprised they never tried to get her to move away after the first year was over."
"... You were expecting this, weren't you?"
"Sort of, but not really. The one that held the cards was Gabriel, and if she didn't make the move, I doubt you would make it. Gabriel is not someone any fool could approach. If someone tried something, they were bound to lose an eye. Now we just have to figure out how to progress with this. Your relationship with her must remain secret and as pure as it comes; if you do anything impure, who knows what can happen to her? We're in uncharted territory."
"That doesn't help."
"Come on, lift that head up. What's done can't be undone. We both know that if another male tried approaching her, you would step up and get in the way. Gabriel and you becoming a thing happened because you two wanted it that way. Not because someone shot you with the arrow of love or someone else used some kind of ritual. It happened because it is what you two wanted. Get up and see what today has in store for us."
There was little he could do against Serafall's positivity. After getting ready, the couple walked outside.
Sitting at the table was none other than Gabriel and Eury.
"Good morning," Gabriel greeted him with a smile, just like before.
"Morning, sleepy head. How are you, uncle?" Eury asked.
"Better," Ddraig said.
"That's good. Sit down, and let's eat. You must have lost a lot of blood for your hands to be in bandages. Maybe try to stay away from sharp objects for a while." Eury joke.
"It was an emergency. There was little I could do to prevent it." Ddraig said.
Gabriel dropped her head as a sign of apology.
"I understand. Well, I'm leaving you three for now. Uncle… congrats. I'll talk to you later." Eury said before she walked away.
The pair sits and looks around once more, just to be sure.
"... She knows," Ddraig says.
"She made several jokes about me looking beautiful in a bride's dress. She knows." Gabriel admits.
"You don't say. She's your niece Ddraig, a damn goddess of love. I bet she knew before even you two knew it would happen. She must have been eating popcorn while she saw it live. At least she's on our side. I doubt she's going to spill the beans." Serafall turns to Gabriel. "Well, it seems that my rival followed my path."
"Sera," Ddraig says as he feels what's coming.
"Hey, she knows it is true. We both fell for the same guy." Serafall grins as she knows she is right. It felt like a small victory as she had been the one that confessed first and became the third and not the fourth bride, even if it wasn't a competition.
Gabriel blushed as she remembered the night before. "I'm sorry. I was a handful."
Ddraig shakes his head. "You did what you needed to do to get me to accept your feelings. I can't be too angry about it. Just don't do something like that ever again."
"I promise," Gabriel says.
"Well, we have time and have to set up some rules. This must remain a secret from everyone besides Tiamat, Ereshkigal, and the adults of the "Welsh" family. You can't tell a soul, or we'll be in trouble. So be careful about your demonstrations of affection; to the world, you two shall remain allies and close friends. One mistake and the alliance could come crashing down." Serafall says.
Gabriel nods as she knows the troublesome nature of her relationship. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but she was willing to keep a secret to be with her beloved dragon.
Her hand reached out to hold Ddraig's. As their hands met, she felt his warmth and could barely hold the tears back as her one desire had become true.
*Eury was eating popcorn while it was happening. Don't blame a goddess for enjoying her powers.*