Yoop. Long-time no see.

Sorry for the long absence. Though I failed to update the other stories which are still "Work-In-Progress", I did finish a new story.

Hope you guys will like it.

Again, sorry for the long absence. A lot of things had happened since the last update.

I DO NOT OWN HIGHSCHOOL DXD OR ANY OTHER ELEMENTS/CHARACTERS FROM OTHER ANIMES/MANGAS.

"I am" – Speaking

'I am' – Thoughts

"I am" – Spoke Mentally/Telepathically

{I am} – Ddraig speaking

'...Hungry...Hungry...Gonna die here?'

A little boy with brown hair and eyes was lying on the ground in a slump area. The little boy curled himself up when his stomach suddenly let out a growl.

'No...Don't wanna die...'

"Oi, you there. Are you the host of Ddraig?"

"...?"

The little boy had to use all his remaining strength just to lift his head up. There, he saw a tall young man in his 20's, wearing a black coat with a mixture of black and blonde hairs was standing before him. The boy noticed that the young man have heterochromic eyes where his right eye is gold and his left eye is black.

"Are you the host of Ddraig?"

Again he asked that similar question.

'I don't...under...stand...'

The little boy's voice got softer by seconds as the hunger forces him to lose both his energy and consciousness.

"... ... ..."

*Sniff*

"... ..."

*Sniff, sniff*

"...!?"

The young boy shot open his eyes when he smelled the scent of something delicious. Following the trace of the scent, he turns his head instinctively. The young boy's eyes widened further more when he saw an entire boar was skewered and being roasted above a campfire.

"I see that you're awake."

"!?"

The boy jumped when he finally noticed that the young was sitting just next to the campfire.

"My name is Crom Cruach."

"Crom...Cruach..."

"I am an Evil Dragon."

"...? Evil Dragon?"

The boy tilted his head slightly. Not understanding what the young man had said.

Seeing the boy's confusion, Crom Cruach decided that it's better for him to show the boy instead of explaining.

He stood up from his seat silently and began his transformation. His hands, body and elgs began to bulge as a tail began to sprout out from his bottom. The current him is a majestic Jet-Black Western Dragon.

"Do you understand what I meant now?"

The boy vigorously nodded his little head.

"...Good."

Satisfied with the answer, Crom Cruach shrunk back to his human form, and returned to his seat. He looked at the child once again and asked.

"I just showed you my true form. Are not afraid of me?"

To his reply, the boy shook his head. In fact, Crom Cruach could see that the boy's currently looking at him with glittery eyes.

"You're a strange one."

Crom Cruach then decided to get back into his topic.

"Anyway, I've confirmed something while you're sleeping. You have one of the Heavenly Dragons inside of you. You are the current host of the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig."

Crom Cruach pointed at Issei when said that.

"Ddraig?"

"... ... ..."

To clear out what he meant, Crom Cruach gently tapped the young boy's forehead and sent a small portion of his dragon power to the boy.

"!?"

In a blink of an eye, the surrounding around them had changed. Both the boy and the young man now stood in a seamlessly white space.

"...?"

At the beginning, the boy looked around the vast area curiously until the entire space was suddenly died by a sea of flames. Strong wind began to blow, causing the flame to swirl and rise before them.

Though Crom Cruach was unaffected by the gust while the boy was desperately clinging the former's pants. Seconds later, a large silhouette with wings could be seen appearing from the flaming vortex.

"... ... ..."

The moment the vortex was decimated, the creature that stood before them was a large red Western Dragon with a long neck and green eyes, he also has red and golden spikes throughout his body. Crom Cruach was the one to speak first.

"...It's been a long time, Ddraig."

The red western dragon, Ddraig narrowed his eyes dangerously as he instantly recognized the young man's real identity.

"Crom Cruach...What do you want? Why are you here?"

"I want to fight you."

"...Huh? Fight me? Can you look at the state I'm in? My current host is just a little boy and he has zero experience in fighting."

"... ... ..."

Crom Cruach shifted his eyes from the Ddraig to its host who in return was looking at him innocently. The two of them stared at each other for quite some time until the young man broke the silence.

"What if...I train you?"

"!?"

"!?"

Both the boy and the Red Dragon Emperor were surprised by his suggestion.

"In return, I want you to give me satisfactory fights."

"It's not me who should be answering that request. Boy, what do you think?"

The boy shut his eyes and pondered for a moment. When he reopened them, they were filled with strong determination.

"I wanna survive. I wanna get strong...Please teach me."

Upon hearing his reply, Crom Cruach smirked.

"Good. Which reminds me, I never ask for your name."

"...?"

Ddraig knew that the boy had no memories of his name or his family, because his single-mother passed away during the time she gave birth to the boy. But Ddraig was conscious at the time when the boy's mother gave him his name prior to her death.

"Issei, Hyoudou Issei. That's the name given to him by his mother when he's born."

"...Where is she now?"

"...She's no longer here."

"I see..."

The solemn atmosphere didn't last long when it was broken by a growl of an empty stomach could be heard loudly and clearly. Both dragons looked at the boys with their

"You guys should leave now."

"Right."

Little Issei noticed the vision of the grand red western dragon began to turn blury just as Crom Cruach plached his hand on the boy's shoulder. Before they completely exit the mindscape, Issei gave a goodbye wave to Ddraig where the latter one replied with a chuckle.

When the boy opened his eyes, he panicked a little upon seeing his arm covered with a red dragon-like gauntlet.

"That gauntlet is one of the Thirteen Longinus. It's called Boosted Gear."

Crom Cruach's nonchalant explaination piqued the boy's interest. He looked at the gauntlet and tapped the green jewel a few times.

"That's where Ddraig's spirit rests."

With a raised eyebrow, Crom Cruach looked at the boy who is now eyeing the roasting boar with a mouthful of drools. Seeing that expression, Crom Cruach couldn't resist but chuckled a little.

"Come on, let's eat."

The Evil Dragon welcomed the little boy to join him in his meal.

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