Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD, its is owned by Ichiei Ishibumi.

Rated M for safety and presence of violence and mature content in the coming chapters.

Speech:

"Talk"

'Thought'

{Ddraig talk/thought}

It has been close to four hours since Sona Sitri's last contact with Issei Hyoudou, a student of class 2-B who was reported missing one week prior, following his half month absence. Her contact with the Hyoudou lead to her finding out that the young male had been resting in his house shortly after being discharged by the hospital he was confined in.

And now, after noticing a shift in the young Hyoudou's personality, the student council president wishes to address the issue to Rias Gremory, a childhood friend and president of the Occult Research Club as she too harbored an interest in the young man. Although it was quite late in the night for seeking an audience with the ORC's president, both individuals were far from tired due to the effects of being devils.

Upon arriving at the ORC club room, Rias was the only occupant. Sona deduced that the rest of her peerage were out, offering their service to clients.

"Ah, Sona. Allow me to brew some tea." Rias went to a separate room and returned a few minutes later, holding a tray with a cup of tea on top.

"It may not taste as good as the ones Akeno makes but I guarantee that you won't be disappointed."

Sona slightly bowed in gratitude at the offered beverage. She took one sip, letting the flavor dance around her taste buds before swallowing. A hum of contentment followed by a small smile on her lips was a clear indication of the tea's palatability.

After setting the tray at a nearby table, Rias settled on a chair adjacent to Sona.

"So, what was it that you wish to talk about?"

After taking another small draft of the tea she set her eyes on Rias. "I've found Issei Hyoudou and at a strange circumstance."

Rias shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other. "Oh? So where was he all this time?"

"At his house." Rias was perplexed. That certainly was not the answer that she had expected.

"Meaning to say he's been at his home for the duration of the past two weeks? I assumed you grilled him for that."

Sona shook her head slightly. "I held the same thought at first but in truth, he had been confined at a hospital due to overfatigue and was released up until recently. I even have his medical certificate."

"I see... will that be all?"

"You seem uninterested. Weeks back, you were worried sick over your- *ahem* OUR underclassman's disappearance."

"W-Well I..."

"But none of that matters now."

Rias' mouth was shut, surprised by what she had heard.

"Because I have a reason to believe that he was deceiving me. Something about his behavior seemed off when the two of us conversed, it wasn't the usual attitude of a perverted adoloscent. In a way, it felt like I was talking to an imposter."

"What made you assume that?"

"For starters, his description didn't fit his persona. His way of speaking had an air of confidence in it and a hint of arrogance but not a trace perverseness."

"But if he truly was an imposter, wouldn't he maintain the guise of a debauchee and not act out of character?"

"Precisely. If he truly was an imposter then he wouldn't have bothered to behave differently. Unless..."

Rias furrowed her brows. "Unless?"

"Unless perversion is his mask and the act I witnessed was his true disposition."

"Mismatched personality aside, what else is of interest?"

Sona leaned forward, eyes etched with utmost seriousness. "He's aware of the supernatural."

"How so?"

"Earlier, I've stated that I found him in his house but before he made his presence known, there was practically nothing that I could detect within the compound, not a shred of life force even as I was standing at his front porch. Had he not stepped outside, I would not have known that he was there. It was as if the house or something in it masked his presence."

"Concealment magic?"

"Possibly."

Rias lets a smile graze her face. "It seems our cute junior has something to hide."

"Indeed he has, and whether or not it was smoke and mirrors, he found it in him to ask me out..."

All was quiet within the room with Sona sipping the remains of her tea and Rias letting what had been said sink in for a few seconds before the smile left her face replaced by a frown and afterwards a cute little pout.

"I hate you..."

She hid her smile in the guise of a quirked eyebrow at Rias' sudden outburst. "I fail to see how any of this is relevant." It always felt nice to poke fun at the Gremory heiress.

The time was way past seven thirty in the morning, which was the usual start of classes.

Not one student was lingering in the halls but instead, were in their separate rooms. A lone souls footsteps thundered through the silent corridor. His eyes wandered, looking around for any possible changes within the area. It was very minimal. The bulletin boards contents had been replaced by events which were bound to happen in the current month. Shortly after examining the board, he continued his way to class, not bothering to quicken his pace. He was already late, what's the point of having to rush, unless tardiness was reproachable.

In stark contrast with the first floor, the second was bustling with voices, originating from the different sections. As he got closer to class, Issei didn't bother thinking of what he should say the moment he steps foot in the room. Winging it was more of his style.

While in the middle of homeroom, the door of class 2-B slid open, drawing the gazes of its students. A male, one of their classmates who was presumed missing weeks prior, walked in as he closed the sliding door behind him.

"Morning." He casually greeted as if disregarding the fact the he hadn't been in class for well over two weeks.

"Ah, Hyoudou. Welcome back. I was informed the reason for your absence by the student council president but forgot about sharing it to the class. It just slipped my mind, my bad."

"Nothing to apologize for, sir." While walking to his chair, he acknowledged his best friends Matsuda and Motohama, who wore expressions of shock in their faces, with a lazy two finger salute and a smirk.

Upon sitting down and letting himself get comfortable, he was quickly caught in a noogie by Matsuda.

"Ise! What the hell man?! You had us worried when you suddenly went AWOL. We thought something bad had happened to you! But none of that matters now. What's important is that you're back."

"Well just so you all are aware, something did happen to me. But before that, could you cut it out with the noogies already, Matsuda?"

"Ah... haha, sorry. Just really glad to know that you're alright."

Motohama was quick to add up.

"Indeed. We were under the impression that something bad had happened to you due to the numerous fliers labeling you as a missing person around your neighborhood." He didn't show it but Motohama was so relieved to the point where a small tear dribbled down his face, which he quickly wiped inconspicuously.

"Oh about that. Just a small misunderstanding with the neighbors. Nothing to it really."

The bespectacled boy readjusted his glasses as he analyzed the statement.

"I suppose one would think that-"

Matsuda caught him off as he snaked him arms around his shoulder. "Hey, Ise! Gotta tell you something about this guy." He gestured to his friend. "Can you believe that he was bawling his eyes out after reading one of the fliers? Friggin priceless!"

"Did he now?"

The boy in question couldn't help but sport a look of embarrassment.

"Haha! You better believe it man, I mean... I was concerned with your disappearance and all but I always knew that you'd pull through."

Issei couldn't help but smile. These two may be perverted and all in the public eye but they were genuine friends at heart, except for the times wherein they'll ditch him once they get caught peeking. That he considered a genuine dick move but nonetheless, they were still his friends.

"Thanks you two..." He says as he placed a hand on one of each of their shoulders. "I really appreciate your concern."

"Although... You never really explained as to why you were admitted to the hospital." Motohama stated.

"Well... I fell into a..." Issei shortly paused, deciding on which proper term to say. "I wouldn't say coma since I didn't sustain any injuries, disease or poisoning but more of a prolonged sleep."

"After I had severely exhausted myself from none stop training..." Most of the students showed sign of interest in Issei's story and listened in. Even their homeroom teacher was doing the same.

"...eventually my body reached its limit and I collapsed. If my uncle wasn't around when it happened... I could have..." Issei didn't continue but his fellow classmates understood the implication and immediately tensed up.

"Y-You're kidding." Katase, a member of the schools kendo club remarked out of shock only to meet the apathetic gaze of Issei.

"Why would I make a joke about me dying?"

The words died in her throat upon hearing his reply. It was the truth, death jokes are meant to be frowned upon but if only they knew the true intentions of the young Hyoudou.

"That sounds like some pretty intense training your referring to. What type was it anyway?" Matsuda himself was into fitness but not to the point of pushing himself into his breaking point.

"Just to cut you off for a sec, Ise. Technically it is a coma, if the doctor hadn't already told you. The lack of oxygen or presence of low oxygen level in your blood leads to Hypoxemia and if prolonged Hypoxia which can very much induce a coma."

Issei was impressed with how well versed Motohama was into medicine.

"Quite the knowledge you have at your disposal, Motohama. If you wanted to, you could pursue the field of medicine."

He merely nodded at the compliment, as he used two fingers to push his glasses up.

"I wasn't quite listening to the doctor since I was still a bit woozy at the time. Anyway, to answer your question Matsuda it was high altitude. But its not literal high altitude we're talking about here. I wore a mask that limits the oxygen I intake meaning its helluva lot harder to breathe. Buuuuut, lets just say that I got a little carried away." Issei turned to their homeroom teacher and nodded. He didn't mind the chatter if it meant seeing his student back safe and sound.

"Floor's all your's sir."

The day quickly went by with Issei having tuned out lessons and lectures by their respective teachers. Surprisingly, he wasn't reprimanded for not listening. He just sat there, chewing gum and rocking on his chair. He didn't even have his bag much less a pen or something to write on.

He took one glance at the rooms wall clock and stood from his chair. It was six minutes to dismissal, staying to be signalled by the schools bell was purposeless in his perspective. Issei called the attention of their teacher with a raised hand.

"I have to use the bathroom, sir."

The middle aged teacher nodded. "Go ahead, Hyoudou."

The teen didn't return after that. Instead, he began making his way to the schools gate not even bothering to bat an eyelash at the hall monitors reprimanding. But before he got out the gate, a voice he had conversed with the day before, called out.

"Issei Hyoudou! A little too early to be leaving school, aren't you?"

He stopped, gazing back at the student councils president and letting a few seconds pass by before responding. "I beg your pardon?"

As she opened her mouth to reiterate, the schools bell rung, cutting her off.

"I'll be taking my leave then."

Sona was well aware of his intention of not wanting to converse with her at the moment thus, letting him walk out the gate. When he was out of sight, Sona turned her gaze to the direction of an open window at the old school building. Rias peered from the window, returning Sona's blank stare before seeing the latter slightly nod her head before heading back to the Student Council's office.

"Koneko. Tail him and observe his behavior." The ORC president commanded without looking back.

The aforementioned school mascot, nibbled on a bar of chocolate before responding. "Can I have some ice cream first?"

Her face lit up at that. "The fridge's content is at your disposal." Rias then placed a hand on the hellcat's head and gave her light rub and pat.

Issei Hyoudou's objective at the moment was plain and simple, head home, train and get stronger. His desire to increase his power grows in each passing day and any form of impediment that gets in the way of his goal won't be spared a second glance. Not even a dreamboat of damsel staring shyly at his face was worth his time. Said damsel had confessed her affection towards the young Sekiryuutei despite being their first time meeting.

{Partner...}

'Yes, Ddraig. I'm well aware.' Had he been the say same adolescent as before, he would have jumped at the chance of dating a cute girl like so but even then, underneath his perverted antics lie a ravenous craving for power that rivals that of a God. It may seem like a childish dream in the eyes of others but in his own perception, materials accumulated does not amount to actual power.

And so, he decided on a subterfuge to his current situation.

"Listen...?"

"Yumma, Amano Yumma."

"Yumma. Everything seems to be progressing too fast. I'm gonna have to take a day or few to think about it and give you a proper answer." She deflated at that.

"Its not that I find you unappealing but... I just prefer not jumping the gun and doing something I'll regret in the future. I hope that's alright with you."

Despite being visibly disappointed by the answer she received, she managed to lift her head up and beam a small smile.

"I-I see... I do hope that when the time comes for you to tell me your choice, it would be a yes."

He scoffed as he passed her by. "Then you better start praying."

After arriving home, he stripped himself of his clothing, leaving but his undergarments for fluid motion and less restrictions; plus he was never fond of the sensation of wearing apparel which was soaked in sweat.

He started off his training with meditation in an attempt to tap into what remains of his magical reserves, which he had Ddraig to thank for.

{Hmph.} The hulking Red Dragon snorted at the thought.

His position was in a lotus, back straight, and open palms placed on the surface of his knees facing up. The turmoil within his thoughts began to die down until after a few minutes into the process, his mind went blank. Along with that, his mental link with Ddraig had been cut, so he'll have to go throughout the entire experience alone.

He didn't let this bother him and focused on maintaining his blank state of mind, letting his body grow accustomed to it. Though his mind was in a blank state, he felt elated at achieving temporary inner peace.

Next was going to be the tricky part. He's been practicing this for quite some time now but would always fail at the peak of each try. For some reason, this time felt different. Neither failure nor disturbance plagued his thoughts. Little did he know the outcome of this will differ from all of the previous.

He let his instincts, and every other primordial feeling submerged in his subconscious, claw their way out. The floor of his white mindscape began to bleed a pitch black fluid, which in turn conjoined into a black blob of sorts, a blob that began to stain the immaculate condition of his mindscape effectively sullying it.

In reality, sweat profusely flowed out his palms, fingers twitching from time to time along with a hitch in his breathing. Two orbs formed from his perspiration swirled on each side of his palm at a slow pace before picking up in speed with each second that went by. Slowly but surely, they took a darker shade until what was crystalline in color had altered and settled into a murky pitch black.

The orbs gyration halted almost immediately after their mysterious shift in color before dropping on his palm with a small splash and creating a puddle below him. As if possessing its own way of thinking, the black fluid inched its way and attached itself onto Issei's skin who throughout the whole ordeal was unaware of the current happening. A similar scene within his mindscape began to take place, he couldn't move and was visibly shaken. To make matters worst, the fluid crept its way, covering both feet and continuing up.

"D-Ddraig? Can you hear me?"

The Red Dragon could hear his calls loud and clear but the same couldn't be said about the young Hyoudou.

{Partner! I can hear you loud and clear but I can't see you!} Ddraig tried to reastablish the mental link but to no avail. Whatever it was Issei did, it was interfering with their channel.

"If you can hear me send me your Draconic energy!" At that point the blob had almost taken over Issei's body, save for his head which began to slowly succumb to the pitch black liquid. It didn't hurt being covered by it but it just gave off an alien sensation that was hardly pleasing and who knows what would happen should it manage to take over.

"Please, Ddraig! Before its too-" Anything he wanted to say right after was muffled by the blob. Every part of his body from his toes to his mouth had gotten covered but it didn't stop there. He gave off a gurgled cry, sludge trickling down from a space where his mouth was supposed to be. At this point, his entire face was now covered, eyes irritated by the unearthly substance, stomach churning from the horrendous smell in his nostrils and paving way for nausea. It was only a matter of time before he runs out of oxygen and succumb to asphyxiation.

Ddraig grunted. Although he couldn't see what was happening to his wielder, he can feel his life force slowly weakening. This startled him. Something like this has never happened, even at the time when Issei was yet to unlock his sacred gear. Ddraig could always keep track of his host's life force, whether he be sick or in a healthy condition.

Reacting quickly, Ddraig quickly pumped his energy and supplied it to his host much like what he would usually do whenever Issei doubles his power. Their mental link was severed so he had no way of knowing whether or not it was taking effect but that didn't stop him from continually channeling his power. His partner needed him and he didn't dare to disappoint him. There was something about his current host that fascinated the Red Dragon. Sure, he was driven by the craving for indomitable power much like his ancestors but it didn't stop there. Hyoudou Issei was determined to conquer every adversary that was in his path, even those that resided within his own mind. Fear, inhibition, anxiety... he'll conquer it all, and maybe just maybe... he'll unshackle himself from the curse that haunted and destroyed all of the past Red Dragon Emperor's. And Ddraig will help him with just that.

{HYOUDOU ISSEI! MY PARTNER!} A roar laced with heartfelt vigor shook the entirety of the mindscape that housed him. Had it been an actual enclosure, it would hardly last and instead crumble beneath him. But he never thought of this as an enclosure, prison or a confinement of sorts. And he had his current host to thank for that.

{CAN YOU FEEL MY POWER?! ALL OF IT, I GIVE TO YOU! NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU NEED, YOU WILL ACQUIRE IT PARTNER!} Pure, raw energy oozed out from the very the scales of the Dragon and levitated before dissipating into nothingness.

He could feel it, his body began to corrode from the blobs clutches. No matter how much he tries to claw or pull them from his body, they wouldn't budge as if melded on his own skin. For a moment he thought that it was all over, that he would perish in the depths of his own thoughts unable to attain the dreams he yearned for since he was a child. What infuriated him the most was the fact the he possessed a power that could potentially rival the strength of any God yet where was it now?

He finally collapsed onto his knees, resigned to his own fate... that was until his heartbeat grew louder, deafeningly loud but only for a moment. What followed was something that'll forever be imprinted into his memories. Issei didn't feel it at first as dread had its hold on his mentality. Being incapable of both seeing and breathing can do just that. It wasn't until the jewel on his hand glowed at such a high extremity that his body began to react. In spite of being blinded by the pitch black liquid, he could feel it glowing, feel the sudden spike in his power and with each second that passed, it continued to grow. Euphoria immediately washed over him, it was as if he could take any obstacle that dared to stand in his way and exert dominance over it, making it bend over to his will, which wasn't that much of a farfetched idea.

From his prostrate he got up, straightening his poise and not letting the blobs influence rule over him. With his arm outstretched, he clenched the fist pulsing with the emerald light, letting its flare douse the blanket of pitch black.The unified hiss of the legion played like a euphony to his ears.

Now that his sense of vision had returned, he could see the surrounding scape revert back to Ddraig's plane.

His back was turned but he could feel the dragons breath tickling his back. It was quite the relief that he wasn't coated by that gunk anymore. Having it cover his entire body and suffocate the life out of him was far from what he would consider pleasant.

{Partner...} His call was soft, laced with fatigue.

Issei turned to his loyal dragon, eyes looking up and down at his partners current state. Ddraig was lying on his side which wasn't his usual way of resting whenever he would pay him a visit in his mindscape, and his breathing was ragged. The dragons eyes were half-lidded from exhaustion, causing his perception of Issei's approach to be blurred. Along with the halt of the footsteps was a weight on his snout.

"Ddraig? Whats wrong?" Issei knelt and continued rubbing his palm on the Dragon, worried of his wellbeing.

{I don't think you've noticed partner but you absorbed more than half of the draconic reserves on my body. It usual takes a while for me to regain my lost power and although it isn't detrimental, I still need a sufficient time to rest or hibernate if possible before you're capable of boosting again.}

Taking more than half the strength of the Red Dragon was unheard of and should be more than his body could take, acting like a poison yet it didn't show any signs of rejecting the absorbed power.

"How? How can my body withstand that much power?"

{By the time your life force began to weaken, I pumped as much power that I could create, disregarding the fact that it was actually hazardous to your health. At that moment... all I could think about was doing whatever it takes for you to avoid death.}

The dragon gave of a weak chuckle before continuing.

{And it seems that my efforts bore fruit.} And with that, he grew unresponsive and was dragged into unconscious. Issei took notice of this and exhibited his concern but upon seeing the movement of Ddraig's stomach brought about by breathing, he deduced that his partner was just resting.

...

Just how long has it been since his wait? Its funny how the seconds felt like hours and hours felt like seconds in his mind. The law of time here was severely warped, it was either a good thing or a potential hazard but that was far from what he had in mind. Ddraig's wellbeing came first and he didn't care if it takes God knows how long, all that matters was him being safe...

At first it began with the sensation of something crawling on his skin before escalating to a constant shiver running down his spine. Something was wrong here... something very wrong... They weren't alone anymore, the shadow looming over solidified his claim but that fact was far from reassuring.

Issei didn't dare look back, much less move a muscle. Whatever it was behind him managed to close the distant between them without a sound. It was his mind, he was supposed to be able to detect and percept anything residing within his own thoughts, but this unknown creature defied just that.

His startled visage morphed into a look of hostility. He clenched his fist, getting ready to fend off whoever it was that dare threaten him and his partners safety.

"Ease yourself, child." The raspy voice held neither hostility nor amity but at least he knows that it could talk.

Issei peered over his shoulder as a weight was placed over it. It was a wrinkly old hand that could be barely seen from the long and wide opening sleeves of the strangers robe. Two tired, age old and sunken eyes stared down at him.

It took some time for the young man to find it in him to respond and when he did, it came out as a sputter at first.

"Y-You... Y-You are the... The wise and-"

"The old."

AN: Aaaaaand cut!!! Sorry bout the delay guys. Been busy at school the previous weeks lately but dont worry, I wont drop this story.

By the way, Kudos to Angron. You're idea isn't that far off to what I have in mind. Any ways, if yall have an idea leave em in the comments and I'll incorporate it to the story should I deem it interesting or acceptable to the story's storyline.

Ta ta.