The next Red Dragon Emperor

Arc 1: Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The dragon of domination

Waking up was different somehow. Instead of the usual feeling of tiredness and comparative apathy when compared to the previous night that dread from before had remained. You were breathing quickly, only taking shallow breaths, the occasional whimper escaping your lips. However, no real crying could escape. Even though by that hour you were alone.

After a while of laying there the tear well dried out, at which point you could get up. What followed afterwards seemed blurry and strange, as if you were being watched… perhaps even by yourself. Twenty minutes later you were back on the bridge from yesterday, looking at the stream below… Were you planning to go further?… The face in the reflection seemed very alien. When did those features you were seeing even appear? Perhaps it was just the distance. If only you got closer then…

…

Air was whizzing past your ears, cold as ice and getting colder as you approached the bottom. In hindsight you weren't quite sure how you had gotten here, but in one more second it wouldn't have any relevance either way. Was it going to be drawn out or instantaneous… Either way, after it passed nothing else would matter.

A powerful jerk went through your entire body and a few powerful flaps, accompanied by gusts of wind, followed. You couldn't quite perceive what was happening for a while, but eventually you opened your eyes. The world seemed to pop. Clouds were much sharper, the sky had a vibrancy to it that you hadn't experienced and far away birds were looking as if they were much closer. Then you began to notice the ground, still below you but much, much farther. So far that you were not certain of how you were even breathing. It was a feeling threading that same line between exhilaration and fear you felt when peeking over high ledges, yet much more liberating.

You spread your arms to feel the wind going between your fingers. Was this how dying felt like? Was it a dream or perhaps some hallucination you were having while still in bed? As you ended up on the top of the hill you had been climbing, rolling onto one of the grass patches, the wings disappeared, leaving you more confused than anything.

3rd person (hours ago)

Akeno and Koneko were no longer watching the boy, instead holding off some devils that had followed them. It seemed the more powerful opponents who could've been going after the boosted gear were preoccupied. Which certainly made this easier. Whether they just didn't consider a new user could be a big enough threat or they were taking advantage of something else remained to be seen. Just then Koneko looked back towards the house, shaking for a brief second before looking at Akeno.

"We have what we need!" Rias said before the nekomata could ask a question. "How's progress with the boy?"

"We'll get our opportunity soon." Akeno replied.

The group reconvened, Rias' familiar now keeping watch. The agenda as it was given by the president was: have the boy become a devil, get him to awaken his sacred gear and protect him while trying to reach Issei. The order wasn't a huge priority, but with the amount of enemies swarming the place at night it would be best to finish most of the plan that day.

"Can't we simply talk? He seemed like he needed help…" Asia said.

"It'll be easier to get his attention and sound credible if we set up things properly." Rias said. "I want to get his cooperation. Otherwise…"

The crimson haired girl didn't finish, instead stopping her train of thought. If the boy were to not cooperate their efforts would be in vain regardless, making the small inconveniences she wanted to use as examples worthless. The peerage did at least seem to get the idea, since the next question moved to another issue.