The Fallen Dragon (DxD)

Chapter 12: Family

"Hello, partner. It's been a while, hasn't it?" the sinister doppelganger sneered in his eerie voice, his presence sending chills down Issei's spine.

"Partner?" Issei thought, his confusion deepening.

The apparition approached Issei, his sneer growing wicked. "Time for a little chat," he declared, his words hanging heavily in the air, foretelling a conversation fraught with darkness and uncertainty.

Issei just helplessly watches as he sees the smile of the apparition widen.

The apparition sneered, his snow-white locks tousled as he narrowed his crimson and obsidian eyes. "It's like staring into a damn mirror, but don't get it twisted," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Despite the pain caused by the poison, Issei demanded, "Who are you? And why do you look like me?"

"I suppose the first thing to do is introduce myself, huh?" the transformed Issei said, his grin wicked. "Now, what do I wanna go by? Since I'm the darker side of you, Dark Issei? Nah, too long. How 'bout just Dark-sei? Yeah, that works. Call me Dark-sei."

In a weak voice, Issei asked, "I saw you back when I accessed the new Juggernaut Drive; why are you here now? How are you here?"

"Hmph, don't kid yourself. I ain't really here, not in the flesh anyway," Dark-sei replied, his tone mocking. "And as for your sorry state, well, ain't that a sight to behold. Reminds me of the time those Devil scumbags almost did you in," he sneered, a wicked laugh escaping his lips.

Issei gritted his teeth, glaring at Dark-sei, who jeered, "Quit starin' at me like that. Remember, it was my damn power that bailed you out the last time." His grin twisted with mockery.

Issei's eyes widened as he processed the information, realising the dangerous truth of the situation.

Dark-sei sneered, his voice laced with malice as he taunted, "Ha, yeah, that power you tapped into on your deathbed? All mine. I'm the one who cleansed Samael's poison from your veins. Bet you're itching for me to do it again, aren't ya? Gotta save that girl, huh?" His words cut through the air like a chilling wind, sending shivers down Issei's spine.

Moving with an unsettling confidence, Dark-sei circled Issei's prone body, his tone dripping with contempt, "Hah, like I'd bother. Patching you up right now? You ain't gonna learn squat," he sneered, punctuating his disdain with a contemptuous chuckle.

A twisted grin contorted Dark-sei's face as he recounted a sinister tale, "You know, I tried to hand you the system back in your earlier days twice. When that bitch Raynare skewered you with her blinding spear of light, pushing you right to the brink of death, I made a move to slide you a notification, a shot at a second chance. But that red-haired bimbo swooped in and grabbed your attention before you could even lay a finger on that button. Maybe it's on me, I admit. I painted that notification red, just like the sea of your own damn blood you were drowning in," he gloated, his laughter echoing with madness.

In the turmoil of his thoughts, Issei realised the depth of Dark-sei's deception, whispering, "My hunch about him was spot-on; he devised the whole system with me in mind."

Dark-sei's maniacal laughter filled the air as he recounted a horrifying moment, "Ha, you remember that other time? When you thought that effeminate Devil offed the Nun, and you unleashed the Juggernaut Drive for the first spin? But this time, oh boy, you actually embraced that second chance, and you were juiced up like never before! You went on a straight-up rampage, tearing through everything in your path. And you know what? You didn't stop until you wiped out the whole darn world, every living thing, gone!" His cackles resonated with madness, chilling Issei to his core.