Chapter 30: Power

Chapter 30: 

"___" - Speech

(___) - Thoughts

{___} - Internal Voice(s)

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AN: Shorter chapter than usual, since it's honestly just an interlude and all. 

Sairaorg's foot restlessly tapped against the turf as his sights constantly shifted from the entrance of the training grounds, to the watch strapped on his wrist. "He's late." He muttered. 

"Did the two of you see him today?" He glanced towards Millicas and Grayfia sitting down over a picnic blanket as per usual. 

"I did." Millicas replied. "He said he'd take a little longer and to wait for him here like normal." 

"Was there anything, different, about him today?" He furthered. 

"Hm, I don't think so." Sairaorg breathed a deep sigh as a sense of unease swelled within his gut. "Oh wait, actually there was something." Both him and Grayfia raised their brows as they awaited his recollection. "For some reason his right hand was completely covered in bandages, I think you might've gone a little too hard on him Sairaorg-nii, haha." 

(Bandages? He's been roughed up countless times but I've never once seen him put on bandages. What changed?) 

"I see, was that all?" 

"His skin was a little pale I suppose, but he sleeps under a pile of snow every night so I thought it was normal." Though Sairaorg wanted to ponder further, he was interrupted by the sound of wings flapping in the distance, looking up only to see an oddly familiar silhouette taking off to the sky to begin its usual hunt.

(That's his Dragon isn't it?) 

The fluttering was soon followed by the sound of footsteps crunching against the grass, and a familiar presence greeted the three of them. "Sorry I'm late, had to get a few things in order." 

His mentor didn't offer an immediate response, instead carefully observing his students' right hand. "What's with the bandages?" He questioned. 

"These? Take a guess." As Jin approached, Sairaorg noticed the distinct changes in his aura. Most notably, the coldness, it had become more refined, more pure. 

More powerful.

But the oddities didn't stop just there, his eyes. Almost exactly like Tannin's, they had become completely reptilian in nature. Although this wasn't the first time it had happened— 

It was now permanent. 

The more he observed the look of delight on Jin's face, the more he found his train of thought leaning towards what was supposed to be a near impossible reality. "You…how?" He couldn't help but ask. 

"Thanks to you, a shortcut of sorts opened up for me." He waved his bandage hand around, which upon closer inspection seems to have changed as well, at least with respect to what one could observe. "This'll take some getting used to, but as you've probably figured out by now, it has its upsides." The fingers seemed slightly elongated and thinner, the nails were undoubtedly more pointed almost as if they were claws. 

The corners of Sairaorg's mouth stretched upwards as the reason behind Jin's supposedly lightened mood became clear to him. "I'm impressed." He commented. 

"I'm the one who should be impressed with you. If it weren't for your training my body wouldn't have been strong enough to handle the sped-up change." 

"And that change, is that what led you to [Balance Breaker]?" Jin responded with naught more than a slight nod. "I guess I should start paying more attention to people like you and Hyoudou from now on shouldn't I?" He chuckled. 

"Hoh? I didn't know you were keeping an eye on him." 

"The place where he and Tannin are training isn't all that hard to get to, so I thought I'd pay him a visit out of curiosity. Funnily enough, his left arm gave off almost the exact same presence as your right." 

"Indeed, we are similar. However Issei was too hasty, if he had just been a little more patient he would've gotten a far better result." Jin pulled his sleeve up, revealing that his entire arm all the way up his shoulder had been covered in bandages. "Then again, I don't know what led him to his decision so who am I to judge?" 

"Would I be right to assume that everyone with gears like you and Hyoudou will end up doing the same? If they haven't already, that is." 

"Not sure, it all really depends on the host and what side of themselves they lean towards. I already made my choice during Khaos Brigade's initial attack, but I can't speak on behalf of people like me and Issei." 

"Choice?" 

"In hindsight I suppose this doesn't apply solely to gears like mine, but we hosts can either embrace, reject, or ignore our gears. The choice I made back then was final, but Issei has yet to arrive at that crossroads. Until he starts seeing the [Boosted Gear] for what it really is his progress will forever be stumped." 

"Oh? You're speaking as if you have the answer." Jin smiled as he heaved a faint chuckle. 

"It's simple, the [Boosted Gear] is Ddraig. That's all he needs to realize." 

"I find it hard to believe Hyoudou isn't aware of the presence of a Heavenly Dragon inside him." 

"He's definitely aware, but he still needs to confront Ddraig. Which is obviously easier said than done." 

"I'll be honest, I quite frankly have no idea what that means, but it sounds like you were able to do it." 

"I got lucky, myself and my Dragon share an impossibly similar mindset. That's why there were no obstacles between us. However if one were to hypothetically mix with their Dragon like oil and water, their compatibility would naturally be awfully low resulting in a weaker bond." Jin took hold of a loose bandage, preparing to rip the maskings off his arm. "One's will is undoubtedly important when it comes to mastering a Sacred Gear, but for the select few that happen to be sentient— you need more than that." 

With a singular swift motion, the bandages fell to the ground revealing a sight that stunned everyone present. "Eventually It'll look normal again, but for now this is what I'm dealing with." His arm had been almost completely covered in bright silvery scales, with only the faintest patches of his own skin present around various parts of his limb. But his hand, on the other hand, seemed to have taken on a more extreme form. "Some call my Sacred Gear 'Hand of the Dragon'. Rather fitting don't you think?" He chuckled. 

"Fitting indeed. But surely you don't intend to do this to your entire body?" The corners of Jin's mouth lifted. 

"I don't have a Longinus nor a strong bloodline. This is the only advantage I possess, and I intend to make full use of it." 

"By becoming some sort of monster?" Jin's eyes flashed as he picked up on the hint of disapproval emanating from Sairaorg, similar to that of Azazel when he learned of his body-sharing predicament. 

"If that's how you wish to see it." 

The Bael let out a groan as he examined Jin's rock-steady expression, clearly already having made up his mind. "Well, I guess it isn't my place to lecture you on that. But you aren't going to start coughing up blood or something because of this right?" 

"As long as I don't rush it, I'll be fine." He affirmed. 

"Then I'll have to trust you not to rush it." Jin shrugged as he donned an innocent smile. "Can I, trust you not to rush it?" 

"Of course." 

Sairaorg hummed with evident doubt. "Anyhow, shall we put that new arm to the test? Might as well find out if you got your, well whatever you gave, worth." 

"Sure." In the blink of an eye, Sairaorg had planted his feet into the ground, shifting his weight as his fist lunged towards Jin. 

THUMP!

Obviously on purpose, he had gunned directly for Jin's hand. To which the latter responded by offering up his open palm, letting the full force of Sairaorg's swing collide against him. 

"Well? How'd I do coach?" 

"It's durable for sure, I'll give you that. But there's something else you're supposed to be showing me isn't there?" Jin nodded as [Twice Critical] manifested itself on his arm, but this time the jewel embedded in its center shone with a radiant brilliance right from the get-go. 

{You can either double-up like usual, or [Balance Break] right away.} 

(Neat.) 

A plain grin crept up Sairaorg's face as his fists clenched out of sheer excitement. "Thing is, I've been hiding something from you as well. However, now that you've got that thing primed and ready, I see no reason to keep it under wraps anymore." 

"Hm?" 

Sairaorg stretched his neck from side to side as white light abruptly coated his body. "Since it's our final lesson it's only fair that we end it off with a bang, right?"