Issei's body felt hot. At first like a fever, but over time it was as if a fire was crawling beneath his skin. His breathing became heavy, sweat trickled down his temple even though he didn't feel like he was moving.
Then that voice was heard — deep, heavy, echoing from all directions.
"Open your eyes."
Issei forced his eyes open. Blinding red light greeted him. Hot air like an oven blast hit his lungs.
He found himself standing in a place he had never seen before. The ground was cracked, glowing red and black. Volcanoes surrounded the horizon. Rivers of lava flowed like the blood of giants. Thick smoke rose into the dark orange sky, covered in sparks.
Issei straightened his body while raising his arm to shield his face from the heat.
"Ddraig… what is this? It's too hot! Can we move somewhere else?"
Ddraig's voice answered, now clear even though unseen.
"Too spoiled. Your place is here, to train."
Issei let out a long sigh. He lowered his arm and looked around.
Then he looked up. Right in front of him, something massive descended from the sky like a meteor. Giant red wings flapped, sparks and dust flying each time they moved. Emerald green eyes glowed, staring at Issei.
Ddraig. The Red Dragon he had only heard as a voice, now stood before him — real. His body was the size of an apartment building, his red scales glistened like glowing steel. His breath alone felt like blasts of hot wind.
"You're… huge," said Issei slowly, gaping. "Now I'm curious what Great Red looks like…"
Ddraig lowered his head slightly, revealing teeth like sword blades.
"That dragon sleeps in the Dimensional Gap. His body is many times larger than mine. If I'm a mountain, he's a continent. Now… don't think about him. Here is where you'll train. This place is only a mental illusion, but time flows differently here. You can train as much as you like without wasting time in the real world."
Issei listened. The heat was so real, but he knew this wasn't an ordinary world. He took a breath, then sat on the cracked black ground. Though hot, he tried to ignore it.
His mind began spinning with possibilities: magic, Boosted Gear, and how he could master it all.
He closed his eyes, trying to focus.
In the darkness of his mind, he began to feel something — like water flowing beneath his skin. Mana pathways. The vibration was soft, but constant.
Issei raised his right hand, channeling that energy. He imagined fire.
Nothing happened.
He frowned. Then tried again, this time speaking a simple word.
"Fire."
A small red fireball appeared in his palm, slowly spinning.
Issei looked at it with slight disappointment.
"Still needs chanting…" he muttered.
Ddraig snorted.
"Not bad, though I can see your disappointed face. You definitely wanted to try it without a chant."
"Right. But I want to try something else," Issei replied. "My imagination is starting to think of many things."
He stood up, pulled mana into his feet, then stomped the ground.
"Ice Field."
In an instant, the training field changed. Rivers of lava froze into blue crystal ice. Hot steam turned into cold mist. Frosty wind blew, piercing the skin.
Ddraig watched from a distance.
"Not bad. You changed the field on the first try. Your magic is fluid."
Issei looked at his own hand.
"But I'm disappointed. I need to do it without chanting. Only fools chant long spells. The enemy will know exactly what magic you're casting."
Ddraig nodded deeply, his head like a moving mountain.
"Exactly. Chantless casting is hard. It takes focus, mastery, and high risk. A single mistake, and you can explode from within."
Issei looked up at the dragon.
"Ddraig, can I use the Boosted Gear here?"
"Yes. Just focus. The Sacred Gear is part of you. Here, it appears and disappears by your will."
Issei closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. The red iron gauntlet with a green gem appeared on his left arm, glowing.
"Does the Boost activate at the user's will?"
"Yes. But still with a ten-second cooldown."
Issei raised his left hand, feeling the energy flow through the Boosted Gear.
[Boost!]
The mechanical voice rang clearly in the air. Issei's mana surged. His body felt heavier but stronger.
Issei raised his right hand, this time visualizing hellfire.
"Hellfire."
A massive explosion destroyed the training field. Lava erupted again, ice cracked and vanished. Walls of flame licked the sky.
Issei stood still, panting.
"A little… disappointed," he said softly.
Sweat mixed with hot steam dripped down his temple.
"You know, Ddraig… ten seconds is too long. If I fight Trihexa, every second means thousands of outcomes. Ten seconds is suicide. Trihexa won't wait for a protagonist's speech. You'll be gone before the second Boost comes."
Ddraig growled low.
"It was designed that way. And… let me guess. You want to change the system?"
Issei smiled slightly.
"Correct. The God of the Bible is dead, right? Besides, the Sacred Gear can only be observed. I want to break free from Heaven's system. I don't like being bound by any system. I… am not a PAWN."
Ddraig laughed, his voice shaking the ground.
"Hahaha! This is the first time I've seen a Boosted Gear user not aiming for Balance Breaker, but instead trying to break the System. Interesting. So… since Sacred Gears change according to the user's deepest desire… what is yours?"
Issei fell silent. He closed his eyes, letting the heat of the training realm ignite his resolve.
Then he opened his eyes, his gaze sharp like a blade.
"I want to become strong. Stronger than Great Red. Because when Trihexa's seal breaks one day… I'll be the one to destroy that creature, even if it can't die. I don't want this world to end. I'm not a hero. I'm nobody. I don't need to remember my past."
Ddraig stared at him for a long time. The red dragon was silent, then slowly smiled with his glowing emerald eyes.
"The path you choose isn't a thorny one. It's emptiness. One moment of weakness, and you'll vanish."
Issei stared back at the dragon, his face serious.
"I don't care. And… I'm not afraid to die."
Hot wind blew again, scattering red dust. In the silence of that inner realm, the resolve of a young man with no memories met the gaze of a dragon who once shook the world.