Issei returned home later than usual as he passed by the mountain. By the time he made his way home, the sun had already set. His body ached from the escalated trials, but the ache in his muscles and joints felt good, like progress carved into muscle. The mountain's pull still lingered in his chest, quiet but persistent.
On the way home, Ddraig's voice echoed from the gauntlet.
"Listen up, brat, what I'm about to tell you is important about choosing your lair."
Issei slowed his bike slightly.
"Yeah, Ddraig, I'm all ears, lay it on me."
"Dragons don't just claim land," Ddraig rumbled. "They bind to it. The land becomes an extension of their soul. The stronger the dragon, the wider the domain. But it starts small. Think of it like a small room. As your magic power grows, it becomes the size of a house before ending as a powerful mountain. You feel the call? That's the land choosing you back. Accept it. Feed it your aura. Protect it. In time… it will protect you. The land will feed on your magic through the Dragon Veins running beneath it."
Issei stopped peddling, "Ddraig, can you explain to me what Dragon Veins are?"
Issei could have sworn that he felt that Ddraig was smirking in the gauntlet. "Oh, whelp, I thought you would never ask." Ddraig chuckled, " Dragon Veins are lines of concentrated mana that will help change the surroundings of your lair. It will turn the animals and wildlife into magical creatures. The stronger you become, the more aware they will become."
Ddraig chuckled lightly. "The Dragon Veins can help that little redhead of yours increase her magical power. Why do you think so many human kings and emperors built their empires on Dragon Veins? It's due to the power they received."
Issei pedaled home in silence as he took in all the information Ddraig had just given him.
Far away, beneath the mountain peak…
Ancient stone trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling of a forgotten cavern.
Something deep below the earth shifted.
A pair of molten-gold eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
As if answering a distant call.
Issei looked toward the distant peak.
"I will."
When he arrived home, Rias and Asia were at the door to greet him.
Rias stood with arms crossed, crimson hair catching the porch light. Asia peeked from behind her, eyes bright, already in her Kuoh Academy uniform, skirt neat, tie perfect, looking every bit the nervous new student.
"Welcome back," Rias said, voice warm but edged with curiosity. "You're back late? Is everything ok?"
Before he could answer, he heard his mother's voice. "Issei, is that you?"
Miki Hyoudou leaned around the corner, her eyes immediately switched from Rias to Asia.
The blonde girl froze like a deer in headlights.
Miki blinked once.
Twice.
Then her face lit up with excitement.
"Oh my goodness! Issei brought another girl home!"
"Mom!" Issei nearly choked.
His father, Gorou Hyoudou, appeared behind her, scratching his chin.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Well, well… my boy finally did it."
Asia bowed quickly.
"M-my name is Asia Argento! P-please take care of me!"
Miki clasped her hands dramatically.
"She's polite! She's adorable! Issei, you've been hiding this cute angel from us?!"
Issei felt sweat drop from his forehead. "I-I swear it's not like that!"
Gorou leaned close to him and whispered loudly. "You work fast, son."
"Dad!" Issei facepalmed in embarrassment.
Asia's face turned bright red.
Rias watched the entire scene from the doorway, one eyebrow twitched.
Then she stepped forward smoothly.
"Asia will be staying with us for a while. She has recently transferred to Kuoh."
Miki immediately grabbed Asia's hands.
"You poor dear!"
Issei pointed at Rias.
"She lives here too!"
Miki gasped again.
"Two girls?!"
Gorou slapped Issei's back proudly.
"My son… I underestimated you."
"Dad, please stop!"
Asia looked completely overwhelmed.
But slowly…
She smiled.
For the first time since becoming a devil…
since losing the church that once raised her…
Asia felt like she might have finally found a home.
Rias had a calm smile, "How was Asia's first day at school?"
Issei rubbed his neck. "Fine. Asia did great. Everyone loved her."
Asia blushed. "T-They were really nice…"
Rias's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Good."
She led Issei to the kitchen. "Come. We need to talk."
They sat at the kitchen table. Asia fidgeted with her sleeves. Rias leaned forward with her gaze fixed on him.
"Issei," Rias began, "you've been eating meat from Ancient Red Wyrm and Lava bird's meat for days. Your fire affinity had begun to stir. I want to know, have you decided which element you want to master first?"
Issei thought for a moment. His fingers drummed on the wooden table.
He remembered the heat in his claws during his training. He remembered the Ancient Red Wyrm and Lava Bird meat the way it made his blood roil with heat, as if something inside him was one heartbeat from igniting.
"Fire," he spoke with conviction. "I want fire. I want to burn anyone who tries to take what's mine."
Rias nodded slowly, and pride flickered in her gaze.
"Then your first hunt should be a flame beast. Lava salamander, magma hound, something with strong fire essence. It'll accelerate the affinity."
Asia tilted her head, confused. "Hunt…? Like… animals?"
Issei gave her a gentle smile. "Not exactly. It's how dragons grow. I eat the strong ones so I can get stronger."
Asia blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Her hands slowly lowered to the table.
"…D-dragon?"
Issei froze.
Rias sighed softly.
"Well… this was going to come up eventually."
Asia looked between them.
Her voice trembled.
"Issei-senpai… you're… really a dragon?"
Issei scratched the back of his head.
"Yes, I'm a dragon."
Asia stared at him for a long moment.
Then her eyes sparkled.
"Amazing!"
Rias blinked.
"You're… not scared?"
Asia shook her head quickly.
"You saved me… even when you were a dragon."
She smiled softly.
"That just means dragons can be kind, too. The stories must have been wrong about dragons being evil."
Rias's fingers tightened slightly on the table.
Rias had prepared the last of the Lava bird meat. She thinly sliced the Lava bird breasts then seared them with herbs and spices.
Asia helped serve, her movements careful and domestic.
As they ate, Issei spoke up.
"I passed this abandoned mountain peak today. It was scheduled for housing, but… it felt like it was calling me. Like the land itself wanted me there. I think… that's where my lair should be."
Asia looked confused, not fully understanding. "A lair? Like… a dragon cave?"
Rias's face lit up with pride.
"Yes. Exactly. Dragons don't just pick territory; they feel it. The land chooses them back."
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
"I'll look into the ownership. Gremory resources can handle the paperwork. If it's calling you… It's yours."
Issei beamed. "I don't know how I could ever thank you, Rias."
Rias patted his hand. "It's my job to make sure all of my peerage is taken care of. But you need to figure out how you're going to explain everything to Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou."
Issei froze.
The words hit like a cold slap.
His parents.
They still thought he was just a normal high-school kid who had just joined a weird club.
How would I tell them I'm a devil-dragon hybrid with a harem, a future lair, and a kidnapped nun now living in their house?
Rias placed her hand over his. "Don't worry. When the time comes, we can have them move with you. Or we'll find a way. Together."
Issei nodded slowly. "Yeah… together."
After dinner, Scarlet floated beside him as he sat on his bed.
"Mithril and obsidian are perfect to harden your scales."
Ddraig grumbled from the gauntlet. "The whelp should eat them like a true dragon! Ophis went out of her way to get him high-tier metals."
Issei picked up a chunk of mithril ore. It was cool, heavy, shimmering faintly silver-blue.
He pressed it to his forearm.
Scarlet hovered closer. She guided him: "Focus. Push your aura into it. Visualize your scales. Let the metal become part of you."
Heat flared.
The ore dissolved into shimmering dust that sank into his skin.
Faint scales spread across his arm. They grew thinner, tighter, harder. A faint metallic sheen ran along the red scales.
Issei exhaled slowly.
"…Whoa."
He repeated the process with the chunks of obsidian.
Dark energy pulsed through the stone before it broke apart into black motes. They seeped into his knuckles and forearm, forming darker, denser scales along the bone.
Scarlet nodded approvingly.
"Better," Scarlet said. "Keep going. Your hide will be damn near unbreakable soon."
Issei flexed his hand. The scales slid smoothly back beneath his skin.
He felt… stronger.
Tougher.
More real.
His arm felt heavier… denser.
Like something ancient beneath his skin was slowly becoming armor.
Eventually, he crawled into bed beside Rias.
She curled against him without a word, resting her head on his chest.
Issei drifted off to sleep to the steady rhythm of her breathing.
A ripple of darkness opened quietly at the foot of the bed.
Ophis stepped out of the void.
She carried a wrapped bundle of thunder-iron boar meat, faint sparks of lightning crackling across the cloth.
Rias stirred, eyes opening slowly.
"Ophis."
The Infinite Dragon God inclined her head.
"I brought thunder-iron boar meat. Lightning will answer his call soon."
Rias sat up carefully, the sheet slipping to her waist."Thank you for bringing more meat. His appetite has started to grow."
She glanced at Issei, still asleep.
"And lightning will suit him well. Especially if it gives him more time training with Akeno."
Ophis looked at Issei's sleeping face.
"The new girl. The nun. She stays close to him."
Her golden eyes were calm.
"She soothes his soul."
Rias nodded.
"Asia. She's part of my peerage now. She cares deeply about him."
Ophis tilted her head slightly.
"Has he chosen his first element?"
"Fire," Rias answered. "He wants to burn away anything that threatens what he protects."
Ophis gave a small nod.
"Good."
"Strength first. Protection. Then lightning."
"Balance."
She stepped forward and gently brushed her hand against Issei's cheek.
"Grow well, my son."
Issei shifted slightly in his sleep.
A soft rumble vibrated faintly in his chest, an instinctive response.
Ophis disappeared into the void as silently as she had come.
Morning came fast.
Issei woke to warmth on both sides.
Asia had crawled into bed at some point, curled against his left side, her head tucked under his chin, breathing soft and even.
Rias lay on his right, arm draped possessively over his waist.
Issei froze.
Rias opened one eye.
She looked at Asia.
Her expression was unreadable, somewhere between amusement and territorial warning.
Then she sat up, hair tousled, voice calm.
"Come on, get up, Issei. We're sparring before your training."
Issei blinked. "Now?"
Rias gave a faint smile.
"If you do well… I'll reward you."
Asia stirred, blushing furiously when she realized where she was.
"I-I'm sorry! I had a nightmare, a-and I could only fall asleep again when I was next to Issei…."
Rias cut her off gently.
"It's fine, Asia."
Asia nodded frantically.
Rias and Issei quickly dressed in their sweatsuits and moved to the backyard.
The morning air was both crisp and cool.
Rias faced him, Power of Destruction already coiling in her palms like black-red flame.
Issei flexed his hands.
Faint scales shimmered beneath his skin, the metallic sheen from the mithril and obsidian catching the light.
"Show me," Rias said. "Show me how you protect what's yours."
They clashed.
Rias was relentless. Crimson blasts forced Issei to dodge, weave, and counter.
"Boost!"
"Boost!"
Power surged through him.
Dragon Claw flashed.
He landed a grazing hit on Rias's shoulder.
She smiled sharply. "Better."
In the next instant, she swept his legs.
Issei hit the ground.
Rias moved faster than he could react.
She pinned him, instantly straddling his waist, wrists locked above his head.
Sweat glistened on both of them.
Their breathing was heavy.
Her face hovered inches from his.
"You're getting better…" she whispered.
Her hair fell around them like a crimson curtain. "…but not good enough yet."
For a brief instant, something ancient stirred inside him.
Not embarrassment.
Not submission.
Challenge.
His pupils narrowed into slits.
Heat surged through his veins, a low growl vibrating in his chest.
Rias felt it immediately.
The air around them thickened.
Pressure pressed down on the yard like an invisible weight.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Oh?"
For the first time since the spar began…
Rias felt the presence of something far older than a devil pawn staring back at her.
A dragon.
And it did not like being pinned.
Above them, a small flame bird perched on a nearby telephone line.
Its eyes glowed an intelligent blue.
It tilted its head, silently watching.
In the Phenex estate, Ravel Phenex watched the image in her scrying flame.
Her teacup shattered in her hand.
Porcelain shards were scattered across marble.
Her voice was low, trembling with anger.
"I want everything on this commoner, Issei Hyoudou, by the end of the day."
Her blue eyes burned.
"No one touches my brother's fiancée."
A pause.
"And lives comfortably afterward."
Asia watched nervously from the porch.
"Um… why are they fighting?"
A small figure floated beside her.
Asia jumped.
"A-Ah?!"
Scarlet hovered in the air, arms crossed.
"No."
Asia blinked rapidly.
"Y-you're floating!"
Scarlet glanced down at herself.
"Obviously."
Asia tilted her head in confusion.
"Then what are they doing?"
Scarlet shrugged.
"That's just how dragons flirt."
Later, in the Occult Research Clubroom, Rias introduced Asia to the others.
Akeno smiled sweetly, lightning dancing in her eyes. "Ara ara~ Welcome, little Asia. You're adorable."
Kiba bowed slightly. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Kiba Yuuto."
Koneko gave a small nod. "Koneko. Don't cause trouble."
Asia bowed deeply, nervous but happy. "T-Thank you for accepting me…"
Rias nudged a folder toward Issei.
Her eyes watched his reaction carefully.
Issei took it. "Rias… what is this?"
Rias gave a faint smile.
"It's the information for your first devil contract."
Issei opened the folder.
A name.
A wish.
A client.
It was the first real assignment of his new life as a devil.
Rias leaned back.
"While you're off completing your first contact, I'll look into that mountain you mentioned last night."
Issei nodded, throat tight.
"Thank you, Rias."
She smiled softly, possessively.
"It's what I do."
After Issei left for the contract, Rias sat at her desk, pulling up land records on her laptop.
The mountain peak.
Abandoned.
Unclaimed.
Perfect.
She barely had time to dig deeper before her phone rang.
Sirzechs.
She answered.
"Brother."
His voice was measured, but worry bled through.
"Is it true that your new pawn is the son of the Infinite Dragon God?"
Rias's lips curved into a smile.
"I'm guessing Grandma Chysis informed you?"
Sirzechs sighed.
"Why didn't you think to inform me sooner?"
Rias leaned back.
"I was handling it."
His tone shifted filled with classic sis-con worry."Did that young dragon harm you? Did he claim you as his mate?"
Rias facepalmed, exasperated.
"Brother, get a hold of yourself. You're a Maou. Act like it."
Sirzechs coughed.
"Right. Of course. But… keep me updated. If Ophis is involved…"
"I will," Rias said.
She ended the call.
Then she smiled, small and dangerous.
"He's mine to protect.
And I'm his to grow beside."
Meanwhile, Issei stood outside a modest apartment building.
Folder in hand.
First contract.
He knocked.
The door opened.
A huge, muscular man filled the frame, with black hair tied in pigtails, wearing a frilly magical girl outfit.
Mil-tan beamed.
"You must be the devil! Come in, come in!"
Issei stepped inside, blinking.
The apartment was covered in Magical Girl Milky posters.
Plushies.
Wands.
Glitter.
Mil-tan clasped his hands.
"I want to become a full-fledged magical girl! Like my idol Satan Girl from Magical Girl Milky!"
Issei stared.
"Uh… I can't do that. I'm not… that kind of devil."
Mil-tan deflated.
"But… you can grant wishes, right?"
Issei rubbed his neck.
"Look… I can't turn you into a magical girl. But I can learn the lore with you. Watch the series. Talk about it. Maybe that'll help?"
Mil-tan's eyes sparkled.
"You'd do that?!"
Issei nodded.
"Sure. Why not?"
They sat on the couch.
Mil-tan pulled up an episode.
Satan Girl appeared mature, bubbly, and confident.
Issei blinked.
She looks like a grown-up, cheerful version of Sona…
Mil-tan sighed dreamily.
"She's perfect."
Issei smiled faintly.
"Yeah… she kinda is."
Rias and Asia greeted him at the door.
Rias smiled softly, possessively.
"Welcome back."
Asia beamed, holding a plate of cookies.
"I made these for you, Issei-senpai!"
Issei grinned.
Home.
But the mountain still called.
And somewhere far away, Ravel Phenex opened a file labeled:
Issei Hyoudou.
Pages filled with reports.
Devil pawn.
Dragon bloodline.
Connection to Ophis.
Ravel's smile slowly faded.
"…Dragon mother."
Her fingers tightened on the page.
"What exactly did Rias bring into this game?"
Her fingers tapped slowly against the desk.
"So…"
A small smile curved her lips.
"The dragon thinks he can play with my brother's fiancée."
Her blue eyes gleamed with cold amusement.
"Then let's see how long he survives the game."