Every day between 1925 and 1935, Hachikō the dog waited at Tokyo's Shibuya train station in hopes that his dead master would return.

Narrator: "Everybody agrees that a dog is a man's best friend. So, what happens when you get a dog that is also a horrifying eldritch monstrosity? That's up for debate. But give it a bone and three entire legs, and you might just have yourself a guardian for life."

Issei and Ophis love going out. That was one thing he'd come to learn of his two kids (well, Issei's his real son, but Ophis feels like a daughter at this point, so he supposed that's fine) over time. Sure, they liked staying indoors and watching the television or playing simple games, but nothing could ever beat leaving the house.

He supposed there was some sentimental value in that. After all, did Issei and Ophis not meet outside of the house that one night? Had he just stayed in, then there was the chance that they would have never met each other. And that was a crazy thing to consider.

Gorou smiled to himself. Like he was any different. Going out and getting dirty in the fields playing football was so much more fulfilling than being stuck in his room sleeping the day away or reading manga non-stop. There was just something to be said about burning energy in the most rambunctious way possible—

"Yosh! It's time to go to the grocery store!"

"Mm."

And there goes his line of thoughts. Kids. Where in the world do they get all their energy? He feels old just watching them—which, to be fair, he definitely is. "Seriously, we're just going to the grocery store. I don't see what's so exciting about that."

"You don't know, Dad! There could be cool stuff out there and it'll happen right as we go! Something might just happen, you know."

Well, he wasn't wrong there. A mundane day could easily turn into an unexpected one, and he wasn't sure if he was going to complain about that. If anything, having something to look forward to instead of just the mindless mood of picking out grocery and the like might make things a little better.

Seriously though, he had half a mind to just tell them to stay home with Miki, though with the way she practically demanded him to take the two kids with them, he had a sneaking suspicion that she'd want the silence for a chance to sleep uninterrupted, seeing that she woke up a little too early this morning because she'd accidentally drank too much coffee the night before.

'And she says I'm the coffee-holic…'

But of course, Gorou was a married man for many years. And that meant he learnt the ways of the woman… well, some, at least, because it would be impossible to fully understand a woman. And one the golden rules in the household was never to get between a woman and her beauty sleep.

Oh, you could try. Just be prepared to get flung out of the house—and probably through the window.

Welp, no better time than now to get moving. Any later, and they might just miss out on all the fresh stuff. Miki would flay his hide if he delayed, whether on purpose or not. With a sigh, he calls for the kids to get ready. Issei's words or no, this was going to be a relatively normal day.

"You kids got your stuff ready?"

"Yep!"

"Mmhm."

Alright then, guess it's time to move out.

Stepping out of the house, Gorou has only a few moments to realize how it's not as hot as it always is. Sure, the sun's still out and he might just be giving himself second-degree burns if he decides to lie on the road and expose his body, but he knows that it'll be hitting fall soon enough. At that time, he's certain that Ophis is going to enjoy the change in the scenery.

Without pause, he locks the door behind him and joins the children at the gate, making sure to lock that too. There was never such a thing as being too safe.

'Alright, then. Onwards, to the grocery store.'

This was going to be a totally normal day, like any other day. He was certain of it.

Though, as Issei put it, things tend to happen when you least expect it. Had he paid that a little more focus, then maybe he wouldn't have been too shocked by what would come next later down the line.

From afar, a pair of eyes—each one the colour of a spectrum of colours and emptiness that one peering into them would see either nothing or everything—watch the departing family. A coy grin stretches upon her expression, a sense of satisfaction at seeing her particular 'experiment' working out rather well.

One amongst millions more, to be fair, but it felt nice. And she'd be a knave to deny herself that feeling of satisfaction regardless.

Deciding to tip the scales a little more, she calls upon yet another element, feeling the shift in the fabric of reality. It's a quiet tear, and now something has existed, leaving behind its old world to begin anew in this story.

It would cross path with the children soon enough. More specifically, however, the Hyoudou boy, who has proven worthy of becoming the anchor between all things in life. The thought of how it might just go leaves her feeling excited.

With no such obligation or fear to bind her, she trails after the family from a distance to see, eager to bear witness to the plot that shall unfold.

The walk to the grocery store hadn't been all too bad. The streets weren't as busy as they should be at this time of day, and the breeze made it all the more tolerable. She had to brush aside some of her hair out of her face anytime that happened, although it wasn't too bad.

Honestly, Ophis thought it would have been a lot hotter outside, but with the winds beginning to pick up, that was a sign as any that summer was coming to an end. And goodness, is she looking forwards to fall. They'd never got to go to the beach, but she could do away with the heat.

And the seasonal treats… She's getting hungry just thinking about them.

"So, what're we getting, Dad?"

"Just some cooking ingredients. And maybe an ice-cream for you two if you behave, though I know you will."

"Obviously! We'll be on our best behaviour. Right, Ophis?"

"Yes, we will," she nodded firmly, determined to earn her ice-cream.

Uncle laughs at them, patting them on the heads. "Alright, alright. Just make sure you don't wander off. I'm worried I wouldn't be able to find you."

Ophis highly doubted that—the grocery store does not seem all too occupied, even though it's well into the afternoon by now. Plus, she stood out with her black and purple clothing compared to the vast whiteness, and Issei would be very loud in calling for Uncle if he ever did get lost. Even so, they both nodded and replied with an 'Okay' in unison, making him nod back.

Admittedly, a day out shopping isn't exactly how she'd thought she'd be spending today, but she wasn't too against it. It was still an opportunity to get out of the house and stretch her legs, which made that relatively bearable. Even she couldn't tolerate lazing around and doing nothing all day. A dragon's still gotta' move a little from time to time.

Maybe it had something to do with how any and all living beings are just genetically engineered to possess energy along with the desire to burn off that energy in some way. She doesn't know if that's how it really works, but it may as well be just that.

And for Issei, it was doubly true, considering that he was too much of a ball of energy that really did need time to just burn off every once in a while.

The group of three moved to the fruits department, scanning through the rows of colours. Issei listed their names as they passed by. "Apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, kiwis…"

"There's, a lot here," she commented.

"Mmhm. Some are grown locally, while others are imported. There are even those that are non-GMOs, which—if I'm not wrong, you might need to check up on the Internet to be sure—aren't good for you."

"Why?"

"GMO stands for 'Genetically Modified Organism'. Basically, it's scientists taking a food and then changing its genes. Some papers mention how that technically makes the food more dangerous to consume because of… reasons."

"And you can't remember any, Dad?"

"Sorry, no," chuckled Uncle. "But I do know that most of the public are cautious about these GMOs. Best to go natural, though I wouldn't really mind either. So long as it doesn't kill us, I guess."

Hmm. That was certainly a simple way to see things, though there was likely a family and hundreds more that would be far more cautious and distrustful towards this aspect. Something about 'desecrating nature' or 'introducing a potentially toxic material'.

Not like it would be an issue for her. Being a dragon came with the additional perk of having high resistance to all kinds of poison, and something like this would likely not affect her.

Even so, she supposed for humans like Issei and his father, that certainly is a fair thing to be concerned about.

"So, what'cha kids thinking of getting?"

"I'd like to, try frozen grapes," Uncle hummed back when she mentioned that. "I remember, Aunty talking about them. How they taste, particularly tasty when you freeze them in ice cubes, but with orange juice instead of water."

"Oh, yes, I remember doing that back in the day too," he chuckled. "My own mum was always mad at me because I made a mess out of the fridge and never bothered to clean it up. But man, they are great. I'd like to have them again…"

"Then we should totally buy some!" Issei chirped, Ophis nodding along. "We can all make them together, and then enjoy them in front of the TV!"

"Well… Sure. Yeah, okay, we could do that. But if we're going to be making them later, we'd need to be extra careful, okay?"

"Okay, Dad."

"Yes, Uncle."

The entire trip didn't take longer than an hour, though there were a few delays here and there because they took extra time to compare price tags, expiration dates and fruit freshness. Not like Uncle wanted to be, but because everyone there knew just how fussy Aunty could be about details like those, so she'd nag at him if he wasn't picking properly either.

It also didn't help that there weren't a lot of counters made available, which ended up with them standing in a long queue of just three queues total. Couldn't they be bothered to open some extra counters and make it quicker for everyone to pay?

And by everything under the heaves was waiting boring.

Thankfully, no other complications came after, and once they were done, they were well on their way to leave the mall and head back home (and with some ice-cream, which she and Issei secretly high-fived over), all while they chatted over the kinds of fruit-and-juice-cube combinations they could make.

Which is when something rather peculiar happened, right as the automated doors slid wide open.

"Awoo!"

Something barked at them from a distance, stopping the three right in their tracks.

Issei was the first to recover and the first to react—by pointing his finger right at the creature and gasping with a big smile. "It's a dog!"

"Woof!" The dog in question barked once more.

Ophis blinked. Once, then twice, then three more times in quick succession as her brain finally registered that there was indeed a dog before them. She wasn't sure why it was so surprising, but probably because it had practically come out of nowhere to greet them.

'Huh. It looks a little silly.'

Silly seemed like an odd way to describe it, but that was what she felt about it. It had black matte fur. The ears were pointed upwards, its tongue lolling out, and its eyes that were focused on them bore a kind of innocent happiness that calmed her almost immediately. Friendliness was practically emanating from its being. Such was the effect it had on her.

"Huh. It's a Malinois. Specifically, a Belgian Malinois," commented Uncle with a grin. "Didn't expect to see one around these parts. And this one is rather friendly."

The dog barked, as if understanding his words and wanted to confirm just that.

"Is it odd, for dogs to be unfriendly?"

"Usually, it's the strays that are a little dangerous, compared to house pets. When they see strangers, they tend to ignore them if they're far away, but get close enough to them and they might act in a threatening way."

True. There were always stories of people who accidentally approach stray dogs and end up getting chased away. They only ever bite if they ever truly feel as if they're attacked… well, at least she liked to think so. Not like she could say with full certainty how she knew how Earth animals functioned.

"But looks like this one came to say 'hi' to us. Maybe it's someone's pet."

"But it doesn't have a collar, Dad," Issei said, pointing at its neck.

"Hmm… That's true. Oh, look. It's coming over to us."

It was as he said. The dog was casually walking on over to Issei, panting all the while with what could have been a smile on its face as its tongue lolled out. When it got near, it let out a soft bark.

"Heh, you're really nice," he raised a hand, shaking it in front of the dog. "Can I touch you?"

There was something to be said about the dog's intelligence, what with it suddenly lowering its head in front of Issei to give him access. He didn't seem surprised by that, taking the offer to pat it on the head.

"Woof!"

"Hehe! You're so nice!" Issei was all smiles as he stroked the dog's head in gentle circles. Ophis was more fascinated by the way the dog's tail kept wagging left and right. Like a pendulum of sorts. "Good boy! Or are you a girl? Bark once if you're a boy, twice if you're a girl!"

Against all odds, it barked twice.

"You're a girl? Aww, good girl!"

"Woof!"

That… is rather impressive, Ophis has to admit. She knew that the creatures on Earth were a little unique at times (uniquely non-lethal, most of the time), but this one has proven itself to be a little more knowledgeable than any of its species. It has to be trained at some point, if it's managing to understand Issei's commands so many times.

Or, you know. It could be pure happenstance. She wasn't willing to put her full faith in the dog actually understanding Issei, though it would be impressive if that were the case.

"Ophis, wanna' try?"

She didn't see any issue with that. "Sure."

Taking Issei's place, she noticed how the dog continued panting in joy. Strange. Are all strays just this naturally friendly to strangers?

Hand on its head, she emulated Issei's earlier gesture, her palm moving back and forth while she used the pad of her fingers to apply just the right amount of pressure. Its fur was oddly smooth, for being a stray that it is. Or maybe someone out there had been looking after this one all this time.

Her thoughts are cut off by the bark she gets, the dog seemingly pleased with the attention she was receiving.

Hmm. Well, this is acceptable. So long as this one doesn't try to harm Issei or Uncle, then she would leave this one be. Though, judging by its very docile nature and disarming smile of sorts, that really might not just happen.

"Well, kids, you've had your fun. Time to get moving. Otherwise, Miki is going to throw a fit."

"An angry Mom is a scary Mom," no kidding… "Alright-y. We've got to go already, girl, but thanks for saying 'hi'. See you around!"

With that, the family of three leave behind the lone dog, Issei chatting up a storm about the kinds of meals that Aunty would be making. Unsurprisingly, all three of them hoped that the 'Vege Night' incident would never be repeated.

Still, she mused to herself, why was it that it felt as if it was still watching them even as they left?

Sleeping, Ophis came to realize, was one of the best things that she'd ever experienced.

In the past, she would have seen it as a suicidal thing. It was practically making oneself open to an attack, and that was something she—like any living thing, really—would not really appreciate all that much. As such, the act of sleeping was just something she'd dismissed as a necessity of the lower lifeforms, content to go without it.

Looking back on it now, the dragoness was genuinely amazed and horrified by the idea that she'd managed to live an existence thus far without that. To be fair, she was simply engineered with limitless energy, so the need for rest and recuperation had been cut out of her system from the very beginning. Even now, she could just stay up forever. And she really does mean forever.

As it turns out, however, sleeping was a kind of lulling poison. And she'd taken large gulps of it ever since.

The same went for other biological-related things, like eating and showering. Two things that she technically wouldn't even need, but were simply comforts that felt like unimaginable luxuries when she'd first given them a try.

She was slowly becoming more human. More adapted to their ways of living. And honestly, she wasn't too upset with that. She rather liked this change. Liked the simplicity; no stray devils to deal with, no gods being wary of her every move, no nothing. Just Issei, his family, and having a generally pleasant time together.

But that wasn't to say that she didn't appreciate change every now and then. Something to shake things up and add some excitement to life without proving, in any way, detrimental to anyone's safety. There would always be room for some of that.

Somehow, life decided that two in the morning was an opportune time for some excitement in her life.

"This… is not what I need…"

Ophis was sleepy. Scratch that, she was groggy, grumbling, and filled with murderous energy—all while she was still in her PJs, and her hair an absolute crow's nest. The murderous bit was practically foreign for her, but whatever that loud noise had been moments ago had ruined her beauty sleep. And she was absolutely going to murder whatever caused it.

Initially, she wanted to ignore it. It could have just been a wild animal or a one-time thing, which she would have accepted. Unfortunately, it only devolved into a sequence of loud crashing and muffled, garbling screams that had her straining so hard to block out the noise, but to no avail.

Plus, a part of her pointed out, there was the possibility of something really dangerous out there. Not dangerous to her (it would be a cold day in hell for something that powerful to show up in her lifetime), but certainly to Issei and his family.

Urgh. Why couldn't one of them go check it out instead of her? Unfortunately, she'd easily learnt just how deep of a sleeper Issei could be. That his parents proved capable of such a feat as well made it very clear from whom he'd gotten that particular skill from. And here she'd thought she was better at it than they are.

She groaned drawlingly as she walked down the steps on padded feet. For some odd reason, the sound had gradually lowered since she'd begun leaving her room. Still wasn't leaving it up to chance, though. If there truly was something outside, she was going to eviscerate it.

"Okay," she began, stepping out through the front door. "What is—"

The massive corpse of a stray devil, bloodied and practically gored apart in various ways, sat right beyond their gate.

"What."

"Woof!"

Automatically, her head snapped to the source of the sound, eyes wide. She recognizes that sound. She'd heard it just yesterday.

And lo and behold, there was the dog they'd met outside of the grocery store, sitting on its hind legs as it panted at her with that disarming look, tail wagging left and right as if happy to see her.

Oh. And there was the blood all over its face, mouth and teeth. And its eyes were red.

…Well, she'd expected some things. This was not it.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. And then, deciding to address the elephant in the room—or, really, the gigantic and very-much-dead stray devil out on the street—she looked at the corpse. "And, did you do this?"

The dog barked back.

"I… am unsure, if that is a 'yes' or a 'no'," although, it'd be hard to deny that, considering the very fresh blood on its face.

Still, that could just mean that it found this thing dead outside, and decided to take a little bite… which she could clearly see, from the bright-red marks that carved inwards, indicating that it had indeed eaten some of the devil's flesh. She wasn't even sure how an Earthling dog could even stomach consuming meat of a corrupt being such as this.

However, that doesn't really explain how it would have been capable of killing this massive thing. After all, it's not that big. More or less her height, but compared to this gargantuan devil? Plus, there were wounds that a simple dog wouldn't be able to pull off, such as that large hole that pierced right through the devil's chest and all the way out the back. Then there was the fact that it looked as if it had been bisected in the middle. Or pulled on both sides until it just gave way.

Ophis looked back to the dog. It stared back, panting.

And now, she was likely just a little concerned.

"How did you—"

Before she could even finish her question, the dog seemed to suddenly snarl, bracing itself as it stared past her. That was enough to get her to turn back as well, watching as ten bodies or so appeared from the edges of the roofs of several houses, staring down at them with hungry eyes and mouths lined with rows of fangs. Some of them were lithe, though the majority were bulky in stature, their flesh pale and distorted in an inhuman way.

More stray devils. And quite the horde of them tonight. Perhaps they were drawn by the smell of their dead kin. That, or it was just really bad luck on her part.

Seriously, what is it with Kuoh? The likelihood of this many stray devils showing up at a time in a human location was more or less one in a thousand, yet here she is, seeing them at least twice every week or so. This place must be some kind of hotspot for them or something.

'Great. Just what I needed,' she sneered, not in the mood to deal with such annoyances. 'I want to be in bed right about now, surrounded by pillows and off in dreamland. Not up so late dealing with rubbish.'

These things would prove to be so little of an issue to her, in all honesty. They were the lowest of the low. Dirt beneath a ladder's feet. She could wipe them out with just a snap of her fingers, and then she'd be done with it.

"A little child and her little puppy, out so late. Oh, how adorable~!" A female devil, whose lips were peeled back in a smile a little too wide, mocked with a singsong voice. "And oh so delicious…"

"But not enough…" Another commented.

"We… need more…"

"Eat all of them… This town…" A devil shuddered. "So many… Tonight will be our feast…"

When he said that, more devils seemed to show up. Now, there was at least two dozen. Ophis clicked her tongue. Did they really think their numbers would do anything? She need only deliver her command, and all of them would fall like flies.

Still, there were even more revealing themselves from the shadows in the distance. The dragoness did not appreciate the rude entrance, and the idea of them deciding to crash through the people's homes set off bells in her head.

That would be fine. It was only Issei and his family that mattered. So long as she'd protect the house behind her, then nothing else mattered. So long as they were safe, even if the others were ran into the dirt in their sleep, she wouldn't have minded.

But there was also Ms. Rei, who walks her annoying chihuahua every morning at seven, and brothers Chen and Liu, who always gave her free snacks whenever she walked past their house. The old man Yashimori was good friends with Uncle, and his wife was always happy to give them free food. Even grumpy Shido, who liked Issei enough to greet him anytime they met eyes. And even the people whose names she couldn't remember, all too kind and friendly in their own ways, being the community that gave sleepy little Kuoh its fun, pleasant atmosphere.

…Damn her treacherous mind. It wasn't just the Hyoudou's now, was it? Everyone here mattered.

'But I am only one person, and I cannot handle everything—'

"Auuwoooorgh..!"

Gray eyes widen as she took in the canine beside her, its snarling taking on a deeper pitch. Its eyes were red once more, akin to crimson wine. Its back was hunched, as if preparing to make a leap.

And then, all of a sudden, its head broke apart.

Or, perhaps, it was more accurate to say that the dog's head practically contorted outwards, mouth spread wide as its head peeled upwards and down, practically resembling a banana torn open in its side. Tentacles thrust outwards and twisted angrily in the air from the mouth. Dozens of red eyes protruded from each side, each one glaring at a devil each. The fur around its entire body seemed to take on a strange property, looking akin to scales or hardened skin. And its hind feet seemed to grow into what seemed like velociraptor feet, tipped with sharp claws.

"AwShfwhougaAighRrhgGAUUU!"

Ophis did not say a word for a moment there. She stared at the dog—or what should be a dog—and blinked. Once. Then twice. Then three more times in quick succession, trying to decide whether she was hallucinating. When it was clear that she wasn't, she pinched herself on the hand. Nope. Still real.

"You are…" She struggled to find the words. "Almost like Six-eight-two."

The resemblance is rather uncanny, though that was solely limited to the fact that both of them were capable of biological adaptation that no other being was capable of. Six-eight-two could talk, whereas this one couldn't. And one was much more of a sourpuss than the other.

Ophis wondered if they shared any connection, but ultimately decided to ignore that in favour of what was more important now. Namely, the devils that had them surrounded.

Mind made up, she snapped her glare towards the monsters. Ironic to call them that, considering that she was standing right beside one, but whatever. Tonight was going to be a battle amongst monsters.

And she was one all the same.

The stray devils roared a cacophony and charged, and she and her monstrous canine companion met them head-on.

"Uhh…"

"This is exactly what it looks like."

Six years of age and still counting, Issei Hyoudou was a lot of things. A good detector of lying, he is not, but he also knew that his best friend Ophis would never try to lie to him. Especially now, when she'd opted for blunt truth, as she always does, so there was nothing in him that felt as if she wasn't being honest with him. He appreciated that.

Unfortunately, that doesn't really explain the sight that he was presented to when he walked out of the house at… what? Three in the morning? Sheesh. It's a little too early for him to be out. Mom and Dad would kill him if they found (hint on the if bit, wink wink).

To be fair, he was thirsty. Mom and Dad say it's fine to wake up if it's just to go pee for a bit or get a quick drink, so long as he went back to sleep afterwards. He'd certainly banked on that.

And not somehow catch sight of his best friend standing outside of the house beside what looked to be a huge mountain of bad-smelling meat. And there were also other bodies around the streets, and some even on the roofs of houses.

Ophis may be the master of poker faces, but even he could tell that she'd planned to bolt when he stepped outside of the house to meet her. She literally looked like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, albeit far less emotional and in a situation more intense than mere sugary theft.

"Do I wanna' know what this is?"

"No," Ophis answered immediately. "No you do not."

"Oh. Okay then, I won't ask," he didn't miss the way her muscles untensed greatly. "Well, with that out of the way," he turned to look at the thing standing on her right side. "What is that?"

It couldn't possibly be Mister Lizard, because that guy was a lot bigger, and a whole lot grumpier. This one looked just as funky-looking, although comparatively smaller. Then again, maybe he could make himself smaller. That was always an option.

"This is, the dog we met yesterday."

"What? No way, that's not—" The creature's features quickly undid themselves, and standing before him now was a simple dog. "Oh hey, it is you!"

"Awoo!" She greeted back, tongue lolling out of its mouth harmlessly as she smiled at him.

"Your eyes are still red," Ophis told her. Immediately, the reds of her eyes washed out into white. Cool. "So yes, this was the dog we met yesterday."

That's crazy. And they'd just met a day earlier. He honestly didn't expect to be seeing her again so soon, though he wasn't complaining. "And she's somehow able to change itself, like Mister Lizard."

"Hmm. I, thought that they were related too, actually."

"Right? They could be."

Ophis was silent for a little bit, before she spoke up again. "Maybe we, could call him here for a bit."

"Call him over? How would we do that? He never told us where he lives. He might live in Bijinbayashi… I don't actually know where that one is, but I think it's far. And also, calling someone would need a phone. We don't have that, and I doubt Mister Lizard has one too."

"I, can call him," at his surprised expression, she returned it with a wilted look. "But… it might be, a little difficult for you to believe what you will be seeing. It will not be normal."

"Well, we met a talking lizard. What else would be crazier than that?"

"That… is a fair point, but this will be a little stranger."

"As strange as her?" He patted the dog on the head, getting her to yelp in joy. "Or that?" He tilted his head towards the big, dead thing. "Or, you know. Mister Lizard?"

"…All of those are fair points indeed. Very well. But please, be calm."

Issei didn't bother vocalizing a response, simply nodding at her. He trusted her. She must have known that, too, for she seemed to relax a little and nod back before looking away from him. She raised her dainty hands, but said nothing.

All of a sudden, light flashed into existence, temporarily blinding him. He let out a yelp at that, but quickly managed to regain himself and rub his eyes to get rid of his dizziness. When he blinked his eyes open, it was to see spots dancing in the corner of his vision, although that was it.

And then, he came face-to-face with a crocodile snout, hot air exhaled directly towards his face. Tens of eyes bore down on him with heated animosity.

Contrary to any person, who would have reacted poorly to such danger, Issei practically beamed at the thing. "Mister Lizard!"

"Don't call me that," the big lizard bristled. "And why the hell am I here?"

"We wanted to ask, if this is your family," Ophis said, gesturing to the dog. Mister Lizard glanced to the dog, who barked back.

"Please, do not kid yourselves. I am one of a kind. I have no family."

"But she can transform like you do," Issei said, getting his attention. "Show 'em, girl."

The dog definitely understood what he meant, for it barked back before quickly undergoing its transformation, revealing hundreds of eyes, teeth, and a very deformed appearance. All of that happened under ten seconds.

"What the…"

"Right? She's just like you!"

"Shut it. There are no other entities like me," Mister Lizard snarled. "Still, what this one has achieved is rather close to what I can do… How did you meet it?"

"We went grocery shopping, and then she came to us when we walked out."

"…I see," for some reason, Issei felt as if Mister Lizard was suffering from a headache of sorts. "Regardless of that, we share no ties. I bear no parent, and had never produced a copy of myself through methods like binary fission."

"I see…"

There was a huff, though it didn't seem as angry as before. A little softer. Going from absolute annoyance to mildly peeved is probably an improvement. "You are a human, correct? You do not seem all too surprised by what you are seeing."

The brunet shrugged. "I mean, I met you. What's so strange about another one?"

"Perhaps, but your reaction to this entire situation is a little too relaxed. A normal person would have been a little more reactive. A little more concerned. And by 'a little', I do mean 'a lot more'."

"Eh. Doesn't really mean anything to me," at his repeated shrug, Mister Lizard seemed to gawk at him. "What? It's true. Sure, there are crazy stuff all around me, but I don't really see what's the problem with that. It just means that there's so many cool things out there," his eyes brightened at the thought of that. "And I'd just love to meet all of them!"

"…You are single-handedly the bravest child I've ever met. That, or you're just an idiot."

"Aww, thanks!"

"I didn't mean it as a compliment—"

"And you are not bothered with me?" Ophis asked, looking a little concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"It's… Simply put, I am not a human either…"

Huh. She isn't? Could have fooled him. She literally looks like one, no matter how he looked at her. "Okay. Then what are you?"

"I am a dragon."

Issei's jaw couldn't possibly dropped faster. "Dragon?!" He gasped, seizing her by the shoulder. Her eyes shot wide in surprise. "You're actually a dragon?!"

"Er… Yes."

"That's so cool!" He gushed. "My best friend is a dragon, our friend is a talking lizard—"

"Brat! I am no one's friend—"

"—and the dog we met yesterday is also an alien that is potentially from space!"

"Awoo!"

"Yeah! Everyone here is awesome!" He missed Ophis's look of awe and Mister Lizard's expressions of disbelief. "Man. If someone told me I'd ever meet non-humans in my life, I would have never believed them," he paused for a bit to mutter. "Huh. Now that there are dragons and aliens, wonder how many other things exist."

"A great number of them. The world, is vast."

"Ooh. That's pretty cool. Also, what are those?"

"Those, are devils."

"Really?" He took a good look at it, then quirked a brow. "Less red than I expected. And without wings and a pointy tail."

"I… cannot believe this. Are you simply this steel-hearted or daft?" The lizard shook his head. "But that aside, you cannot be serious. Red, with pointy tails? What kind of stereotype is that?"

"That's how cartoons depict them."

"And those are easily some of the worst sources of information if there is ever any," the creature rolled its eyes. Literally, it rolled all of its eyes. It was pretty cool. "Seriously, you humans are just strange."

"To be fair, we're weird to you, and you're weird to us. We're simultaneously weird to each other."

"Woof!" The dog barked its agreement.

Mister Lizard paused to consider that, before eventually nodding. "That may be the smartest thing you've said yet. Colour me impressed."

"Impressed, is a colour?"

"No, Ophis, it's a proverb. A saying. It just means someone is actually impressed."

"Oh. Okay, I understand."

"…Wait, why am I still here? Send me back. I'd like to return to my home. If I stay here any longer, someone might discover me."

"Pfft," Issei waved him off. "You're silly. What are the odds of that happening?"

When someone screamed 'Oh my God!', the odds seemed pretty good. Issei, Ophis and Mister Lizard immediately froze up and turned stiffly towards the source of the sound.

Right by the doorstep, a pair of brunets in their nightclothes stood watching them, eyes as wide as platters and mouth practically hanging loose. Ah, shoot.

"I-Issei?" His dad gasped, eyes wide and his glasses almost slipping off his face.

"D-Dad," he gulped, looking between his friends for some form of support. Ophis was trapped in a moment of complete shock and Mister Lizard looked like he was contemplating running away, some eyes watching his parents while the others were looking in the other direction. "I, uhh…"

"Young man, what comes out of your mouth next better be something good, or I'll bend you over my knee."

Crud. What was he supposed to say in this situation? He didn't think Mom and Dad would be awake! They're usually heavy sleepers! Sort of. Then again, the time when Ophis warped Mister Lizard over here or when he screamed super loud were probably enough to have roused them from their sleep and go out to investigate.

Well, this was a disaster.

The sound of munching in the background was enough to act as a distraction, although it technically made everyone, him included, look in its direction.

Their dog friend, who had gone back to looking like her usual doggy self, was happily munching away at the body's flesh, pausing to burp before going back to its chewing.

Mom was the first to react, by blurting out: "What the dog doin'?"

Author's Notes:

And so, the Hyoudou family is made aware of the craziness and the supernatural. Cue the shenanigans to come.

Also, new cover photo! I'm experimenting with different apps all around, both on PC and mobile, and this one was made with Book Cover Maker for Wattpad, which is a mobile app. Relatively simple, although I kind of like it. Maybe I'll update it someday, who knows.

Deep Fog is a little indie horror game that you can find over on Steam, and it's pretty cute, if a little bloody (and by a little, you can say it's pretty bloody).

But it helps that Lucy (that's the dog's name in the game) is cute! A sidenote is that I'm not too sure whether or not Lucy's breed was revealed during the course of the game or anywhere else, and she looks more like a goat than anything else. So I just went with a breed that more or less looks like what she should be. If y'all have any idea what she may resemble, go ahead and mention it in the reviews.

Now that I think about, it'll definitely get confusing in the future once we have another Lucy introduced into the story. Take a gander at whom that could possibly be…

Also, you guys know, obviously. But fuh real tho: what the dog doin'?