DISCLAIMER: DxD doesn't belong to me. All th rights to Ichiei Ishibumi and its respective magazines

Shion Shirogane likes movies.

He really like movies.

Even since he started to live a 'normal' life as they would say, he fell in love with them. How 'normal' people could, without magic, do whatever they desired on a big, silver screen; from epic, bloody combat scenes, to sullen, melancholic love between individuals, to incomprehensible imagery and beings which seem to be alien even from someone of his background.

He vividly remembers the first time he went to a film theatre, a suggestion of his mother to cheer him up. As cold, ruthless, egocentric, violent, sociopathic, arrogant, petty and vindictive his mother is, she never passed an opportunity to spend time with her children and ex-husband, if only to make an excuse so that she could miss a congress meeting or other boring chore as a head of a company; she is weird like that. Buying a few dozen tickets so that nobody would sit next to them during a session, plus popcorn and soda drinks, mother and son saw a Ghibli film. It was fun, it was colourful, it had a nice message, and it was the first time he has been to a cinema, but not the last time, at all.

Ever since, any time the opportunity arose, he would ask and drag his parents to see any film on display, from stupid comedy flicks to experimental films from some other foreigner country, anime or CGI movies with lots of love or greed poured into them. This passion for theatre and overall arts never faded into his teen years, and was shared among this family members, especially his little sister Momo. In fact, the reason he wanted to go to Hokkaido in the first place was to visit some good landmarks and maybe take a nice picture or two before… Things happened.

Now with his trip cancelled and all the opportunities to an idle holiday open, he decided to invite his newest demon heiress king to a film marathon at Kuoh's cinema after a small stop at the local café. A sudden, sporadic decision and invitation, but he was happy to know she accepted it. His father's extra allowance allowed them to buy the tickets for it, plus some snacks and drinks. To make matters better, they were displaying a myriad of films for the day to midnight, so they had a lot to watch and discuss, especially considering how excited Éclair Paimon was regarding the whole affair, apparently movies in hell weren't exactly interesting, mostly documentaries and biographies of some figureheads in there.

He wondered how different the movie and anime culture were in her home world as he thought what was inside Marcellus's briefcase…

"The action scenes were nice! So fluid and colourful!"

"That one made me cry, especially after the girl died. Chuif."

"Uh… I guess it was supposed to be funny, but I was kinda… Grossed out?"

"The effects were a bit outdated, but the story itself was beautiful…"

"Claymation? Or CGI? Couldn't tell!"

Film after film, session after session, the couple would stop at the snack bar to discuss the latest screening and, after a few minutes, return to the theatre to enjoy another display, be a violent western, a quiet black-and-white vintage or an anime film which they knew nothing about. Eyes on the screen, they would laugh, cry, enjoy themselves to the fullest, seeing a familiar face once or twice and talk about it. Shion was having a good time spending some quality time with his newest demon King, whom despite being the heiress of a demon clan, despite coming from a literal different world from his, could still laugh and cry for characters on the movies in front of them, feeling their joys and pain, their struggles and victories.

He wondered if all demons were like her, or she was just like that, as he imagined that Karaba might be an allegory of a rape victim lashing out her trauma indiscriminately and the healing that come after…

One, a few, dozens of films come by, and finally night comes as the lights on the streets lighten up and the sky assumes a darker tone. As the screen becomes black the credits roll for the last movie they saw, the signs around the theatre indicate that they were closing soon. She pouts and whines, but a sleepy yawn indicates that Éclair was getting tired anyway, several hours of action and drama catching up with her usual enthusiasm. After all, anyone would be emotionally tired after that train butchering the reunion between Akari and Takagi…

"Hmmm~, fantastique! That was a marvellous session! My brain is even numb for all the films we enjoyed!" The Paimon heiress stretches herself as she and her pair leave the film theatre, her smiling lips smeared with caramel and sugar and dusting her dress from all the popcorn scraps left on it. The sole of her sandals makes a dull sound walking on the cold asphalt, incessant and restless as she feels like improvising a dance, twirling herself around not even minding the wandering eyes catching what was under her skirt, Shion's included. He turned so red. "Another thing amazing about humans: they can come up with so many worlds and stories despite their common knowledge be only limited to this star! Compared to it, movies and anime in the Underworld are so bareboned~! Avez-vous-compris?"

"I dunno about the underworld, but I guess movies from the human realm are quite good." The reincarnated demon smiles with his hands on his pockets, dusting his mouth and cheeks of salt. "I can't complain at least. Be a generic action or superhero movie, a romantic flick with a twist or even an artsy pretentious piece, I never have a bad time in the cinema…"

"Précisément! While I quite like our own forms of entertainment, there are so many times I can rewatch the love story between the great Sirzechs and his belle Grayfia Lucifuge and grow completely bored by it~!" A smile and a wink for him as Éclair turns around to face him. "But just like their potential, the human imagination is infinie! Mayhap that's the reason as to why as such: nothing holds them back because they imagine themselves not being held back! The imagination to wanting to achieve higher, and then the potential to do so, c'est magnifique!"

"I guess… You can't argue with that." Another scratch on the cheek, a smile spreading. "I never gave it much thought about it that way, though. But you might be right: human's ability to create and imagine is very… Fascinating? I guess that's the word. To be honest, I always dreamed of making a movie…"

"Hmmm~? Excusez-moi?" A careless whisper from the back of his mind taking voice, and he snaps back, surprised to see the demon heiress looking directly at him, eyes as wide as saucers. He arcs back a few steps, confused and taken back, soon pursing his lips so no more words come out. One, two blinks, Éclair pouts. "Did you say something, mon chéri Shion? Want to share something with little ol' moi? To know my servants better is always a plus…"

"N-No, nothing. Nothing… At all." His gaze that turns elsewhere and trembling lips indicate a very obvious lie, but noticing his discomfort, the demon heiress decided to not further this conversation, despite being a bummer in her eyes, her pout signing how disappointed she was. On the other hand, Shion cursed his little brain fart, admitting that he wanting to make a movie was a dream, a long dream that he felt too much embarrassed to share. A moment of silence, and he tries to deflect her question to another matters. "Hey, huh, it's… Getting late, don't you agree? We… Better be going. My father might get worried about me…"

Another lie. His father knew he was spending time with a girl after a quick call before going to the movies, and all things considered, not only he was elated to know his son was with a cute lass, but he also knew nothing bad could happen. After all, nothing bad ever happens to a guy on a date with a girl he barely knows, right?

Right?

"Sacre Bleu, and right you are, mon chéri!" A quick glance at her phone and then the night sky, and his King only now notices the obscene amount of time they spent together, almost a whole day! Of course, considering how differently demons consider things like time, plus her nocturnal vision and, well, she was having such a good time with her newest piece, he barely noticed. Hands cupping her rosy cheeks, her comic horror turns into a sad and irritated pout. "Mon Dieu, now I'll have to listen to frère Pandro's endless lectures. Once I return home, I won't hear the end of it~."

"Huuuh~… I'm sorry…?" Shion drags out his words and claps his hands apologetically, a mix of embarrassment and guilt filling his heart seeing his newest demon King seemed to be so miserable right now. Éclair was quick to recover herself hearing him, and with a sigh, she smiles, standing tall and mighty and doing a pose.

"No problem, mon chéri! I might say those, but if a simple scold is punishment for spending some quality time with you, then I don't mind, not in the slightest!" Her smile and conviction were infectious, and Shion gasped loudly and could simply feel his cheeks heating up. That girl surely was energetic and pretty open, it was overwhelming, even. Nothing from him, and a small giggle from her. "I don't regret spending my time with you, mon chéri. Not at all… Hm, but I wished I could have an excuse to say what I was doing so late into the night… Oh."

"Hm…?" Shion blinks as Éclair's stare turns to a direction and stops, a small glint on her golden eyes indicating a mischievous idea. The demon girl lifts a hand and points to a direction, and following it, the recently reincarnated demon shifts his gaze there, only to face a pink neon sign at the distance…

… It was a love hotel sign.

…

"Wha…?! No way, no way, no way! That's… Embarrassing!" Cheeks as red as the highlights on her hair and practically steaming from his ears like a kettle, the young man turns back to his king and screams in protest to her outrageous request. I mean… He was a healthy young man, and she was a gorgeous, pretty and busty girl of his liking, and with the hormones on the edge, such idea was out of the picture, but still… Where is the romance?! Seeing his exasperated reaction, the demon heiress couldn't contain a laughter from her innards, a hand on lips to not sound too rude.

"Hahahahah! Je plaisante! No need to fret, 'tis was but a joke." She declares between girly giggles, and despite letting a relieved sigh escapes his lips, Shion couldn't help but to feel… Disappointed? No, the correct word would be something like 'upset', although he didn't know the real reason as to why. He could just pout with that certain reaction with an uncertain motive. Éclair stops, lifts a finger to her lips and winks at the hapless boy. "Mayhap one day, mon chéri, one day. Once we come closer and if we feel like it, we can… 'Frolic' with each other and discovers one of youth's mysteries. But until then, let us make souvenirs with a smile instead, Avez-vous-compris?"

"Fine, fine." He murmurs with a certain annoyed tone, but then is taken back by her, the whiplash being nigh audible if there was anyone besides the two to hear it. A moment to digest it, and he blinks again and again, one moment more confusing than the other. Eventually, a single word escapes him. "Quoi…?"

"Heheheh. Kyaaah~, what is with moi today? Doing those things is so, like, dangerous~. Must be the season, so cold~." She laughs one more time, but this time, with her puffy cheeks turning a cute tone of pink, her Louboutin tacking on the cold asphalt of the street as she skips away from her newest evil piece and snaps her fingers to summon a magical demon rune, stepping inside the circle. "See you around then, mon chéri. Next time, I'll be the one with something for us to do, and then we're gonna have a super nice time! Until then, à bientôt!"

"Y-Yeah…" He simply lifts and waves a hand for her departure, as the rune glows and then disappears alongside her, nobody else seeing that as the theatre was completely barren sans the young couple and now just Shion. He stood there for a good minute or two, dumbly waving at the nothing until reality came down unto him, and lowering his hand, he takes a deep breath to realize what just happened.

He just had a date with a super cute, super-hot demon girl, and she liked him… Maybe, kinda.

…

"Hup…!" As if it was by instinct, his hand clutched into a fist and violently jerked backwards in an excited gesture. A wave of emotions flood inside his young heart, and pursing his lips to the point it started to hurt, he basked in the glow of the pinnacle of one's adolescence. Sure, it was a demon girl with grandiose, lofty goals, but a girl, nonetheless.

So nice, so cool, she even had plans for them to go out once again, and like expected… Sex wasn't out of the question, and for him, it was just the highest his teenage self could reach, especially with someone like Éclair Paimon, whose bust was considerable and legs were long and milky…

A quick slap on the face to awaken from his degenerate state, and shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, Shion sighed to himself and instead decided to walk back home. He was getting a bit too hasty, must be the hormones talking, the young man should just be happy to have spent time a good quality time with a cute demon girl, and just be satisfied with it for now. New dates might arise, but he was in no hurry, he was happy as it is, making even a boring and lonely walk home bearable.

He was in a good mood, and nothing would ruin it…

Right?

"PREMIERE…"

*BAM!*

"Eh…?" But as he was about to take another step, Shion felt nothing, only a slip of thought as he found himself falling on itself, the ground below his feet having turn into a leather theatre door and opening to let him in, gravity doing the rest.

No sound, no reason, he simply let a quiet gasp as he fell into the door down the darkness of the other side, and once completely inside, the gate, his only source of light, closes above him, sinking him into the void of an unknown location.

And the rest… Was silence.

*CLAP! CLAP!*

Lights on. One moment into the darkness, and after the sound of clapping, Shion feels a ground to stand on, and now, a sight to distinguish from the void. Now, the young demon sees himself in a cinema corridor, a long, pristine corridor covered from top to bottom in velvet, closed leathered doors covering the paralleling walls and small moving posters showcasing a plethora of movies, none of them were the ones he saw on his previous visit to the theatre.

Confusion, disorientation, fear, all those feelings started to build up inside his heart, but not just that: by taking a sniff on the air, he could just smell that it wasn't ordinary, that was magic, and yet no simple magic either. It was the scent of a Sacred Gear, and a powerful one at that. But how? And why? Certainly, the perpetrator had less than wholesome reasons to drag him into this, even if he was fond of cinema to that extend…

"Didn't panic? Nor a loud reaction? Odd, but not unwelcome. Makes things easier." Hearing a new voice reaching for him, Shion quickly whips his head to its direction, upwards of all places, and sees a new figure: a tall, pale man wearing a red and black impeccable usher uniform, with even a hat and a flashlight, defying gravity as if he was upside down on the dark ceiling of the endless cinema corridor. They share stares, and with a toothy grin, the mysterious man detaches himself from the ceiling and lands without a single sound on the floor, his dark shoes tapping its tips a few times on it. A sigh, a minute, and the man turn back to Shion, a smile creeping on his lips. "I suppose you are familiar with the concept of Sacred Gears; therefore I shall waste no time and answer for you: yes, this entire corridor and its rooms are the creations of my Sacred Gear, specifically, my Balance Breaker. Neat, no?"

"I-I guess…" A lump of air goes down Shion's system as he tries to avoid eye contact with the stranger, taking a few steps back trying to formulate a plan, any plan, to escape that situation, without sounding rude.

Whatever the reason as to why he was and why the plan trapped him there, it couldn't be a good sign, there were red flags everywhere. However, the corridor ran for a seemingly endless loop and in a straight line, so any brusque move could alert the man in front of him and make matters worse. Fearing for his safety, but having no other choice, the young demon turns to his captor, his blue orbs crashing to the dark void he had for eyes, and sighing one more time, he tried to say something…

"Hm, I, huh, why did you…?"

"What's your favourite movie?"

"Huh…?" A pause. What sudden question from the mysterious stranger made the young demon do a double take, and his eyes widen a bit. What kind of question was that, in all situations such as that one? He gulps a lump of air and purses his lips to do another sound, but the usher frowns.

"Allow me to ask you again: What's your favourite movie?" He waves a hand in an impatient gesture, cold and sharp eyes killing all words that were boiling inside Shion. "What genre or media matters me not: animation, live-action, adaptations, Claymation, B&W, silent; horrors, comedy, action, alternative, snuff, Hollywood, Bollywood. Just name your favourite movie, if you please."

"…" Pursed lips, sweat running down his brows, a rude and loud gulp in pure confusion and despair. Shion wanted to escape, to ask what was going on, and what the stranger wanted with all of that. However, his demands were too severe, and somehow he knew that, if he didn't relent, things could only get worse, so much worse. A cough, a wandering stare anywhere, and so he spoke. "Uh… Hm, cough, cough… I… I like a lot of movies, like a lot, since I was a kid, but if I have to pick one… From the top of my head… I would choose Star Wars. Specially Return of the Jedi, but I like the original trilogy more."

"Hmm." The mysterious usher seems to ponder and weight his words, a low but still audieble hum escaping his lips. One second, two seconds, and then he opens a smile, a bright and seemingly innocent one at that. "Good answer, I suppose."

"Hm…"

"…"

"H-Hm, so, why am I…?"

"Second question, if you don't mind: What's your favourite director?" But in another instant, the smile on him vanished, and he asked another inconvenient question with two fingers in the air, ignoring Shion's increasing nervousness. "Same conditions, same limits, just one, but can be any nationality, any period. C'mon."

"Hmmm…" Another impertinent question without rhyme or reason, and same conditions: if he doesn't answer, Shion fears that his situation might become even direr. Another sigh, and then a snap of his tongue. "I dunno… I am a… A big fan of Kubrick and Cameron… But if I must choose just one, hm, Satoshi Kon? I really liked Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika, and I understand why Aronofsky wanted to recreate the bathroom scene from Perfect Blue into his Requiem for a Dream…"

"I see, I see. My favourite gotta be Tarantino, if just so for the name, but I'm also a big fan of Spielberg." The man laughs to himself, and Shion lowers his stance, a bit frightened. In any other moment, any other really, he would be having a good time discussing his favourite subject with a possible new friend, but that feeling from the back of his head couldn't help but to scream for him to get away, to run as fast as possible, to ditch and forget everything. Seeing no escape, he only waited for another question. "Okay, okay, final question, then: What are your thoughts on Ari Aster?"

"…"

"…?"

"I… I don't particularly am fond of his works." Shion admits, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, like a huge weight just have been lifted from his shoulders, but not for a good reason, you see. "D-Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his camera work and his cinematography is great specially during his oners, all things considered. Is just… His works don't click with me. His themes and motif of feminine grief and despair feels not only explorative, but almost fetishist in some way, same with his gratuitous amount of violence and gore, and honestly, his visual storytelling is not the cleanest, which makes his works feel… Frustratingly pointless, self-indulgent, even. Not… Not my cup of tea."

"Yeah, I agree. What's up with that." And from the usher, a new reaction: a snide remark and a toothy and daring grin, a mischievous one, too. "Those angsty moviemaker wannabes, they are a cancer into the industry as much as those greedy, generic corporations that spit the same blockbuster repeatedly. One thing is to have meaning or artsy roots, like Un Chien Andalou or Amélie Poulain; the other is having violence and heavy topics for their own sake, which might alienate alternative viewers into thinking we, movie connoisseurs, are a bunch of pretentious, sadistic perverts. That's the same reason I can't stand Lars von Trier, him and his glorification of mental illness and addiction, ugh! Y'know, I'm glad that he got Parkinson's, let's see him make a movie saying much he enjoys and is superior to others for having it…"

"…" Shion makes a face, that wasn't a very nice comment, but he kept quiet just to not irate the mysterious young man by the other side. Once out of his rant, the latter turns to the young demon yet again, and smiles, holding now three fingers lifted, and with a snap, he points at Shion.

"But… Y'know what? 10 points, perfect score." He says, drawing even more confusion from the young devil, who couldn't help but to tilt his head to a side and widen his eyes. "I like you, Shion Shirogane. You have good taste, both in movies and everything surrounding it, and I can't help but to feel a bit guilty, y'know? I wished I could've met you sooner, you're a diamond in the rough between the uncultured masses. Specially after a very tiring mission, y'know? I met this Nekomata hit not very long ago, an SS-class stray demon criminal, and all she wanted from me were fucking and strong children. She didn't know anything about Reiner's Stand by Me, or Miike's Audition, or which storyline of Pulp Fiction was her favourite. Hell, she didn't even know who David Lynch was, and she though Casablanca was a dessert. I got so angry at her… That I ripped all her limbs off and slowly skinned her alive before decapitating her to present her corpse to the demons. Honestly, the word was better off without people like her, uncultured women can't even live to be fucktoys… Whom am I kidding? Uncultured women like her don't even deserve to be considered 'people', so I killed her like the filthy animal she was."

"How… How do you know my name?" Shion asked, now 100% sure that he was sharing a moment with a lunatic, a dangerous lunatic. Not only his name, but the nauseating description he gave him, how he gored and desecrated a nekomata, a person, for such petty reasons, made the demon lad get a cold sweat, despair and horror filling his heart, flooding, even, in total contrast to the usher's calm, idle smile. Hearing his question, the mysterious usher was taken back, but smiled back.

"Oh, right, where are my manners? Allow me to present myself." And he bows and gestures politely, his stance and poise a complete contrast to Shion's trembling body. Lowering his head and slowly lifting himself, still smile, he presents himself. "My name is Zephyr Romanov, and I am an assassin hired by a certain someone to kill you, Shion Shirogane. Ah, but don't worry, since I like you that much, I'll make sure that your death will be swift and painless."

There was a beat.

…

…

"Q-Quoi…?"

"Goodbye, dear friend. SESSION." And with a move from two of his fingers, the usher assassin known as Zephyr swiftly gestured as if cutting the air and pointed his two fingers to a random leathered gate, which opened by itself.

Shion was confused, but then he felt himself dragged by an unknown force towards the darkness from inside the open doors, too sudden and too strong for him to do anything, as if an invisible force pulled him towards it. And again he was into the void, his only source of light being the lights of the corridor he was forcefully ejected from, which soon closed to drown him in pure darkness.

However, it didn't last long. Suddenly, he was bathed in brightness, flickering without warning as if someone simple turned on the lights, and now, blinking a few times to get used to the bright, he saw himself… On the edge of a skyscraper, his feet balancing between solid ground and air! The scare and suddenness were too much for him to ratiocinate fast enough, and he soon lost balance and tripped, freefalling from a high distance towards what he noticed was a flooded city, right to the black ocean below.

"Haaaaaaaah…!" He screams and bellows, gaining speed as he comes closer and closer to the dark waters, his sense of direction completely jeopardize due to fear and confusion. Once he could tell up from down, adjusting his body to know such, his mind ran as fast as possible: from that height and speed, even if he were to fall onto water, the sheer impact would most likely kill him, and that would be it, nothing more or nothing less. Shion takes a deep breath, and, despite his fear and uncertainty, gathers all the power and courage he could muster in his hands to then, with a clap, let it manifest. "C'mon… Gwaihir!"

A name, lost in the speed of his fall, and from his clapped hands, right before he could reach the waters, a majestic dark eagle appeared, as large as a car, and was quick enough to pick the demon man with its dark talons and swiftly ease his fall by gliding above the waters, to then take him to a safer, more stable place. Flying around thanks to his summon, Shion could see his exact location: a flooded Manhattan, the ocean covering everything except the taller buildings and a portion of the statue of Liberty. In fact, the place where he fell from was a tower of the Rockefeller Center, where an enormous statue of a man stood. It didn't take long for him to figure where he was, rather, in what he was.

That was the place where the climax of A.I. – Artificial Intelligence took place, Prof. Hobby's abode and the location of the Blue Fairy.

"What in the world…?" Shion wondered, horrified. What was that? A movie scenery in real life? Impossible, he thought, completely forgetting the miracles Sacred Gears allowed humans to perform. Finding a stable place to be, Shion landed not far away from where David threw himself out of despair, and let the enormous, summoned bird now rest on his arm. He blinks once, twice, and there was no mistake: it was if he was summoned into that Spielberg's movie.

"So, you didn't let himself be killed. What a pity." He hears that familiar voice again, and turning to that direction, he sees the assassin Zephyr standing not very far from him, with a sad, bored expression, as if disappointed with an unexpected outcome. "Y'know, for being an android, David sure could survive a fall that high, same reason as to why he was able to find the Blue Fairy statue. You, on the other hand, a normal human, would most likely not have survived. Honestly, it would be quite a painless death, falling into the ocean. Even if you had lived through the impact, the shock would've numbed your body and you wouldn't even feel yourself drown. I'm hurt, you are spitting on the mercy I gave you."

"I rather have the mercy being you let me live, if you don't mind." Was that sarcasm, a bitter remark for an attempt at his life? Not even Shion knows, but he got a bit on the edge for the situation, that smile of his hiding dark intentions, as black as the waters below. Zephyr let's a laughable sigh, doing a blasé pose with arms in the air.

"Sorry, can't do, Shion. My contractor said to kill you as I can, and he paid me a good money for a job well done. What kind of assassin would I be if I let you live just because we share a common interest. Professionals have standards, as they say, no?" The assassin laughs, pointing a finger at the enormous bird resting on his arm, which dangerously whistled at him back. "That aside, my dearest, that bird there, do tell, is a manifestation of your Sacred Gear, or something else entirety? It got… It got my attention."

"…" A moment, Shion gulps down a dry lump of air, and shares a glance with the Lord of the skies Gwaihir before snapping his fingers and dismiss him, which turned into black matter and returned to the darkness of the demon's shadow. Once it was gone, he turned back to the assassin. "Sorry, but I rather not use it so haphazardly. This ability of mine, this Sacred Gear is… Dangerous, and I don't like to use it, not at all."

"Bummer, what a drag. You think doing the mystery Box approach will stop me or provoke my ire? Think again, Shion. PREMIERE!" Zephyr lifts two fingers once again, and under Shion's feet another leathered gate opened, making him fall to the under side and, in another blink, find myself once again at the cinema hall from before, the assassin again seemingly teleporting in front of him at a good distance. Now a lot more wary, the young demon adopts a more daring pose. The usher simply smiles. "What are your thoughts? My sacred gear, that is? Its name is Nebulous Premiere, and it allows me to project any character, any prop and any scenario ever put in a silver screen into reality. No matter how impossible, illogical, I can just summon it and make it real. The best part? Its Balance Breaker, Marvellous Display, manifests this magical cinema which creates scenes from all movies in existence within its rooms and allows whoever enters them to experience them firsthand. Neat, huh?"

"With all due respect, it would be even neater if you didn't use it for such unsavoury actions." Shion coughed, acid leaving his lips more freely than before. He didn't know what made him so upset, but seeing someone use his favourite art to murder others for money rubbed him in the wrong way. "If you really loved movies that much, you shouldn't use it like that. It's… Just not right."

"Hmmmm~, mayhap, mayhap. But sometimes, you need to break a few eggs to make an omelette, you see. Grownups know that much." Zephyr takes Shion's criticisms in strides, making another blasé pose and sighing with a smile. "In order to fulfil my dream, I need money, you see, and with my talent and powers, my Sacred Gear, it becomes quite a piece of cake. I could use it for something else, but what's the fun in that?"

"Your dream…?"

"SESSION."

"Oh no…!" And seeing those same words and same gesture, Shion felt that he was in danger, specially after another door opened and a gust of wind tried to pull him into its darkness.

As quick as he could, the demon lad jumped and tried to gain distance between himself and the dragging gate, but one step back, and he felt bounded by something. One look down, and he saw himself trapped in what it seemed like gold film reels, flexible and light as, but somehow strong and tight as if made out of metal, practically tightly chaining him down. He looks back to the assassin and sees him holding said film reels like a leash, before whipping him into the room, and again Shion sees himself drown into the void.

But not for long, oh no. Another clap, another flash of light, dimmer this time, and the demon lad feels his body submerged into freezing, numbing water, his whole body twitching and trembling frenetically to sheer terminal shock. His senses kicked into overdrive, he knew that if he didn't do something, hypothermia would be his end. Still bounded by the film reels, he gathered all of his strength in his legs and swan himself to the surface, emerging from the freezing waters for air and heat, only to hear screams and cries everywhere, the surface being just as chaotic as underwater. Once he could tell left from right and up from down, he shook the excessive water from his face and looked up to see a starry night sky… And a massive half of a ship collapsing right above his head.

Oh… Oh, that was an easy one: James Cameron's magnum opus, Titanic.

…

Oh.

"You did say one of your favourite directors was Cameron, no? Then accept this courtesy of mine and die by the climax of his best film." That voice again, and looking up, stood the assassin Zephyr Romanov, hands on his pockets and nonchalantly balancing himself on the broken and descending carcass of the ship of dreams, which it was. Shion gasps, seeing the shadow of the massive ship upon him, and then uselessly tried to swim away. "It's no use, my dear Shion, the credits on your life shall roll soon. If it serves any consolation, you shall become a steppingstone for my dream. Be grateful for my mercy."

No response, only gasps for air and despair as the demon young man tried to drag himself away from the falling ship, still trapped in golden film reels, up to no use as soon enough the Titanic descended upon him and gave its silent and deadly judgement, the impact lifting a curtain of water and causing another quake in the surroundings as screams and wails increased around the sinking metal titan.

And above all else, Zephyr Romanov sighs with a smile on the top of the stern section, barely reacting to all the chaos around him. Well, another job well done, although he pitied that he had to kill a fellow cinema connoisseur, it was not everyday a target could gather some sympathy from him, but alas, the deed had to be done, and he hoped that at least, hypothermia aside, it was a painless death, being crushed by the infamous ship of dreams, from a movie of his victim's favourite director. Honestly, being shot or stabbed to death was too crude for him to die, Satoshi Kon was intense like that, so crushed by the Titanic was it. Hopefully he's in heaven right now with his favourite directors, actors and more.

"Well, nothing else to do. I just need to open another gate and find his corpse to present it to my client and get my money. Goodnight, sweet Shion." The assassin speaks to no one, picking a cigarette and lighten in up to enjoy some tobacco idleness before collecting the body to present him to his client and gather his reward. Like always, an easy win. "Wonder what I should watch to wash this bad taste in my mouth… Maybe Monty Python and the Holy Grail, that film always brightens my mood…"

"Nemo…"

*SPLASH!*

"What the hell…?!" But he couldn't leave. Zephyr was caught by surprise when he noticed large, enormous even, squid tentacles emerging from the cold waters and holding themselves on the remains of the ship of dreams, startling the assassin usher so much he dropped his cigarette and almost lost his balance. His eyes dart everywhere, but he sees no rhyme nor reason to that, considering there was no attacks of giant squids in the Titanic (unless you count that godawful 1999 animated adaptation, as no sane man should). The tentacles firmly held themselves onto the ship, and pulling from the ocean, a massive, silver squid emerged, its eyes looking directly at Zephyr. However, the assassin's attention turned to what, or rather who, rests on the giant squid's mantle: finally free from his shackles and sank into the fur of a golden lion for warmth, stood his target: Shion Shirogane, trembling and coughing, but still alive. "You…!"

"T-T-Thank you, Aslan. Y-Your fur is… S-So warm…" The demon boy cries to the lion around him, which meowed tenderly at its master before turning its golden stare at the assassin on the boat, who had his mouth agape for the whole ordeal. One blink, and Shion turned to Zephyr, coughing and taking deep breaths to regain his strengths. "I'm… I'm not going to die that easily… S-Specially like this… Not like this."

"Oh… Oh! Now I get it." From a blank expression, the man in red smiles, finally putting one in one together and clapping his hands in realization. The first summon was a bit nebulous, and being just one at the time, he still had his doubts, but seeing new summons, he was certain now, definitely. "I was told that my target, Shion Shirogane, was a Sacred Gear user, but to be the host of a Longinus of all things… Hahahah! Interesting! How very interesting, my target…!"

Shion Shirogane, the host of Annihilation Maker, the Demonic Beast Creator!

~~xAh, I had so much fun writing this chapter. A cute date and then a clash with an assassin, and we all know what Sacred Gear, what Longinus, our little mc has. Personally, I always liked the amount of stuff Annihilation Maker would be able to do, and honestly, I'm glad that I now able to come forth of what I can do with it.

But hello, DxD fandom. Hellhound here, another chapter another adventure for Shion. Hoinestly, coming up with this chapter was a bit hard considering my writer's block and stuff, but then I remember that one of the motifs of this story is… Imagination and dreams, so Zephyr comes forth to shake up things a bit and honestly, I glad that I got to write him and his weird sacred gear, something I love doing. Per title, this is just the first part of the conflict, so stay tuned for more next chapters.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I love it to write it,stay safe and I can only say that its good to be back on the writing game. See ya. Hellhound out