There are many types of monsters in this world. Monsters who will not show themselves and who cause trouble, monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood… And monsters who always tell lies. Lying monsters are a real nuisance; they are much more cunning than other monsters. They pose as humans even though they have no understanding of the human heart; they eat even though they've never experienced hunger; they study even though they have no interest in academics; they seek friendship even though they do not know how to love. If I were to encounter such monsters, I would likely be eaten by it… because in truth, I am that monster.

"Do you really need to go to Japan today, Brother?" A young blonde asked an unseen person, her blue eyes focused on a door with the sound of a shower going. The petite girl was sitting on a bed facing the said door with a white bedsheet the only thing keeping her modesty intact. "Can't you wait to see that wench at your engagement party… As much as I want her in our family I can't help but feel like my big brother is being taken away, just for today I want you to spoil me like you used to." the girl complained.

"Ravel, you know exactly why I am going. Now that the engagement is now official I have to make it seem like we are a happy couple." Riser's voice came from the other side of the door. "If you want, you and the rest of my peerage can come long. We can make a trip out of it. See the sites, sample the food, and maybe add another to the peerage. What do you say?" The door opened revealing him in just a towel. He then made his way to the bed, taking a moment to kiss his sister on the forehead, then sitting next to her on the bed.

"Are you going to attempt to sell me off again?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, I told you that was to show how serious I was towards the current kings. I apologize if I caused you any undue harm with my proposal. The thought of having one of the vampire king's daughters while my 'fiancée' had one of her own was enticing, but I know that you are worth more to me than any of the others." Riser answered.

Ravel studied her brother's face unconvinced, but she did not make her disapproval known and decided to take his words at face value for now. She put her best innocent smile on, hugging him resting her chin on his shoulder, making sure to hide the frown on her face in the process before answering his proposal. "Why not, and if we are lucky I heard that the current White Dragon is a woman and a Japanese teenager at that. If we find her before and are able to persuade her to join us as that Sitri girl did with the Red one."

"That is a thought, and who knows Lucifer and Beelzebub will recognize the Phenex clan as a true ally." Riser proclaimed as his sister released her embrace. "You should get ready, I want to leave as soon as possible."

(…)

"I would prefer you speak on the knowledge you have on me but since you have awoken that can wait for another time. Now Mei…" Sarinna paused. "Issei would like to share my blade with you, the power to manifest desires. Tell me, Mei, what do you desire?" The maid asked the girl in front of her with a glassy look in her eye as the world around became a black void, with Mei standing up straight. Sarinna leveled her right hand over the teenager's well-developed chest, a white orb appearing in it.

Meanwhile, Mei found herself in the classroom She was in earlier. Though it was the same the class felt wrong in some way like her surroundings were distorted, and unnatural at a point. Figuring that this was somehow Sarinna's doing she called out for the sacred gear spirit. "Faf-chan, are you there? What do you mean by desire?" She asked, not getting an answer out loud. After a few seconds, a response of sorts came, but not the one she requested.

[Final Dragon Wave!]

The beam hit the floor where she was standing, Mei barely dodging in the process. If her instinct hadn't taken over she would have been done for. Her eyes grew wide as she laid her eyes on her attacker, it was Issei with a vacant look.

[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]

Fear took over as the combination of Issei's vacant expression and the skeletal gauntlet covering the lower half of his left arm seemingly speaking almost made her want to make a run for it, but something stopped her. She was planted in place, then she heard it. An ear-piercing howl filled the room that she recognized. "Mako?" She asked no one in a small voice that escaped her quivering mouth.

[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]

[Balance Breaker!]

The zombified boy standing in front of her had a faint green glow to him before he was covered in a full-body scale-mail the appearance resembling that of a decaying dragon. Though the boy was primed for an attack he did not move an inch, not until a large gray wolf with gold eyes appeared from behind him just a head taller than him at the shoulder, growling at her presence. The pair slowly stalked towards her. "Mako, Ise… Why is this happening?" She tried to ask her friends. 'What are you doing if you don't want to die? RUN!'

(...)

"Well, that's interesting…" Sarinna said while looking at the glowing white orb she took from Mei's chest. "Issei's blade." her eyes shifted to the girl in front of her, a tear being shed. "Death incarnate… but with no sins to speak of." A smile crept onto the face of Sarinna. "My Dear Issei was right to befriend you." She said, wiping the tears from the now frozen girl. "I will lead you with my power, as I am your shadow. Protect all you hold dear with your pureness even if you have to part ways with your self-restraint, I will take on all your sins. No need to fear the darkness, you are not as weak as you show others. Stand tall and conquer all that stand before you."

(...)

Not having to be told twice, Mei took off for the door, but that came with a problem. The only exit was behind the two attackers she called her friends. Letting instinct take over Mei felt weird as a pink mist filled the room coming from every exposed surface of her skin. Though the Booted Gear user was seemingly unaffected, his wolf companion shook her head clearly, distressed by the situation. Mei felt remorse in her action as her best friend's growls and snarls became labored. 'They are not your beloved friends. You need to focus.' With that, Mei speaks to the wolf. "Mako... Please, I need your help."

The Wolf looked at Mei, its eyes softening. Making her way to Mei it licked Mei on the face after a few tentative sniffs then took a defensive position in front of Mei. The Wolf reared its head up and let out a sharp howl, and awaited the scale-mail-clad boy's first move, which he did, a few steps forward prompted the wolf to snap towards the boy.

"Thank you..."

Mei promptly left the classroom as the struggle began. The door to the classroom led to a black void in which there was little light. "Running, running will only prolong the suffering that you will face." Sarinna's voice came from behind her as the door to the classroom evaporated. "You have her eyes, and yet you turn away from their suffering. That's where you know my name isn't it... The waking dream of the empress of winter. And you also know the dream of our beloved Issei, still, you stand there refusing... You are just going to watch another family disappear before your eyes again. To be hunted by those mutilated corpses of your fakes over and over..."

"Stop." A near-silent plea escaped. "Faf-chan I can't... Not Ise and Mako."

A devilish smile crept on the face of Sarinna, her arms wrapping around Mei from behind pulling her into an embrace. "Let me help you, let me become the power that will help you keep those who you hold dear safe, just as I have done for Issei."

"I can't, I can't, I can't. I just can't do it, Fafnir. Issei and Makoto are the only things in this world I have left. Even here I can't take them out of it." A pair of ram horns grew from her head mid-speech that brought her to her knees, a long slender tail that came to a heart-shaped point. "I know this is a test, but still I won't become what they made me."

Sighing, Sarinna kneeled in front of Mei so she could face the girl when her proposal was made. "Mei..." The teenager looked up at her. "I know it's hard, I know what you are isn't something that a kid would readily accept, but you have to know that someone in your place will have to make decisions soon enough like this, and I need to know that you will be able to make them when you need to." That was a lie but she hopes that Mei did not know the true purpose of all this. What she wanted from Kage's temporary user, she continued where she left off. "Say... I want to show you something... A memory from the day I met Issei. Are you willing to see it?" A nod came from the girl. "Then... Here we go."

(...)

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit here." A white dragon asked Sarinna. "And that form, to think I would claim her face as my own."

Sarinna took measured steps up to the dragon in the current void of nothingness that surrounds the two. "As an answer to what, I have brought our wielder's possible concubine here to show her Issei's will. I have grown attached to our dear wielder and failure in her trail is not acceptable." Sarinna spoke with a stern expression.

The dragon huffed letting out a small growl before narrowing her pale blue eyes at Sarinna. "Dared to take a treasure from our collection. Do you forget the direness in that single action? Have you forgotten the price of that? Do you not remember the pain that caused? That face you wear among others that are lost forever. Souls polluted as one undeniable truth. we don't feel, are a blade of authority that the mortals can not fathom, the harbinger. Yet you let that devil worm his way into your heart. Pathetic."

Sarinna looked at the dragon with anger in her eye. "Don't you dare..." She created a block of ice in the relative shape of a horseshoe bringing it down on the neck and forcing the head to eye level. "You haven't said anything that I haven't told myself, but it is as our nephew said 'all men must one day die anyway, and it is the dream of many men to be wealthy until that dying day.' He took our treasure without fear. This world does not have long. And take it from me our current wielder is quite the glutton. So as long as there's a path he will keep moving. He had swallowed that undeniable truth."

"So is he?"

"it's hard to say, but I am sure of one thing all who call themselves our enemies will fall. Even what the witch has become is now his weapon to wield." She finished before disappearing from the void.

(...)

Mei found herself walking down a side street, she had something on... No giving someone a piggyback. She felt a pair of breasts squished on her back, the person resting their chin on her shoulder. She was in for a shock when she looked over. Himejima Akeno was knocked out with a bloody mouth and fangs full on display and a trail of dried blood from her eyes going down her cheeks. 'Himejima-senpai?' was the only thing that came to mind, until she looked down to a different view. 'What?' she had a masculine figure in a school uniform she did not recognize.

'Don't be afraid this was what I wanted to show you, Issei's true reality until now. A world covered in gray. A world where a best friend might become your deadliest enemy.'

'Fafnir...'

'Hush it's just about to start, all you need to do is look and listen.'

After a short time of walking and readjusting the weight on the back, the body came to a stop in front of a three-story home. The building was quite a bit more modern and newer than those that surrounded it. As the body, she was in moving towards the entrance the sound of someone calling rang through her ears. The body stopped in its tracks, and she was bombarded with feelings of sadness, resentment, and anger. As the voice drew near a sense of shock that was her own came to her in an overwhelming sense of dread. 'Is this why you stopped me Makoto?' The question came to mind as Issei's eyes landed on the sight of an eighteen-year-old Kiba Yuuto standing there in a blood-covered uniform. She internally grimaced knowing that the red that stained his clothes wasn't his.

["Even if it meant forsaking you and her family."]

"Issei, Issei wait up. Aren't you going to explain this to me? Why are you protecting that thing?" Though this wasn't directed at anything the feeling of anger from Issei told everything that was needed. "Betraying Rias... Siding with the kings, helping it take over Sona's peerage. Are you insane?" The longer that Yuuto talked the closer to his boiling point was Issei.

["Even if it meant killing you."]

"I thought that you of all people would understand." Issei's voice came out calm despite the grip on Akeno tightening and the overall mood. "But I was wrong. I should have done more, maybe we would all be still together." Issei's eyes dropped the moment he finished that sentence. "I mean you loved her more than I did."

Anger that had been almost absent until now has shown itself in Yuuto's eyes, his next words came slow and deliberate. "And what about you?"

"What?" Mei felt Issei's hurt wash away and the anger come back in.

["And what if your decision ends up being the wrong one in the end."]

"You love her do not." He said pointing at the unconscious Akeno clinging to Issei. "And yet you left her for Dracula to find, you helped her commit unspeakable acts, and you still think you are in the right?" Yuuto paused. "Answer me this Issei, what is different?... Huh?... Why do you get to be right?... Why was she wrong? I have sacrificed much more than you, what makes you right?" As he speaks his demeanor grows unhinged as the questions flow.

["Wake up dear wielder. Wherever you look, wherever you see light in this world I will be there. I am your shadow. Victory, peace, and love. You shall know them with no limits. I will be the bearer of your sins. So devour your chains until your last and be proud of your choices. Because I am."]

A calmness grew over Issei as he spoke with a coldness that Mei found foreign. "The difference between us is that I don't let the world define who I am. But you are still someone I can call a friend, so if you let her be we won't have any problems." Issei's brown eyes become a shade of blue.

"Have you decided my wielder?" Voice Mei didn't recognize that rang through Issei's head. "A friend that shares the same love... You could have done worse but this is acceptable."

"For what it's worth I'm sorry it has to end this, but I can't let her live... Even if that means you die with her." Yuuto says creating a sword out of thin air.

That was not the immediate danger as Issei narrowly dodged swords that were right underneath him by taking flight to avoid the metallic plants that sprouted up from the ground. Floating in the air a golem of ice formed next to Issei, he then moved in front of it as it took Akeno from his back carrying her in a princess carry. "Take care of her, Fafnir." Issei requested the golem.

'Please even if the knight was able to slay you that was not needed my wielder, your loved ones are mine as well. This is how it's going to work from now on.'

Issei grunted in response before landing on the ground staring a hole in Yuuto. A green, white, and gold katana appeared at his waist. Yuuto was the first to make a move as he closed the distance greatsword in hand. He leaped in the air to his target, the golem holding Akeno. At first, he was confused as to what Issei was doing. It seemed that Issei was just standing doing nothing, but when he swung to hit the golem vanished without a trace. Still confused he looked around to find any clues to where it went. His search however was paused when had parried a sword aimed at his back.

With a click of his tongue, Issei put some distance between the two, a white knuckle grip on his weapon. The two only waited a brief moment as seconds later the clash of metal sounded over the side street. Issei being a brawler felt the full extent of his inexperience, every blow he could manage was either blocked or countered, not that Yuuto was not feeling pressure in his own right. Yuuto was not able to fully take advantage of his edge as Issei had great speed through his instincts and strength. It wasn't long before their stalemate became a battle of endurance.

Yuuto was the first to break the stalemate by landing a clean cut across Issei's chest and pressing on at the sight of blood. His next move never came, Issei shrugged the attack off despite the massive amount of blood and waited. As Yuuto primed another swing, now aimed at Issei's neck, Issei flew forwards into Yuuto's personal space and then headbutted Yuuto with enough force that Yuuto's nose was broken, and Issei was not done there.

A kick to Yuuto's left side separated the two, Issei took advantage of a disorientated Yuuto and threw a punch that connected with the boy's face and sent him flying down to earth breaking the sound barrier in the process. Landing a few feet from a crater that had been created with Yuuto's body, Issei walked towards it.

When Issei was a hair's distance his body froze in place, as a vacant-eyed Akeno landed in front of him with bat-like wings, red glowing eyes, and fangs on full display. Issei could not move a muscle under her gaze. A gaze that held hunger in it as she looked at Issei. The two did not move and were only looking into each other's eyes as some form of communication, Issei's Katana evaporated in response.

At that moment Yuuto began to stir, climbing out of the crater his blood boiled as he stared daggers at Akeno's back. Though he wanted to, he could not move, a magic circle opened up underneath him, and black chains wrapped around him, locking him into place, the voice of Rias feeling the air. "I leave Japan for one day and this happens." The young woman spoke, appearing from the same circle. "I see that my former queen and pawn have gotten themselves into some trouble with my knight, how to fix this? I wanted you all to join me with your own free will." She said the last part with a pointed glance at Yuuto. "But now I doubt that's a possibility, at least not for you Issei."

"Bu-" As soon as Yuuto started, the chains that restrained him wrapped around his mouth.

"If I wanted your opinion, Isaiah, I would ask it, be a good boy and stay quiet." Rias' tone was stern, and she had killing intent when her eyes met Yuuto's, which led to his fight leaving him. "Good, now then what to do about this situation." She looked at the vampiric Akeno and Issei frozen under her gaze. "I have not dealt with a vampire suffering from blood lust before. What to do?" After a few seconds of thought, Rias slammed a fist into an open palm, in mild celebration. Biting her lip she drew blood and walked towards Akeno.

Akeno's eyes left Issei and landed on Rias. Rias smiled at the hunger in them, approaching her friend's personal bubble. Pulling Akeno into an embrace she wrapped her arms around the other girl's neck, while Akeno herself started to fidget under her touch, all the while silent.

"I hear that you are a picky eater when you are first sired, so let's make this easier for you." She punctuated her declaration by locking lips with Akeno. After a few breathy moans, Rias was able to poke her tongue into her friend's mouth. With the exchange of saliva and blood Rias deepened the kiss, and not long after did Akeno pull away. Her face was full of disgust as she spits the blood out of her mouth.

Rias was at a loss for words, not only was this a rejection, but it was a reaction that in all honesty was not expecting, The feeling of her blood being rejected by a vampire under bloodlust was a new one. Rias however took it in stride, after the last week or so that led to these events she couldn't blame her either. "So, I am no longer someone like that for you. Well, it can't be helped." A faint green light came from her hand when she ran her index finger over her damaged lip, repairing the damage. "It's a shame real-"

The world around Mei went dark as she heard Sarinna's voice. "Sorry Mei, but our time here is up. I hope you took something away from this."

"Like wha-" she was interrupted as her consciousness faded.

Mei let out a gasp as she woke up in Kuoh Academy's nurse's offices. "I know that some sacrifices have to be made Fafnir, but was I the one that had to be awake right now."

'I can't have my wielder showing weakness, even that broken mirror you call a mask. In any regard, you should show the true you more often.'

Mei sighed as she looked around catching a sleeping Makoto at her bedside along with her belongings and across the room was the nurse in her lab coat at her desk. She looked at the clock above her, the clock reading '4:35 pm' on its face. 'It looks like Makoto and I missed club.' She thought to herself from the bed she was in yarning.

"Oh you are up." the nurse turned her attention to the girl. "I know your friends said that you were just tired, but an awakened gear shouldn't outright put you out for the rest of the day." She said nonchalantly.

"What?"

The nurse paused and looked at her weirdly. "What?" The nurse examined the confused Mei, she in herself was confused. "Interesting, even though you are human you have the supernatural surrounding you, I would think that at least be aware of one of them." The nurse shrugged. "What do I know? The boy who was brought in with you keeps quite the company. To think there was a sixth Seraph among us, and a hero of the church actively wanting to marry a devil, even becoming one herself." The nurse paused to think 'I need to tell Sirzechs or Elisabeth about all of this, almost died. Fuck. They owe me for this.' She then looked over. "How are you feeling, by the way, anything out of the ordinary?"

'I can think of one thing, but I for one prefer this.'

'Fafnir...' Mei internally rolled her eyes, deciding to promptly answer the woman with her hand unconsciously traveling to Makoto's head to pet it. "No, I don't think so... Uh ma'am?'" As her hand combed through Makoto's hair a pair of animal ears appeared, but Mei did not seem deterred by the suddenness of the protrusions but took it as a welcomed sensation, playing with the ears much to the hum of pleasure that came from the sleeping. "You said that a boy came in with me is alright?"

'Issei's just fine, he was even more worried about you.'

'I didn't ask you, Fafnir. And what does that mean, we barely know each other.'

'Have you forgotten what you said to me when you awoke? 'Issei and Makoto are the only things in this world I have left.' You might not believe me but you and Makoto are some of the first true connections that my wielder has made in this world. I am a part of his soul now... Don't think that him giving a part of his very being to you is a trivial matter, because it's not. Whether you like it or not, weakening himself when he is facing insurmountable odds of surviving his next battle, let alone the next three years, to give you some protection should tell you more than enough, Mei.'

'But I am not... These are not...' She thought to herself feeling a hint of embarrassment.

'I am tired of this from you two, he won't be the first to make the first steps you have to make them yourself. You have accepted those feelings and you even kissed him of your own free will. I do not see the problem.'

Internally Mei shied away from Sarinna choosing to indulge in the present and return to talking to the apparent supernatural school nurse. "-orry he is fine, like I said he keeps interesting company. If our bosses were not siblings maybe that answer would have been different…" Mei looked at her confused. "Right you're new to all of this, you are going to have to ask him next time you two see each other… oh by the way I am Minami Itsuki and I work for Sirzechs Luic… Gremory, the older brother of Rias Gremory and chairman of the school." Itsuki finished.

'What?'

'The Occult Research Club holds many secrets, Mei, many of which would include the president's family. It would be easier to show you, but not now.'

Mei had a tired look to her that she quickly shook off. "Let me guess Issei has the answers I need there." Itsuki brought a finger to her nose while pointing to Mei with the opposite hand. "Right, so what happens now?" She asked as her kinship with Makoto continued.

"I don't know, it's the end of the school day so I guess you can leave if you want..." She paused before leaving the room.

"Uhhh. What was that?"

About a minute passed and returned with a Maine Coon in her arms. Mei looked at the cat visibly confused, Itsuki moved to the bed and placed the cat on it before explaining. "Almost forgot Hyoudou said that you would understand once you saw her. She is his familiar, I am pretty sure that's what he said. Anyway, here you go."

'It looks like he even gave Petra to you. Mei, if you don't make him into your hubby I am going to be sorely disappointed in you.'

Those words were delivered so quickly that Mei didn't process the contents properly. Leading her brain to freeze up and attempting a restart. In her haste, however, caused the service that she was offering her friend's ears to become rough. With a low growl, Makoto jolted herself awake, grabbing the canine ears in pain, at the same time Petra hopped off the opposite side of the bed shifting into her Lion form mid-jump. She turned to face Makoto ready to strike at the possible danger if needed. "Ow, what the hell," was the first thing that left Makoto's mouth when her actions were completed. The gold eyes of the blonde landed on Petra and immediately she took a more defensive posture baring her fangs, the action repeated by Petra. That took her by surprise, the animal wasn't at all scared of her, the lioness was ready to fight, this was a new experience. Searching for answers her eyes met a slightly embarrassed Mei, now remembering where she was her hands moved to Mei's face caressing her cheeks. "I heard that you collapsed, are you ok Mei?" She said ignoring the low growl from Petra when her clawed fingers made contact with skin.

Mei sighed, the current situation had the recipe for getting out of hand. Taking Makoto's hands in hers she turned her attention to the lioness in an attempt to calm the situation down. "Petra, it's ok." A flash of green appeared in her eyes for a split second before turning to Makoto and continuing. "Makoto's friend." The lion, after getting confirmation of Mei's safety, shifted back into a cat and hopped onto Mei's lap laying down while giving Makoto a side-eye glance. "I'm sorry Makoto, that wasn't on purpose I didn't mean to touch your ears. I have had a lot on my mind lately and my mind was occupied."

"Huh, a lycanthrope and the strongest familiar in the underworld were about to fight right in front of me." Itsuki said absentmindedly. 'They are not going to let me quit this job now, dammit Elisabeth what have you gotten me involved in.'

It was only then was when Makoto realized that her nails were now claws and her ears and fangs were now out in the open. "Ah... Wait, Makoto?" Another realization hit her, Mei never uses her given name anymore. Eying Mei she sniffed around her best friend taking in her scent. Despite smelling Issei's scent as well, which she dismissed, Mei's scent was the same as always, that meant. "That means... " Makoto's eyes widened.

'So she knew of the mask you wear.'

Mei looked down, petting the sleeping cat on her lap with a sad expression on her face. "It's been a long time, Makoto. I kinda don't want to talk about it here. It's been a draining day." Her eyes turned to Itsuki. "Is it okay if we leave Minami-sensei?"

"Go right ahead I am not keeping you here, and both of you please call me Itsuki. It will be a lot easier for the three of us when we meet out of school." Itsuki proclaimed to both of them. "And before you ask." She said pointing at Petra. "That Familiar is important to the Devils, so if you hang around Hyoudou long enough there will come a time where we will see a lot of each other."

"I'm lost, Devils?" Makoto asked.

"Oh boy, the poor boy has a lot to explain." Without another word, Itsuki left the room.