Infinity is but a concept that has seen much actualization in many theories—mathematics, physical science, metaphysics, philosophy. And the Ouroboros Dragon , that which represents infinity , dreams of seeing a world of silence.

Narrator: "Also known as the Infinity Dragon God, it's easily one of the strongest dragons in existence, hence why all the other races smartly decided not to pick a fight with the damn thing. And yet, in an ironic twist, why is it so hellbent on looking like a loli?"

The Dimensional Gap—a space between all realities that which no normal being could simply walk into, and which is extremely punishing on all that enter, for those who lack sufficient energy or protection would waste away within mere seconds within this deserted space. Life, reason and existence ceases to matter once one takes a step into the void.

Many are those who theorise of a limbo or a wasteland for which the souls of the lost go to, for one convoluted reason or another. But there was no life within this void, completely empty and home to nothing.

Nothing… save for two particular entities. But that requires a bit of context, so let's start there.

With the start of existence, countless worlds and realms were formed by the progenitor's will. A realm for the gods, for the humans, for the sinners and devils, for the devout and angels, for monsters, for otherworldly abominations, for the normal, for the abnormal—there was no limit to how many possible realms truly existed.

And one such creation is the Dimensional Gap itself; a void that exists between Earth, heaven and the underworld, serving as nothing more but a death sentence for all who dare to venture into its nothingness. But in the beginning of time and space, it had witnessed the birth of two creatures that would go down in history as some of the most important figures in many stories, cultures and religions.

From within the emptiness and nothingness, two creatures were brought into existence; Great Red, the True Dragon, and Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon—of which one would represent the illusion of dreams, whilst the other embodied the limitless abyss of infinity.

One wonders how these two came into being, or what their purpose had been in the grand scheme of things. Two dragons that were feared by gods and other greater powers, believing that the two had the potential to bring about the end of the universe if they so desired. Such was the sheer potential and dangers in these two that all knew not to antagonise them.

Yet, for years, they had been dormant. One could only wonder what was going on in there.

As it turned out, despite being 'siblings' by the nature of having been born together, it seemed as if Ophis and Great Red didn't exactly get along all that well. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they were both too prideful, or that they often fought over who would be allowed to rule over their home (in that essence, their ridiculous feuds can be attributed to being sibling-like).

Years turned into years and years and more. Eventually, Great Red would be seen drifting across the Dimensional Gap with all the cockiness of a grade-A douchebag, having claimed it as his territory and home all to himself. Ophis, on the other hand, would have gone missing sometime before that, absent from her birthplace for reasons no one could determine. Not even the hardiest of investigators were able to locate her position after extensive searching across all realms.

So one can imagine the sheer panic it caused for everyone in the know when a dragon with world-ending powers is suddenly MIA. Somewhere out there, perhaps causing unimaginable amounts of damage that no one couldn't fathom and that they knew they couldn't do anything to stop. The lack of reports did not alleviate their fears.

No one knew where Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon, had gone to. What could this possibly mean..?

Ophis—the Ouroboros Dragon, Infinity Dragon God, one of the most powerful entities in the world and decidedly Great Red's archenemy—was bored.

You read that right. Ophis, one of the two beings that was created within the Dimensional Gap and housing enough strength to lay waste to everything that ever existed, whom the world feared upon discovering that she had suddenly left her home dimension, was bored.

Perhaps one might say that she shouldn't really have a reason not to be bored… which she totally did. As much as she loved the Dimensional Gap (or really, the silence that it provides), nothing really goes on inside there. Sure, there's Great Red, but they practically despise each other. Then there are the Gogmagog's, although those haven't been active since she could remember. A shame that she wasn't a magical technician, or else she might have already fixed them by now. Would at least give herself some company.

As it was, there was nothing in there that she could honestly find herself being occupied with outside of fighting with Great Red, which gets boring very quickly since they always reach a stalemate. You know, equal levels and all. And again, no company. Real boring in there.

So, Ophis did the one thing that came to mind; go visit the other worlds.

After all, she's the Ouroboros Dragon, which meant that she was not bound to the same worldly rules as all other races are. She could well go anywhere and do whatever she freaking wanted, and she'd absolutely made full use of that advantage to visit all the realms she could—although under a different guise, so to not give herself away, since she's pretty sure just about all races fear her, for some reason or another.

She has to admit that, for as much as she likes her current form, she might have to consider a change. Her last one had been an old man, and that had brought her much chagrin when people left and right tried to send her to an elderly caregiver home. And now, as a little girl, she has to deal with people constantly asking her where her parents were.

She sighed. Really, all these beings and their ridiculousness…

Even so, she didn't let that stop her. Menial things like this are annoying, she'll admit, but it would be better to simply ignore it. She did just that, setting out to visit all sorts of worlds to find some way to sate her boredom. With all kinds of sights to see and things to do, certainly they'd be interesting to visit, right?

Wrong.

As it so turned out, having lived her whole life in the Dimensional Gap had meant very little understanding of the general workings of the world beyond her home. And apparently, there were all sorts of conspiracies and battles going on between the races that usually involved catastrophic outcomes.

In fact, last she recalled, hadn't there been a Great War between the three races that resulted in their numbers being severely culled? Somewhat interesting, but not what she was looking for.

She put all of that aside, focused more on simply travelling anywhere and everywhere, all while making sure to avoid anywhere that she might be recognized. That ought to be a lot more annoying to deal with.

To be fair, each world was individually unique, bearing characteristics that helped distinct them from the others. The sights she'd seen when visiting the countless worlds would certainly be unforgettable for the many years to come. It helped that most of the ones she dealt with were cordial enough to make her visits comfortable.

And yet… there was something missing. Something that she simply couldn't figure out despite the numerous places she'd gone to. Something that spurred her to continue travelling and visiting more worlds.

Eventually, however, with much travelling here and there, it would ultimately bring her to a dinghy bar in the outskirts of a city in underworld, its dimly-lit state and the smell of cheap booze in the air making it an immediate low-star in her opinion.

'Why I am even here, I do not know,' she sighed to herself, nursing a glass of water. The bartender was drunk beyond consciousness, and he'd only left a sign on the counter saying that water was free for anyone to take. Might as well have a drink than nothing at all. 'It's been, two years. Where else to go?'

Two years of travelling. Some might say that she needed to be patient before she found something worthwhile, but having gone to so many places and found nothing thus far, she was beginning to wonder if her endeavour had been doomed from the start.

She sighed once again, taking a sip from her drink. Right about now, she'd be lazing about in a quiet corner in the Dimensional Gap, before getting rudely interrupted by Great Red. Good times (without Great Red, that is) those had been.

'Should I just, go back? It'd be rather easy to do that.'

And that meant having to fight with Great Red, which wouldn't really be too difficult. But Ophis had grown bored of constantly picking fights with the damned thing, knowing that neither would win and they'd simply get nowhere. An absolute waste of time.

Then again, being back home would be much better than being here, where rats were openly scurrying across the floorboards and the paint was peeling off the walls. Where the other patrons were either too loud yelling or so drunk that they were emptying their stomachs' contents in another part of the room. Ophis never thought she could ever hate something without having tried it before, but seeing the effects of alcohol on these people, she doubted she'd ever give it a try someday.

No matter. She wouldn't have to deal with any of this any longer. She'll just—

"Hey, little lady," her line of thoughts ceased when a voice seemed to be directed at her. Someone took a seat beside her at the counter, flashing her a gentle smile as he tipped his hat at her. Tufts of black hair peeked out from under one side, while white hair was visible from the other side. "Rather odd to see someone like you in a rundown place like this on your own. Your parents out?"

"I, have none."

"Ah, is that so? Then I apologize for being so inconsiderate," she shook her head at that. It was simply how it is; no use feeling offended for something that wasn't even his fault. "And I apologize again if it seems like I'm being a busybody, although I can't help but notice that something seems to be bothering you. Everything alright?"

"You, can tell?"

"Sort of my thing. Call it a 'fifth sense' or something, but I can usually tell if someone is unhappy. Little things like body gestures and posture, eye movement and whatnot. I'll admit, you're not so expressive so it was a little hard to read you, but you had a little frown on your face. That was enough."

Is that so? If he could tell that sort of thing, then she had to give him credit. "I am, bored," she answered.

"Bored, you say?" The person quirked one brow.

"Mm. I, have travelled to many places, yet none are exciting. It is a little… disappointing."

"Ahh, I see," he made an understanding sound as he stroked his bristly chin. "I suppose you're not wrong there. While every place is relatively different from the next, you don't always find what you're looking for. Takes a bit of time to find. But," and suddenly, his lips morphed into a cheeky smile. "I bet that's because you haven't visited one place."

"Where do you, mean?"

"Why, I'm talking about Earth, of course!" She perked up at the name, watching him wave his arms around in excited motions. "It's where the humans live, which may seem like a turn-off at first, but there are plenty of our kind there as well. And plenty of the others; in fact, I'd go out on a limb to say that you'd find all races on that planet. Rather peaceful if you compare it to the other realms, but also the most interesting one. In fact, my brother moved there to work in a video game company—making a good living there, good for him. But on a real note, there's all sorts of things there that're just so unique it would be hard to find them anywhere else. To some extent, in fact, Earth's cultures have influenced much of the other races too."

"Earth?" She repeated the name. 'How odd. I had never, heard of that place before.'

"Sure is. Judging by your confusion, then you really haven't visited it yet," he chuckled. "I suggest you give it a try. It's not like your other realms, I'll give you that. Peaceful, but filled with all kinds of things. I'm sure you'd have fun there!"

'Fun…'

Two years. That was how long it had been since she departed from the Dimensional Gap in search of someplace or something to sate her boredom. It was selfish, nonsensical and odd—but why should she care? She doubted there was a single soul who'd dare try to go against her. It's not like she was harming anyone. All she'd done was find something to cure her boredom. And it seemed that, now, she might know where to go next.

"I see… Very well," she nodded. "I, shall go there. Thank you."

"No worries, little lady," the man winked. "I hope you have fun over there. I'm sure something interesting will happen to you there. That's always been the case, haha!"

Interesting, he says? If he had her curiosity before, he definitely has her full attention now. Unfortunately, he didn't stay long to answer any questions that she had, opting to leave the bar and leave her with budding curiosity. Ophis did not chase after him, deciding that she, too, should take her leave and visit this 'Earth' that he speaks so highly about. And hey, if it turned out to be less than exciting than he made it out to be, she could always return home.

She'll deal with Great Red one way or another, she'll figure it out.

Stepping off the stool, she gave this place not even a second glance as she walked out through the front doors. The cold air of the relatively quiet street lined by rows of shop buildings greeted her, the town not particularly as memorable as other places she had seen throughout her travels. It was fairly deserted, although it does see its fair share of visitors from time to time. And right about now, it was time to leave this place behind.

Without wasting a moment, she chanted the words necessary to bring to life a teleportation spell that could cross worldly boundaries. A magical circle formed beneath her feet, glowing jet black and engulfing her in light as it locked onto the appropriate coordinates.

Earth.

It felt strange to Ophis, who had existed since the dawn of time itself, that she hadn't ever heard of Earth before. With how that devil person made it sound, it was the most peaceful yet most unique realm to ever exist. And that piqued her curiosity right off the bat.

To be fair, she'd been living in the Dimensional Gap minding her own business without really giving a care about the goings-on of the other realms, but now she really wants to know what Earth looks like.

Crossing the border between the underworld and Earth, she felt her being cease to be before becoming whole once more, reality and matter coming slowly making contact with her vessel. She felt the cool breeze of the world around her, her clothes ruffled from wind being projected by the deactivation of her spell.

When the lights died down, Ophis's first assumption was to see a world set ablaze like a cooking pan, or an underworld beauty like Atlantis, or an overly-bright beauty like heaven. Having visited realms with all kinds of appearances and natures, she'd certainly expected this one to be no different.

But nope. The first thing that she sees is… well, it's dark.

"Hmm. Is this, the right place?" She looked around, trying to discern any important landmarks. There were none. "Hmm."

Granted, this was her first time coming to a place she had never heard of before in her life, so she could be forgiven for getting it wrong. But she had been absolutely certain that she'd locked onto the right place…

The sounds of something creaking behind her caught her attention, prompting the dragoness to turn around. What greeted her was the sight of some strange place filled with a multitude of coloured contraptions, all of them giving off no sense of magical aura. Were they inactivated? None of them resembled any sort of torture devices that she'd seen in books. She recognized the generally simple-in-design streetlights, casting the area in warm yellow light, with several trees planted around to provide a greenery that made the place seem much more comfortable.

Quickly scanning across the area, she looked to her left. And there, sitting on a strange chair suspended above the ground with chains on either side, was a young boy with a wild mane of brown hair.

'Is this, a human?' She thought to herself, slowly approaching the child, finding no distinguishing features on his person. No weird appendages or extra features, as far as she could tell. 'He looks just like, any other race. But there is no unique energy coming off of him.'

Are all humans like this, then? How odd. For such creative creatures to also be uniquely defenseless is… well, it certainly deserves some pondering. Perhaps that was how they made up for their lack of innate power that other races have; through innovation and creativity. Although this one doesn't exactly seem all too unique.

What does stand out to her is the sombreness in his gaze, staring off into space. It's a kind of gaze that she is surprised to see in a child's gaze, making her wonder if she wasn't meant to be here.

"You," she called out before she even realized it. He seemingly jumped in his seat, looking around him with wide eyes the same colour as his hair before his gaze finally settled on her. "You are, a human, yes?"

"Eh?" The boy blinked, confusion apparent on his expression. He looked around, then finally looked back at her, pointing his index at himself. "Are you… talking to me?"

"Yes. You, are human, correct?"

"Uhh… Yeah, I guess I am," he nodded, still regarding her with a confused look. "You, um, looking for something?"

"Not necessarily," she shrugged back, taking one look at the free seat beside him before deciding to mirror him, sitting atop it slowly. It seemed to swivel a little, and she grasped the chains to steady herself atop it. "I am looking, for something to do."

"Something to do?" He asked once more, seemingly a little relaxed compared to earlier. "Like what?"

"Something fun, I suppose."

"Fun?" Blinking, he stared at her for a few seconds before looking around them. "Er, well, we are in a playground, so…"

"This is called, a playground?" Judging by the name alone, it must mean that all these odd contraptions were designed specifically for entertainment, even if she couldn't really see the charm in them just yet. "I see."

"Yeah. It's a place a lot of kids like us to play in," he hummed, leaning back in his seat. "The only reason it's just the two of us here now is because kids usually go to playgrounds in the day. No one really comes around here late in the evening like right now—mostly because our parents wouldn't allow us. Mine don't mind too much since this place is near our house, so I… sort of came here to think about stuff."

"I see," while not a master of social interaction, she wasn't daft enough to know that she likely caught him at a bad time. No wonder he seemed like he was in a bad mood earlier. "Should I, leave? Would you prefer your solace?"

"Nahhh, it's fine. I was getting lonely anyways," he chuckled, flashing her a little grin. It was the kind of smile that seemed so genuine that Ophis was momentarily surprised by. "My name's Issei, by the way. You?"

"I, am Ophis."

"Ophis, eh?" He whistled. "That's a pretty name," she was caught off-guard once more by his response. Such a name that had struck fear in millions of people, yet for him to call it pretty was completely unexpected. A benefit of being oblivious to her true nature, then. "So… Ophis. What'cha doing? Waiting for your mom?"

"I have no parent. I, am my own being."

"Ehh? Really? That's nuts!"

"I don't see, what's wrong with that," she said honestly, tilting her head. "There are many, without parents, is there not?"

"Huhhh… Is that true?" He asked back, furrowing his brows as he cupped his chin and looked at his own shadow. He seemed to suddenly tilt his body back and forwards, allowing himself to swing gently back and forth. Ophis watched, then set out to follow his motions. "All the kids I know have a mom and a dad. There's no way no one's got none. Maybe you don't know where they are?"

"No. I simply do not have any."

"Dang, okay."

There was a moment of silence between the two, with only the clinking of the chains sounding off in the night as they swung back and forth. Or, more accurately, Issei was swinging back and forth, while Issei was seated in place and frustratingly trying to get it to move even an inch. She grunted with each bodily push, but the chair refused to swing even a little.

"You need to lean back and forwards," he said. "And maybe stretch your legs out. You'll get more momentum… or something. I'm not really smart in my Physics."

"Lean back and forwards…" Humming, she properly observed his subtle movements before trying them for herself, letting her motions generate enough kinetic energy that allowed her to initiate a small motion. That was enough to spur her onwards, trying a little harder to propel herself even a little faster.

And the next thing she knows, she's going up way higher and way faster than she had been earlier, enough to match Issei's peak of swing. The fall back was oddly heart-palpitating, only to experience it once more as she shoots downwards to go up in the air.

"Nice, you're doing it!"

"Yes."

They swung for a little longer afterwards, as the motions had become ingrained in her body and she easily matches Issei's swings. It's a temporary burst of exhilaration with each climb and fall that has her momentarily amazed by how simple this entire thing is, compared to the many things she had seen and done during her journey.

Eventually, they come to a stop, with Issei stepping off of the seat with a little grin on his face. "Say, Ophis. Since you're here and all, you wanna' try out some of the stuff here? I'll be heading back home in a fair bit, but until then, I'm thinkin' about staying here. So why don't you try out the things here? I'll even teach you."

Hmm, fascinating. This one is a lot more generous and friendly than she'd given credit, and though it was probably dangerous to be out alone like this, she couldn't sense any malicious presence in her vicinity. Perhaps this place was just as quiet as that devil she'd met earlier today indicated.

"Well, I suppose that is okay," she nodded.

"Cool! Then let's give these a shot."

Ophis had never seen these sorts of playgrounds in the other realms. Though none of these contraptions are actually life-threatening—certainly would defeat the point of making a safe and fun place for children to play in if they were dangerous to begin with—they seem to be designed for children to expend as much of their energy as possible.

That was the only thing she could think of when Issei had begun introducing her to each one, explaining how each ones worked. Slides, see-saws, the swings that they tried out earlier, horizontal bars he called monkey bars, and some others. This playground seemed so small at first glance, but with how many equipment there is here, it's surprisingly compact.

Once Issei was done showing and explaining to her what each equipment was for, he turned to look at her, arms crossed behind his head. "So, what'cha wanna' try first?"

So she was being given the first choice? She'll admit that his consideration for her was rather nice. "Hmm," she looked around, wondering if any of them caught her attention. One particular thing did, and she pointed at it. "That one."

"Hmm?" He followed the direction of her finger. "Ooh, see-saws? Yeah, these are pretty fun."

"They require, two people, correct? Then we can, try them together."

"Mmhm. Let's go!"

He didn't even let her answer him before he grabbed her by the hand and dragged her towards it, helping her onto the seat on one end while he hastily took his position on the other. He grabbed the handle, and she mirrored it.

"Alright, so, it's really simple. Just use your feet to push yourself up, and then the other person will do it next. We'll take turns going up and down. Ready?"

Relatively simple. She nodded. "Ready."

"Yosh!" Without further ado, he bent his feet and pressed his feet against the ground. With a strong 'Oomph!', he straightened his legs and pushed himself upwards, which sent her downwards. "Your turn!"

Nodding once more in return, she repeated what he did and pushed against the ground—

And promptly slammed him down.

"Whoa!" He cried out from suddenly being sent back down, bodily jerking up and down from the suddenness. It was as if the gravity exerted on him grew threefold in that single moment. "Oh man! Ophis, you okay?!"

"I, am fine," she replied monotonously. On the inside, however, she was feeling anything but. 'I, misjudged my strength. I had pushed, too much.'

She had to remember that this wasn't a battle. She was in the middle of 'playing with another human child', the human part particularly important because he doesn't have the same strength as other races typically do. And in her carelessness to consider her own strength, she'd just about almost broke the sea-saw and her new companion.

"Issei, forgive me. I—"

"Dang, you're a strong one, ain't you Ophis?!" There was a spark of competitiveness in his eyes when he yelled that. His posture shifted, shoulders hunched as he grinned at her. "Hah! Well, you may be a girl, but I won't go easy on you! Take this! Ora!"

This time, he pumped all the strength he had into his legs and propelled himself upwards, sending Ophis down. She blinked at this. Without thinking, she pushed upwards with her full strength once more, sending Issei downwards as quick as before, practically slamming him down onto the ground like a hammer blow.

And yet, Issei did not give up. He seemed bolstered by this, instead, trying (and failing) to prove himself the stronger of the two, which would be impossible considering he's just a human child going up against a dragon god.

Persistence was part of his middle name, though. It took him eighteen more tries before he finally conceded, panting with his face buried in his arms. "M-Maaan… Y-You're strong, Ophis…"

"Mm. I suppose."

"O-Okay! So, you wanna' keep playing with this one, or try the other things?"

"Let's move on, to the next."

The rest of the moment flies so fast she had trouble keeping up with everything. All that she could think of was how children are filled with boundless energy; after all, what else could explain how Issei could recover so quickly from all their playing and drag her around to try out the different games? She doubted she'd met children of other races as energetic as the boy here tonight.

And yet, she has to admit, the opportunity to actually play with someone else is… different, for a lack of a better term. It's a new experience she has that Ophis realized is making this moment less boring than usual.

Even when she plays with the monkey bars and slide, which she could have played on her own, it feels somewhat refreshing to know that Issei is there to participate with her. There was some amount of annoyance that Issei was so good on the bars compared to her, but he immediately made up for it when he always cheered for her when she went right after him, as well as all the other things.

Even now, as he helps her grasp the pull-up bar and she helplessly kick her legs in the air to try and give herself a boost upwards, she can't help but feel like this is infinitely better than all the other two years spent elsewhere.

"Nice! You've got it! Move on to the next!"

"Ngh," with some difficulty, she reached out to grasp the next bar, then she swung her other arm forwards to grab the next—only to lose her strength and drop onto the ground. Her eyes widened with that. 'What.'

"Oof. You were real close there, too; right in the middle, no less," Issei chuckled. "To be fair, not everyone can do monkey bars. But you did real great there, Ophis. So, you wanna' try out the—"

"No," she replied firmly. "I'd like, to try again."

"Eh? For reals?"

She didn't answer him, moving to the very start once more. With a huff, she jumps and grasps the first bar, feeling herself hang from it. Unlike before, however, she was far more determined to see this to the very end. Why, she wasn't sure, but she knew she had to win.

Arms shaking and breath bated, she manoeuvred herself forwards. One bar with one hand, then swinging to the next with the other hand. With determination spurring her forth, she moved to the next bar.

Issei, having been watching her from earlier, was suddenly spurred to cheer for her. "Alright! You got this, Ophis!"

Where earlier it had been frustration pushing her onwards, it was now Issei's faith in her that was now giving her the strength to persevere. Despite how this was physically less demanding compared to all her fights with Great Red, her arms seemed to ache lightly. Even so, she refused to give up.

One bar. Then another. And another. Using the momentum from her swing, she released her back hand and grasped the bar in front of her. Then the next. And the next!

"Ophis, you're so close! C'mon..!"

"Hgh..!" Pouring all her strength into this one final swing, she moved forwards and released both hands—and grasped the final bar at just the right time! "Ah!"

"Yeah, you did it!" Her brown-haired companion was far more vocal, congratulating her with whoops of delight and pumping his arms in the air. She dropped down to the ground once she was done, coming face-to-face with absolute joy radiating off of his person. "You did it, Ophis! How does it feel?"

"It… feels oddly nice."

And that was a surprise on her part. All her life, she'd only ever expected enjoyment from taking back the Dimensional Gap from Great Red. For her to experience that sort of sense of fulfilment from this…

She looked down on her palms. Her vessel, crafted to imitate a living being, included all the necessary organ systems to give her all the appropriate sensations. And right now, feeling the gentle thrum of heat and ache in her reddened palms, clenching and relaxing her hands…

Well, for all that she knew, she wasn't complaining. In fact, she felt elated, if only a little.

"Heh, ain't it? Trying real hard for something and then accomplishing it is always a nice feeling," he paused for a minute. "Whoa, accomplish. Big word. Gotta' tell mom and dad that later."

She ignored that particular bit, focused more on the message that he had delivered—and he wasn't wrong. Compared to her unending struggle to claim the Dimensional Gap from Great Red, her success in fulfilling the monkey bars challenge, albeit greatly trivial in comparison, brought forth its own sense of satisfaction.

Perhaps that was just how things should be? Rather than to continue chasing an impossible dream, maybe she should be targeting for something well within her reach. Whatever that thing is, she wasn't sure, but maybe…

Before she could say a word, however, a new voice cut the air. "Issei?" Both children (well, one human child and a dragon god) turned their heads towards the source of the voice; a young woman with dark brown hair, dressed in typical morning wear.

"Mom?" The boy beside her blinked, watching her approach them. "What're you doing here?"

"I got worried. You hadn't come back home, and it's gotten rather late, don't you think?"

"A-Ahaha, sorry about that. I was, uhh…" Struggling for words, he looked between his mother and Ophis before gesturing to the latter. "This is a friend I just met tonight! Her name is Ophis!"

Well, this is something. What she should be doing in this moment isn't exactly clear, so she defaulted to basic greeting before the boy's mother. "Hello."

"Oh, hello Ophis-chan. Thank you so much for playing with Issei here. I was afraid that he'd be all on his own here, but I guess I didn't have to worry."

"Yeah. I had a lot of fun tonight," the boy smiled, turning his gaze at the dragoness now. "And you, Ophis?"

His question prompted her to think about his question, eyes gazing downwards as she considered their brief moment together earlier. "Yes," she finally concluded. "I, had fun with you."

"Well, that's good to hear," Issei's mother seemed rather pleased as well. Without even a warning, she reached out to pat her on the head, and Ophis simply allowed it. "Thank you again for playing with Issei. Right now, we'll be heading home, so we'll be—"

"Oh right!" The boy cried out. "Mom, Ophis here told me she doesn't have a mom of her own! Or a dad!"

"What?" Momentary surprise flickered in her eyes before she faced the dragoness once more, putting on a kind smile. "Is that true, sweetie?"

"That, is true. I have never had, any, since the beginning."

For some reason, Ophis felt like she had no reason to hide this from these two. That they were rather friendly made it none too difficult to open up to them. Plus, it's not like she'd ever be seeing them again after tonight, so it wasn't like it would change anything if she told them.

That last thought stirred her heart. And not in a good way. She wasn't sure why.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's not an issue for me. I, have done well thus far."

"Well, we can't just let you go off on your own, can we?" Issei's mother said. "So, I've got an idea; want to come over to our place?"

"…What."

If someone asked Ophis if she had expected this to happen, she would have easily told them 'no'. After all, how could she have known that she'd somehow ended up making a 'friend' in the form of a little human boy, and then to be invited to live with said boy right after?

Sounds like a plot of a novel, and yet here she is, living out that exact scenario at that moment.

The walk back to the Hyoudou's residence (as she learned from his mother, who has asked to be referred to as 'Aunty') was pleasant. With Issei providing the chatter and the natural sounds of crickets in the night, she was occupied enough to actually enjoy the walk to his home.

"There it is," he said when they arrived, pointing at a direction. "Where we live."

Architecture varies across the realms, and the humans' seem rather modest in comparison to other places (for now, at least). Issei's home, though simple-looking, still managed to look rather nice even from afar. Painted blue with a balcony and a brown roof, it had two levels, which seems just about right for a family of three.

Issei skips inside, his mother calling out to him to take off his shoes. Ophis blinks when she enters the house, immediately struck by a homely atmosphere that leaves her feeling so at ease. Little trinkets and furniture sprinkled throughout that doesn't make it feel so condensed, yet the amount of life within just the living room fills her with a sense of awe. It's something that the Dimensional Gap never had.

"Welcome back, Issei and—Hmm? Who's the little lady?"

The question came from a man with neat brown hair and eyes, a pair of glasses sitting on his face. He was reading the newspaper, watching her with a curious look.

"This here is Ophis-chan, a friend Issei made in the playground," Aunty said, moving away from the living room and towards the kitchen.

"Ohh? Well, any friend of Issei's is a friend of ours!" He laughed good-naturedly. "Make yourself at home, Ophis-chan! If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask, alright?"

She didn't respond immediately, as Issei comes out of nowhere to drag her over to a couch. "Come on, sit down. Standing all day is going to make your legs cramped."

"I, won't get cramps."

"You say that now, but it'll happen one way or another!" Once she was deposited at a couch, Issei promptly jumped onto it to sit beside her with a loud 'Oof!', pushing himself backwards and into the seat with a sigh.

"Issei! " Aunty called out. "No jumping onto couches! "

"Sorry, mom!" He called out, chuckling a little. "Say, you feeling hungry? We'll be having dinner soon. Got anything you like?"

"I am, fine with, anything."

"Now that's a good girl," Issei's father said with a happy smile. And then, his voice took on a teasing tone. "You know, Ophis-chan, I try to get Issei to eat healthy, but he always pushes his greens to the side. If only he's like you."

"Daaad!" The boy in question groaned. "Veges don't taste great! Especially bell peppers! They're, like, super gross…"

"Come now, bell peppers aren't half bad! Plus, your mom makes them really great!"

"Well, that's true, but still!"

"Okay, everyone, come on over! I've already prepared dinner!"

Dinner? Eating? Yet another new experience. Ophis had never eaten once since she'd travelled, seeing that she has no need for sustenance—besides water, she supposed. Even so, it would be impossible to convince the family that she doesn't need to eat, especially now that her newly-maded friend is pulling her by the hand to the table.

Plates of an amalgamation of colour was prepared on the table in front of four seats, likely meant for each of them. Yellow, white and brown, as well as a type of green vegetable sprinkled on the very top of the mound.

"Fried rice!" Issei cheered. "And with no bell peppers! Whoo-hoo!"

"It's just for today, Issei. You'll have to eat them for breakfast tomorrow," his mother's words was a damper on his cheer, getting him to groan out loud. She simple giggled back. "Come on, Ophis-chan, let's eat together."

"Mm. Okay."

She took her seat at the table, Issei to her right with his father directly opposite of her and beside Aunty. With the plate of 'fried rice' much closer now, she could take in the mild fragments it was giving off, which was doing something to her. Something she didn't understand, but felt that it could only be quenched by consuming this.

Before she could proceed to eat it, the family clasped their hands and said a brief phrase in unison. An expression of gratitude? She supposed that is fine. Humans do value proper etiquette and the like.

Once that was over, they picked up the weird wooden thing prepared by the side of the plate and dug into their food with it. Issei was the most vocal in his appreciation, letting out a pleased hum before he inserted more rice into his mouth. His parents, amused as they were, seemed to enjoy the food just the same.

So it's not with their hands. She supposed that makes sense; during her time in various realms, she'd seen people make use of these things called 'utensils' and 'cutlery' to eat. Why they don't just use their hands might be because of a difference in culture.

Nevertheless, she decided to follow their example and grasp her spoon in her right hand. Giving it an experimental wave, she proceeded to dig it into the side of the perfectly-shaped mound, causing it to collapse like an eroded hill, spilling some onto her spoon. Pulling back her hand revealed a sizable pile on her spoon.

Somehow, her mouth began salivating. Even her stomach was churning. Why now? It had never happened to her before.

And so, filled with expectation, she moved the spoon into her mouth…

And then, her world exploded into colours.

"Man, mom, this is really good! Aren't these just made from leftovers?"

"Mmhm! It would have been a waste to just let them expire, so I put them together to make this. Good thing I had a bit of soy sauce left, too. Otherwise, it wouldn't have turned out this well."

"That's pretty cool. So Ophis, how is—"

She'd noticed how the boy sitting beside her was speaking to her, but his words were simply tuned out as she was occupied by the food right in front of her. And she found herself incapable of stopping.

Ophis couldn't understand. She'd never eaten before, and now it was harder still to imagine how she'd managed to get by in life without doing such. Had food always been this amazing? All these things she could taste, bombarding her tongue and preventing her from even entertaining the idea of stopping. So powerful was this fried rice dish that she was left wanting more when her plate ran empty, presenting it to Aunty.

"Is there, more?"

"Oh? By all means! I'll go get some more for you."

So Ophis just sat in her place, bouncing up and down as she waited for Aunty as she retreated to the kitchen to put some more fried rice on her plate. Once she came back, Ophis couldn't have practically waited a second longer once the plate was right in front of her, spoon already in hand. Beside her, Issei snickered in amusement while his parents watched her in delight.

So this is what eating feels like…

"So, for the time being, this'll be your room, Ophis-chan."

"My room?"

One's room in a house denotes a space where an individual gets to do all sorts of things in, like sleep and study, without being bothered by others. And it seems like she's about to get one of her own.

Compared to the infinite Dimensional Gap, this one is far smaller. With a bed, a wardrobe and some other things put inside, it was spacious yet small for how little the overall room dimension is. She'd noticed four bedrooms, one of which likely belonged to Issei's parents and one to himself, which likely meant that the other two were meant for guests.

"Mmhm. Issei's father and I talked about your situation, and we decided to let you stay with us for now. That is, if you're okay with it."

She wasn't sure what to think about that, to be honest. During her time here, with no connections to anyone whatsoever, she'd simply roamed from place to place. Plus, she doesn't experience fatigue like other beings, so the concept of sleeping is foreign to her.

Still, with how generous the Hyoudou's have been thus far, she may as well. "That's okay."

"Good! So then, we don't have any sleepwear for you, so I'll get that for you tomorrow. As for everything else, if you need anything, you can just knock on the door and call for me, okay? I'll be heading to sleep first. Have a goodnight, Ophis-chan!"

And just like that, she was alone.

This is difficult. What is she supposed to do? She doesn't exactly feel 'sleepy', or anything similar enough to warrant sleeping. She knows what resting is like, but as far as she knows, she's always been awake. This one seems different. What should she do?

A couple fast knocks on the door alert her of someone's presence outside of her room. "Ophis! You awake? " The knob twists a couple of times before it swings inwards, revealing a face all too familiar at this point with the familiar mess of a hair. He was already dressed in PJ's, as he called them. "Heyaz. Need anything?"

"Mm. No. I am, fine."

"Good to hear. I hope you're not feeling pressured to stay with us and everything, but like, it's just not safe for anyone to be out on their own, especially this late at night."

"Like you were?"

Issei had the decency to look sheepish, scratching the back of his head. "W-Well, I suppose, yeah. So like, mom and dad would have totally wanted you to stay with us. Like right now. At least, until they know what to do next and stuff."

"I see. That is fine."

"Mmhm. So anyways, I'll be heading back to my room to sleep. You should too. Our bedrooms aren't too far apart, so it shouldn't be too hard to find us. In case you need anything, that is," he hummed for a while. "So yah, I came over just to wish you goodnight, is all. I'll be going now—"

"About that," he paused right before he closed the door. "What should I do? Sleep, I mean. How does one, do that?"

"Wait, what?" Once more, his eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you're kidding, right? Sleeping. It's, like, a normal thing for everyone."

For most mortals, she can see why. But for her, an immortal creature that ran on limitless energy? "I, am a little different."

"Sheesh. Talk about strange," he didn't mean it in a demeaning way, however, if his amused smile was any indication. "So… you know, sleeping. Close your eyes, don't think about nothing, and then you'll head to dreamland. Not too complicated, right?"

"Then, would you, mind helping me?" Her request had him tilting his head. "I, have never slept before. I, would like to know how to."

"That so, eh?" He hummed, tapping his foot against the floor as he thought about what to do before an idea seemingly popped up in his head. "Alright, I got an idea. Go to bed. I'll turn off the lights first."

It was a surreal experience afterwards. Lied atop something so heavenly and soft with this wonderful 'pillow' underneath her head, her only companion being her newly-made friend and the sound of her breathing in the dark. Issei came over to pull the blanket over her body, her hands automatically clutching at its hem.

Ophis understood what resting was, although it was usually to regain her energy or heal from wounds sustained during a fight. In those times, inactivity sped up the healing process. But this felt completely different in comparison.

The warmth that surrounded her was so comforting. Ophis wasn't sure what was happening to her, but she seemed to lose focus and energy as more time went on. It felt like when she'd first come into existence. It was a lot more relaxing than she expected it to be.

"You doing alright..?" Issei whispered quietly.

"…Mm. This… is nice."

"Right..? So just, close your eyes. You'll go to sleep soon enough."

So she did just that, completely cutting off her vision. It seemed like such a reckless thing to do. What if an enemy struck at her? And yet… in such a gentle and safe environment such as this, she felt like letting go of everything would be fine. That nothing could possibly go wrong.

Something held her hand in the dark. It was Issei's. A small hand that felt so smooth, warm. It was such a simple gesture that she felt nothing but totally relaxed, promising safety and company for her. Eventually, Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon, fell asleep for the first time since the day she'd come into being.

So it was that Issei would remain by her side until she was truly and well asleep, returning to his room moments later on. In his mind, he couldn't help but marvel at the fact that he'd just made friends with such a unique girl, unaware that that was just the first domino of what would be a sequence of larger, crazier meetings.

Ophis's first day on Earth has come to an end—and on a good note.

Author's Notes:

Canonically, I wasn't sure what age Issei had to have been when Irina moved to England. For this story's sake of ease, we'll make him six (I did mention in the prologue that 'Rokuha' joined his family when he was six, and they would be one of the earliest characters to be introduced soon enough). He would be seventeen by the time the official story starts with him being a second-year, just to point it out.

Also, I remember how, back in Khaotic Afterbirth, I tried to write Ophis as a motherly figure to the protagonist. In this story, however, I feel that the little sister approach is a lot more reasonable.

Spoilers: That's exactly what I'm going for, figuratively and literally.