Issei woke up to the sight of a bright light flashing his eyes. He groaned as his eyes adjusted. With a push from both his arms, and flinched a little when he felt there's something on his left hand. He looked to the left and saw that he was hooked to an IV bag. He used his right hand to push himself up, and sat up from the bed and looked around. He was inside of a hospital, at the ER to be specific. He then remembered about the attempted mugging. How he was electrocuted.
Ayers was already used to the electricity due to his baby, so it didn't really bother him much.
Wait, who's Ayers-
"ISSEI!" He heard his mother's shout and she quickly hugged him. "Thank goodness, you're alright!"
"Mom…" Who?
"Kid… while I understand that you want to be a hero, please be more aware. You almost gave your mother a heart attack." Issei's dad warned. "Also, the girl you saved? Nice job."
"Gorou!" Issei's mom called him by his name.
"What?" Issei's dad got both his arms up in confusion. "I'm just trying to liven things up."
"There's a time and place for that, Mr. Hyoudou." A doctor piped in. "Welcome back to the land of the living, son. How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright, doctor." Ayers answered, or was it Issei..? "Nothing I couldn't handle."
"Uhuh, your heart says otherwise."
"Wait, what about his heart?" Issei's mom asked.
"His heart stopped while on the way to the hospital." The doctor bluntly answered.
"WHAT?!" Issei's mom screamed.
"Miki, calm down. We're in a hospital." Issei's dad said and then gestured to Issei. "Besides look, he's alive now." While he had a calm exterior, Ayers knew that deep down he was really scared of losing his son.
So this is what having parents feel like.
"Shut it."
"Shutting up."
"May I continue?" The doctor asked, and everyone nodded. "Now, where was I..? Oh yes, his heart stopped. You are very very lucky the first responders managed to get your heart up and running again."
"Oh…" Issei was about to say something but his mother's heart might not make it if he did, so he didn't. "So… what now?"
"For now, you'll be staying here for a week. Just in case something happened." the doctor said.
"Thank you insurance…" Issei's dad muttered while putting his hands together.
"So get some rest, eat well, and try not to be a hero for a while. Alright?" the doctor suggested, which Iss-Aye-Is- whoever just nods. "Alright, the room should be booked by now. I have other patients to go through, so… have a good evening." With that the doctor left the Hyoudou to attend to the other patients.
Ayers/Issei's mom kept hugging him, while his dad went to get some drinks for the three of them. It's going to be a long week.
It was later that night. His mom was sleeping on the floor next to his bed while his dad slept on one of the chairs. Issei too was asleep. Although, while asleep he experienced a memory.
A memory that doesn't belong to him… but at the same time it does.
"Ayers!" Wright blasts his Arts at an incoming Sea Terror. "Come on! The ship is about to go!"
"I know!" Ayers stabbed a Sea Terror and sent a few knives towards a few more that were about to reach a mother and daughter. "You go first!" He ordered.
"Not without you!" Wright shouted back. Suddenly there's a bipedal creature with tentacles on its back and a long mouth that resembles crocodiles was about to swiped Wright's back.
"WRIGHT!" Ayers, who managed to see it, sent all his knives towards the creature while dashing forward and stabbed it in the chest with his electricity powered rapier like weapon. He noticed that the electricity didn't seem to affect the creature, so he quickly kicked it away and ran to Wright. "Ok, let's go."
"About time!" Wright said as the two of them ran to get to safety.
The two arrive at the ship, but they're both blocked by a Rhodes Island operator. "Stop! There's only room for one more!"
"Shit!" Ayers said as they then heard rumblings. They all looked back and saw a huge wave of Seaborns coming closer to them. He can hear the panicked screams of the evacuates on the ship. He looked at his childhood friend, and then back at the horde. "I'm sorry." He muttered.
"Wha-?" Ayers then grabbed Wright and pushed him into the ship.
"GO! NOW!" Ayers shouted as he prepared to fight the horde. As he faced the horde, he could hear Wright's screaming in despair as the ship started to fly away. "Come on, my baby. We can do this." He turned his weapon to maximum overdrive and charged forward at the horde with his knives floating behind him ready to fight the horde. The horde came closer and-
Issei woke up from the memory. He was sweating whilst trying to calm himself. "I… died huh…" He muttered.
[Yes, you did.] He whipped his head around and saw a giant red dragon looking straight at him. [In all my existence, I had never seen a world like the one your past memories have shown.]
"AH!" Issei screamed as he backed away from the dragon. He instinctively tried to get his baby to fight it but realized he couldn't. "Who are you?! How are you here inside the hospital?!"
[My name is Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor. Also you're still dreaming, Issei, or should I call you Ayers now?] Ddraig answered his question.
Issei blinked in confusion as he then looked around and realized that he was in a dark void alone with the dragon. "Oh…" He uttered. "Either is fine."
[Alright then, Ayers.] The Red Dragon said as he then noticed something. [Hm, you're about to wake up. All I can say for now is, welcome to the supernatural world.]
"What? Wait-"
"Issei, wake up. Breakfast is ready."
Ayers wakes up from the dream and is greeted by the sight of his breakfast and Issei's mom. "Oh, thanks mom." He said as he stretched himself.
"You had a good sleep, kiddo?" Issei's dad asked.
"Yeah… I guess." Ayers answered.
"Ok. Go ahead and eat up kid, you'll need it." Issei's dad said. "I'm gonna go get some coffee." He said as he left the room.
While Ayers was eating breakfast, he couldn't stop thinking about that red dragon in his dreams.
"This must be the place." Rias said as she and her peerage arrived at the scene. It was an abandoned cabin in the woods. "According to my sources, a stray devil was last seen going into the woods. Lucky for us, the stray is not that smart at covering their tracks. Koneko?"
Koneko sniffed the air. "One stray, blood, and… ocean?" Koneko said as she narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"Ocean?" Rias asked, Koneko nodded to confirm the smell. "Weird… we're nowhere near an ocean."
"What's the plan, Buchou?" A guy with blonde hair suggested.
"Kiba, go around the back with Koneko. Akeno, you're with me."
"RIght, Buchou!" KIba and Koneko go around the back. Rias took a deep breath as she approached the front door with Akeno. Rias raised her hand and opened the door to the cabin. When she opened it, she saw no one in there, except for the knocked over and destroyed furniture and a few splatter of blood on the ceiling and on the wall. She entered the cabin along with Akeno.
"Stray Devil Kaizer! Come quietly or there will be trouble!" Rias demanded. There was no response. Inside the cabin, there are two closed doors, and one opened door that leads to a kitchen, where she could see Kiba with a sword and Koneko with her fists up entering through the back door, prepared for a fight.
"Buchou, there's a door leading into the basement." Akeno said while she pointed at the floor next to them.
"Thanks, Akeno." Rias said. "But before that, we need to make sure there's no one here." Rias then approached the two closed doors. She approached one of the doors while Kiba approached the other one. "On three. One, two-!" Rias opened the door alongside Kiba as she prepared her Power of Destruction ready to shoot anything inside with the use of her finger and Kiba with his sword.
There was no one inside.
"Clear." Kiba said as he closed the door.
"So am I." Rias then closed the door as she stood down. "Let's check the base-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
A scream can be heard from below. It then suddenly died down. Silence fell on the group as they stared at the basement door. "Kiba."
"Yes, Buchou." Kiba quickly went to the basement door and sliced it open. Once he did, it revealed a stairway that led to a basement on the left, but there was another passage that looks as if something drilled its way to the basement's walls in front of the stairs. "Koneko, do you know where the scent goes?" He said as he went into the stairway first.
Koneko points at the passage as she follows him down.
"Alright. Everyone, stay frosty." Rias said as she and Akeno went in as well. They all walked through the underground passage with Kiba at the front with his sword ready. With each step they noticed it was getting wet, and the halls getting smaller. As they continued to walk, they could suddenly smell the ocean.
"The ocean..?" Kiba muttered as he continued to walk. Finally, they arrived at a cavern with a pool of water in front of them. As they stepped into the cavern, they noticed moss-like veins around a few rocks that slowly spread into the cavern's walls that had some blue glow to them. The moss seems to also pulse while it spreads.
"What in the world..?" Rias muttered as she looked around. Suddenly there was a splash of water, and they all turned to look at the source.
They found their target.
"Stray Devil Kaizer, under the name-"
"OH thank satan! Please! You have to save me!" The stray cut her off. "Kill me, whatever! Just hurry!"
"Oh, dear." Akeno said as she noticed something coming out of the water. "Something's coming out of the water."
The stray paled. "Oh no." Suddenly tentacles latched onto the stray. "KILL MEEE! PLEAASE!" The stray screamed and begged, as he was being dragged back into the water. "PLLEEAASEblrbbbbbb…" The stray was pulled into the water, and eventually, the bubbling stopped. As it happened, snail-like creatures slowly got out of the water, alongside creatures that resembled a crinoid, and one bipedal crocodile-like creature with tentacles that made it look like hair.
"Buchou! We need to go! Now!" Kiba exclaimed.
Rias stared at the bipedal creature in fear as it approached her. She saw it took Closure along with Red. Remaining Rhodes Island operators tried to free themselves from the grip of the Seaborns, but it was no use. She could hear the screams of civilians in the background. Blaze and Rosmontis fell, and so did the rest of the Elite Ops. Logos, even with his powerful Arts, still couldn't win against them and eventually was overwhelmed, thus the last Elite Operator was taken by the Seaborns. "B-" She, Doctor, and Amiya were surrounded on all fronts. Ishar'Mla appeared behind them. Doctor was taken. Amiya let loose. "Bu-" She sent out Monst3r to help Amiya. "Buc-" Amiya lost an arm. Monst3r got overwhelmed. "Bucho-" Amiya fell. Kal'tsi-
"BUCHOU!" Kal'tsit snapped out of it as she was pushed away by Rias's friend, Kiba, avoiding the Seaborn's attempt at harming her. But in doing so, Kiba got hurt. He fell to the ground that was covered by the Nethersea Brand.
"Yuuto-kun!" Akeno shouted in worry as she shot more holy lightning at the Nethersea Spewer and then at the Seaborn to get it away from Rias and Kiba. Koneko punched hard against a Deep Sea Slider that crashed into the cavern's wall. She then goes to punch the Seaborn away, knocking it back to the water.
"We have to go! Now!" Kal'tsit ordered. As the Seaborn rises up from the water, she instinctively shoots Rias's Power of Destruction at the Seaborn, disintegrating it. "Akeno! Defense barrier!" Kal'tsit used her magic to create a shield around everyone, with Akeno reinforcing it. The Sea Terrors and Sea Monsters hit the barrier as much as they can. "Koneko! Carry Kiba, and go outside first. We'll cover you."
"Senpai…" Koneko muttered, worried about her senior's well being. She nodded, and then carried Kiba out of the cavern first. As Koneko leaves, Kal'tsit and Akeno slowly walk back to the entrance with the barrier slowly breaking.
Kal'tsit looked around to figure something out. An idea then came into her head. "Akeno! On my count, we run!" Kal'tsit shouted as the barrier was already at its last stand.
"I trust you!" Akeno nodded.
"One, two, three!" Kal'tsit and Akeno run through the entrance as the barrier breaks with Kal'tsit spam shooting her Power of Destruction at the ceiling of the cavern and of the entrance. She did so a few more times before she turned around and ran as fast as she could with Akeno. They managed to reach the stairway that leads to the basement. Kal'tsit then turned around and conjured as much power as she could and shot it straight at the passage, destroying it and everything down there. Kal'tsit calmed her breath as she then turned around again and walked out of the basement stair. Once she was out, she saw Akeno comfort Kiba along with Koneko. Kiba winced at the claw wound on his left stomach. "How bad?" She asked as she approached them.
"It's not that deep, but we still need to make sure it's not infected." Akeno said with Koneko nodding.
"..." Kal'tsit thought for a moment, and internally sighed. "Let's get back." She said as they went out of the cabin and teleported back. While doing so, both Akeno and Koneko noticed how out of character Rias was. Unlike her usual worried expression, she sported a calm and serious expression. So is her way of talking. But that's not the priority at the moment.
A cut. Where did it come from? It does not matter. Only a small cut. Proceed with assimilation. 'Aura' can be useful.
"Hey, kid. Wake up." Asia was awoken by Freed. "Sweet dreams last night?" He asked as she sat up from her bed.
"... I don't know…" Asia answered as she gripped her blanket. "I felt a little headache."
"Eh, probably nothing. Come on, breakfast is ready. The others are already waiting for you." Freed said as he then left her alone in her room.
Asia stayed silent as she tried to remember what the dream was about. But she couldn't.
"Hurry up kid! Or there won't be breakfast for you!" Freed shouted from below.
"Ah! Y-yes!" Asia said as she got up from her bed and changed her clothes. She decided that today might not be the best day to think about the dream.
A Week Later
"Back to school huh…" Ayers muttered as he approached the school, while eating some edamame.
[I'm definitely not getting used to you eating it that way.] Ddraig said.
"Never been to one before. It might be an interesting experience." Ayers said out loud.
"Yo! Issei!" He heard someone call his name. He turned around and found Issei's friends, Motohama and Matsuda. "How are you doing, my guy?"
"I'm fine." Ayers said as he continued to eat his snack.
"Ugh, still cringe seeing you eating it that way." Motohama said as he watched his friend eating the edamame whole.
"Alright, alright. Listen up comrades." Matsuda said as he put his hands on both Ayers' shoulder and Motohama. "Today, we relax. And tomorrow, we shall reach mount greatness and grab greatness tits at the top of the peak!"
"Ugh, gross." A female student passed by said.
"Let's go!" Motohama hyped up, and then they both hyped each other up. Ayers just quietly left them at the gate.
It was going to be an interesting second year.
AN: Heyyy, I'm back baby. As promised here's a new chapter. Hope you like it.