The world of miracles, unveiled

Hyoudo Residence

"Did I make the right choice? Is it too late to back out of this partnership?" These thoughts cycled through Impmon's head, having woken up to see his tamer gawking like the idiot he is just from the sight of a naked Rias. "How obsessed is he with the female body? Doesn't he have more important things in life!?"

Rias reaches her hand out to touch Issei's back, causing him to jump a little. "How's your back? It seems to be healed, but I want to make sure it doesn't feel weird." It took Issei's mind a moment to understand what she meant. "Oh my back! Um, no I don't feel weird, why?"

"I just find it amazing how quickly it healed, even with my magic touch." Issei was at a loss at what she meant by magic touch. "So, is that why I'm naked?" She giggled at his reaction. "Well yes. It required direct contact between us. Before you ask, no, we didn't do it."

"Hey, can you two knock it off with the flirting and get to the important stuff." They both turn their heads to see Impmon there, who looks fed up with them. "You said you were a devil."

His brain no longer distracted from the glorious sight of Rias, Issei also remembered what Rias had stated."Yeah, what did you mean by that?" Rias stood up from the bed, and in an instant, demonic wings had sprouted from her back. "I meant what I said. I am a devil, and also your master."
Impmon crossed his arms as he considered her words. "No wonder something seemed off about you and your friends. Does this also have to do with whatever you did to revive Issei, and why even save him?" Impmon couldn't help but think back on his experiences with fallen angel and demon digimon, and pondered if Rias was as manipulative and deceitful as them. "Just so we're clear, he may be your servant, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to you."

Rias began getting dressed. "Don't worry, I won't expect you to follow my commands, although I would appreciate your cooperation. As for your questions, I'll answer them later." As she finishes and walks to the door, she turns to look at Issei. "I'll send someone to fetch you both later on to discuss things."

"Wait!" Issei held his hand out. "Shouldn't I escort you to class?" Placing her hand on her chin, Rias considered his offer. "Very well. Either way, we need to figure out a way to bring him along as well." She pointed to Impmon. "What do you mean? I can easily sneak in on my own!"

She held up her finger. "Last time I checked, you ended up being responsible for various mishaps that day, including stealing the underwear of the girls of the kendo club, dumping rotten fish from the cafeteria into the pool, breaking into our clubhouse, and setting the dark room of the photography club on fire! If you're gonna come, I'd rather you stay put with Issei." He held his arms up in protest, angered at the notion that he needs to be watched over. "As if I need him to babysit me, especially since the dumbass nearly got himself killed twice on my watch! It's not like you have any way to sneak me in anyway!"

Unfortunately for Impmon, fate was not on his side, as an old gym bag of Issei's fell out of his closet and onto the floor, and as everyone looked at it, they had the same epiphany, much to his horror and anger. "You wouldn't fucking dare…"

Kuoh academy

"They actually fucking dared!" Somehow, they had actually managed to shove him into the bag. Granted, it wasn't so hard when Rias knocked him out with that sleep spell the moment he had turned around to yell a whole list of obscenities at Issei. " I can't even yell at him from here or else I'll get heard and that'll be trouble for both of us!" All Impmon could do now was wait and hope it didn't take long for the meeting.

Meanwhile, things couldn't be more pleasant for Issei. Any guilt he may have felt for shoving Impmon into the gym bag was quickly suppressed from the sense of pride he felt as everyone gawked at him, one of the pervert trio, walking to school with one of the hottest babes in the whole school by his side. "The guys are going to be so pissed at me, but this feeling is just great!"

Speaking of said friends, they were waiting near the stairs, watching with intense envy and anger. "What the fuck Motohama! This can't be real, that's gotta be some chick he paid off to dress like Rias!" Motohama adjusted his glasses, having taken a good look at Rias. "Unfortunately, that's the real deal, there's no way he could have found someone with her exact measurements." Matsuda gripped the railing, his knuckles turning white as he did as Issei bid farewell to Rias and walked up to them. "Damn it, he better spill the beans."

Just as issei predicted, his best buds were fuming when he found them. "So guys, uh, how's the weather?" His attempt to break the ice clearly did not work, since Matsuda was quickly in his face. "Where did you go and what did you do after you left yesterday?!" Fortunately, Motohama kept a level head as he pulled Matsuda back. "Calm down, Issei is our buddy. I'm sure he can explain if we give him a chance."

"I'll be happy to explain, gentlemen. Yesterday, I was rollin' in some double Ds!" At hearing this, Impmon couldn't help but laugh from within the gym bag, which caught Matsuda's attention. "What was that noise?" Thinking quickly, Issei quickly kicked the gym bag to silence Impmon, knowing that he was only gonna be angrier when he got out. "Oh, I didn't hear anything. Now where was I…"

••••

After seeing Issei off, Rias decided to speak with Sona at considering she still had time before classes started. To her surprise, however, she found Sona speaking to Kanji, who was holding a chess piece.

"Ah, Rias! Didn't expect to see you so early. Are you perhaps a friend of Sona?" Rias considered her words, not wanting to allow Kanji to know that Sona was also a devil like her. "Yes, we've known each other for quite a while. What were you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing too important. Just discussing chess, since I've been learning to play from her. I should get going though, my class starts soon." He handed back the chess piece back to Sona and left, leaving the girls alone, perfect for what Rias wanted to discuss. "Good to see you, Sona. Didn't expect you to teach a novice how to play."

"What can I say, Rias, he's quite enthusiastic for a beginner. Still, not the most interesting thing about him, from what you've told me. How is your newest pawn anyway?"

She recalled how quickly Issei healed from his wounds, an indication of his potential. "He's doing great so far, although I still have to see what he's capable of." She then took out her phone. "Of course, there was something else I wanted to speak to you about."

She scrolled through her phone and found the pictures she was looking for, taken the previous night, depicting Fangmon and Bulkmon. "Last night I got a chance to witness a battle between the creatures Kanji told me about."

Sona looked over the pictures. "My, these definitely look fearsome. But what impression did you get seeing them battle?" Rias replayed the events in her mind, considering the intensity of the attacks used. "They definitely had some impressive power, although what really intrigues me is how Kanji's familiar had transformed. I'm not sure if it was simply hiding that power or if it came from somewhere else." That was something he didn't mention to her, which made her wonder what else he had withheld from her. This information at the very least intrigued Sona greatly.

"Perhaps he can be persuaded to join one of our peerages." Rias could only shake her head at the idea. "Doubtful. He seems to already be aligned with a group already, although whom, I can't say."

"Perhaps he can give some answers to these questions later today when he comes to the clubhouse. Regardless, it's almost time for our own classes." Turning around to leave, Rias decided to quickly tease Sona. "Oh, and one more thing Sona. Careful that he doesn't beat you at chess, unless you want him to become your fiance." Seeing her flustered that made Sona, Rias headed to class with a smile.

Later that day

When Rias said she'd send someone to fetch him, he didn't expect her to send Yuuto Kiba of all people. Don't tell me, is she building a reverse harem?!" It didn't help that as they walked, countless girls swooned over Kiba, some even giving him a few confession letters, while they'd look at him with scorn. It's like the universe wants to remind me how unpopular I am."

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination, the Occult research Clubhouse. From what he recalled, it had been a dormitory that had fallen into disuse, at least until Rias began attending. She had apparently asked the faculty permission to use it as a clubhouse for the Occult research club during her first year, which she surprisingly got.

They soon entered the main room of the clubhouse, where there were already people waiting. He sets down the gym bag and braces himself to open it, knowing Impmon must be furious by now. He turned out to be correct, because as soon as he started unzipping the bag, Impmon's fist hit him right in the jaw, sending him reeling. "Damn it you fucking piece of shit motherfucker! Do you have any idea how horrible that fucking was?! I was in there for hours with your stinky gym clothes!" Having vented his frustration, he looked around and noticed the people in the room, in particular a white haired girl he quickly recognized.

"Hey, you're that short ass freak who was stalking Issei last Sunday!" Before he could say anything else, she had come up to him and grabbed his neck with a vice. "Speak to me like that again, and I'll kill you." Kiba quickly went up to Koneko and pried Impmon out of her grip. "Calm down Koneko, I'm sure he didn't mean offense by it!"

Unfortunately, Impmon quickly opened his big mouth. "What do you mean?! Of course I meant to insult her! She's a weirdo stalker!" Kiba was surely tempted to let Koneko manhandle him, but decided to be rational about the situation.

After the two settled down and Issei managed to find a seat, Kiba cleared his throat as he presented Koneko to Issei. "This is Koneko Toujou, a first year and a valued member of the Occult research club."

"My my, started introductions without me." Issei's attention was soon drawn to the source of the voice, as a buxom black haired beauty entered the room. "Hey you're Akeno Himejima!" Akeno could only chuckle at being recognized. "Yes, that's me, a third year and vice-president of the occult research club. Sorry for arriving a bit late, I was helping set some clothes for Rias."

"Well, she really seems to love her showers then." This time the attention was drawn to the other side of the room, where Kanji was sitting on a sofa chair. "By the way issei, why did you bring Impmon in that bag? You could have brought him in easily using that digivice you got."

He then held out his own, and in a moment, data poured out from it and formed into Pulsemon. Issei looked to his side to find Impmon giving him a furious glare, with a few veins visibly bulging with anger. "I think this is a good time to introduce myself. I am Kanji Inazuma, second year." He motions to Pulsemon. "And I'm Pulsemon, kanji's partner, rookie-level."

"I guess that's my cue then. I'm Yuuto Kiba, second year and a member of the Occult Research Club, though I guess you already knew that Issei."

Seeing everyone's turn to him and Impmon, Issei stood up. "Oh um, I'm Issei Hyoudo, second year." Before he could try introducing Impmon, said partner jumped onto his head, causing him to fall face first on the floor. "And more important of the two of us, I'm I'm Impmon, rookie-level, and more importantly, a demon lord."

Contrary to what he expected, however, instead of adoration he was confronted by laughter by ORC and Kanji. "Hey, I'm serious! I'm a big shot back home!"

"Well as much as I'd like to hear about your home, there's some things we must discuss first. issei, I'd like to welcome you to the Occult Research club. The first thing you must know is that it's a front." She then set the egg down on the coffee table.

Suddenly everyone but Kanji sprouted demon wings. "We are all devils Issei. And the man who attacked you last night was a fallen angel. Most humans assume we're the same but we're not. They seek to please God, but it is too late for them. So now they feud with us over the underworld."

Issei had difficulty processing this, believing it must have been some joke. "Okay, if this is true, what does this have to do with me?" Rias then poked his chest. "Simple, it's what's inside of here, the very reason why that girl wanted to kill you."

"Girl? You mean Yuuma?! So someone remembers her!" He suddenly remembered Yuuma, of the date they had, and the words she said as she killed him. Rias could see the conflicted emotions on his face. "Yes. She was a fallen angel, her real name being Raynare. She deemed you a threat because of the power you hold, a sacred gear."

"It is an intense and unique power only a select few in the world hold. Kinda makes you a big deal. Guess it was what this little guy was intent on following you." She then saw how Impmon stuck his tongue out at being called little. "It's why she dated you, and why she then erased everyone's memories to make it so she wasn't even there."

Issei touched his stomach, recalling the grievous wound there. "Then how am I still alive?" Rias reached into her pocket and produced a crimson chess piece. "In your last moments, you summoned me through the flyer you had been given. To save your life, I reincarnated you as a devil servant in service of house Gremory"

Issei almost fell down, processing what he had been told, only to realize he had sprouted wings just like them."So I'm a devil now? Guess living a normal life isn't an option huh." He felt somewhat confused, yet strangely not sad in the slightest, which Rias was quick to notice. "Work hard enough, and one day you too may have servants of your own one day."

Hearing this, Issei immediately began fantasizing about the possibilities, which for him was mostly just having a harem of beautiful girls. "Wow, when you say something like that, who cares about being human again?" Impmon could only look up in disgust as he looked at the perverted look on Issei's face. "Well that's good to know and all, but I still gotta ask, what he's got to do with this?" He pointed at Kanji.

Surprisingly, Koneko was in agreement with him. "I was wondering why you brought a human. He doesn't seem to be affiliated with any of the factions we know." She walked up to Pulsemon and looked him over. "I especially don't recognize this creature of his."

"Hey I'm no creature, I'm a digimon!" Seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces, Kanji decided it was best for him to explain. "It's short for digital monster, which live in the digital world."

He then took out his digivice and held it out, as if projected a hologram depicting two planets. "The digital world is a realm composed entirely of data, which has existed alongside earth since even before recorded history." As he said that, the two planets got closer until they overlapped with one another. "It's connected intrinsically with earth, and the two reflect each other in many ways."

Rias raised her hand so she could speak. "Okay, but that doesn't explain your involvement or why Impmon was following Issei." Kanji chuckled, knowing that they were getting what he considered the fun part. "Well, you see, life in the digital world works differently. As digimon grow and age, they evolve into different forms, something that can take a lot of time, sometimes even years. At least, until they found a shortcut."

The projection was turned as he held up the digivice for Rias to see. "By forming a partnership with humans with the right the qualities known as tamers, digimon could accelerate their evolution to a matter of moments. Ever since the first computer system, digimon have been slipping into the human world for all kinds of reasons, while humans would occasionally slip into the digital world, like I did."

This time it was Issei who raised his hand. "Wait, why was it only when the first computer was made that this started happening." Kanji simply shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me, when I asked about it, I got given an explanation that kinda went over my head."

Rias cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "There's still the important question of who you're aligned with, and why you've revealed yourself to us." Knowing that Rias was getting somewhat impatient, he fished out a medal from his pocket and showed it to her. "Well, long story short, me and Pulse are part of a group known as the Code Preserver Alliance, who endeavor to maintain the peace of both worlds, and the higher ups decided it was time to reach out to the supernatural side of things."

Rias looks at the medal, which bore nine symbols that she did not recognize. "But why us, and why now?" Kanji paced around a bit, trying to find the right words. "For a while now, the CPA had actually known about the existence of the supernatural world, no we never really had any interaction with any of you." He pointed at Issei. "At least until he became a tamer."

"We hoped to come to establish some mutual agreement, since we kinda assumed you'd have enemies just as we do, and as it turns out you do." He walked towards the window, thinking carefully of what he would say to them. "There's groups like the CPA, who know of the digital world. But instead of the greater good, they want to abuse it for their own gain."

Rias walked up to him, processing what she had been told. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try to convince at least my family to consider what you've been told. As long as you're upfront with us."

"Hmph, I'll take what I can get." He walked over to the table, and examined the egg. "So why did you bring this thing out?" She walked to the other side of the table. "Because Impmon seemed curious about it, so I had hoped you would know what it is."

"Oh that's simple." He picked up the egg. "This here is the beginning and end of a digimon's life, a digi-egg" he handed it to Rias. "That's sadly all I can tell you. I have no clue how it ended up in the real world, nor what it will hatch into."

Rias looked somewhat disappointed. "Oh, and I had hoped it was a dragon egg." Seeing her reaction, Kanji decided to reassure her. "Hey, you never know, it might hatch into a dragon species digimon. Though we won't know until it hatches, and who knows when that'll be."

Crack

Everything went silent as everyone's gaze turned to the source of the sound. A small and subtle crack had formed on the egg.

"Oh boy."

Crack-crackle

Enough cracks had formed for a piece of the shell to fall off, allowing a pair of reptilian eyes to peer out.