Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or concepts, characters or terminology from other series that may come up in this story.

Welcome to my first and possibly only non-crossover story. The basic idea in this story is an AU where Issei meets Ophis in the park instead of the perverted old man when he was 6. He is also the grandson of two Shinto Gods and will receive extensive training in his powers before canon starts. By the time canon starts, his base stats will probably be at the level of an Ultimate-Class Devil, strong but not as strong as Ichigo in Dragonberry Chronicles.

Like with Prince of Genocide, I'm writing this story with little to no reference to canon, so don't expect it to flow as well as Dragonberry Chronicles or Infinite Dragon Emperor.

Well then, let the story begin.

Prologue: Awakening and return of the Heavenly Dragon.

"Ne, who are you?"

Those were the first words that left the mouth of six year old Hyoudo Issei when he walked up to the strange girl he spotted squatting by the side of the pond in the park near his house, staring at the fishes swimming inside. Even in his childish mind, he recognized that this girl was very beautiful. Silky black hair almost touching the ground, pearly, almost pale, white skin, dark grey eyes almost indistinguishable from black, and pointed elfish ears. The Gothic Lolita clothes she was wearing only served to further enhance that image. A huge contrast to his ordinary slightly spiky brown hair, his ordinary lightly tanned skin, his ordinary brown eyes, his ordinary round ears and his ordinary white T-shirt and red shorts. It was only when he was about to compare their footwear that he noticed that she was barefooted.

He came to the park to play. He used to come here with his friend Irina, but he moved away to another country 2 days ago, so he came to make new friends to play with. It was when he was about to join the other kids in the park in a game of tag that he spotted the strange girl on her own. He, as well as the other kids in the park all had their parents with them, but she was all alone. There weren't any adults near her or even in the whole park that looked like they could be her parents. Did they go off somewhere and left her to play by herself? Or did they not accompany her to the park?

'She must be lonely.' Was what he thought when he saw her, which was why he chose to walk up and talk to her, and also why she was staring at him with her beautiful eyes, something the perturbed him. Not because he was creeped out or anything, but because of how empty they seemed even to his six year old mind.

"…Ophis." Was her reply after a long, awkward and uncomfortable silence. Ophis? Even with his very limited knowledge of languages, he could tell it wasn't Japanese. Hell, she didn't even look Japanese.

"Ophis-chan, huh? I'm Hyoudo Issei! Hey, where are your parents?" He decided to ask her the most burning question that had popped into his head when he first saw her.

"…Don't have any."

"Eh?" Was his only response to the unexpected answer.

"I don't have any parents. I've always been alone, since I was born."

Issei frowned. She was abandoned at birth? Anger overtook his normally cheerful disposition. How could anyone be so cruel as to abandon their own flesh and blood at birth!? At that moment, he made up his mind.

"I'm gonna make Ophis-chan smile!"

He grabbed her hand and started pulling her to where the other kids had started their game of tag.

"Ne, Ophis-chan, let's go play tag!"

"…Play?"

"Yeah! I won't take no for an answer~!"

To say that Hyoudo Daigo and Hyoudo Kasumi were shocked would be a very, very big understatement. Of all the supernatural beings in existence that their son could have first encountered, they didn't expect it to be her.

Of course they knew who she really was. How could they not? They were both demigods, children of two of the strongest Gods in Shinto mythology. Both had stood in the presence of their divine parents, as well as other Gods, and this little girl's power vastly surpassed theirs, even if she was good at hiding that fact. She couldn't be another God. Granted, there were a handful of Gods stronger than their divine parents, but even Shiva, the strongest God currently in existence wouldn't have that much more power than their divine parents. That left only 4 possibilities, none of which were particularly appealing: the Heavenly Dragons, Ddraige and Albion, or the Divine Dragons, Ophis and Great Red.

Ddraige and Albion were out; both were sealed into Sacred Gears. Hell, one of them was in their son, though they didn't know which one. Great Red never leaves the Dimensional Gap, so that just leaves…

Ophis. The Ouroboros Dragon, the Dragon God of Infinity, the strongest being in existence. Of all beings in existence, she was the one that their divine parents feared above all. She was after all, a being much higher than even Gods and possessed enough power to wipe them out with a wave of her hand.

That's why they feared. Feared that their son might come to harm. If Ophis turned hostile, they wouldn't be able to save him. Even though they had received extensive training in their powers, even though they possessed two powerful Divine weapons, even though both of them were more than willing to die to save their son, they knew they were nothing more than fleas before her. If she chose to, she could erase the entire prefecture and all of the inhabitants with a flick of her finger.

That's why they prayed. Prayed to their divine parents, to all Shinto Gods, hell, even to all the Gods in existence, that Ophis would not attack. That their precious son's life would not be cut short at the tender age of six, at the hands of someone he only wished to befriend.

Issei was impressed. Hell, all of the kids were. Ophis was some kind of genius at tag. At least, that was the best way six year old kids could put it. She hadn't understood the rules at first, but once she got the hang of it...Damn...When it was her turn to be it, she was blindingly fast and caught all of them in an instant. When she wasn't it, it was nearly impossible to catch her, not so much that she was fast as much as they couldn't find her, even though she was the one who stood out most among them, with her non-Japanese features and odd clothes. She hid in absurd places like the top of a tree, on the opposite side of the park which she shouldn't have been able to reach in just a few seconds, she even once tried to dive into the pond, though thankfully Issei stopped her. Even though it had been a one-sided victory on her part, the kids were having fun. Issei even saw her smile for an instant...and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his short life. Though, her expression was quickly schooled back into one of neutrality and indifference.

But, all good things must come to an end. The sun was already beginning to set and the parents were coming over to take their kids home. Before he left, one boy, the one who had suggested tag in the first place, turned back called,

"Issei! Ophis-chan! It was really fun today! Let's play again tomorrow!"

"Yeah! It's a promise!" Issei called back. He didn't know it then, but that was a promise he wasn't going to be able to keep.

"Ne, Ophis-chan, I have to go home now. What are you going to do now?"

"...I don't know. I don't have a home anymore." Ophis's head drooped slightly and a small hint of sadness entered her eyes.

"Hm...Then, why don't you come home with me? I'm sure my parents won't mind! We can figure out what to do later!"

"...Really?"

"Yeah! There they are now! Let's go ask them! Mom! Dad!" That decision was about to change his life forever. He waved to his parents as they approached. But, he could've sworn he saw them falter a bit when they saw Ophis-chan next to him. There was a strange look in their eyes. It was...fear?

"Are they afraid of Ophis-chan? What is there to fear? She's just a strange, lonely and pitiful girl that needs a home". He must have imagined it. Yeah, that was it. He was just a six year old kid after all, what did he know?

"Issei, did you have fun today?" His mom leaned down and asked.

"Yeah! It was really fun! I wanna come again tomorrow!"

"Ha ha, is that so? By the way, Issei, who is your friend?" Her eyes shifted to Ophis and her body tensed slightly as though preparing for a fight, though Issei didn't notice.

"This is Ophis-chan!" His parents flinched slightly when they heard that name, but Issei didn't notice as he continued.

"She...doesn't have any parents or a home, so I invited her over! That's okay, right?"

His parents looked at each other and his mother was about to say something, hesitated, then opened her mouth again, but she was cut off by his father.

"Sure! Why not? Any friend of yours is welcome in our house!" His mother's head snapped towards her husband and her mouth hung open.

"Really!? Yatta! Ophis-chan, let's go! Our house is this way!" He grabbed her hand and started running in the direction of their house, Ophis keeping up behind him. If he wasn't in such a hurry, he would have seen his parents arguing.

"Dear, what are you doing!?" Kasumi whispered furiously to her husband.

"What are you talking about?" Daigo feigned ignorance.

"Don't give me that! Didn't we swear that we wouldn't let Issei get involved in our world when we left Kyoto!?"

"Yeah, we did indeed. We swore that we would give him a normal childhood, grow up into a normal man, get a normal job, marry a normal woman , have normal kids and die without ever learning of his lineage or powers. But...we were too naïve. With the blood of two powerful Gods and a Longinus in him, there's no way he would ever have a normal life. Even at just the age of six, he's already encountered the strongest being in existence. The only thing we can do now is prepare him for his entry into our world." Tears welled up in Kasumi's eyes.

"Daigo, that's our only child. I don't want to see him in pain...!" Daigo wrapped his arms around his wife.

"I know. We won't let that happen. We'll train him until he can overcome any enemy."

It was an awkward dinner they had that night in Issei's opinion. His mom went all out and cooked the widest spread of dishes he had ever seen. Pickled vegetables, steamed fish, grilled wagyu beef, her signature miso soup, you name the dish, it was there. Maybe she was trying to make a good impression on Ophis, who she treated politely, but subtly kept her distance from her, as though she was afraid of getting too close to her. His dad was a bit more open, but a lot more subdued than he usually was. Weird. Dinner was a quiet affair, a far cry from the usual chatter, like his dad griping about his job, his mom sharing the latest gossip in the neighborhood, or himself talking about his day at kindergarden. He tried to make idle conversation with Ophis, but she kept responding with vague one word answers that didn't answer his questions at all. It was frustrating, which was why he needed some ice cream, his comfort food. Unfortunately, he ate the last of it last night, which meant a trip to the convenience store.

"Ophis-chan, I'm going to buy ice cream, do you want to come?"

"...Ice cream?"

"Yeah, it's really delicious, but mom said not to eat too much, or I'll get fat." She didn't reply, but gave a small nod.

"Okay, let's go! Mom, dad! Ophis-chan and I are going to buy ice cream!"

"Sure, don't take too long, and come straight home afterwards!" His dad called back.

"Okay!" He put on his sandals and loaned Ophis a pair of slippers and they left the house.

Back in the house...

"Daigo, is it really okay to let them go?"

"Pfft, the convenience store is only 5 minutes away. How much trouble could they get into?" Then, he paused.

"...I just jinxed it, didn't I?"

"We're going after them."

"Yes honey."

An awkward silence settled between Issei and Ophis as they walked to the convenience store, using a shortcut through a construction site that Issei had recently discovered. Issei really wanted to talk to her, but he didn't know what to say.

"...Hey, Ophis-chan, you never really answered my question. Where did you come from?"

"...From somewhere far away."

"...Mu...That's the same answer you keep giving me. Can't you be more specific?"

"...The Dimensional Gap."

"The what?" That sure didn't sound like any country he knew.

"...Somewhere far away." This time, there was a very small hint of amusement at Issei's expense. Mentally, Issei screamed in frustration.

"Mu...Well, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. What are your hobbies?"

"...Hobbies?"

"You know, things you like to do."

"…Why do you want to know?"

"Hm? We're friends, aren't we? Friends would want to know more about each other.

"…Friends…" Ophis whispered that word and smiled for an instant, apparently liking the sound of that.

"So, what are your hobbies?"

"..." She tilted her head and remained silent for a while. Couldn't she think of anything?

"Then...what do you want to do? What's your life's goal?"

"...Kill Great Red."

"...Eh?" Kill? Did he hear that right?

"Great Red took my home from me. As long as he's there, I can never return. So I must kill him first." Ophis's voice, normally dull and monotone, was now filled with resentment and anticipation.

"O-Ophis-chan! K-Killing is-!"

"Then, do you want us to help you?" A new voice echoed in the night. Three people stepped out from the shadows: two young, noble-looking men and a noble-looking woman.

"Ouroboros Dragon Ophis, we are the descendants of three of the original Yondai-Maou. I am Shalba Beelzebub. These two are Cattleya Leviathan and Kuruzerey Asmodeus." The man in the middle spoke to Ophis.

"...What is it you three want?"

"We want you. We are planning to destroy the new Maous, but we need your help to do it. In return, we will help you kill Great Red. Now, please come with us." The man who called himself Shalba Beelzebub extended his hand towards Ophis, but Issei stepped in front of her.

"W-Wait a minute. I don't really get it, but you three are to kidnap Ophis-chan, aren't you!? I won't let you!" Shalba Beelzebub's face contorted into an expression of disgust.

"Worthless human, who do you think you are ordering a descendant of a Maou around!?" Shalba backhanded Issei and knocked him aside.

"...Issei!" Ophis's voice was tinted with concern for her new friend.

"Ophis, don't waste your time on that human. You wish to kill Great Red, don't you? Then, come with us. We'll help you fulfill your wish."

"...Issei! Issei!" Shalba started pulling Ophis, who was crying out her friend's name.

"...No...I can't let them...take her away..." She had led a horrible life up till now, and now, she was going to be kidnapped? He had to save her!

Issei tried to get up, but he was still dazed from the backhand Shalba gave him and couldn't balance himself.

"But, if I don't do something now, Ophis-chan will get kidnapped!"

"...If only I was stronger...!"

"...Stronger...stronger...stronger...stronger...STR ONGER...!"

[In that case, shall I lend you my power?] A deep voice resonated in his head.

"...Who...?"

[My name is Ddraige, the one in your left arm...Well, she doesn't really need saving, but...Boy, do you want to save her?]

"...I do...I want to save her...! So...lend me your power!"

[Good answer! Use my power well!]

A red light engulfed his left forearm, attracting the attention of the three descendants of the original Maou, as well as Ophis.

"What is this...?"

"A red light?"

"It can't be...a Sacred Gear?"

"...Issei?"

Energy rushed through his body, clearing his vision and he regained his balance. The light around his left forearm faded and a red gauntlet with a green jewel embedded in it appeared.

[Boost!] Ddraige's voice announced.

"That's...Boosted Gear!? Shit, a Longinus at a time like this!? Kuruzerey, kill him!" Shalba ordered Kuruzerey who stepped up.

"Sorry kid. If you want to blame someone, blame your own bad luck that led you to meet Ophis today." A black aura appeared around him.

Instead of fear, Issei just looked at him with resolution.

[Tch, this is bad. Boy, I'll tell you where the attacks are coming from, so just dodge accordingly. Also, focus on doubling your power every 10 seconds.]

"Alright."

[Left!] Issei reacted and ducked, just in time to avoid a blast coming from the left.

[Above!] This time, he moved to the side and avoided an energy blade aimed for his head.

[Now punch!] Not really knowing why, Issei just blindly punched forward...and was surprised when his fist connected with something solid.

"Hoh? For a kid who just awakened his Sacred Gear, you're doing pretty well, aren't you? But, you overestimate yourself, human. A mere child like you wouldn't be able to injure a Low-Class Devil, much less a descendant of a Maou like me!" Kuruzerey laughed as Issei's punch didn't even faze him. Issei ducked just in time to avoid an arrow of dark energy aimed at his head. Knowing that physical attacks were next to useless against this opponent, Issei began to focus on dodging.

[Boost!] The same command from before resounded again. The pattern of dodging and boosting every 10 seconds continued for almost a full 2 minutes.

[Boost!]

[Alright, that should be enough! I found something nice in your genetic structure too. Boy, imagine summoning a storm and don't spare any effort in doing it!]

[Explosion!] All of the power he had been gathering for the past two minutes rushed into his body.

"Summon a storm...summon a storm...!" At the back of his mind, waves crashed, thunder crackled and rain poured down.

*BOOM*

A loud sound reverberated throughout the town. Out of nowhere, thunderclouds had filled the previously clear sky and white lightning crackled within them.

The three descendants looked up in shock.

"A storm!?"

"Is this the boy's doing!? What kind of crazy magic is this!?"

"Kuruzerey, run!" Cattleya's warning came too late. Gigantic bolts of white lightning crashed down, striking Kuruzerey and filling all of their visions with white light.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Unable to see anything, Issei heard Kuruzerey's terrible pain-filled scream. His vision cleared and smoke was rising from the ground where the lightning had struck.

"...Is it over?"

[Boy, watch out!]Ddraige's warning came just a split second too late and a black spear of energy ran through Issei's shoulder, launching him back.

"Gaaaaah...!?" Issei cried out in pain as pain he had never imagined possible coursed through his body.

[Reset!] The power that had previously filled his body disappeared and unable to move, he lay pinned to the ground by the spear, bleeding profusely from his wound.

From the smoke, a figure slowly stepped out. It was Kuruzerey, covered in burns and blood, his body blackened and smoking in several places. The arrogance on his face had completely faded, replaced by a small hint of grudging respect.

"Not bad, kid. If I hadn't put up that barrier at the last instant, that storm would have killed me. But, it's over. You put up a good fight, but you've lost." Kuruzerey slowly made his way to Issei, an energy blade forming in his right hand.

[…Shit. Sorry boy. I didn't expect him to use a barrier. I guess I'm not used to prey who can put this much of a fight.] Ddraige's apologetic voice rang in his head.

"…Ugh…I can't move…Ophis…chan…!" His eyes tiredly turned to Ophis, who was trying to get out of Shalba's grip.

"Issei! Issei! Leave him alone!" Ophis's normally monotone voice was now almost hysterical. A pitch black aura began to form around her, one much stronger and more ominous than Kuruzerey's.

"It's no use. Even if you kill me, you can't reach the boy in time before Kuruzerey pierces a vital. But if you come quietly, I may consider sparing him."

"…I understand. I'll come with you. So…leave him alone." The aura building up around Ophis faded away and she slumped in defeat.

"Good girl. Kuruzerey…kill the boy, he's too dangerous." Shalba coldly ordered Kuruzerey, who raised his blade. Ophis's head shot back up.

"No! Stop! I already said I would come with you!"

"Sorry boy. You would have made a fine Devil." Kuruzerey's blade fell and Issei closed his eyes, bracing himself for his imminent death.

*STAB*

The sound of metal piercing flesh was heard. But…he didn't feel any pain.

"Ugah…! What…is this…!?" Kuruzerey's pained voice was heard. Slowly opening his eyes, Issei was greeted by the sight of a glowing katana piercing Kuruzerey's chest from behind.

"This is…a Holy Sword!?"

"Not exactly. This is Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the sword Susanoo obtained from Yamata-no-Orochi's body. A more accurate term would be Divine Sword."

Kuruzerey fell forward, his body slowly disintegrating. Behind him, holding Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi in his right hand, was his father, whose face was twisted into an expression of near apoplectic rage. Next to him was his mother wearing an identical expression of rage and holding a large ornate mirror. Both faced Shalba and Cattleya, who were both in shock at Kuruzerey's sudden death. Cattleya snapped out of her shock first.

"You...! How dare you kill Kuruzerey!"

"...That's our line! How dare you lay your hands on our son! I am Hyoudo Daigo, son of Susanoo!" Daigo snarled.

"I am Hyoudo Kasumi, daughter of Amaterasu!" Kasumi growled.

""You damn trash, are you prepared to pay the price for touching our son!?" Daigo vanished in a flash and reappeared next to Shalba and cut off the arm that had a death grip on Ophis.

"Aaaaaaaaargh!?" Shalba screamed and held onto the bloody stump. Cattleya created multiple balls of energy and fired them at Kasumi, who snorted and held the mirror in her hands in front of her. The energy balls were absorbed into the mirror.

"What!? What is that mirror!?"

"This is the Yata-no-Kagami! It's an absolute defense that can absorbs the force of all attacks and then returns them!"

The mirror glowed and the same balls of energy shot out of them and struck Cattleya, who shrieked and fell back, but Kasumi had already moved in front of her, her left hand covered in black flames.

"Be judged by the divine flames of Amaterasu!" Kasumi threw the black flames at Cattleya. She screamed as the black flames engulfed her. She tried to use an ice spell to extinguish the flames, but the ice vaporized as soon as it appeared.

"It's no use. The flames of Amaterasu won't be extinguished so easily." Kasumi told Cattleya in a cold voice.

Cattleya couldn't do anything as the flames burned away at her flesh and just continued to scream until at last, the flames destroyed her vocal cords, rendering her silent, and then finally reducing her to a pile of ashes at Kasumi's feet.

"Cattleya! Shit!" Shalba fell on his ass as he tried to avoid the blade aimed for his neck.

Daigo held his hand towards the sky.

"My son summoned a powerful storm for someone his age without training, but it cannot compare to this!"

*KRACKABOOOOOOOOOM*

A storm, this one much bigger than the one Issei had previously summoned, appeared in the sky.

"Dammit!" Shalba slammed his foot into the ground and a magic circle appeared beneath him.

"Trying to escape, coward!? I won't let you!" Daigo reached into his pocket and pulled out a talisman and threw it down at the magic circle.

"Onmyou Jutsu: Kuukan Teitai!" (Trans: Spatial Stasis)

The talisman touched the edge of the magic circle and destroyed it.

"What!? You're an Onmyouji!?"

"There's no way that a son of a Shinto God wouldn't know basic Onmyou techniques!"

"Crash down, Lightning of the Storm God!" The world was engulfed in white light as gargantuan bolts of white lightning smashed into Shalba, who didn't even have time to scream as his body was ripped apart. The sheer force of the blast destroyed most of the surrounding area.

The torso, still attached to the head, fell to the ground. Shalba weakly groaned out his last words.

"...A...Ah...O...Our...ambi...tions..." Shalba was promptly cut off as Daigo ran Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi through his brain, killing him instantly.

Issei stared in awe at the contemptuous ease with which his parents had slain the three Devils whom he had struggled against. Then, a black blur slammed into his chest, aggravating the wound in his shoulder.

"Argh...!"

"Issei...Issei...!" It was Ophis, who was now sobbing into his shirt. She looked up at him, her face streaked with tear marks and mucus. All of her stoic elegance from before had vanished completely, leaving behind the visage of an ordinary girl who had witnessed her friend almost die. Smiling awkwardly, he patted her head comfortingly.

"You idiot...you idiot...!" She beat her tiny fists against his chest, but they didn't have any strength behind them.

"Sorry, I really made you worry."

"Why did you have to do that!? I would have been fine, why did you have interfere and almost get yourself killed!?"

"I couldn't help it. My precious friend was about to be taken away. Of course I would do something, anything to help." He hugged her with his good arm and brought her close. She didn't resist, she hugged him back and continued crying. His parents approached and his father pulled the spear out of his shoulder, causing Issei to hiss in pain.

"Sorry, but it would have gotten worse if it had been left like that any longer. Are you okay?"

"Well, aside from the gaping hole in my shoulder, I'm just dandy." Issei replied in a sarcastic tone that a six-year-old shouldn't be able to muster. Kasumi lightly struck his head.

"Well, let's go home and get you patched up. We'll explain everything there." Daigo picked him up and carried him on his back, while Kasumi did the same for Ophis. As they walked home, Issei realized something.

"Ah, we forgot the ice cream."

"...And that's about it." Daigo finished up his explanation. They had returned home and they sat Issei down and started explaining their circumstances to him. His parents were born in Kyoto to two of the strongest Gods in Shinto mythology: Susanoo, the God of storms, and Amaterasu, the queen of the Shinto Gods. They had both received extensive training and were renowned as the best warriors in Japan. Back in their youth, they had traveled around Japan vanquishing any threats to humanity, but had eventually settled down and had him. They decided to abandon their old lives to give him a normal childhood so that he would never have to get involved in their world. Pfft, yeah, that worked out well.

But the most shocking revelation was Ophis being the strongest being in existence, a Dragon that Gods feared. He never would have guessed just by looking by her, but hey, guess you can't judge a book by its cover.

"So, Issei, what do you want to do now? Now that you've encountered the supernatural for the first time, you can be sure that there'll be more to follow. You can try to ignore them and live a normal life, or..." Daigo trailed off. There wasn't a need to finish his statement. It was blatantly obvious to even Issei what the other choice...no, what the only true choice was. Looking down at Ophis who had cried herself to sleep in his lap, he made his decision.

"I want to train. If there are more guys like those three coming after us, I want to be prepared." Daigo smiled at the resolve in his son's eyes.

"Then, it's decided. Kasumi, call a mover, I'll go pack up our stuff. We're going back to Kyoto."

"Ophis-chan is coming with us, right?" Though he had asked, his eyes made it clear that there was no room for refusal.

"Issei, that's..." Kasumi trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"Sure!" Daigo agreed instantly and Kasumi's jaw dropped for the second time that day.

"Daigo, what are you...!?"

"Kasumi, don't you want to see the looks on my shitty geezer's and your mother's faces when we bring the being they fear the most in existence to them?" Daigo grinned maliciously, and even Kasumi paused as she thought about it, before an equally malicious gleam appeared in her eyes.

"Kukukukukuku..."

"Heeheeheeheeheehee..."

Both of them started cackling and their son sweatdropped as he looked at them. He sighed and tried to get up so that he could start packing his belongings, but Ophis had a death grip around his waist and refused to move. Smiling resignedly, he sat back down and started stroking her head. His parents would do the packing for him anyway.

The next day, the Hyoudo Residence had been put up for sale, and Issei and his family, now including Ophis, were on a bullet train bound for Kyoto.

"Uwah...it's really bright." Issei said as he stared at Kinkaku-ji. When people said it was made of gold, they must have meant it literally. There's no other way for it to be shining so much.

"We're going up to the top." Daigo said as he led the group up Kinkaku-ji. Once at the top, Daigo made sure there wasn't anyone around before touching the giant brass bell and chanting something under his breath. The entire room immediately started glowing, and Issei felt his body moving at high speed. When the feeling of vertigo ended, they were in a place that Issei didn't know. It was too beautiful for it to exist anywhere on the urbanized planet.

Fields of pure green spread as far as the eye could see. There were many animals, ordinary and mythical, roaming about, a few stopping to stare at them before leaving. And in what seemed to be the center of the field, a massive Japanese palace stood.

"Welcome to the Heavenly Plains."

Daigo led them inside the palace. There were a few people inside, though Issei couldn't tell if they were human or not. All of them bowed when they saw his parents, looked curiously at him, and recoiled as though struck when they saw Ophis.

They eventually reached a set of massive double doors and they swung open when Daigo put his hand on it. Inside was a huge room, with three giants seated at the other end, a beautiful black-haired woman and an elegant looking young man sitting in seiza, and a rugged looking man with a couple scars here and there slouching.

"Oh, if it isn't my stupid son and my niece. What are you two doing back in Kyoto? And that brat behind you, is that our grandson?" The rugged man stared down at them, then his eyes shifted to Ophis, and he froze.

"...Daigo, is that...?"

Daigo grinned as he saw the giant man's reaction.

"The Ouroboros Dragon, Ophis."

Not just him, but the other two giants recoiled.

"What were you thinking, bringing her here!?" The rugged man shouted.

"Oh, I just wanted to see that stupid look on your face, shitty old man."

"Why you little..."

"Well, let's get serious. The real reason we returned and brought the Dragon God with us is..." Daigo started explaining the situation to the three of them, who listened attentively, their eyes sometimes swerving to stare at Issei and Ophis before turning to Daigo.

"...I see. A Sekiryuutei and Ophis's friend, huh?" The rugged man sat back and sighed. He turned to Issei.

"Nice to meet you kid. I'm your grandfather, the God of storms, the great Susanoo!" He pompously introduced himself. The other two looked at each other before following suit.

"I am your grandmother, the queen of the Shinto Gods, Amaterasu." The beautiful woman smiled down at him.

"Your great uncle, God of the moon, Tsukuyomi." The elegant young man introduced himself while looking bored.

"So, you want to get stronger, right?" Susanoo grinned at him.

"Yeah, I want to get stronger!"

"Great, in that case..." Susanoo's grin became maniacal, sending shivers down Issei's spine. Susanoo cracked his knuckles.

"...Welcome to hell."

(Time Skip – 10 years later)

"Haaaaah~" A young man with slightly spiky brown hair and brown eyes yawned as he woke up from his sleep. Then, he looked down at the little girl sleeping next to him.

"Hey, Ophis, wake up, we're going to be late." He nudged her awake. Ophis stirred as she was roused from her sleep.

"...Issei, morning kiss..." She held her out her arms.

"Geez, I spoil you too much." He sighed, but complied as he planted his lips on hers, giving her gentle kiss. He pulled away and saw the happy expression on Ophis's face.

"Now get up already, it's time for school."

It had been ten years since he moved to Kyoto. And man, that training really sucked. Most of the time, he thought he was going to die. Though, he reaped the benefits of that hellish training in the end. He had obtained Balance Breaker six months into training, mastered Onmyou techniques and other magic styles, as well as his demigod powers, learned how to control Juggernaut Drive for an hour tops before losing his mind, and even obtained a divine sword from his shitty grandfather. He moved back to his hometown because he had finished his training, and because he wanted to see how much his hometown had changed since he left. Imagine his surprise when he detected the presence of multiple Devils in town. He wasn't fond of Devils. Not at all, not since the incident with the three descendants. But for the sake of the safety of his beloved hometown, he was willing to crush that dislike and not go on a rampage to kill them like he usually would with Stray Devils.

Now, he was standing at the gates of his new school, Kuoh Academy, with Ophis, now his girlfriend, or mate as she puts it, standing next to him. Unlike him, who had grown to a respectable height of 5'11, Ophis hadn't even grown an inch, which made getting her enrolled in the school hard. But as expected of the History Compilation Committee, they managed it in the end.

"Issei, what are you doing?"

"Sending a message."

"There's no need to."

"If they detect our power, they might attack us for coming into their territory uninvited, so we should announce our presence first." Issei flared his power and the ground around him started to tremble.

In the dilapidated looking building next to the main building, a red-haired girl's eyes shot open as she felt the gigantic surge of power coming from the gates, dwarfing even hers.

"T-This power...!"

In the student council room, a black-haired girl had a similar reaction.

"Such power..."

As the aura receded and they regained their normal breathing, they shared a common thought.

"I want whoever that was in my peerage...!"

Issei reigned in his aura and smiled down at Ophis.

"That should do it. Looks like it's gonna be an interesting 3 years." Though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, as though announcing the return of Hyoudo Issei, grandson of Susanoo and Amaterasu, the current Sekiryuutei, the mate of the Dragon God, the Dragon Emperor of the Heavenly Storm.

And that's done. This whole prologue was so awkward to me, especially since I'm not used to writing in third person POV.

You'll notice I pretty much skipped over the whole ten years of training. I was originally going to write the more important parts of Issei's training, but my finals and national exams are coming up, so I won't be able to devote much time to writing, which is why I wanted this prologue and the next chapter of Dragonberry Chronicles uploaded before I cut back on my writing time so I can concentrate on studying. I'll include snippets of Issei's training in later chapters.

If you think Ophis was OOC, that was intentional, it's frankly boring to write about romance between the two if Ophis is really as pure and innocent as in canon, plus she wouldn't fit the role of the jealous girlfriend well, so instead, I just made her stoic instead of completely devoid of emotion.

Sorry if some information about Japan, such as Shinto mythology or Kinkaku-ji's layout , is inaccurate. My internet connection crapped out on me while I was writing this chapter and by the time it was fixed, I was already done and itching to get back to Dragonberry Chronicles.

Also, for the next chapter, do you guys want a slice-of-life style chapter, or do you want me to go straight into canon? Let me know.

That's all for now. As always, please read and review.