Prologue

At Kuoh's Elementary School, a young boy with brown hair was sitting with his parents in the principal's office.

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou, but I have to inform you that young Issei had got himself in yet another fight."

Both parents winced and looked at their son, who was blankly staring at his left hand, not paying the slightest attention to the principal. He had no desire to hear what the man had to say and was having another conversation.

[Whelp, you should have broken their spines and crushed their heads! Those weaklings would never learn their lesson unless you kill a few of them. Hell, kill them all, I say.]

'Shut up, lizard.'

Issei snapped back at the voice in his head. Killing the bullies, that thought he was an easy target because he was a loner, had passed through his head, but he couldn't do it. Not because he didn't want to, but because of his parents. They were kind to him even though they knew he carried the annoying baggage with him. He didn't want to worry them anymore then he had already done.

[How dare you call me a lizard, you weak whelp! I'm the Welsh Dragon, Y Ddraig Goch, The Red Dragon Emperor of Domination! I've burned down and destroyed your civilizations when your kind still had tails! You-]

'Yadayadayada. I've heard that a hundred times already in the past month. Now, shut up, lizard.'

Truly, after awakening the Boosted Gear, Issei had heard Ddraig boasting about who he is and what he has done so many times already. Initially, he was scared, terrified of the Dragon, but with time he learned that there was nothing that the Red Dragon could do to harm him. The monster was imprisoned inside the Sacred Gear, the prison that he was confined in by God. Something Ddraig had begrudgingly shared with him. Of course, he didn't miss the chance to boast how all three factions of the Bible had banded together to accomplish that feat.

[You pathetic whelp! If you hadn't awakened the Boosted Gear and received my power, the weak monkeys would still be beating you like the weakling that you are.]

Issei stayed quiet as the Red Dragon continued belittling him, but Ddraig wasn't wrong. The other 9-year-old kids weren't beating him, but they were surely bullying him. Stealing his lunch, throwing chewed gum in his hair, forcing him to do their homework, all of that and more, bar physically roughing him up. Sadly, there was nothing he could do about that. He was a loner and didn't have friends. The teachers also didn't listen and ignored his pleas, saying that it was nothing but a mere disagreement between kids.

That had been going for the past year until he snapped and awoke his Sacred Gear, known as the Boosted Gear, the prison of Ddraig. Since then, his personality slowly but surely changed. Ignoring the voice in his head was not an easy thing and not something he even did. He listened to Ddraig, and the moment the kids tried to bully him, he lashed out.

Issei had been surrounded by four boys, who were eyeing his lunch after a class had ended. And he did as Ddraig told him. He taught them a lesson. Which wasn't hard, especially when he had used his Boosted Gear ability, Boost, which doubled his power. He could only use it once, but that was more than enough to deal with the four kids. He snapped out of his thoughts, hearing the end of the conversion between his parents and the principal.

"It will pain me to expel young Issei, leaving him a black mark for the rest of his life, so I offer the alternative. Homeschooling. He will have to study on his own and only come to school to pass the necessary tests. I believe this would be for the best."

His parents didn't seem to like the idea, judging by their expression, but they didn't have another option. Maybe they could try to transfer Issei to another school, but the principal of the said school would contact his current one, learning the reason why he was being transferred. Which was because he had gotten into a fight every single day for the past month. He would definitely not be accepted after they learn that.

After learning how the homeschooling would be done and thanking the principal for his kindness of not expelling their son, his parents left the school with him.

"Issei..." His mother, Miki Hyoudou, looked at him with a pained expression. "Did you have to get in another fight? You were warned that you had one more chance to redeem yourself."

"If you had an ugly lizard in your head telling you to kill everyone in sight, you would also get into fights. At least I only left them with bruises and nothing more. They should be thankful." Issei snapped back. The first boys he had fought weren't as lucky. Two of them had broken arms after he was done with them.

His father, Gorou Hyoudou, narrowed his eyes. Issei had told them about the voice in his head when it happened. He had also shown them his increased strength when Boosted, but he couldn't show them his Sacred Gear to further prove them of its existence. Nevertheless, they believed him. Especially after they heard [Boost!] coming from his body.

Ddraig had told Issei that the Boosted Gear normally takes the form of a red gauntlet on the left arm of the user, but that wasn't the case with him. It formed underneath his skin, covering his bones. From what he learned from the Red Dragon, it was some sort of variant due to the high affinity between them. Issei had scoffed at that. There was no affinity whatsoever between him and the giant lizard.

"For some reason, I think that our son wanted this to happen." Gorou stared at Issei.

"Maybe..." Issei trailed off. His father wasn't wrong. The kids at his school were already scared of him after he beat up his bullies numerous times. He didn't plan on getting himself expelled, but after meeting a certain someone who offered an alternative, he changed his mind. There was a reason why the principal offered homeschooling, rather than outright expelling him.

"Is it because of that old man?" His father asked coldly. Issei didn't respond, but that only served to confirm his suspicions. Gorou let out a sigh. "Was it the one that preached about... you know what?"

"No." Issie shook his head. "It was the one that came to me after the lizard awoke."

[Whatch your tongue, whelp. I told you that-]

Ddraig continued cursing him while also boasting how awesome he is in his mind.

"I don't know what that old man had told you, but I guess he knows more about this supernatural world that you informed us about. You did learn all of that from him, after all." The older Hyuodou sighed. He wasn't happy with what was happening, but there was no way he would abandon his one and only son. He will support him no matter what.

"He will come by tomorrow to speak with you. That's what he told me." Issei informed, and his parents nodded to him.

They returned to their home in silence. After eating, Issei went to his room. He prepared for tomorrow and did push-ups before falling asleep. Like any other day for the past month, he opened his eyes only to see massive red lizard with wings in front of him.

[Time to teach you another painful lesson, whelp.]

Ddraig grinned. Or at least that's what he thought the Dragon did, judging by how he showed off its sharp teeth. Issei let out a sigh. At least he knew that whatever Ddraig did to him here, didn't pass on to the real world. He raised his hands, prepared to fight, but he knew he didn't stand a chance against the lizard he loathed. He learned that the hard way.

The Red Dragon didn't show it, but he was happy that the boy didn't cower away. Issei stopped doing that after the first week of his awakening. The two of them might not like each other, but Ddraig had to admit that the boy had potential. There had never been another user that had managed to awaken the Boosted Gear at the age of 9.

The next morning, he woke up early, and once he left his room, he heard his parents talking with someone downstairs.

"Do not worry, Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou. I will make sure that he doesn't slack off in his studies, but I'm afraid he won't be able to visit as much as you would like."

"Is there really no other way? Does he need to leave? We are his parents for god sake, and you are asking us to just let him go!"

"I'm afraid not. The Boosted Gear that he has is... something very dangerous. Not only to him but also to you. It houses a Dragon, and not just any kind, but one of the Two Heavenly Dragons. Issei barely has any magic power in his body, and it would be hard for others to detect his Sacred Gear had he not awakened it. Now though, just its presence alone would cause the supernatural to flock to him."

"Is that Sacred Gear you speak of that dangerous?"

"It is! There are multiple of them out there, but the one he has is one of the 13 strongest. Each has the potential to slay a God! And yes, Gods do exist."

"So, there is no other way?"

"Unless you want to endanger him and yourselves, no. And could you stop eavesdropping and come down here already."

Issei sheepishly walked down to the living room where his parents were seated with an old man. He was as tall as him with a large golden beard and unkempt hair. The tiny old man, who was dressed in what could be considered rags, smiled mischievously at the boy.

"Spend the rest of your day with your parents and pack everything that you need before dusk."

His parents didn't argue. They stayed quiet and waited for his reply.

"I've already packed." Issei turned to his parents. "Tou-san, Oka-san, let's have a fun day, okay?" He tried to be cheerful, but his sadness seeped into his voice. He didn't want to leave them, but he knew that if he didn't, the consequences of him staying could be severe. Both the old man and Ddraig had told him so. Not that he trusted the latter, but the old man was another story.

Two weeks ago, Issei had come in contact with the supernatural world. On his way back from school, a tall and handsome man had requested or more like demanded that he join his peerage. Whatever that meant. Ddraig had roared in his mind to crush the one that had dared offend them. A Dragon serves no one. And definitely not the arrogant man that he had met.

Issei had fought. Or tried fighting. The man was too strong for him. He wasn't even able to follow his movements. Surrender wasn't even an option since the Dragon in his mind was roaring with all his might against that.

No matter what he did, the handsome man was someone he couldn't handle. He was a 9-year-old and could use [Boost] only a single time without suffering extreme pain and having his body brake down. He was just a human boy, and even with his strength doubled, he had no chance.

Issei was on the verge of death, bleeding from various parts of his body. He had even used [Boost] a second time, but that only hastened his defeat. The man was staring at him in contempt over his bleeding body, saying how he should be grateful that he was offered the chance to serve him.

That's when the old man appeared. He had just tapped the handsome man with a finger and turned him into mush. The old man had then turned to Issei. He had tapped him as well, but unlike the handsome man, he didn't turn into mush, rather he was healed, and his wounds closed in an instant.

The old man had then bought him ice-cream and brought him to a park nearby. He explained what had happened, that the handsome man was a Devil, and was trying to enslave him because of the Boosted Gear. He told him about the supernatural world and that all the myths and legends were real.

The old man had also explained that his meeting with the Devil wasn't a random encounter. It was due to his Sacred Gear, and the prisoner that it held inside it. The powerful draconic aura of Ddraig was the reason the Devil was drawn to him, and he was the first of many to come.

Finally, he offered Issei to train him. Surprisingly, Ddraig urged him to accept, saying that the old man was someone that even he respected. A being of power, who might not be as strong as the Dragon when he was alive, but still close to his level. A being that was at the top of the food chain in the supernatural world.

Issie wouldn't have accepted, had he not been nearly killed by the Devil. Alas, he was shown that he was nothing but an ant in the grand scheme of things. It was a tough choice for the boy, but he relented, knowing that he would only put himself and his family in danger.

After spending what he considered the best day of his life with his parents, it was time for him to leave. The old man took him away and promised to help him as best as he could.

The years passed slowly, and Issei returned every now and then to spend a few days with his parents. He couldn't stay much longer than that, less he leaves too much of his scent on then and put them in danger.

Each day he was with the old man, he put him through the grinder and forced him to study before falling asleep. Issei had passed all of his tests with flying colors, not for himself, but for his parents. He didn't care that much about his education, but they did. That was something important for any Japanese family.

When he had become 16-years old, he returned to Kuoh with the old man. During the years he had grown taller with an athletic figure. He wasn't overly buffed, but his body was packed with muscles.

"You promised to train me until I'm strong." Issei stared at the old man.

"You are strong."

"I still can't beat you, so no, I'm not." Issei shook his head.

"Little monkey, you are a thousand years too early to compare yourself with me." The old man slapped him on the waist, making him stagger.

"When others come for me, they won't care about my age."

"Bah, unless some of the old fogies come out, you should be fine. Have some faith in my training and what you have accomplished."

[He is not wrong, partner.]

Ddraig had started calling him that after Issei had proven himself. The Red Dragon considered him the one with the biggest potential of all his users. Especially after he had learned how to use the Boosted Gear in ways that the past users hadn't even imagined. But just because Ddraig considered him a partner, that didn't mean that Issei thought the same.

'I didn't ask you, lizard.'

[How dare you, you pathetic whelp! I'm the mighty Red Dragon-]

Issei ignored the prideful being in his mind. That much he learned to do during the years.

They reached his house, and Issei unlocked the door. His parents were sitting in the living room, and when they saw him, the two smiled gently at him. Their eyes filled with love, seeing their son.

"I'm back, and I'm here to stay."

The two of them pulled him in a for a hug with tears of happiness in their eyes. They only got to see their son a few times a year, but that was finally going to change.

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble." His father looked at the old man, who laughed out.

"The little monkey was fun to be around as long as he wasn't pestering me for a fight. Easy target to prank. Got him every time." The old man grinned, when Issie flinched at him mentioning prank.

"I got you these." He then gave Issei's parents two talismans in the form of necklaces. "Wear those, and they should keep his scent hidden."

"Little monkey, before I leave, I have to warn you about the Devils living in Kuoh." Issei's head snapped towards the old man, and his brown eyes turned cold.

"They are a bit different than the ones you are used to."

"Devils are still Devils." Issei's tone was one of hate.

"True." The old man nodded. "They are creatures of sin. But, those living here supposedly have a more mild nature. And they are also connected to two of the Maous."

"So, I can't fight them? They are in my territory!" Issei growled. Kuoh was his home, and he considered it his own. Ddraig also agreed with him on that.

"Technically, in the supernatural world, Kuoh is owned by the Devils." The old man smirked when he saw Issei's expression. "But that is not the point. I won't tell you not to seek a fight with them, because I know you will no matter what. Just don't kill them. Else you will endanger your family."

"Fine!" Issie grumbled and relented. Killing them was a no go, but the old man said nothing about breaking them and their pride. The geezer smirked, knowing what his protege was thinking. He was the one that thought him after all, and his hatred of Devils might have seeped when he spoke about them.

"Well, little monkey, I will be off now. Don't cause too much trouble, okay?" The old man disappeared before the Hyoudou family could reply.