Several years ago, an unexpected encounter occurred between two boys. The setting was a vast park in Tokyo, Japan, at sunset on a summer evening.
"Hello, my name is Basara." That would be Basara Toujou. "What is your name?" A young boy with brown hair and green eyes reached out his hand.
"Hello!" "I'm Issei Hyoudou, but everybody refers to me as Ise!" Another young boy with brown hair and similarly colored eyes shook the boy's hand. They both seemed to be ordinary youths. Nonetheless, in Basara's situation, that wasn't entirely accurate.
The two were both 8 years old and initially seemed to be twin brothers at first sight. However, they were truly not connected. This meeting would mark the start of an extensive journey for both of them, whether they were aware of it or not. Once they completed the pleasant handshake, they started to walk back into the city. They talked throughout the whole walk. The sun was going down quickly, so they needed to rush back to their homes before it became too dark.
On their return journey to their residences, a shadowy figure waited in the darkness. It softly growled to itself while it somehow trailed behind them unnoticed.
Before long, the young boys discovered the divided road in the town. "It has been enjoyable. "Catch you later, Ise!" Basara gestured.
"Sure, catch you later!" Ise joyfully waved back.
As the boys bid farewell for the evening, they each took separate routes leading to their homes. Issei took the left route, whereas Basara went to the right. While this occurred, the enigmatic figure observed quietly from the darkness.
It couldn't decide whom to torment, so it picked both of them! It released a sinister enchantment into the atmosphere, which coursed along both routes and pursued the children.
(Issei's residence)
That night, Issei experienced a horrifying nightmare in which a monster killed his parents. It was the most terrible thing he had ever gone through, at least in the realm of dreams. He stirred from sleep during the night, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. He needed to go to the bathroom and grab some water, before settling himself and attempting to sleep a bit more.
"Wow, what was that terrible dream about?" Issei had never felt anything like this before.
He didn't tell his parents about the nightmare. Instead, he returned to his cozy bed and attempted to fall asleep again. The evening was still early, though.
(Basara's residence)
Basara faced a comparable nightmare to the one Issei went through! Nonetheless, the individuals in his dream were not the same. He discovered the bodies of his father and a young girl with blue hair.
He stirred in the stillness of night, drenched in perspiration and struggling for breath. Despite not being an ordinary human (a fact he kept from Issei, preserving his secret life), he had to acknowledge that this nightmare was extremely dreadful and difficult to withstand. "What was that regarding?" "I've never had a dream like this one before." Basara rose from his bed and took a drink of water.
He had no idea that not only would he face this nightmare weekly throughout his life, but Issei would too.
Over the years, however, they remained close friends. He was unaware that Issei was facing the same repeated nightmare that he was suffering through.
We now move to the present moment of our narrative. Issei Hyoudou has recently triumphed over Riser Phenex to win Rias Gremory's hand in marriage. At this moment, Issei and Rias were progressing towards becoming an authentic couple. Issei's aspiration was to be the harem king, even though he had only three women (Rias, Asia, Akeno) at present.
Basara, conversely, already possessed a complete harem. This included the lovely Mio Naruse, Maria Naruse, Yuki, Kurumi, and Zest. Neither boy was aware of the other's struggles against enemies and romantic pursuits. They each believed that the other was leading a reasonably typical life. Man, they were both mistaken.
Issei and Basara primarily saw one another on weekends, as they attended separate schools. And that's when the women from their harems cannot have any contact, as everything needed to remain highly confidential. During the weekends, they would enjoy watching films together, discuss various topics, or play video games at Ise's place. Several times at specific moments, Issei nearly revealed that he was murdered by his first girlfriend and brought back to life by Rias as a devil, which led to his present existence. This nearly occurred due to Issei being occasionally foolish or silly, as we all recognize. Basara, however, consistently maintained his typical calmness and never let any aspect of his primary life even slightly reveal itself to Ise.
Their persistent nightmares carried on into their teenage years. Nevertheless, as they matured since the nightmares first started, the nightmares themselves transformed too. Issei and Basara were forced to witness their harems, alongside other family and friends, being killed in the terrifying nightmares.
These terrible nightmares needed to stop eventually, but they couldn't tell when that would be.
They were both aware that, eventually, each of them would come to realize the other's true existence. When will that day arrive, you inquire? We will discover.