Since that night when he saw the gauntlet with his own eyes and heard Ddraig's voice in his mind, Daniel understood that his world had changed forever.
He could no longer afford to cling to the idea of an ordinary life.
—"You cannot enter Kuoh High School with your guard down," Ddraig said one morning, as Daniel ran through the town's surroundings. —"That place, as you can imagine, is a nest of supernatural creatures. Fallen angels. Devils. Reincarnated beings.
And you... are now a key piece on the board."
Daniel gritted his teeth, increasing his jogging pace. Sweat ran down his forehead, but his body didn't complain. He needed it.
He wanted to be ready.
During the last week before the start of classes, his training sessions became even more intense.
Ddraig taught him how to summon the Boosted Gear at will, channel its power, and withstand the constant Boost without losing control. He couldn't launch attacks or perform Balance Breaker yet, but...
—"With your physical base, you're already at a level comparable to low-to-mid-class devils," Ddraig told him one afternoon, as Daniel did pull-ups with a backpack full of bricks hanging from his chest. —"That, for a human without magical heritage, is more than most achieve in years."
Daniel smiled, panting.
—"So there's still hope I won't be killed in the first encounter."
—"The difference between surviving and dying lies in how prepared you are for the unexpected.
And this world has plenty of that."
And Ddraig was right.
One afternoon, Daniel decided to go grocery shopping. Nothing too special: rice, meat, vegetables, some bottles of water. He wanted to make his own lunch and reward himself after the morning training.
The weather was pleasant. The streets of Kuoh shone with golden light, and cicadas sang among the trees. Daniel hummed softly as he walked, in no hurry.
It was just as he turned a corner, near a convenience store, that it happened.
—"Whoa!"
A figure collided with him head-on.
He, with his sharpened reflexes, acted on instinct. He grabbed the person by the waist, preventing them from falling backward. He felt the soft touch of their clothes, the warmth of their body. When he looked down...
...he met a beautiful girl with silver hair, bright eyes, and an expression of total surprise. The blush on her cheeks contrasted with her fair skin. She wore a uniform different from Kuoh's, probably from some nearby private school.
—"S-sorry," she said in Japanese, with a distinct accent. —"I didn't... see properly..."
Daniel let go of her carefully, taking a step back.
—"It wasn't your fault, I was the one distracted," he replied with a smile. —"Are you okay?"
The girl nodded shyly, her cheeks still flushed.
—"Daijoubu desu. I'm fine. Thank you... for catching me."
Daniel extended his hand.
—"I'm Daniel Hernández. I just moved to town recently."
The girl took his hand delicately.
—"I'm Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou... but you can call me Alya."
The name struck Daniel's mind like lightning.
Alya.
The manga. The Russian girl who spoke in Japanese.
"Alya sometimes speaks in Russian."
It was her!
For a second, Daniel was speechless.
This wasn't part of High School DxD.
And there she was, in the flesh. Blushing, alive, breathing in front of him.
—"You're...?" he managed to say.
—"Hm?" Alya blinked, tilting her head.
Daniel smiled again, more outwardly calm than he truly felt inside.
—"Nothing, just... pretty name. Nice to meet you, Alya."
—"Nice to meet you, Daniel."
They said goodbye after a bit of light small talk, with promises to meet again if their paths crossed. Daniel continued on his way with the store bags in hand... but his mind kept spinning.
—"Ddraig... did you notice?"
"Yes. That girl... does not belong to this world.
And you are no longer in a single world either, bearer."
Daniel looked at the orange sky. For the first time since arriving, he felt real fear.
But also... excitement.
—"So this is bigger than I thought..."
And the world, as if responding to his thought, seemed to roar in silence.
For the rest of the walk home, Daniel couldn't get the encounter with Alya out of his head.
Alya. In Kuoh. In a Kuoh uniform.
The uniform wasn't exactly the same as the girls' uniforms he'd seen in the school brochures, but it had the same emblem, the same color palette, and a slightly different cut, perhaps due to her grade or section.
—"This doesn't make sense..." he murmured while putting the store bags away in the kitchen. —"She's from another anime. She literally doesn't belong in the DxD world."
And then, an even bigger possibility dawned on him.
—"Is this world... a mix? A crossover of anime?"
"Hm... interesting."
Ddraig's voice resonated, calmer now.
"Are these... 'anime' you mention memories from your previous world?"
—"Yes. They're fictional stories. Animated shows, but with their own universes. Universes that, apparently... are here. Mixed. Real."
Ddraig was silent for a moment before speaking with a more curious tone:
"I can sense a barrier in your mind, as if you remember those worlds like they were dreams. But if you permit me, young bearer... I would like to see them. To know them through your memories."
Daniel hesitated for a second. Not out of distrust, but out of... well, modesty.
But then he smiled.
—"Why not? I have nothing to hide. Go ahead."
"Then... relax. This will take a while. This will be... entertaining."
And with that, Ddraig's voice faded.
That night was quiet.
Too quiet.
Daniel took a shower, had a light dinner, and then lay down on his futon with a strange feeling. On one hand, he had agreed to show a thousand-year-old dragon all the anime he'd ever seen. On the other, part of him felt like he had just opened Pandora's box.
—"What if he gets obsessed with Goku? Or Saitama? Or the protagonist from Fate?" he murmured, looking at the ceiling. —"Oh no, I can see it now."
The next day, Sunday morning, Ddraig's mental roar pulled him out of his morning meditation.
"BEAAREER!"
Daniel fell out of his lotus position.
—"What now?!"
"THIS WORLD IS WONDERFUL!"
—"...what?"
"There are dragons like me that shoot lasers, humans who get stronger by shouting, mages who summon swords from the sky, girls who launch meteors with a smile! I WANT TO FIGHT THEM ALL!"
—"Wait, you saw everything that was in my head?"
"YES! And although many were just stories in your world, here... THEY COULD BE REAL! Imagine it, bearer... Boosted Gear vs Servants. Boosted Gear vs Saiyans. Boosted Gear vs Campione, cursed swords, celestial spirits, magical girls..."
Daniel curled up on the floor, sweating like a comedy character.
—"Oh my God... what have I done?"
"It is your duty as the Red Dragon Emperor's bearer to conquer this world, to climb to the peak of power! And when the time comes... I will shout your name to the heavens! DANIEEEEL!"
—"Please don't yell so early!"
"We are going to have so much fun!"
Daniel covered his face with both hands. Somewhere in the universe, he could swear Goku and Saitama were laughing together.
But even so, he couldn't help smiling. The world was bigger than he thought. Crazier. More dangerous.
And if that meant he had to become stronger, not just for himself, but for what was to come...
He accepted the challenge.
Sunday passed quickly, and Daniel used the time to prepare everything he needed for his first day at Kuoh High School.
He organized his school supplies carefully: notebooks, pens, books, a calculator, even his phone with all the apps ready to help him with his studies.
—"Good, everything is in order," he said to himself, checking his backpack one last time. —"I don't want to forget anything tomorrow."
His new home was silent and tidy, as if the world was granting him a moment of peace before the inevitable change.
With his tasks finished, Daniel decided to spend the afternoon on light training. He wanted to keep his body active without exhausting himself before the big day. Basic exercises, stretches, and some practice summoning the Boosted Gear that Ddraig had taught him.
The sun began to hide behind the hills of Kuoh, and the night wind blew softly, drifting through the open window. Daniel put his things away, took a quick shower, and prepared to rest.
But despite his tiredness, his sleep that night was restless. His mind kept spinning, anticipating the unknown.
—"What awaits me at Kuoh?"
—"Who will I meet?"
—"What dangers and secrets does this world hold?"
With these questions floating in his head, Daniel finally closed his eyes, letting sleep envelop him.
Unaware that the dawn would bring not only the start of classes, but the beginning of an adventure that would challenge everything he ever believed to be real.