Issei woke to the feeling of warm fingers tracing lazy circles on his chest.
Rias leaned over him, crimson hair falling like a curtain, light blue-green eyes soft but focused."Issei… wake up."
Her voice was low, intimate, the kind that sent heat straight to his core even half-asleep.
She rocked him gently side to side, her body close enough that the thin fabric of her tank top brushed his arm.
He blinked groggily. The room was still dark, dawn just graying the curtains.
"Wha—time is it?" he mumbled, voice rough with sleep.
"Early," she replied, a faint smile curving her lips. "We're training together today. Get up."
Issei groaned but rolled out of bed, muscles pleasantly sore from yesterday.
Rias watched him pull on his tracksuit. Her eyes lingered on the way the fabric stretched across his broadening shoulders and chest.
"You're filling out nicely," she murmured, almost to herself.
Issei flushed. "R-Rias!"
She laughed softly. "Just an observation. Now hurry. You're not the only one who needs to get stronger."
As they made their way downstairs, Scarlet's chibi form floated above the kitchen counter, arms crossed.
"Daily Trials updated, Host."
The screen flared.
[Daily Dragon Trial – Day 4 (Escalated)]
• 75 Push-Ups
• 75 Sit-Ups
• 75 Squats
• 12km Run
• Weighted Carry (carry logs/rocks for 500m)
• Meditate 15 Minutes (Focus: Territorial Instinct)
Complete by Midnight.
Reward: +1.5 Strength, +1.5 Endurance, Dragon Vitality Phase I Unlock (7-day streak)
Penalty (Failure): Dragon Essence Instability (–1.5% Temporary Suppression), Silence Zone (2 Hours)
Issei stared. "Are you kidding me?"
Scarlet smirked. "Good. Now do it every day. No excuses."
Rias handed him a water bottle. "You've grown fast. But fast growth without discipline is dangerous. We'll train together for now on."
They moved to the backyard. The sky was still bruised purple.
Push-ups first.
Issei dropped to the grass.
Rias matched him rep for rep, with perfect form and breathing steady.
By 50, he was shaking.
By 65, his arms screamed.
By 75, his arms gave out completely, and he collapsed face-first into the grass, chest heaving.
Beneath his skin, something warm pulsed through his muscles.
Not pain.
Adjustment.
Scarlet hummed thoughtfully.
"Good. Your body is adapting to draconic strain. Human muscles tear under this workload, but yours are learning to rebuild faster."
Rias didn't break a sweat.
"Sit-ups next," she said calmly.
He groaned but obeyed.
Squats followed. His legs burned, but Rias added verbal pressure:
"Stronger, Issei. Imagine protecting Asia. Protecting me. You can't do that if you collapse at 75."
He pushed through.
Weighted Carry was brutal.
Rias found two large logs from a discarded woodpile.
"Carry them to the fence and back. Five times."
Issei staggered under the weight. Muscles screamed. Dragon aura flickered involuntarily, scales briefly hardening on his forearms to help bear the load.
Rias walked beside him, voice calm but firm. "Imagine protecting Asia, protecting me. You can't do that if you collapse at the first real challenge. A king doesn't drop what belongs to them."
He gritted his teeth, legs shaking. "I won't… collapse. I won't let anyone take what I hold dear." His voice was filled with conviction.
By the fifth trip, his arms trembled violently.
He dropped the logs at the finish line and fell to his knees, chest heaving.
Rias knelt beside him, hand on his back."You finished. That's what matters."
He looked up at her with his sweat-drenched face. "I want to be strong enough… so no one ever takes what's ours again."
Rias's eyes softened. "Then keep going. We both will."
Meditate last.
Fifteen minutes.
Focus: Territorial Instinct.
Issei sat cross-legged on the grass with his eyes closed.
Scarlet's voice whispered faintly in his mind: "Good. Focus on that feeling. That's the beginning of territory recognition."
He felt it as a faint pulse deep in his chest. Not just power.
Claim.
Protect.
Grow.
The backyard felt… smaller, like it belonged to him. Like he could extend that feeling further if he tried.
When he opened his eyes, Rias was watching him intently.
"You felt it," she said. Not as a question.
"Yeah," he breathed. "Like… something inside me wants its own place to protect and grow."
Rias nodded slowly.
"That's the beginning of lair instinct. Dragons don't just claim territory. They form a link with it."
They walked back inside together, sweat cooling on their skin.
Asia was awake in the kitchen.
She wore one of Issei's oversized shirts over her shorts, borrowed after last night's chaos, and stood at the stove with surprising confidence. Lava bird strips sizzled in the pan, paired with golden biscuits she'd somehow baked from scratch.
Issei stopped in the doorway, staring.
Asia turned, cheeks pink. "G-Good morning, Issei-senpai! I… I wanted to make breakfast. To thank you."
She looks… like she belongs here.
Rias's eyes narrowed slightly, aura flaring subtly.
Asia didn't notice.
She plated the food carefully into three servings and handed one to Issei with a shy smile.
"I hope you like it…"
Her fingers brushed his as she passed the plate.
She blushed harder.
Issei's heart skipped.
She's so cute… and she cooked for me…
Rias cleared her throat. "Asia. You're very thoughtful."
Her tone was polite, but her eyes were sharp.
Issei sat, suddenly aware of the tension in the room.
Asia sat beside him.
Rias sat across.
Breakfast was quiet.
Asia spoke softly. "I'm… really excited for my first day at school. I've never been to a normal school before."
Issei smiled. "You'll do great. I'm sure everyone's gonna love you."
Rias's fork paused mid-air."Everyone?" she echoed, voice light but edged.
Issei flushed. "I-I mean, you know… people are nice here."
Asia touched his arm gently. "Thank you, Issei-senpai. Knowing you'll be there makes me feel safe."
Asia hesitated for a moment, fingers tightening slightly around her cup.
"I… hope the other students won't notice anything strange about me."
Issei tilted his head. "Strange?"
She gave a small, uncertain smile.
"Being a devil still feels new."
Rias answered calmly.
"Then we'll help you learn."
Rias's aura flickered again. A brief crimson aura covered the room.
After breakfast, Rias pulled Issei aside into the hallway.
"She's sweet," Rias said quietly. "But remember you're my pawn."
Issei blushed. "I know, Rias. But… I want to protect her."
Rias stepped closer.
Her finger traced along his jaw, slow and deliberate.
"Then get stronger," she whispered. "So strong no one can take what's yours…"
Her voice dropped.
"…or mine."
She leaned in, lips brushing his ear. "Don't forget who you belong to first."
Issei's heart slammed against his ribs.
Later, while Issei showered, Rias slipped into the study.
Old Gremory texts bound in dragon hide lay open on the table.
She traced a passage with her finger.
"Dragons test their mates through combat. Strength proves worthiness. Ophis and Great Red fought for days before mating. Only then did they bond."
Rias closed the book slowly."So that's why Ophis approved of me…"
Rias tapped the book cover. "If dragons respected strength above all else…
Then weakness would never earn their loyalty."
Her fingers tapped steadily. "That includes Issei."
Her pawn was becoming something far greater than she originally expected.
And Rias's pride refused to let her ot be left behind.
She looked out the window toward the training yard.
"I'll have to train harder," she murmured.
"So when the time comes… I can stand beside him. I refuse to fall behind and be a burden to him."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"And maybe… fight him."
"So dragons prove love through strength…"
Issei finished his shower and headed out for school.
Issei biked past the small hill, an abandoned mountain peak scheduled for high-end housing.
Something tugged at him.
Not a sound.
Not a smell.
A pull.
Deep in his chest.
Like the land itself was whispering his name.
He stopped.
The peak rose sharply against the sky, rocky, untouched, isolated.
It felt… empty.
Waiting.
His chest rumbled softly.
Scales flickered briefly under his skin.
The mountain felt right.
Issei spoke aloud, voice soft but certain.
"I think… I just found the perfect place for my future lair."
A faint rumble echoed in his chest with approval.
Inside the gauntlet, Ddraig stirred.
"Yes…" Ddraig rumbled in approval.
"That's right, whelp. A proper king must have a throne."
A strange thrill ran through Issei's chest.
Like something ancient inside him agreed.
As Issei biked past the mountain, something deep within its depths stirred.
Ancient stone groaned after centuries of silence.
As if the land itself had heard its future ruler.