Tsubaki narrowed her light brown eyes as she subtly looked to the side.
'Isolation.'
Only Tsubaki and Sona knew about the former's past. She was born in the Tsubaki Clan. A clan which possessed an honorable origin that purified evil spirits. However, Tsubaki had a unique trait. Her mirror could only call to abnormal beings, and as a result she received a state which was basically isolation from the other members.
Narrowing her eyes further, Tsubaki looked over to Sona, who had her eyes closed in thought.
Sona had helped her overcome her fear of isolation. But Issei...before his battle with Riser, he almost seemed to accept being isolated from others. As though he was already used to it. Accustomed to being alone.
'Issei Hyoudou.'
The boy intrigued her. But now because of Riser and Sirzechs, the Devils of the Student Council and the Occult Research Club would most likely never have the chance to get to know Issei.
Opening and then narrowing her violet eyes, Sona crossed her arms.
'Attempting to become familiar with Issei Hyoudou is a huge risk. Perhaps we should not rush. After his battle with Riser, he might become hostile once he senses our energy.'
She sighed and closed her eyes.
'And to think, just a couple of days ago, he was just a shy student. Now he is literally a being that likely surpasses my Onee-sama. Perhaps even Sirzechs-sama himself.'
Issei's House
Issei couldn't say anything. What could anyone say in his situation? A girl who he hadn't seen in over 11 years...looked exactly as she did before. She was sitting on top of him as though he was her personal couch.
"W-who are you?"
Ophis, The Infinite Dragon God, also known as the Ouroboros Dragon tilted her head as she gazed down at Issei.
"I, am Ophis. What is, your name?"
Issei didn't even know if he wanted to tell this girl his name. As far as he knew, this girl could be a stalker or something. A girl dressed in Gothic Lolita, who somehow knew where he lived, had managed to walk inside his house.
With the door locked.
"Before I tell you, I need to ask you some questions. Is that all right?"
Ophis tilted her head again. Issei found it creepy the way she did that, but he took it as a sign from her to continue. Sitting up from his spot, Issei shook his head and rubbed his forehead. He looked at Ophis's now hollow stare.
"How old are you, Ophis?"
"Infinity."
Issei rose an eyebrow at the answer.
"Infinity? What do you mean?"
"I have, no age."
"What?"
Issei was so confused right now.
"Do you have anyone you live with? Any family?"
"I, have no one."
The young man widened his eyes a little at Ophis's answer. The girl had no relatives? No one to take care of her?
"Why don't you have any family?"
The girl was strange, sure, but no one was that cruel to abandon someone like her.
"I, have always been in silence. The Nothingness of Infinity, is my progenitor."
Issei rose an eyebrow again in response.
'She's got a good vocabulary.'
"So you don't have anyone?"
"I, have you."
The young man widened his eyes again at Ophis's possessive tone.
"W-what?"
Ophis's eyes seemed to darken, and she lifted her finger, putting it on top of Issei's forehead.
"Do you remember? 11 years ago. My snake, bit into your flesh."
The young man rubbed his neck in remembrance, and his eyes softened.
"Yeah, I do."
"When my snake bit you, that signified, that you, were MINE."
"What?!"
What the hell did Ophis mean? Did she...
"W-wait! Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"
Ophis tilted her head as she removed her finger from Issei's forehead.
"I, marked you. As mine."
The young man widened his eyes in realization, and he resisted the urge to face-palm himself.
Shocked beyond belief, Issei lifted Ophis off of him and placed her on the floor. Blinking repeatedly at the look on Ophis's face, Issei shook his head.
"How old are you again?"
"I, am Infinity."
"That doesn't really answer my question. Or soothe my worry at all. Oh by the way, my name is Iss-"
KNOCK KNOCK
Issei and Ophis looked up at the sound of someone knocking on the door from outside. Looking down at Ophis, Issei just sighed and shook his head. He walked over to the door, and opened it, his look of tiredness immediately rising to surprise, then slow but rising anger.
In front of him, was none other than the young Chinese woman who had brought him to the Underworld to begin his fight with Riser.
Issei narrowed his eyes at Xuelan, his attention on Ophis momentarily forgotten. Xuelan gulped as she tried to endure Issei's icy stare. She felt her face heat up from his glare, and she shuffled her feet in nervousness.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Xuelan shuffled her feet again as she tried to avoid Issei's cold glare. She knew she had taken a huge risk in coming to his house.
Just to see him.
There were two reasons why she had come to his house. One was because she was ordered by Lord Phenex to tell Issei about the arrangement which involved giving Riser's possessions to him. The second reason was because out of all the members in Riser's peerage, she wasn't too frightened to volunteer.
That isn't to say Xuelan was exactly brave. When Yubelluna had informed her that Riser had perished at the hands of Issei, Xuelan was absolutely devastated. From how Yubelluna had described Issei, it confused Xuelan greatly. The way she described him...it was far different than the boy she had taken to the Underworld, under Riser's orders.
As she gulped down a nervous lump in her throat, Xuelan looked into Issei's different colored eyes and gulped again.
"A-are you alone right now?"
"Does it look like I am?" The young man answered coldly.
Looking past Issei, Xuelan concluded that Issei was indeed alone.