The sky in the world of consciousness remained bright, adorned with white clouds drifting slowly. In the grassy field where Issei trained, a gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh leaves and damp soil.
Issei slowly opened his eyes. With a slight yawn, he stretched his body, his arms and shoulders feeling stiff after the intense training before.
"Aaaaahh~... a bright morning for another crazy training," he muttered.
From behind the trees, Ddraig opened one of his yellow eyes, then rose with a heavy sound from his massive body.
"Today is magic training."
Issei turned. "Magic training? You mean... what kind of magic?"
Ddraig stepped closer, his claw tapping the ground lightly. His voice was firm yet filled with curiosity.
"All magic. I want to see how far your creativity goes. Don't copy, create."
Issei placed a finger on his chin, thinking hard.
"Yesterday I messed around cosplaying as an angel... So now… how about dark magic?"
Ddraig snorted. "That's a risky move. But since this is your consciousness world, it doesn't matter. Just be careful… don't let the darkness control you."
Issei nodded slowly. He stood in the middle of the field, closing his eyes. His breathing was steady. Dark magic energy began to gather.
WHUMMM
Above his head, a black magic circle slowly appeared. A thick aura enveloped his body. Sharp black-feathered wings grew from his back, pulsating like a living entity.
His eyes opened slowly—full of calm, yet cold.
"Is this... the perfect Fallen Angel cosplay?"
Ddraig stared blankly.
"Don't ever show holy and dark magic at the same time. That makes Angels and Fallen Angels consider you... a natural threat."
Issei hissed. "Relax, this cosplay is temporary."
Then—with Issei's typical mischief—he merged into his own shadow.
SHUPP
His shadow expanded and his body disappeared into it, as if sucked into the darkness itself. He then moved underground, visible only as a swift dark ripple in the grass.
Ddraig calmly followed his movement.
"You can hide your body from the world. Even detection magic struggles... but there's a fatal flaw."
Issei emerged from the shadow. "What's that?"
"Your soul."
Issei tilted his head. "Hah?"
"Your body disappears, true. But your soul... becomes highly visible. As if you're a soul without a vessel. A perfect target for spiritual magic attacks or soul manipulators. Even artifacts can seal it directly."
Issei froze for a moment, then slapped his own face.
"So it's like I'm... a walking corpse without a body, huh? Easy to seal or shoved into a Sacred Gear?"
Ddraig nodded. "Exactly."
"Noted," Issei muttered, then sat cross-legged.
"Okay, next experiment. Water magic!"
He closed his eyes, focusing his will. In his imagination, he visualized water—clear, blue, pure. Not just forming it, but imagining the sensation of water itself.
FWOOSH
A water orb the size of a head slowly formed, floating in front of his face. A blue light glowed from its surface.
"Ddraig, this water… can I drink it?"
"No, unless you're a Healer. Magic water isn't for drinking. It can give you diarrhea or dizziness."
Issei chuckled. "That's dangerous... But what if it's holy water? I can use holy magic, right?"
Ddraig clicked his tongue.
"Michael and all of heaven would explode seeing this. You want to be punished for desecrating holy water into a drink?"
Issei pretended not to hear.
He snapped his fingers, and a clear glass appeared in the air, empty.
He focused again. This time, not just ordinary water, but white water with a soft glow, like luminous milk.
BLUPP
Holy water filled the glass. Its warmth could be felt even before touching it.
Issei drank it slowly... then tilted his head.
"Hmmm… bland. Like drinking regular water."
Ddraig raised an eyebrow.
"Holy water is like that. It's about purification, not enjoyment."
Issei chuckled. "So… time for the next experiment."
Quickly, he imagined holy water with a fresh mint taste, then snapped his fingers. This time, he added transparent ice cubes into the glass.
TING! TING!
Issei lifted the glass, drinking it.
"Ahhhh~ so refreshing. Fresh mint flavor... this is the modern holy water revolution!"
He turned to Ddraig.
"Wanna try?"
Ddraig paused... then slowly raised his claw, holding the small glass that looked funny in his massive claw.
SLURPP
The glass was empty in one gulp. Ddraig was silent for a few seconds.
"…A mouth-freshening taste... cold… what is this flavor?"
Issei smiled proudly.
"Mint flavor. Innovation of the century. If you need a refresher during training... just make it!"
Ddraig sighed heavily, placing the glass down carefully.
"I swear... this world won't be destroyed by your power, but by... your brain's weirdness."
Issei laughed while lying down.
"If everyone was always serious, there wouldn't be mint-flavored holy water, right?"
Ddraig murmured while gazing at the sky.
"If Michael knew about this... maybe he wouldn't call you a heretic... but an anomaly."
Issei laughed even harder, then closed his eyes.
"Alright, next time we'll experiment with fire or lightning magic. But for now... a short rest…"
The clouds above slowly moved, sunlight warming Issei's face.
Meanwhile, Ddraig could only think of one thing:
"If this is just the beginning of the experiments... then the world truly isn't ready for Issei Hyoudou."