The morning sun streamed through the airplane window when Daniel finally set foot on Japanese soil. He couldn't stop smiling. He was in Japan. Seriously. Japan.
The trip from the airport to the town where he would live wasn't as long as he expected. A couple of trains, a bus, and a fifteen-minute walk were all it took to reach his new home.
The place was called Kuoh.
A quiet, clean town surrounded by green hills and leafy trees. To Daniel, it felt... strangely familiar.
Something about the streets, the air, the shape of the houses.
Like a persistent déjà vu.
—"Have I seen this place in an anime?" he murmured to himself, scratching his head. "Though I can't remember which one..."
He shook his head, laughing. "I'm losing it."
The first goal was to find the house the Japanese government had assigned him as part of the scholarship. With the digital map on his phone and the papers in hand, it didn't take too long.
And when he saw it, he was speechless.
It was a two-story, modern house with a small front garden and a low wooden fence marking the property. It wasn't a mansion, but for a single student...
It was too much.
—"Are they sure they didn't make a mistake?" he asked aloud, looking at the number on the door and then the paper. "No... this is it."
He slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open.
A soft scent of new wood greeted him. He stepped onto the tatami respectfully, took off his shoes, and walked through the house with astonished eyes. Living room, well-equipped kitchen, spacious bathroom, washing machine, empty bookshelves waiting for him...
He went up to the second floor and chose one of the brighter rooms as his own. Large, cozy, with a view of the backyard garden.
"Maybe they wanted to give me space to study..." he thought, though something inside him said that wasn't all.
He spent a couple of hours unpacking, organizing his clothes, his books, and some keepsakes brought from Mexico. As soon as he finished, with daylight still present, he decided to go out and explore the neighborhood.
The streets were quiet, lined with trees and similar houses. Some kids played with bicycles, a woman watered her plants, and a group of teenagers laughed as they came out of a convenience store.
Daniel greeted everyone with a mix of Japanese and his naturally warm attitude.
—"Konnichiwa... I'm Daniel Hernández, I just moved in!"
The response was almost unanimous: smiles, gentle bows, words of welcome.
—"It's a pleasure to have you here!"
—"Welcome to Kuoh!"
—"If you need anything, don't hesitate to knock on the door."
The kindness of the town comforted him. It was as if they had truly been expecting him.
And that, though he couldn't explain it, made him feel... at home.
When the sun set behind the hills and the streetlights began to turn on, Daniel returned to his new home. He heated some instant food, took a quick shower, and, now in his pajamas, sat at the desk in his room.
He took out the packet of documents the Japanese government had given him.
Among forms, bank details, and contact numbers, there was a brochure with the name of his new school:
Kuoh High School — Tradition and Academic Excellence
Founded as an all-girls institution, recently opened to both sexes. Recognized for its academic level, extracurricular programs, and commitment to the holistic formation of its students.
Daniel whistled, impressed.
—"Not bad... sounds like an elite school. I just hope they don't make me wear a suit and tie uniform, that would be torture."
He smiled, closed the documents, and lay back on his futon. Through the open window, the wind blew softly, and the chirping of crickets filled the air.
Everything was so peaceful. So perfect.
But as his eyes closed, a fleeting thought crossed his mind.
"Why does that name... Kuoh... sound so familiar?"
And then, sleep enveloped him.
Still unaware of the winged shadows soaring through the night skies.
Unaware of the eyes watching him from the heights.
Unaware of the extraordinary life that was about to begin.
The days passed, and Daniel adapted with surprising ease to his new life in Japan.
The routine was almost perfect. He woke up before dawn, exercised until his muscles burned —though that, increasingly, took more effort—, ate breakfast leisurely, studied Japanese, went out for walks, and occasionally helped some neighbors with small tasks. The Mexican boy with the warm smile quickly won everyone's affection.
—"That Daniel is very polite."
—"And handsome too!" said a neighbor woman, laughing.
—"He's strong, always carrying things without complaint. An exemplary young man!"
In just a week, they greeted him as if he had been there for years.
"It's too peaceful..." Daniel thought one night, lying on his futon. "Like the calm before the storm."
And that night... the storm arrived.
The dream didn't begin clearly.
First, there was darkness. Then fire.
An overwhelming heat that seemed to burn from within.
And then, a voice.
"Finally, you have awakened..."
Daniel opened his eyes —if they were even truly closed— and what he saw took his breath away.
A dragon.
A crimson colossus, with emerald eyes and scales that shone like rubies in the sun. Its wings were like living mountains, and its mere presence crushed everything around it with authority.
"Who... who are you?" —asked Daniel, almost voiceless.
"I am Ddraig. The Emperor of the Red Dragon.
The roar that pierces the heavens.
The bearer of the power of destruction,
the Boosted Gear."
Daniel's body shuddered. His breath caught.
"Boosted Gear...?"
The name resonated in his mind like a bell. And then, the puzzle came together in a single second.
Kuoh.
The school.
The unreal perfection of the town.
And now... a red dragon, speaking to him in a dream.
High School DxD.
"You are not dreaming, young bearer" —Ddraig continued in a deep, ancient voice—. "This is not a simple world. It is not a simulation. It is not a fantasy.
You have been reborn here. And this power is yours."
"Why me...?" —murmured Daniel, trembling—. "Why did you give this to me?"
"It was not I who chose. The Sacred Gear manifested on its own...
And you are its bearer now.
You are no longer just a human, Daniel Hernández.
You are the next to inherit the power of the Welsh Red Dragon Emperor."
Daniel fell to his knees, overwhelmed. It was all too much.
But inside him, something awoke.
As if a fire that had been contained began to roar.
"Prepare yourself.
Because in this world... the strong rule.
And you... will be the hunter or the prey."
And in that instant, he woke up.
His body was drenched in sweat. His heart pounded as if he had run kilometers. He looked at his hands. Touched them.
He was awake. He was in his room.
But he knew.
He was no longer the same.
And within him... a voice remained, deep and powerful, like an echo etched into his soul:
"Boost... Boost... Boost..."
Daniel jolted awake as if launched from an abyss.
His breathing was ragged, his heart hammered in his chest, and his body... was soaked in cold sweat.
—"A dream...?" he murmured, still panting.
But his question died instantly when he felt a strange pressure on his right arm.
He turned his gaze... and his world stopped.
His arm was not his own.
Or at least, not as he remembered it.
From shoulder to hand, it was covered by a crimson red gauntlet, gleaming, with a design that seemed like a fusion between armor and a living creature. On the back shone a pulsating emerald green gem, almost like a breathing eye.
It was real.
With his left hand, trembling, he touched the surface. The metal was warm, but not from temperature... but from energy. He felt a scaly, living texture. It wasn't just a piece of metal: it was part of him.
—"It can't be..." he whispered, not daring to look away. "It's... it's the Boosted Gear."
The words tasted like unreality, but the gauntlet was still there. Its weight, its heat, its power. And then, a voice resonated directly in his mind, warm and powerful, like contained thunder:
"Hmhmhm... So you finally see me with your own eyes, bearer."
Daniel froze.
He recognized that voice.
He had heard it in the series.
Deep, imposing, with a hint of pride in every word.
—"D-Ddraig?"
"Correct. The Emperor of the Red Dragon, Y Ddraig Goch.
And I must say... it's been centuries since I've had a bearer like you."
—"What... what do you mean?"
"Your body. Your mind. You are trained, strong. In your past life, you had already forged a will and discipline that most humans take decades to achieve... if they ever do."
"You have awakened early. Without a battle. Without an external crisis. That is not common."
Daniel swallowed. His heart was still beating like a war drum, but slowly, rational thought took control.
In the original work, Ddraig communicated with Issei. They talked, trained, even argued.
He wasn't a monster. He wasn't an enemy.
He was an ally. A companion.
—"So... it's true. I am in the world of High School DxD...
And if I have the Boosted Gear...
Does that mean... I'm the protagonist now?"
Silence. Then a deep, almost amused laugh filled his mind.
"Protagonist, huh... Call it what you will. Just remember this: this world is not a copy of the story you know. It's not a written script. It's real. Changing. Alive.
And you... are now part of it."
The gauntlet flashed with a more intense glow... and disappeared in a crimson shimmer, as if dissolving into his skin.
Daniel exhaled slowly. His entire body trembled, not from fear, but from adrenaline.
—"So... this is my new role.
I am not Issei.
I am Daniel Hernández.
And I am the new bearer of the Boosted Gear."
He rose from the futon with firmness. It was still the middle of the night. Outside, the sky was starry, and the night breeze entered through the slightly open window.
His new life...
had just become much more complicated.
And much more interesting.