An eight-year-old boy went on a trip to a park in Kuoh City with his parents. When they got there his parents sat on the bench and spoke.
"Kio, don't go too far."
"OK" Kio replied happily.
"Are you sure he will be ok, Kivye?" The husband asked, concerned.
"He will be fine. I worked with him so that he would be aware of his surroundings. Have faith, Ryu."
As Kio runs through the field, he bumps into someone.
"Child of man, you must watch where you are going " the person said.
Kio picks himself up, facing what sounds to be a girl around the same age as him.
"Sorry about that Sis, I usually am able to sense when there is someone around me, but I guess, I got too excited." He said enthusiastically.
"Child, are you not able to see with thine own eyes?" She said monotone.
"Ya, I've been blind, since birth." He replied.
"What are you doing here? Are you here with your parents or with your friends?" The girl looked at him before slowly opening her mouth.
''I, don't have parents... or friends.'' She answered in a monotonous voice, before turning her head away again.
''What...? That's horrible! Aren't you lonely?'' Kio asked, getting even closer.
''No, I was alone from the beginning, and I will always be.''
''You were alone from the beginning? That's just … Hey, why don't we become friends then?'' The boy said, smiling brightly.
"?" The black-haired girl only tilted her head in confusion.
''Come on, let's play together." Kio took the hand of the girl and walked off with her. She looked at the boy, thinking he was a weird human. He was eight years old and had scruffy black hair, his eyes were deep white with a gentle and innocent look in them, like an endless void.
"This boy is peculiar. I feel. Something unique."
"So, what do you want to play …. Ah! I don't know your name."
''Ophis'', answering short and still monotonously.
''Ophis, huh? I'm Kio Han-Bin.'' All she did in return, give a small nod. ''Let's play tag.'' The boy poked Ophis in the side and started to run.'' Come on, try to catch me!" He shouted.
*thud*
Kio landed on his butt because he bumped into someone. ''O-ophis?!'' He was surprised, his new friend was in front of him showing a victory sign, although her expression didn't change. ''I, have caught you.''
''H-h-how did you -?! Awesome, can you show me how you did that?" Kio grasped her hands.
''I just walked." she replied.
''That's soooo cool! Can you teach me how you walk so fast?''
''I don't mind." she replied.
The couple of kids trained (only Kio) for a few hours. The parents of the boy came back to get their son. Since Kio found someone to play with, his parents decided to go to a nearby cafe. "Kio, it's time to go home. You can come back tomorrow." The boy remembered something Ophis told him and walked over to her. ''Ophis, you are all alone, right?"
"Yes"
"Then how about you live with us?" he said with a smile.
''…'' The girl didn't know how to answer. She never expected that there was a human who would want her to be around.
''You don't want to?'' The boy looked at her with sadness. Ophis didn't understand emotions, but she didn't like seeing Kio like that. ''I, do not mind.'' Kio smiled and immediately took her hand, walking hand in hand to his parents. It took him 10 minutes to convince them to let Ophis stay with them, but they agreed anyway. ''Kio, dinner will be ready in an hour. Tell Ophis to take a bath before you." His mother told him this from the kitchen. ''Ophis, Mama said you should take a bath first.'' Kio walked up to the girl, who sat on his bed....?'' All the girl did was tilt her head. ''What's wrong? Come and I will show you where the bathroom is.'' The boy grabbed the girl by her arm and guided her through the house. ''So, here we are. Mom will bring you a towel later so you can go in." He turned around to leave but was unable to move. He felt his shirt being tugged on. ''Ophis?'' Kio was worried about her odd behavior. ''Kio, what is a bath?''
''…''
The two of them stood there silently staring at each other.'' E-eh? A bath is something you do to clean yourself." The girl looked at him and tilted her head. ''I, don't know how.. It is your turn to teach me this time, Kio?'' The boy, with a bright red face, ran to his mother with Ophis close behind him. ''U-u-uhm Mom?'' The boy was embarrassed and had a crimson red face.
''What's wrong Kio? I thought Ophis was already in the bath?''
''A-ah, about that... O-ophis said she doesn't know what to do...'' His face got even redder, if that was even possible, and his mother looked a little shocked and unsure what to do.
"*sigh*" I guess it can't be helped. Kio just go in with her, but don't make a mess in there.'' she turned around to give him a few towels and walked away to resume cooking.
"EHHHHH?!, 'M-mom is serious about that?!?" Kio question himself
"Kio, will take a bath with me?'' Ophis asked him without changing her expression.
''T-there is no way that you would do something that embarrassing, right?'' Kio asked her, getting a bad feeling.
"Embarrassing? I don't quite understand. Let's take a bath, together.'' Ophis said, dragging Kio with her. 'Why is she so strong?! She's dragging me behind her single-handedly! shouted in his mind, unable to break free. 30 minutes passed and Kio and Ophis came out of the bathroom, Ophis looked refreshed and even had a slight smile on her face, Kio on the other hand looked spent. They both walked into the living room in pajamas, sitting down at the table.
"What's wrong Kio? You look awfully exhausted." father asked him. "It's nothing. Itadakimasu!" The young boy said. Ophis looked at the family who put their hands together, she copied them.
''I-is that so...'' Mr. Han-Bin sweat dropped at the half-hearted answer of his son. ''Ophis-chan, do you like it here with us?"
''Mhm.'' The girl nodded, while stuffing her face with food. The rest of the dinner was spent in silence, with Kio's parents smiling at the children, Kio slowly getting his energy back and Ophis eating enough for four people. Both of them were now in Kio's room, Kio on his own bed and Ophis on a futon placed beside the bed.
Kivye enters the room with a book "Kio, Ophis do you both want to hear the story?" She walked towards the bed, book in hand. A solid red book with golden filament outlining the title: The Legend of Barolt. Kio's face lit up "It has been a long time since you read that book Mama" Ophis tilted her head with an expressionless look "I do not understand" Kio waved his hand to Ophis, to get on the bed. Then they were soon joined by Kivye. "This book was made by a good friend of ours, and I read it to Kio occasionally as a bedtime story." "This is my favorite book." Kio said with a brilliant smile.
After finishing reading the story to the kids, Kivye tucked them into their beds and kissed them good-night.
''Let's play again tomorrow Ophis.'' The boy stared at the ceiling. ''Mhm.'' The girl nodded with a small smile on her face.
(Next Morning)
Kio woke up from the chirping of the birds, rolling to his left side. He hugged his dakimakura tightly and decided to sleep a bit longer... Wait, he didn't have a dakimakura. He forced himself awake and realized that he was hugging Ophis. Kio quickly jumped out of the bed, or at least tried to. The girl had a hold on his waist and once again pulled him in a tight embrace "I like being like this.' Ophis said it with her eyes closed, rubbing her face against Kio's chest. "Am I imagining things or is Ophis getting more and more clingy? Well, it's a good thing if she's happy, but her expression is the same as ever.' Kio thought to himself and closed his eyes. Another 20 minutes passed with the two of them hugging each other.
"Kio, Ophis breakfast is ready!'' Mrs. Han-Bin called the two children from below, slowly walking up the stairs. She opened the door and spotted the couple on the bed of her son, "Oh my, looks like you two really like each other. To become this close to each other in only one day...'' She walked up to them and lightly shook Kio's shoulder. ''Wash your face and come down. You too, Ophis.'' The mother left and made her way down. ''Let's go.'' Kio wanted to stand up but was pulled down again by Ophis. ''O-ophis, if we don't go won't get anything to eat.'' The girl shot up after hearing the word 'EAT' and runs to the bathroom. ''Kio, we need to wash our faces, quickly.'' She took the doorknob in one hand and the boy in the other. Her eyes sparkled brightly.
"Just how much does she like food?!"
'Good morning, Kio, Ophis. Did you sleep well?'' Mr. Han-Bin asked the couple once they entered the living room.
''Yeah, I slept like a stone.'' The boy answered, but the black head tilted her head.'' I, don't need to sleep.'' All three Han-Bin's looked shocked about the statement and Kivye crouched down to look the girl in the eyes. ''That's bad. You should properly sleep.'' Mrs. Han-Bin tried to lecture her, but it didn't go well. ''I, don't need to rest.'' The woman was troubled about the stubbornness of Ophis, but she didn't want to give up. ''No! You mustn't be awake all the time! If you don't sleep like a good girl... then you're not allowed to lay with Kio in bed!'' The black-haired woman said this, resulting in a bright red face from her son, a shock expression from the little girl and her husband laughing his ass off. Ophis was deep in thoughts, thinking about the reason why she didn't like the idea of being banned from Kio. ''That, would be a problem. I, shall sleep.''
''Good girl.'' Kio's mother patted the girl on the head. ''Now, let's eat."
"Itadakimasu!"
All of them began eating at the same time.
(...Park...)
''*pant* *pant* W-why are you not tired, we have been running around for an hour straight, Ophis?" Kio asked her, trying to catch his breath. ''I am infinity, this is nothing to me.'' The girl stated. Kio wanted to riposte, but someone interrupted him.
''And we would like to have this infinite power.'' A handsome man dressed in black armor with a cape walked up to them. He had long brown hair that goes to his hips with a bang covering his right eye. ''Devil...'' Was the only word Ophis spoke. ''Yes, that's right. However, I am no ordinary Devil. I am the descendant of the great Demon Lord: Beelzebub, my name is Shalba Beelzebub.'' The man bellowed it while crossing his arms on his chest. Kio stood in front of Ophis and shouted. "Who are you?! what do you want from her?!'' Shalba looked down like he only now registered his existence. ''Don't talk to me you filthy vermin.''
Shalba raised his left hand and Kio's abdomen was pierced by a beam of light. The boy was coughing up blood and collapsed onto the ground. ''Kio!'' Ophis tried to run up to him but was stopped by the devil who stepped in front of the boy. ''Now the pest is out of the way, let's go.'' The man grabbed her wrist and a strange glowing circle appeared under them. ''Kio!'' The girl used her power to burn the devil's hand, breaking free and made her way towards the boy. ''Kio! Kio! Kio! She shook him, but that caused the blood to flow out of the wound. ''How annoying, I guess I should just pulverize him.'' Ophis turned her head around and glared at him. The devil took a few steps back, even he wouldn't want to fight against someone like the Ouroboros Dragon, the Infinite Dragon God.
''O-ophis, he is here for you … get away … from here...'' The boy worried about the girl next to him.
"Insect, why are you so worried about this THING?'' said the devil looking at the nearly dead child.
''Did you just... called Ophis... a thing?'' He yelled at Shalba.
''Of course, because that's what it is. The Ouroboros Dragon God of INFINITY, it is a mass of raw energy that has gained sentience since the beginning of all creation. So, how is it not a THING?'' Ophis got nervous, even the gods and demon lords feared her. So, it wouldn't be strange for Kio to be afraid of her. Although even she didn't expect that kind of response that she was about to hear.
''I... don't understand... complex adult matters... But there are two things... I know, here and now. First, Ophis... is Ophis... no matter what... and... In a moment like this, it's the boy's duty to protect the girl. To be a hero. Like BAROLT."
Shelba contorted his face in disgust. "Sickening." As he raises his hand again to prepare for another attack.
Ophis hugged Kio in preparation for the in-coming attack.
Then Shalba was punched across his face and sent flying a few feet away. "What the nine hells….. ?" he retorted in pain. Standing in front of Ophis and the unconscious Kio was none other than Ryu Han-Bin. "They say that hell hath no fury like a woman's scorned, except for that of a FATHER'S WRATH!!!" Ryu roared, while drawing GIGANT from his back. Kivye showed up soon after, hugging the two children in her arms. "Dear, we need to get Kio out of here, he loss too much blood." But her cry fell on deafened ears, as the wrath filled husband thrust his sword towards the vile devil. "HOW DARE YOU, HOW DARE YOU HARM MY SON!" roared the man. Shelba nearly dodges all the slashes, with some gashes on his body. (How is this possible? He is a human. I am being pushed to a corner. IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE!) Shelba thought to himself.
"Ryu, Ryu, we need to leave. Kio is going to DIE! If we don't do anything." the tearful mother said, cradling her unconscious child. Ophis placed her hand on Kio, where the wound is. "Do not worry, he will not die, I WILL NOT ALLOW IT." As she uses her power, Kio's body starts to glow.
In an instant, the wound closed up and color returned to Kio's body. Kivye widened her eyes in surprise at what she just witnessed. Ophis stood up from the ground and started walking towards the battle. "Wait Ophis, it's too dangerous over there." Ophis faced Kivye, "It is alright, I will end this quickly."
The air vibrated violently with every swing of Ryu's sword, causing Shelba to shudder. "This man is not human, he is a monster, a monster created to kill everything." he said to himself. With a mix of anger, hatred, fear, and anxiety in his eye the long- haired devil made some distance between them. He started chanting in a demonic language, setting up a powerful attack. Although, this was one mistake that he will ceaselessly regret. Like lightning, a sphere of black energy strikes the foolish devil in the chest, the black energy latches itself to his body. It started to ooze, then it squirmed to form multiple snakes that devore the chest plate. Then like a predator eating it fresh kill, the snakes ripped and tore at his flesh.
"AAAAAARGH" the devil fell to the ground, writhing in pain as they eat him alive.
Ophis teleports in front of Ryu, still enraged he swung sword at her. She stopped the crimson blade with one finger and deflected it to the ground. The little girl placed her finger on Ryu's forehead. "It is alright, Kio is OK now." The rage inside Ryu slowly died down, until he was completely calm. "Ophis?"
An explosion of fire combusted near them. Shelba was standing with burn marks and cauterized wounds on his body. With exhaustion building up, the devil uses his magic to make a circle on the ground. Glowing and transparent, he says "Don't think this is over, I will return and you all will pay with your lives!" Before he vanished, Ryu swung his sword downwards right at the area where the devil was, creating a cloud of dirt and gravel. When the cloud cleared there was a severed arm on the ground covered in blood.
Ryu placed his sword on his back as he was heading towards his family. He walks up to Ophis and placed his hand on her head and started to stroke the top of her head. Kneeling down to her level, with tears swelling in his eyes ``Thank you Ophis, thank you for not only saving our son but also this family." Something happened, the little girl placed her hand on her chest, feeling her body warm up and her heart pounding loudly. She smiled and looked at Ryu with a thumbs up "No Problem." The man gave a small chuckle at the girl, then he grabbed her hand and they started walking towards the mother and son.
Kivye stood up with Kio cradled in her arms, and started walking towards the two. Ryu hugged his family, with tears in their eyes "Let's go home."
Back at their home.
Kio is sleeping comfortably in bed, as the rest of the family sat in the living room. "Can you explain what happened today, Ophis?" the wife asked. Ophis sighed before beginning her explanation. "I am the Ouroboros Dragon God. I am one of the origin of all Dragons and possesses immense power." "As for why Shalba attacked me," Ophis continues, "It is because he was after my power. He believed that by capturing me, he could obtain that power and become invincible. However, he was ultimately unsuccessful in his attempts." Ryu nods, taking in the information. "So, you are really that powerful?" he asks. Ophis nods in response. "Yes, I am a force to be reckoned with, rivaling that of all gods and goddesses within all pantheons. My power is beyond anything that most beings can even comprehend."
"Why are you here on earth, instead of your home?" Kivye asked.
"My home was taken from me." she said with a gloomy expression. "There is another dragon god besides me. She is the Dragon of Dragons, Big Red." "She invaded my home, the Dimensional Gap. Ophis explains the time when she was exiled from her home. Big Red is a powerful entity with incredible strength and a desire for domination. She claims that she had been planning to take control of the Dimensional Gap for some time and saw Ophis as a potential threat to her.
Ophis attempted to reason with Big Red, but she refused to listen and instead attacked her with all her might. Despite her immense power, Ophis was eventually overpowered and forced out of the Dimensional Gap. Since then, Ophis has been wandering the cosmos, searching for a new home and seeking revenge against Big Red. She continues to hone her powers and grow stronger, determined to one day reclaim her rightful place in the Dimensional Gap.
"That's when I came here and met Kio." Ophis cracked a smile when saying that. Kivye went over to Ophis and hugged her, like a mother embracing her crying child. "It's okay," Kivye said. "You don't have to go through this alone. You can stay here with us."
Ophis's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe her ears. Ryu and Kivye were willing to take her in after everything she had told them? As the night wore on, the trio talked late into the night, getting to know each other. Ophis began to feel like maybe, just maybe, she had found a place where she belonged.
Dawn seeped through Kio's bedroom window, the young boy got up from his bed, started making his way out of his room until Ophis grabbed him by his waist and dragged him back to the bed. She pinned him down "Where do you think you are going?" she asked coldly with a hint of concern. "Well, good morning to you too, Ophis. I am going to get breakfast, let's go." She released him and they both made their way out of the bedroom.
Together, they made their way to the kitchen, where their parents Ryu and Kivye were already sitting down to eat. The boy and the girl eagerly joined them, their stomachs rumbling with hunger. As they ate, he couldn't help but bring up the subject that had been on his mind since yesterday.
"Dad," he said earnestly. "I want you to train me. I want to become stronger, like you." His parents exchanged a glance, a look of concern passing between them.
"Kio," Ryu said firmly, "We understand why you want to be stronger, but we can't allow you to fight. It's important that you focus on your studies and live a normal life." "But I can't live a normal life after yesterday," Kio protested. "I want to be strong. I want to be able to protect the people I care about. I never want to feel the same way I did when that devil showed up."
Kivye reached out and placed a hand on Kio's head, making a soft expression. "We know, honey," she said kindly. "But there are other ways to protect others besides fighting. You have other talents, other strengths. We want you to discover them. "
"Kio, it's a child's job to play, be free, and not have to worry about the future, it's the parent's job to make sure that the world is a better place for them. A bright future for the both of you." the father said lightly.
Kio sighed, feeling dejected. He knew his parents meant well, but he couldn't help feeling like they were holding something back. As they finished breakfast, Kio put his dishes on the table. He got up and said, "I am going for a walk." He bolted through the front door as fast as he could. Ryu and Kivye looked at each other, worried about their son. "Do not worry, I will go after him" Ophis said while shoving all her food in her mouth.
She took off, following behind the boy. Increasing her speed, she caught him "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, looking concerned. Kio didn't want to talk about it, but Ophis was persistent. Finally, he relented and told her about his parents refusing to train him. Ophis listened and then said, "You do not have to worry, Kio. You do not need your parents to train you. There are other ways to become strong."
Kio wasn't convinced. "Like what?" "Well," Ophis said, "I happen to know a place where you can become the strongest being in the world."
"Really?" Kio asked, intrigued. "Yes," Ophis replied. "It is the final destination where those who left their mark in history go to at the end of their journey. "Kio's eyes widened in excitement. "Can we go there?"
Ophis hugged Kio tightly and waved her hand, A black mist started swirling around them. Kio could feel a rush of wind blowing past and a sense of weightlessness overtaking him. It was an all so overwhelming feeling, but Ophis whispered soothing words, assuring him that everything was going to be okay.
After a few seconds, the mist dispersed, and they found themselves standing in a meadow of silver flowers. Ophis took Kio's hand and started walking towards a wood cabin. When they went in, they were greeted by the sound of clanging metal and humming gears, and the air was thick with the scent of paint, oil, and metallic shavings.
There is a young woman painting on a giant canvas. As she was concentrating on her work, she was notified by a mechanical bird perching on a wooden stand. "Oh, how rare for me to receive guests quite so young." The elegant woman turned to greet her visitors until a sense of trepidation overwhelmed her. She saw the two children standing in the doorway, she could see a small boy with black hair, closed eyes, black t-shirt, gym shorts, and athletic shoes. As for the other, all she sees was a corpus of black ooze and mist, with a pair of amethyst eyes.
Kio felt something was wrong, so he walked up to the woman and grabbed her hand. "Big Sis, is something wrong? Do you feel sick?
The woman looked at the boy and the dread she felt vanished. "I am OK, child. Thank you for your concern." She looked back at Ophis and saw that she was just a little girl wearing a black gothic lolita dress.
"It appears that two special guests have come to visit me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Leonardo DaVinci, the greatest genius that had ever lived. What brings you to my workshop?" she said with a grin.
"We came here to seek the denizen of this place to train Kio to become stronger." Ophis said.
"I see." She said hesitantly.
Leonardo listened carefully to Ophis and Kio's request for training, but she was hesitant to allow a child to be trained by her fellow denizens. She was concerned about the dangers and challenges that the boy will face. Kio explained to Leonardo that he had heard about his father's battle and wanted to become stronger, not to hurt anyone, but to protect the people he loves. He told her that he had felt weak and helpless because of the encounter he had with a devil, but training would give him a chance to prove himself and to overcome his limitations.
She was surprised, admiring Kio's bravery and spirit, despite his young age and disability. She knew that with the right guidance and training, Kio could become a great person one day.
Leonardo stood up and started touching Kio all over his body. "Hey, hahahaha, that tickles, stop, Ms. DaVinci." Ophis feels irritated that some else beside her is touching him. Leonardo noticed this and cuddled the boy. "Oh my my my my, Kio you are so soft and fluffy. It is true what they say, children do smell like milk and fresh bread."
Ophis' eyes became draconic, glaring into Leonardo's very core. "Hahaha, all joking aside." sweating bullets.
Clearing her throat "Kio seems to be a very healthy child, but, before you start your real training, you need to build your body up first."
"You can tell after all that." surprising Kio.
"Ku ku ku, of course. I am a genius after all."
With a giggle, Leonardo stretched out hands and says, "Welcome to the Throne of Heroes."
Prologue: END