DxD: The Dragon Origin System

"What are you supposed to be?" The Red Dragon of Domination, Ddraig, demanded. "You're not the soul of this body."

Issei couldn't fathom how the dragon had figured that out. His soul's form in this realm appeared identical to his own body.

"I don't think I understand," Issei replied, sensing that the dragon knew more than he was letting on, though unsure of just how much.

"I don't tolerate lies and deceit," Ddraig snarled, his nostrils flaring as a wave of hot steam escaped. "Your soul mimics the body, but it's not the one that belongs there. I may have been asleep, but I wasn't unaware. I've felt the true soul of this body for years—and I've felt it fragment, overtaken by another."

The dragon's massive form rose, causing the ground—the pure white surface and everything around it—to tremble.

"Answer me, or I will burn your soul."

The weight of Ddraig's words struck Issei hard. The dragon was serious—he would destroy even the soul of the host without hesitation.

"If I die, you'll vanish too," Issei retorted. "And we both know that's not an instant process."

But his words only seemed to fuel Ddraig's fury. "Are you threatening me, boy?" the dragon roared, the temperature around Issei rising as if the very air was bending to the wrath of the beast. The white light of the realm flickered as though it might burn away entirely.

"I don't care if it takes a hundred or even a thousand years," Ddraig's voice boomed. "I've lived for eons. A few centuries mean nothing to me. So tell me, why should I keep you alive after you try to threaten me?"

Issei could feel every fiber of his being screaming at him not to speak out of turn. He knew Ddraig's wrath would reduce him to ash, leaving nothing behind. But if he was to lead this conversation, confidence was crucial.

"Because I wasn't threatening or challenging you, Ddraig," he said, his voice steady. "I was just being honest. If you kill me, you gain nothing. You'll only pave the way for Albion, the White Dragon Emperor, to emerge victorious and claim superiority."

"Don't play a game you can't win, boy!" Ddraig's roar nearly made Issei's ears bleed, but the boy stood firm, unwilling to back down.

"The soul that vanished was unfit to be the host of one of the world's strongest beings," Issei said. "The fact that his soul perished and mine survived proves it."

Ddraig's slitted eyes narrowed as they bore into him.

"I didn't steal this body, I didn't invade it, Ddraig," Issei's voice grew louder. "I was brought here. I'm just as confused as you, if not more."

"And who could bring a soul and replace the original?" Ddraig asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Not even the gods of the thousand pantheons could do that to my host."

Issei took a deep breath, steadying his thoughts. "Then who brought you here, Dragon of Domination? You said so yourself that this isn't your realm. You were brought here."

Ddraig fell silent, unwilling to answer.

"So, who brought you here?" Issei pressed.

Still, Ddraig remained silent, and Issei stood tall.

"Exactly," the boy said. "I'm as confused as you are. And like you, I suspect it has something to do with that orb that exploded just moments ago."

Both of them turned their attention to the spot where the sphere had been.

"And I think you can guess what happened to it," Issei added.

Though it was all speculation, they both understood. The realm hadn't simply turned white by chance. It had been painted by the explosion of the white sphere. Issei didn't want to think about it, but he knew the truth: the very realm they stood in was now the sphere itself.

The force that had brought his soul to this world. The System.

"And what's stopping me from killing you, burning this realm to the ground, and leaving?" Ddraig asked, his voice thick with menace.

Issei crossed his arms and met the dragon's gaze.

"Because if you could, you would have already," Issei replied, taking a gamble with the statement. He could feel Ddraig's presence pressing against the realm, but the realm was actively suppressing the dragon's power. If he had to guess, the realm—and by extension, the System—was stronger than Ddraig.

Ddraig grumbled but allowed Issei to continue.

"But the realm doesn't want to hurt either of us."

"And how do you know that?" Ddraig retorted, his voice sharp.

Issei gave the dragon a small smile. "Because, like you, it had plenty of chances to harm me, but it didn't. Instead, it's been helping me."

"How?" Ddraig's frown deepened, despite his scaly face.

"Check," Issei said.

The dragon's nostrils flared, and he took a deep breath, sensing something unusual about the boy. Then, he froze.

"How… How do you have the essence of a dragon?" Ddraig asked, bewildered.

It didn't make sense. His host shouldn't have the essence of a dragon, not without awakening him. And even if the soul wasn't the original host's, it was still human. It shouldn't contain any draconic essence.

"I don't know," Issei said, his gaze turning toward the white realm. "But if I had to guess, it was also done by it."

Ddraig's gaze sharpened. "What is its purpose?"

Issei breathed deeply, lost in thought. "I want to know that too."

The System had given him strength and power for no clear reason, and it didn't make sense. The System had a purpose. He just had to figure out what it was.

"That's not something entirely new in my long life," Ddraig said. "But I've never heard of a creation like this before either."

However, the dragon wasn't concerned with that right now.

"Boy," Ddraig's tone shifted, serious now. "Tell me. How do you know so much about me—and about the supernatural? For a human soul, to know so much without being involved in the supernatural makes no sense."

The dragon was now standing tall. "So tell me, human. How do you explain the situation?"

This was the moment Issei had been waiting for—the gamble that would determine the nature of his relationship with Ddraig. It was time to lay it all on the line.

"Why don't you check my memories?" he offered, his voice steady despite the tension.

This was where the conversation had been leading all along, and he needed Ddraig to be clear-headed before making the offer. He worried that, in his confusion, the dragon might act rashly, but now that the beast was more comfortable and seemed willing to listen, Issei was ready to take the gamble.

However, there was one thing he hadn't considered.

"I would," Ddraig replied, his voice a low growl, "But I'm unable to."

Issei froze, caught off guard. "Sorry?"

"I said, I can't read your memories. You're a different soul. I can only read the memories of this body—the one I inhabit." Ddraig's tone darkened. "And in a way, it pleases me that this body's original soul perished."

Issei's mind raced. This entire conversation had been leading up to this point. He had known that Ddraig could access the memories of his host, but he'd never considered that the difference in their souls might render that impossible.

'This…'

A fatal mistake, and he had no idea how to fix it.

But just as hope seemed to slip away, a notification from the System appeared.

'What?'

"I'm waiting, kid," Ddraig's voice rumbled again. "What are you planning?"

Issei stared at the dragon, his eyes wide with surprise. "I think I might be able to share my memories with you."

"Don't try to play me with another one of your tricks, boy."

"It's not a trick," Issei replied quickly, his voice firm. "It's the realm… It's trying to assist with the memory share."

Ddraig regarded him with piercing eyes, contemplating for a moment. Then, to Issei's surprise, the dragon nodded. 

"Then let it," Ddraig said, his voice tinged with impatience. "I want answers. If this realm can provide them, then let it."

Issei blinked, taken aback by how easily the dragon agreed. 

'But of course,' he thought. 'He's thousands of years old. Makes sense he'd want answers.'

"Then…" Issei took a deep breath. "Let me show you my memories."

With that, he selected Yes from the System's prompt.

Immediately, without a fraction of a second passing after he confirmed, he saw Ddraig's eyes go dull, as if entranced, locked in place.

'What does that mean?'

"That… is interesting." Issei mumbled to himself as he watched Ddraig remain frozen, seemingly lost in the memories that were now being shown to him. 

'But how do I explain my awareness of the future?' Issei's thoughts raced. 'If Ddraig sees my memories and the difference between the worlds, how will I explain this disparity?'

The pressure mounted as the seconds ticked by. He needed to think quickly, but time wasn't on his side.

"Gah…" The dragon groaned, its voice filled with confusion. "What…?"

Ddraig's massive eyes bore into Issei, his expression shifting rapidly—confusion, shock, fear, and then amusement. "How?"

Issei hesitated, struggling to find the right words. 

"So… you're a soul from the future?" Ddraig asked, catching Issei completely off guard. "A normal boy dragged into the world of the supernatural. An unfortunate soul who happened to be a friend of this body's former owner."

'Huh?!' Issei's thoughts reeled. 'How did he come up with that conclusion?'

As if on cue, the System intervened.

'Huh?' Issei blinked. 'What does that even mean?'

'So… my memories have been rewritten as if I were a side character in this story?'

The System offered no response, leaving Issei alone with his spiraling thoughts. One thing was clear: the System was bending reality itself to ensure this interaction succeeded. 

'But why?'

Again, silence.

Ddraig's rumbling voice interrupted his thoughts. "Or perhaps he wasn't your friend at all." The dragon's gaze narrowed. "You were always jealous of him. You don't regret that his soul was destroyed—a true friend wouldn't feel that way."

"That…" Issei hesitated. He couldn't deny it. He had been jealous of Issei Hyoudou. The boy hadn't deserved the opportunities he had, not in Issei's eyes. Perhaps that jealousy had shaped the new memories.

"The original host unlocked my true powers—a feat only a few have achieved," Ddraig said, his tone sharp. "What makes you think you'll be better than him?"

The words stung, but Issei didn't back down. It was true that, despite all his flaws, the original Issei had reached a level of power that few hosts had ever attained. But Issei wasn't the same.

"I possess knowledge," Issei said firmly. "I have greater resolve and the willingness to do what your original host never dared. I will surpass him. From my memories, you know I can do that. I work harder, I learn faster, and I have the determination to grow stronger than anyone before me."

The dragon stared at him, unyielding.

"If you grant me your power," Issei continued, his voice unwavering, "I swear you won't be disappointed. I will become a host like no other. The name of the Red Dragon Emperor will be remembered for all eternity. Even this generation's White Dragon Emperor—the so-called once-in-a-lifetime genius—will be nothing compared to me."

Ddraig's silence hung heavy in the air.

"Look around," Issei said, gesturing to the strange realm surrounding them. "Whatever this is, whatever force brought me here, it's already supporting me. I am stronger now than your original host was when he first awakened you, and I will only grow stronger. The gap between us will widen. Grant me your power, and I promise you will not regret it."

For a long moment, Ddraig said nothing, his massive form still as stone. Then, finally, he spoke.

"Are you willing to put your life on the line for it?" the dragon asked.

Without hesitation, Issei stepped forward, meeting Ddraig's gaze. "I've already died once. My soul was torn from its original body. So why the hell not?"

For the first time, Ddraig's expression softened into something akin to approval. 

"Then perhaps…" The dragon smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Perhaps you are fit to be my host. Maybe you will become the greatest Red Dragon Emperor to ever walk this world."

The words hit Issei like a tidal wave of relief. He had done it. He had convinced the dragon.

"Be proud, Issei Hyoudou," Ddraig declared. "You are now my host—the new Red Dragon Emperor."

The strongest to ever be.

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