DxD: Ascension - Redux

Chapter 2: The Devils of Kuoh

BGM: Destiny 2 Forsaken - Thin Line

Zach's sleep was anything but restful. Instead of sleeping peacefully, he experienced a dream vision unlike any he'd had before.

It started with watching a crimson-haired girl destroy Raynare. A brown-haired boy with a red gauntlet on his left arm stood behind her, tearing up. I've seen that before... that's the source of the aura we were following, Zach thought as he watched the scene unfold.
The vision faded. When Zach could see again, the same boy summoned a suit of red armor with green jewels and attacked a blond man with wings of fire.
The scene changed again. Now the boy was punching a fallen angel in the face. Then the boy encased himself in armor once again and fought someone in similar armor, but white.
The scene changed again. This time, the boy, the red-haired girl, and a small girl with white hair were facing off against a beautiful woman with cat ears and a tail.
The final vision took place on an open plain in another dimension. A large, red, armored dragon was rampaging. The red-haired girl seemed to be staring right at Zach with tears in her eyes. She begged, "Please, Zach! Save Issei!"

End BGM

Zach bolted upright just in time for Raynare to turn on his bedroom lights. "What- what's going on?" he asked.
"You were screaming." Raynare crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame. Her hair was a mess, and she was dressed in old workout clothes- her sleepwear, Zach guessed. "And it's time for you to get up anyway."
"What for?"
"School, dumbass. Didn't I tell you last night?"
Zach opened his blinds and looked out the window. It was still well before sunrise. "This early?"
"Well, no, I have to debrief you and whatnot first. Go shower," Raynare commanded. "When you get out, there'll be a uniform for you to wear."
"And if I refuse?"
"I'll kill you where you stand."
Zach raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"
Raynare suddenly felt his aura wash over her. Whoever this boy was, he was powerful. Almost as strong as Azazel, and still nowhere near his peak. She wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance. "Just... just do as I say, alright? You won't get anywhere in this world without allies."
Zach nodded. Raynare had a point, even if he didn't much like it. "Yeah. True. Fine, your wish is my relative command. For now." He went to his bathroom and locked the door behind him. "Love the hairdo, by the way," he called back. "Very 80s."
"Can it," Raynare growled as she went to her own bathroom.
Zach snickered to himself as he looked in the mirror. Every molecule of his body still felt wrong. He'd thought sleep would make him feel a little better, but he still felt viscerally out of place in the most literal sense. His smile faded as the gravity of his situation dawned on him all at once. The shock of traveling between universes had made it easier before, but with the adrenaline gone, he was left with the reality he was facing. The Phoenix of Rebellion curled up on the bathroom floor, quietly crying as he thought about everyone and everything he'd left behind. His girlfriend. His friends. His family.
From her own bathroom, Raynare heard his sobs through the house's thin walls as she stepped into the shower. She tried to tune him out. She felt bad for the kid, of course, but what else could she do? Being sent to another universe was unheard of. Or at least no one had ever returned from it. By the time Raynare finished showering, Zach was still crying. She sighed, wrapping herself in a towel and returning to his bedroom. She put a folded uniform on his bed, then knocked on the bathroom door. "Hey, everything alright in there?"
The sobs stopped. "Y-yeah," Zach's voice answered shakily. "I'm good. Just need a sec."
"Alright, well, if you need any help..." Raynare said, a hint of humor in her voice. She took the momentary chuckle from the other side of the door as a good sign.
"I'm taken, but I appreciate the offer," Zach replied. His voice had regained some of its confidence.
"Not in this universe."
"Don't even think about it." Zach turned on the shower. "I'm alright, really. You can go now."
"Okay, okay." Raynare left his room and returned to her own, changing into a uniform for the smaller of Kuoh's two schools.