Ethan learned something quickly about Japan: people minded their own business.
You could walk through the park in the dead of night with smoke curling off your skin, and no one would say a word.
That suited him just fine.
He'd found a place to sleep—the old church in town. Clearly abandoned for a long time.
After cleaning out one of its rooms, he sat beneath the cracked crucifix, legs crossed, watching flames curl lazily over his hand. His reflection in a broken shard of glass didn't show a skull—just his tired, sleep-deprived face. Normal enough. Except his eyes flickered orange when he blinked.
He was pretty sure this wasn't the classic Ghost Rider power set. He shouldn't be able to use the fire without turning into Ghost Rider—especially not in daylight.
But the most interesting thing?
This wasn't Marvel.
This was DxD.
Kuoh Town.
Where all the insanity started.
"Demons, angels… probably some monsters. I just hope my level's high enough in this world, or I'm really going to suffer," Ethan muttered, letting the fire burn itself out in his palm.
---
Morning
He'd barely stepped out of the church ruins when he ran into trouble.
Literally.
A girl. Red hair. Blue eyes. Big… personality.
Also? Devil.
He could smell it on her like cheap perfume mixed with magic.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she said, crashing into him as if it weren't a place devils should be avoiding.
Ethan stared at her. She stared back.
"…You're not from around here," she said, almost to herself.
" so what if you want to sell something go somewhere else."
Her eyebrow twitched. "Do you… know who I am?"
"Should I?"
"…Rias Gremory. President of the Occult Research Club." She offered a hand. "And you… aren't human."
He didn't shake. "Not anymore."
Something in his smile made her shiver. Fire flickered behind his eyes just for a moment. Enough for her devil senses to go on full alert.
"You're staying… at that church?"
"Yeah. Got a problem with squatters?"
"No, just… surprised. If you need, I could offer you a better place."
She circled him casually, trying to get a read. Power clung to him like smoke. Not demonic. Not sacred. Something worse. Like something out of the deepest pit of Hell that neither Heaven nor the Underworld signed off on.
"What are you?" she asked finally.
Ethan smiled wider. "Your new neighbor, apparently."
---
Later… Occult Research Club Room
"So, let me get this straight," Issei said, biting into a cream bun. "There's some biker living in our town church now?"
Kiba looked thoughtful. "No bike, apparently. Just… walks around looking like a normal guy."
"Except not." Akeno smiled, that little sadistic edge sharpening her tone. "Rias, you're interested."
Rias crossed her arms beneath her chest, annoyed. "I'm cautious. He's not a devil, but he feels like one."
"Then are you going to recruit him?" Issei asked, his tone worried.
"Let Sitri investigate him first." Rias's tone brooked no argument. "If he's troublesome, she'll handle it. I still have to train you."
---
Nightfall
Ethan sat atop the church roof, legs dangling over the edge, watching the moon burn red behind thin clouds.
A presence approached from below—another devil, not even attempting stealth. Calm, authoritative steps.
A young woman in Kuoh Academy's uniform emerged, even if it didn't make sense for her to be wearing it this late. She gazed up at him with calculating eyes behind her glasses.
"You're not hiding your presence very well," she observed.
Ethan glanced down. "That a problem for you?"
"It's my responsibility to ensure nothing disrupts the balance of Kuoh Town." Her words were crisp, formal. "My name is Sona Sitri. I oversee this area alongside Rias Gremory."
"That might change," he said with a faint, tired smile. "Now that I'm here."
"It won't change anything."
Her eyes narrowed, studying the lazy flicker of flame in his palm. "Your powers… don't belong to any known devil bloodline. If I had to guess… some mix of fallen angel and devil?"
"Your way off," Ethan said flatly. "I'm more than any devil or angel."
A brief silence stretched between them. Sona adjusted her glasses.
"If you intend to cause trouble, I'll ask you now to reconsider. This town has rules."
Ethan's smile didn't reach his eyes. "So I've been told."
"Good. Then we understand one another."
Without further words, she turned and vanished into the night as neatly as she had arrived.