It's been roughly a month since we came to this world—or rather fell, as the native's would put it. Either way, it's been a month. I've made some new friends, even a rival, I guess?
Though I do have to say, it saddens me not being able to hang out with Al as much. I try not to think too much about home. Honestly, it just makes me depressed whenever my thoughts wander there.
And now, each other's all we got, of course, I'm not trying to be prejudiced towards the people who took us in, but… only us 'wanderers' could understand what it'd be like being stranded in another world.
Al continuously updates me on the status quo. But even he, who's got the most access to the archives, hasn't found anything. I mean… I believe there is a way home, after all, there was a way here.
I had my doubts, but I don't actually think they were lying when they said they didn't know how to send us back home. Even though the civilization is so magically advanced, this 'magic' has its own rules and limits—sounds awfully more like science now that I think about it.
Honestly, I don't think I was thinking very clearly when the decision to join this empire's military came up as an option. If we decided to lead a life trying to blend in, it would sooner or later separate us—we'd grow our identities in this society, go our separate ways.
But here, we can be together—or so I naïvely thought. I knew we'd go our separate ways sooner or later; I always knew. People would eventually find belonging, one way or another. Many of us found new friends—not shackled to being just outsiders.
I'm glad. But I worry—it's not all rainbow and sunshine, and although we agreed it'd be safer for us to be able to defend ourselves if the worst's to come, I come to realize. This city is… almost utopian in a way.
I don't doubt they'd have fruitful lives here, not having to worry about putting themselves in danger for a single day of the rest of their lives. But I don't think I made a mistake. And so, I wishfully think they share this sentiment.
Ultimately, it's about control—and power's the bargaining chip. And so as I firmly clasp this sword, exhaust these muscles, as I gasp for life, I'll protect everyone—at any cost.
..
In a quiet training facility, a youth with platinum blond hair took a deep breath, his grip firmed as his blueish-silver eyes focused on the targets ahead—four elemental lizards on two legs.
Taking cover behind the trees, he quietly and slowly channeled mana into his blade, and sharp winds began to whisper, and before the lizards could detect him—BOOM!He launched himself with a fiery explosion.
Unable to react fast enough, one of the lizards had their head cut off. Noel adjusted his stance and stomped the ground, pulsing a powerful wind on the ground to stagger the beasts before they could act. A whirlwind swirled his sword, and with a thrust in the air, he knocked them all away—breaking their bones as they met their end colliding with the trees.
"…Ah…haa… haaa…" Noel panted, his hands shaking, and just as he was about to lose his grip on the sword, it dispersed into the air.
—DUN
As he cleared the simulation stage, the trees flickered as did the lizards, leaving a white, sterile training facility.
[Would you like another scenario?] an inquiry suddenly echoed.
"No…" Noel replied, still out of breath. "I'm I'm about done now," he added as he quickly recovered.
[Affirmative]
After the training session, he headed towards the water fountain and wiped off his sweat, feeling the cool water on his lips, hydrating himself.
"Oh? You were here after all," said a calm voice.
When he turned around, his gaze was met with a pair of light emerald eyes. She was dressed in a light green knee-length cloak, a white blouse, and brown pants—he's been seeing her in this get-up more recently, and it was a treat to the eyes every time.
Noel wiped his mouth with the white tank top, his head leaning a little to the side. "Oh? Hi there, pretty," he greeted his with a cheerful grin.
Chely rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "To flirting already?" she teased, with a relaxed smirk.
—Cute… Noel thought.
"What can I say?" he shrugged. "So? Were you looking for me?" he fired back.
"Obviously," Chely sighed. "So… why are you training alone?"
"…" Noel pondered for a moment. "Well… wouldn't it be cool for the girl who sees me working hard on my own—she might even fall for me."
"Not happening. And also, I know that's not the reason," Chely frowned. 'Besides… she might've already fallen for you,' she muttered under her breath.
Pretending not to hear, he chuckled. "Aww—don't shatter my hopes like that. Though, on a serious note, I guess I'm here all alone… just cause?" he said as he leaned on the wall.
"My, how rare for a social guy like you to want alone time. Is that why you're here in the Wyvern Squad's training facility? I never thought Princess Luna would lend it out for private use like that," Chely remarked, gazing at him with a slightly tilted head.
—Sigh… Seriously, if it wasn't for this girl, I might've become depressed—I never thought I'd actually fall in love. Urk, it just makes me all confused, and the fact that Al accepted romance like that after being stranded in another world—just how nonchalant can he be?
"What's wrong?" Chely asked as she began to close the gap.
"Nothing…" Noel sulked. "It's just that I find you cute, is all."
"Hah?" Chely raised a brow. "Cute? I don't think I am," she added as she leaned her back on the wall, twirling her hair slightly. "But to say that with a frown on your face. It doesn't sound very convincing."
"Well… I guess. It's just that I find it annoying how I find you so attractive," he replied, heaving a sigh.
"And it doesn't sound convincing with a huge sigh like that either," Chely added, covering her mouth as she softly giggled.
"You're right… Sorry for being such a downer…" he awkwardly laughed.
"Hmm… could it be about Little Al?" Chely quired. But then she called him, "H-handsome…" while stuttering a little.
—She bit her tongue?
"Pffts…" Noel couldn't contain his laughter. "What's that? Jeez, you're awkward about this stuff, but… It's endearing that you try. Thanks for cheering me up."
"Urk…" Chely's face turned beet red. "Continue to laugh and I'll feed you with my fist."
"Well… yeah, you're right. It is about Al, and… well. It's going to be the first time any of us will be apart after coming to this world—can't help but be anxious, y'know?"
Chely glared daggers as he changed the topic, but played along. "You really like him, don't you?" she asked the obvious.
"Yeah, he's my best friend," Noel grinned.
"Hmm… what about Luna? You seem close to her."
"She's a good friend. So yeah, I like her too."
"Ame?"
"Of course, she's Al's fiancé."
"And… Miu? Do you love her?" Chely asked, feeling her heart clench.
"Well, yeah, though it's more familial. We grew up together, y'know—"
"Even though you two were lovers?" Chely's voice cut through; though calm, it was melancholic.
"…" Taken a Noel froze for a moment, then scratched the back of his head. "Well… we did date… but I wouldn't really call it lovers… we were faking it—sorry I can't go into details, you'd have to ask her."
"…" Chely nodded. "I'm conflicted about the whole 'fake' thing… but, what about me?"
"…" —huh? Does she mean love or… like?
Unsure of how to reply, he clasped her hands and looked her in the eyes. Chely, at the end of the day, was a girl too, not just a hero.
Her big almond-shaped eyes, her pink lips that slightly parted, her cute unconscious gestures, and not to mention her natural scent—all of it was alluring to him.
"Of course, I think that's obvious," he answered with a wide grin.
Already a flush of pink, Chely could only say, "I see…" as she averted her gaze, her lips pouting slightly as they twitched, holding back a shy smile.
..
Some moments passed, and the doors slid open. As both of them looked at the door, Alum was there. His eyes widen for a moment before nodding lightly.
"Pardon," he said and stepped back, then left.
"Pffts… hahaha," Noel burst out laughing.
"Pff…" While Chely chuckled softly.
But then, less than a minute later, a head poked out from the corner of the door, a pair of golden eyes looking somewhat dissatisfied, yet deadpan.
"You didn't come after me…" Alum said plainly, barely audible.
"Whaaat? I can't hear you!" Noel exclaimed, grinning.
"…" Alum sighed, his gaze met Chely's, who smiled warmly at the sight of him.
"Hello, Al," she said, giggling a little.
"Hello, Chely…" Alum replied as he approached the two.
Seeing his friend, Noel reached his hand out—Alum took his hand and was pulled into a brief hug. He reciprocated the gesture before being released.
"So? Lookin' for me were ya?" Noel queried.
"Mm. I'm heading out early tomorrow," Alum paused, then averted his eyes. "So… I came to see you."
"Aww, I'm loved!" Noel exclaimed, then nudged Chely. "Don't you agree?" he added as he grinned.
"Hmph," Chely huffed. "Don't ask me," she replied with mock annoyance.
"Sorry, Chely," Alum suddenly said. "Did I ruin the good mood?" he bluntly asked.
"…" Both Noel and Chely almost choked at his words, both playing cool.
"E-Erm… Why don't you join me for some exercise?" Noel suggested, blatantly changing the topic.
"Sure," Alum smiled.
Meanwhile, Chely backed away, and as she was about to tell them good night, Noel said, "Why don't you join us?" as he took her hand.
"…" She glanced at Alum, who tilted his head as if saying he didn't mind. "I suppose I could," she said.
Noel turned to Alum. "You heard that?" he said. "We got a Hero on our side," he lightly chuckled.
Both Alum and Chely exchanged glances—both sensed Noel plotting something.
"Wyvern!" Noel called out to the facility.
[System standby—awaiting command,] it replied.
"Initiate simulation, Chimera Dragon Test."
[Affirmative,] Wyvern replied—the whole facility began to transform into a desert.
"…" Alum sighed as he materialized Depth Cutter from the void storage ring.
Chely's eyes widen slightly at the sight of the sword. Noel whistled as he found it gorgeous as he materialized one of his divine weapons, Scorching Tempest. Chely, on the other hand, stretched out her arm—Swosh. A random sword from the racks in the armory was pulled into her hand.
"…" Alum and Noel just looked at her.
"What is it?" Chely inquired, her head slightly tilted.
"No, nothing," Noel shrugged.
But as Alum shook his head, the ground shook—RUMBL… A giant worm erupted from the sand—its mouth peeled open, showing its saw-like teeth. The simulated creature screeched, raining down acidic mucus, melting sand into glass.
But by that time, Alum already covered them with domes of thin see-through ice—Chely and Noel looked at one another, nodding—Boom! Noel launched himself with a fiery explosion. Chely, on the other hand, simply dashed.
Small, spiked worms shot out of the sand as they rapidly approached the behemoth. Noel infused his sword with intense winds—cutting them down as he closed the gap. Chely coated the blade with mana, slashing the worms one after the other.
Alum, left to fend for himself, simply froze the sand, crystallizing everything beneath him.
A wet crack echoed throughout the dunes; limbs protruded from all sides of the worm. "Eww!" Noel exclaimed as the thin, slimy arms barely covered in flesh pierced the worm's exterior.
"You'll see things like this all the time!" Chely exclaimed from the other side, her voice contained a small laugh.
"Well, this is a first!" Noel yelled.
As they continued to slash down the smaller foes, the giant worm's arms lay flat as it slammed into the dunes, causing Noel to stagger as the sand shot up in the air. Just as he was about to be trapped in sand, a platform of ice raised him just in time before he was buried. Noel noticed that Chely had already jumped and didn't need Alum's assistance.
"I'm still inexperienced…" he muttered as he saw her fall elegantly from the air.
Letting his guard down, he didn't realize that the worm swept its massive body across the sand—rapidly approaching him. As they were about to collide, in less than a fraction of a second, a green bolt of lightning shot towards him; in the next instance, before he'd realized what had happened, he was far up in the air in Chely's arms.
"You're too relaxed," she said calmly.
"Haha, my bad."
He looked down, and where he'd just stood was a massive ice ramp that would've redirected the worm from him. The worm crashed into the dunes and burrowed; the rumbles reverberated loudly.
"He had your back, too," Chely said, smiling softly.
"So you say, yet you came to my rescue," Noel teased.
"You can never be too sure," she retorted.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Alum sighed, his lips slightly tugged into a smile. "Those two…" he heaved another sigh.
But beneath his feet, the ice cracked. He drew Depth Cutter—the worm shot up high in the sky, swallowing Alum and the whole dome.
"AL!?" Noel exclaimed. Even though he knew it was just a simulation, it was a horrid sight nevertheless.
Chely, on the other hand, was calm—a burst of massive amounts of mana erupted. The beast sporadically spasmed and thrashed, slamming the ground repeatedly, rolling and shrieking—then, an arc of plasma scorched through from within as the creature. Alum jumped out of the static blast zone, covered by a barrier. Massive ice hands protruded from the sand and clasped the behemoth, pulling it down to the ground. It didn't even struggle as it burst into flames, spun, freeing itself from the ice, and burrowed again.
"As expected," he murmured, clasping his head as he glanced at Depth Cutter with a faint smile on his face.
—Before he was swallowed whole, he locked eyes with Chely, telling her not to act as he activated the instruction spell Amethely had ingrained into the sword—[Sanctuary of Depth].
Even though it was a simulation, Wyvern, just as any other combat system, would simulate the damage of each beast or anomaly. And since the facility barrier didn't activate, the worm couldn't burst [Sanctuary of Depth].
"Jeez," Noel heaved a sigh of relief. "How reckless can he be?"
"Like you?" Chely teased, but then, with a serious expression, she said, "It's a simulation, so… if you've got the luxury, you better be reckless here and not out in the field."
"Still, my heart jumped," Noel complained.
"Mine too, it's not a pleasant sight, after all," Chely replied.
As they landed on the ground, Chely put him down. The ground beneath them shook, and the giant worm arched as it dove towards them. She glanced at Alum, who seemed a little fatigued.
Al probably has just enough firepower to take it down. But… It's just a waste of mana—he won't recover fast enough for tomorrow—as for Noel, he was already exhausted. But… he could potentially hurt it quite a bit, though I doubt he has enough mana to kill it outright, she thought.
—Shriiik
In a swift vertical slash, Chely bisected the Chimera Dragon in half with a sword infused with wind. With a grotesque parting of the two halves slowly peeling apart, seeing how the insides were practically cooked from Alum's repeated bursts of lightning, its massive carcass slammed onto the dunes—THUD! Creating a small sand storm.
—It still moved despite that? Noel commented inwardly.
"Alright, it's enough for now. You both should get some rest," Chely said coolly.
"…I didn't even get a hit in…" Noel grumbled.
"What?" Chely raised her voice ever so slightly.
"No… nothing…" Noel deflated instantly.
Seeing the banter, Alum approached them, chuckling lightly as he sheathed Depth Cutter.
..
When it struck midnight, as Alum was about to fall asleep, there was a ring on his door. He went to check who it was, and it was none other than Amethely.
She sheepishly put a finger over her lips, gesturing to him to keep quiet as she snuck in with a pillow clutched to her chest. And without saying a word, she made herself comfortable in his bed.
"Pfts…" Alum chuckled lightly at the sight—she must've been anxious… he thought.
"Al, what are you waiting for? Join me," she said mischievously as she tapped the mattress.
When he complied, she'd snuggle closer, hugging him. Naturally, he returned the gesture, and thus, the two fell asleep.
…
..
"My name is Ailz Mittra. I'll be in your care."
Early in the morning, a youth in a golden rimmed midnight blue cloak, gray hair, and light sapphire eyes, introduced himself. He'd arrived at the guild early to meet the party leader of Night Ouen; their leader, the blond red-eyed elf with silver armor and a blue cape—Turen.
"Oh, I see, you're Ailz! Nice to meetcha," Turen said, grinning charmingly as he reached out his hand.
"Mm, nice to meet you too," Alum replied, shaking Turen's hand.
A/N
Almost messed up my sourdough... I forgot to feed the little guy T-T