Upon exiting the guild, Astrid caught sight of Hotaru, outside a coffee shop. She was wearing a mask and a cap, as if she was hiding from someone. The trio ducked for cover, watching Hotaru enter the coffee shop. She sat down next to a person and talked to a suspicious man in a suit. Unfortunately the three were to far away to hear, but they saw the man giving Hotaru a briefcase. She then exited the shop and left through the duct system.
"What were they talking about? And what was in that case?" said Mirage, while they walked back to the forest. Drops of water
started to fall and eventually erupted into a rainstorm.
"I don't know, but I don't like the look of that man. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before." Mizuki responded.
By the time the clouds turned grey, they were back in the forest. The trees mainly protected them from the rain, but the ground was wet and moist. The group split up, in search for somewhere to set up for camp.
When Astrid spotted a place, she returned to the meetup point. She was met by another group. They looked like thugs.
"Oi! You! Give us your crystals!"
Astrid looked at them, displeased.
'Really? This is their way of entering the school? They're probably really weak as well.' A small idea popped into Astrid's head.
"Crystals? I'm sorry, I don't have any on me...Please spare me!" She said, timidly.
The group chuckled in a devilish way before slowly approaching Astrid.
"No crystals? That's a shame. Either way, we weren't gonna let you go."
'Let them get close....'
The thugs were closing in on her. She just had to wait for the right moment...
'And...Strike!'
She created a large earth dome that trapped the delinquents inside.
"Hey! Let us out! Oi!"
She let out a hearty laugh which abruptly stopped when a prismarine dagger was suddenly held against her neck. Her blood ran cold. It was a lanky, blue haired boy, with scars all over himself.
"Let my buddies go, will you? I promise you'll live if you do." He said this in a innocent manner.
Sweat trickled down Astrid's temples.
'Shit. If I take off my ring, I could easily defeat him, but he might kill me while I'm doing so. Should I just release them?'
Astrid stalled for time.
"You're just gonna approach me without a name?"
"You are cocky." He laughed. "I'm your enemy. That's all you need to know."
Astrid scoffed before releasing the dome.
The guys ran up to the boy.
"Boss! We're so sorry! We were caught off guard!"
"It doesn't matter now. Let's go."
As they walked off, Astrid shouted to him.
"You won't get away with this!"
He scoffed and waved goodbye, before disappearing into the darkness.
'That brat. If only I wasn't wearing this ring..'
Astrid kicked at the ground and waited for her friends to return. She leaned against a tree, and closed her eyes to calm her emotions. Although she was strong, she couldn't beat Baron. Then, the unexpected happened.
She opened her eyes to find herself in a white room. There was nothing but a chair and table in front of her. Sitting opposite the table, was a bright light, which was giving a vibe to usher Astrid to the seat. Astrid took that chance to sit. She looked at the light, and the light spoke.
"Greetings little one. I have many names, Argus, Carinae, but you may call me Eta, the Great Sage"
"Eta...You mean the star?" Astrid looked at it in awe. "Why did you bring me here?"
"You brought yourself here. I think it was about time we had a chat. After all, I was the one who reincarnated you."
"You did? Why?"
"It was decided from birth. You are part of the chaos prophecy"
"Oh? Then I have a few questions."
"Ask away."
"First, what is the chaos prophecy?"
"The Chaos prophecy is a prediction which states that Ástríðr Atsuko will die an unfortunate death and be sent to a world where her deepest desires shall be revealed."
Astrid wondered about the reason it was called the chaos prophecy.
"I don't know what my desires are...Well, next question: Who killed me?"
"There is no need for me to tell you. You'll find out very soon."
"Okay...Then, is my mother alright?"
"Unfortunately not. She is on the verge of depression. Either she will kill herself, or she will go insane."
That hurt for Astrid to hear that.
"Is there anything I can do about it?"
"Technically, yes. You may write a note, that appears in your room for your mother to read it. However, it cannot reveal that you are 'alive'."
"Understood. I'll write the letter soon."
"You better hurry, because she might not hold on for much longer."
"Alright."
Eta's presence disappeared and her light dimmed. "I think it's time for us to depart."
"What? I've still got a ton to ask you."
"Do not fret, child. We will meet again. Now close your eyes and return to the real world."
***
"Hey look! Astrid's waking up!"
Her eyes slowly opened to see Mizuki leaning over her.
"You good, Astrid?" His voice was warming to hear.
"Yeah. Just took a little nap, i guess?"
Mizuki raised an eyebrow.
"What actually happened?" He pointed to the area where Astrid met the blue haired kid. "Explain." Mirage looked curious while Astrid explained.
"I was approached by some blue haired freak. I messed with his 'goons' and he threatened to kill me."
Mirage's heart dropped. "Did the boy have scars over him, by any chance?"
"Yeah, do you know him?"
She gulped. "I've heard that everyone calls him Mesh. He's the leader of a large gang and apparently, his father is part of a mafia. His father is also assumed to have connections to Baron."
Astrid pulled a intruiged face and turned to Mizuki.
"Seems i've met an interesting guy."