Chapter 1 – The Forgotten Legacy
Aso San hated funerals. Not the incense smoke, nor the black clothing, nor the quiet whispers. It was the way people looked at him—pitying, skeptical, as if the world itself had passed him by. His late grandparents, legendary in ways he had never truly understood, had left behind nothing he could touch, nothing he could see… except stories, riddles, and now, a final, enigmatic gift.
In the quiet hall, his eyes fell upon the wooden box resting on the altar. The attendant handed it to him with a bow. Inside were two items: a leather-bound journal and a pendant with a crystal shard that pulsed faintly. Aso picked it up, his fingers trembling.
"The words are the key," the journal began. "Log in, Log in, Log out, Log out."
Aso muttered them aloud, half in frustration, half in curiosity. The crystal flared. His room dissolved into a blur of light, colors stretching and twisting, until he tumbled onto hard ground. The world had changed.
Stone walls, banners, and a crowd of armored warriors surrounded him. Torches flared against a crimson sky. And there she stood—tall, silver-black hair whipping in the wind, golden eyes sharp as blades. Valestra Kairon. The crowd's roar echoed her name, a sound of reverence and fear.
"Who dares walk here unbidden?" Her voice rang like steel.
Aso froze, words caught in his throat. Too weak. Too fragile. He had no idea he had stepped into a world ruled by strength, where men were considered disposable unless proven otherwise.
"You're too weak to be my husband," Valestra said, lowering her spear slightly. "Perhaps amusing. Perhaps… interesting."
He had no idea she knew him in another life—the life of his school, where she was Kaori Valein, the quiet, untouchable top student of his class. That world, for now, seemed distant and unreal.
Chapter 2 – The Invincible Spear Maiden
Aso stumbled through the streets of the mercenary city, gasping as the reality of the Outland settled on him. Children played with wooden swords; mercenaries traded stories of conquest and death; the air smelled of iron and fire. He was a fish out of water, and every glance felt like a predator's.
Then she appeared again—Valestra Kairon, the Invincible Spear Maiden, her presence a storm that silenced everyone around her. She walked toward him, eyes alight with amusement and curiosity.
"You survived the arena," she said. "Not impressive, but unexpected."
Her words stung, yet something in the way she looked at him—like she already knew his worth—made Aso's heart tighten. He tried to run but stumbled; she didn't chase, only watched, letting the weight of her attention crush him.
Back in the school world, Aso noticed Kaori Valein staring at him a little too long. The similarity—the tilt of her head, the sharpness of her gaze—was unsettling, but he convinced himself it was coincidence. Yet in the back of his mind, a question lingered: Why do I feel like I know her?
Chapter 3 – Two Lives, One Classroom
he next day, Aso returned to school. Life carried on as if nothing had changed. Except he couldn't stop thinking about her—Kaori Valein. She sat two rows ahead of him, perfect and untouchable, eyes occasionally flicking to him with subtle amusement.
During a group project, Aso found himself paired with her. Her touch brushed his hand accidentally while passing a notebook. His heart leapt. Is this really her? Or is my mind playing tricks?
In the Outland, Valestra tested him again, this time allowing him to experience a small taste of power—enough to survive a skirmish, enough to prove he might not be entirely worthless. Their exchanges were tense, yet a strange connection began to form. She spoke to him differently, quietly, almost intimately, as if the boy before her was someone she had waited for.
Back in the classroom, Kaori's subtle guidance helped him in the project. She smiled softly, and Aso felt a warmth he couldn't name. Little did he know, this same smile had been in the Outland, under a different sky, different armor, with stakes far higher than any school assignment.
Chapter 4 – Weakness is Death
Aso trained clumsily in the Outland. Every skirmish reminded him how weak he was, how dependent he was on Valestra's grudging protection. She pushed him mercilessly, teasing him, shaming him, yet often lingered close enough to feel the warmth of her presence.
"You will learn," she said one evening, spear in hand, "that weakness is death. But… perhaps you might survive. Perhaps."
Aso could not help noticing the faint smile that accompanied her words, almost hidden beneath her fearsome exterior. Each lesson in combat, each agonizing failure, only drew them closer. He began to admire her, not only for her strength, but for her subtle gestures—the way her hair caught firelight, the quiet confidence in her eyes, the way she held herself like the world bent around her.
At school, Kaori helped him quietly, grading his mistakes in class, leaving notes with encouragement. Aso noticed the pattern, but her identity remained elusive. He couldn't connect Kaori and Valestra—yet an instinct deep inside told him they were the same.
Chapter 5 – Strings Between Worlds
Aso's dual life began to weigh on him. By day, he fumbled through school, struggling to balance normal teen life with the lessons and dangers of the Outland. By night, he fought for survival, always under the watchful eye of Valestra Kairon.
In the mercenary world, a skirmish left him nearly defeated. She appeared, speaking his name in a tone that felt eerily familiar. His breath caught. The memory of her glance—the same tilt of her head, the same intensity—haunted him.
"Kaori… Valestra?" he whispered to himself, heart racing.
Valestra's eyes softened for a fraction of a second before hardening again. "Do not confuse worlds, Aso San," she said. "Focus on the path before you."
But the seed of recognition was planted. Aso began to understand that the girl in his classroom and the warrior before him were intertwined in ways he couldn't yet comprehend.
By chapter's end, Aso's resolve hardened: he would survive this world, uncover the truth of his grandparents' legacy, and—somehow—understand the girl who existed in both his lives, a figure of mystery, strength, and the first flutter of something deeper: love.