The login screen rippled like water touched by wind.
"[Welcome back to Elder Tale: Southeast Server. Update 6.0 initiated]" A soft voice greeted him — automated, familiar, oddly comforting. The world built itself from points of light: terrain, cities, sky. Then came the sound of waves, birds, and the far-off rhythm of music drifting through the streets.
"[Hello Seryuuji: Enchanter (Lvl. 57)]"
Manila. The Capital Adventurer City of the Dawn Coast.
When the final shimmer cleared, Seryuuji stood in the heart of a vast plaza, surrounded by players and the glow of transport gates. Market stalls circled the fountain, their vendors shouting prices while guild recruiters waved bright banners. Some players shouted wares and some looking for parties.
He turned slowly, taking it all in. It was chaos, color, and life.
"So this is it… the SEA server."
His avatar's reflection rippled in the fountain's surface — an elf with fiery red hair, sharp eyes, and a simple wooden bow strapped to his back. The robes he wore were light, practical, traced faintly with the mark of his class and subclass: Enchanter and Scribe, same as him.
Not exactly the most popular combination. But He had always preferred being different, something others would think stupid.
The Streets of Manila
The capital was alive. Not just with the sound of NPC moving about, but with the laughter and noise of real players. A group of Warrior classes argued over loot splits, while a Cleric scolded a Monk for face-tanking a boss. On a balcony nearby, Bards played light tunes — not for buffs, but for the joy of being heard.
"Level 20 Monk Claws to trade! Anyone interested?" an Assassin shouted, waving his inventory.
A Maharlika Warrior, their armor gleaming with coral motifs, called out next. "Looking for a healer to join our run! Prefer local buffs!"
A Sorcerer in mismatched gear jogged past Seryuuji, flashing a grin. "Need a caster for your grind party, kuya?"
He chuckled. "Not yet. Still getting used to the city."
She grinned and waved before running off to join her guildmates.
Everywhere, the SEA flavor bled through the world — bamboo lanterns swaying between sandstone buildings, jeepney-inspired carriages trundling past, merchants from the other city-states haggling in their dialects. The trade spirit of Manila, the artistry of Bali, the stoicism of Hanoi, the efficiency of Singapore — all colliding in this single city of digital dawn.
It wasn't perfect. The economy fluctuated, tempers flared, exploits spread faster than patches. But it lived — messy, noisy, human.
And in that liveliness, He felt something stir. Not just excitement… He felt alive.
By late afternoon, he made his way east, past the sandstone walls of the inner city. The sound of crashing waves faded into the sharp thud of arrows and sword clashes.
The Training Grounds were half forest, half ruin — bamboo groves weaving around broken stone circles. Players tested their builds here, dueling or practicing skill chains.
Seryuuji chose an empty lane, set a target, and drew his bow. The string vibrating with power.
"Alright" he whispered. "Let's see if I still remember."
The arrow flew with a whistle, missing the target slightly off course. Seryuuji grimaced..
The arrow thudded into a bamboo trunk, quivering slightly. Seryuuji lowered his bow, exhaling through his teeth.
Feels different than I recall. Not bad, but I could use some work.
He flexed his hand, feeling the faint delay between thought and movement — a familiar sensation that wasn't quite latency, more like the game testing him back.
He tested other spells next — Haste, Thorn Bind Hostage, Reflex Boost. The air shimmered each time, the soft tones of magic blending each cast of the spell. There was a rhythm to it now — less about numbers, more about feeling the flow.
He wasn't just casting spells; he was moving with them.
And for a brief, beautiful moment, he forgot that this was just a game.
He tapped his interface open. The transparent menu unfolded in front of him, glowing with sea-green edges — messages, quests, guild invites. Notifications piled up, some from old contacts who had migrated to other servers. Others were from unfamiliar names.
A voice broke through his thoughts.
"Practicing alone again, Seryuuji?"
He turned. A Maharlika leaned against the fence, one hand resting casually on her kris sword. Her armor bore the crimson insignia of Guild Harana.
He grinned. "Old habits die hard."
"Good. We need that kind of patience tonight." She gestured toward the city's south gate.
"Harana's scouting the Batangas Ruins after sunset. You joining?"
"I get first dibs on bow drops" he said jokingly, tightening his bowstring.
"Fine, but bring antidotes." she shook her head as she walked away. "Jungle mobs love their poison."
He laughed quietly, watching the glow of the sunset spread across the horizon — golden light spilling over digital sea.
It wasn't nostalgia anymore. It was continuity. The world had changed, but Manila was still Manila. And Seryuuji was still here, where he belonged.
_____________________________
By the time Seryuuji reached the South Gate, the sky above Manila had already deepened into twilight — streaks of violet and gold fading into the horizon. The sea shimmered below the cliffs, dotted with ships bound for other coastal cities.
Guild banners fluttered by the gate. HARANA, their emblem a sun cradled in strings of a lyre, had gathered in full.
"Over here!" Lira — the Maharlika Warrior — waved him over, her kris glinting. Around her stood five others: a Cleric in ivory armor, a Bard tuning her harp, a Sorcerer with scrolls floating around him, and a twin-sword Igorot warrior who looked more muscle than man.
Seryuuji gave a small wave. "Evening, everyone."
"About time, dude" the Igorot warrior grinned. "We thought you bailed."
Seryuuji smirked. "Had to recalibrate my reflexes. Wouldn't want to nuke the raid by accident."
Laughter rippled through the group. It felt easy — like old friends, even though some faces were new. That was the SEA way: more family than faction.
Lira clapped her hands once. "Alright, team! Objective's simple. The new patch added depth layers under Batangas Ruins — half-drowned temple, old Lahar tunnels, some corrupted wildlife. Scouts say there's an event boss waiting deeper in. Tonight, we're mapping it."
"XP farm?" asked the Sorcerer.
"Lore hunt" Lira corrected. "Harana doesn't just chase loot. We archive the stories this world forgets."
Seryuuji's brow rose. "A lore guild, huh?"
"Mostly," Lira said with a grin. "But we swing swords when we need to. You interested?"
He blinked. "Interested in what?"
"Joining" the Bard chimed in. "We've seen your posts on the SEA forum. You used to write those long lore essays about the Manila subreddit, right? 'The Song of the Forgotten Moon?' That was you, wasn't it?"
Seryuuji laughed softly. "Wow. Someone actually read that?"
"Half the guild did" Lira said. "You've got the curiosity we like. And we could use an Enchanter-Scribe — that's rare as hell these days."
He hesitated, glancing at the glowing city behind them. "I'm… flattered. But I've been solo for a while."
"Then maybe it's time you stopped" Lira replied gently. "Harana's got room for more voices."
Before he could answer, the Teleport Gate flared to life. Blue light surged upward, scattering sea mist around them.
"Let's talk about it after the run" she said. "Deal?"
Seryuuji smiled faintly. "Deal."
___________________________
The warp field dissolved into the scent of salt and smoke. Seryuuji opened his eyes to see the coast stretching before them — volcanic cliffs carved by wind, coral ruins jutting from the shallows like broken teeth.
Beyond the surf, the ancient Ruins of Taal loomed — part cathedral, part fortress, its towers half-swallowed by vines and blackened stone.
"Damn" whispered the Bard. "Graphics team outdid themselves this patch."
"Not just graphics" Seryuuji murmured. "They modeled this after pre-eruption maps. The devs are paying homage."
They advanced along a cracked stone path. The water lapped at their boots, reflecting the distant glow of Manila across the sea. Fish-like monsters darted below the surface — harmless at first, until one erupted from the water.
"Contact!" Lira shouted.
Small mobs emerged first — Coral Sprites and Lahar Shades, their bodies glowing faintly red from volcanic mana. Meanwhile, a Bakunawa Spawn — a sinuous serpent with fins like torn sails — lunged. Its scales shimmered blue-green, eyes glowing ember-red.
Seryuuji raised his bow. "Haste!"
The enchantment rippled through the party. Lira darted forward, blades flashing. The Cleric chanted behind her, light gathering in her hands.
The serpent struck again, tail whipping — too fast.
"Thorn Bind Hostage!"
Thorned Roots burst from the ground, snaring the creature mid-strike. Its thrashing slowed, giving the Igorot warrior enough time to leap and cleave down. The vines snapped, causing explosive damage to run through the serpent's body. It dissolved into shards of light.
They dropped coral fragments, old coins, and crafting mats.
"Not bad for early run trash," the Bard commented.
"Nice catch!" Lira called.
Seryuuji nodded, brushing a hand across his interface. "Reaction time's better now. Guess I'm not that rusty."
They pressed onward — through flooded courtyards, across fallen pillars, into the temple's darkened halls. Inside, carvings glowed faintly on the walls — figures of dragons and suns, gods and mortals.
At the center stood a mural: a serpent devouring the moon.
"The Bakunawa myth," Seryuuji murmured. "From Visayan lore. But look — that sigil below it. That's not from any previous event."
"Means we're close to a trigger zone," Seryuuji said, glancing at the minimap on his HUD.
The Sorcerer adjusted his interface. "New quest marker detected. Hidden trigger?"
As they reached the temple's main hall, the water shimmered — and then, the floor collapsed.
"Contact!" Lira shouted.
Before they could act, the ground trembled.
A low rumble rolled through the temple — like a beast stirring beneath the earth. The water at their feet rippled outward, and then—
A colossal shape burst from below.
A true Bakunawa, vast and luminous, coiled around the ruined spires, scales gleaming like moonlight over the sea.
"Boss event!" Lira shouted. "Positions!"
The Bard struck a chord; a protective melody rippled through them.
The Cleric raised her staff, summoning shields of light.
Seryuuji's hands moved on instinct — Astral Hypno, Mind Bolt, Overrunner.
The large serpent roared, breaking the sleep effect Astral Hypno caused, sending waves crashing across the chamber. Its health bar stretched nearly the width of the screen —
[Raid-class Entity: The Devourer of Moons (Lv. 65)]
Seryuuji's pulse quickened. This wasn't just another hunt.
This was the SEA Server at its finest — danger, myth, beauty.
Harana scattered in a fluid, practiced rhythm. The Cleric activated shields, the Bard shifted to tempo buffs, and Seryuuji began chaining support enchantments.
"Reflex Boost!Haste!Thorn Bind Hostage!"
Thorn Vines erupted from the ground, briefly snaring one of the serpent's fins. The Igorot warrior dove in, cleaving through, the vines exploded. Lightning from the Sorcerer arced across its scales, filling the chamber with flashes of blue-white light.
"Tail swipe incoming!" Lira warned.
They rolled back as a shockwave crashed through the water, shattering stone and columns.
"Both fighter health at 40%!" the Cleric shouted. "My MP is running low!"
Seryuuji chain casted spells back and forth. "Mana Transfer! Elixir! You're covered — heal them! Astral Bind!" Purple astral chains surrounded the serpent, immobilizing him
"Debuff Incoming!Gain Immunity!" Seryuuji casted on Lira, buffing her with immunity to debuffs for a short time. "Healer! Cast Dispel Magic once debuff hits!" He shouted.
"Roger!" The cleric answered back.
The Bard's melody surged, boosting attack rates. The serpent screamed, light spilling from its eyes and mouth. Debuffs spewed out from the serpent's gaze
"Push!" Lira called. "Final phase!"
"Dispel Magic!" The cleric casted. Removing all debuffs from the allies "2 minutes cooldown. Gotta make this quick!" She noted.
Seryuuji's bow hummed with the faint glow of enchantments — purely cosmetic, but satisfying. He loosed three arrows in quick succession, weaving Thorn Bind Hostage with rapid shots from his arrow. Arrows hit the vines exploding on the way. The last arrow struck the serpent's forehead.
"Critical!" Seryuuji yelled. "Finish it!"
The Igorot warrior roared, leaping high and slamming both axes into the boss's skull.
The last echo of battle faded into the sound of waves lapping against broken stone.
The Devourer's colossal body dissolved into motes of blue light that scattered like stardust into the sea.
The chamber fell silent except for the fading echo of waves.
A massive loot chest materialized before them — ornate, sea-green, trimmed with gold.
"Loot window's open!" the Sorcerer said excitedly. "Everyone, lets go!"
___________________________________________
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then the system chimed.
[RAID COMPLETE: The Devourer of Moons has been defeated!]
[Harana Party (6/6) recorded First Clear on SEA Server!]
Cheers broke through the silence.
"First clear, baby!" the Bard yelled, fist-pumping. "We beat the entire server to it!"
Lira grinned, adrenaline still burning through her voice. "We did it before anyone else hit phase three! Hell yes!"
"Screenshot that!" the Cleric added, laughing. "We're legends now!"
The loot chest emerged from the floor in a column of light, ornate and humming faintly like something alive. The interface pulsed as items rolled across everyone's HUD.
[Rolling for Loot…]
Names flickered. Numbers climbed.
[Seryuuji has rolled 97 on the Unidentified Weapon Drop.]
The Berserker groaned. "Dude, your RNG is cursed."
"Or blessed" the Bard said. "Depending which side you're on."
"Beginner's luck," Seryuuji said, trying — and failing — to hide a grin.
He tapped the chest, and the holographic window unfurled in front of him. The loot chest shimmered open before him. Inside was something that looked carved from morning light and coral.
[Item Acquired: Bow of the Dawn Tides – Phantasmal-Class]
Everyone froze.
"…wait. Did that just say Phantasmal-Class?" the Sorcerer asked slowly.
The Cleric blinked. "That's higher than Artifact-Class. Are those even real drops?"
"Not on this server" Lira murmured. "Until now."
Before anyone could react further, the sky above the ruins shimmered with light.
Then, across every player's screen — from Manila to Bali, Hanoi to Singapore — the system announced:
________________________________________
⚜ GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT ⚜
A new Phantasmal-Class Weapon has been discovered on the Southeast Server!
[Player: Seryuuji] has obtained [Bow of the Dawn Tides]
after the defeat of The Devourer of Moons (Lv. 65) in The Batangas Ruins.
Server Milestone Recorded.
Item Registered in the Elder Tale Relic Index.
Let the tides remember this name.
_________________________________________
Across the SEA server, guild chats exploded. Trade hubs froze mid-auction. And in Manila, dozens of players suddenly whispered the same name: Seryuuji
The party stood in stunned silence as the announcement faded.
"Global ping" the Bard said, half laughing, half horrified. "You just hit celebrity status, man."
The Sorcerer clapped Seryuuji's shoulder. "Enjoy the spam. Your inbox is about to drown."
Lira laughed, shaking her head. "You've officially become Harana's poster boy."
"I haven't even decided to join yet" Seryuuji said and chuckled.
Seryuuji only stared at the weapon.
The Bow of the Dawn Tides shimmered faintly in his hands — sleek coral curves intertwined with runes that pulsed like ocean currents. It felt alive, the kind of item that wasn't just forged, but remembered.
He opened the stats panel.
____________________________________
Bow of the Dawn Tides
Phantasmal-Class / Unique (SEA Server Exclusive)
"Forged when the seas were one, this bow once sang beside its twin — the Stormcaller's Oath — across the eastern archipelago. When the world divided, so did their song."
Base Attack: 188–240
Magic Amplification: +12%
Passive Effect:Tide Resonance — Increases duration of support and enchantment spells when near bodies of water.
Growth Factor: Synchronizes with wielder's mana signature, evolving attributes based on combat style and emotional state.
Unidentified Sub-Effect Detected: Requires Appraisal Lv.4+.
_____________________________________
Lira whistled softly. "That's beyond rare. A growth-type Phantasmal? I've only ever read about those on the dev forums."
The Bard leaned in. "Man, that's insane synergy for an Enchanter. That bow literally wants you to use it."
Seryuuji traced a finger along its surface. The light followed his touch like ripples on water. "It's… reactive. Feels like it's breathing."
Lira crossed her arms, smiling. "Looks like the sea picked its new archer."
Then, after a pause: "So? What do you say? Harana could use someone like you. We run exploration raids weekly, and if that bow ties into a hidden chain, we'll need you to unlock it."
The invitation hung between them — warm, genuine, tempting.
Seryuuji met her gaze, then smiled faintly. "I appreciate it. Really. But… I think I need to walk my own path for a while."
Lira blinked. "You're refusing after a Phantasmal drop?"
He chuckled softly. "It's not that I don't trust you all. You're a good team — one of the best I've seen. But I've always learned by feeling out the world myself. Testing where the stories go before joining one."
Lira studied him for a moment, then nodded, a small smirk curving her lips. "You sound like every legend before they became one."
"Let's hope I just don't become a cautionary tale" he replied lightly.
She extended a hand. "Then promise me one thing — if that bow starts showing quest lines, Harana gets the first dibs."
Seryuuji shook her hand, firm but respectful. "Deal."
A soft chime followed — the party disbanding, loot distributed.
As the others warped back to Manila, he lingered a moment longer in the ruins, the waves whispering against stone.
He drew the Bow of the Dawn Tides, testing its pull. The string hummed like the edge of a song — distant, patient, and waiting to be remembered.
He smiled to himself. "Alright then… let's see what you're trying to tell me."
And with that, he vanished into the shimmer of teleport light — a solo Enchanter, now carrying a relic that had awakened an entire server.
The warp gate's blue light faded, and the sounds of Manila City returned — the rhythm of merchants, the hum of spells, and the buzz of excitement spreading like wildfire through the plaza.
_____________________________________
[World Chat – SEA Server]
[Trader_Bali]: WHO IS SERYUUJI?! PHANTASMAL DROP OMG!
[AkibaVeteran]: SEA finally gets world-tier loot, huh? Damn.
[Guild_Notice: Harana] > The Batangas Raid first clear achieved! Grats to all members (and guests).
[Manila_LFParty]: Any info on Bow of the Dawn Tides? Growth factor confirmed??
[KyotoGuild – JP]: Interesting. So the SEA relics are finally waking up…
[GM_Bulletin]: Please refrain from spamming the world channel. Logging this event for archive.
_____________________________
Seryuuji stepped out of the teleport circle, his red hair catching the torchlight. Eyes followed him from every direction — curious players, opportunistic traders, guild scouts already trying to send friend requests.
[Private Message: Unknown User]
"Congrats on the drop! Wanna sell or trade? Name your price."
He sighed, closing his HUD. "And so it begins."
The fountain plaza — normally cheerful — now buzzed with speculation. Some players whispered, others recorded short clips for in-game boards. The moment felt surreal; he'd gone from a wandering Enchanter to a server-wide headline in one night.
He ducked through a side street toward Intramuros District, where the cobblestones shifted from bright city pavement to moss-covered stone. The capital's historic quarter had been reborn in Elder Tale as the Scholar's Ward, a place for crafters, archivists, and Appraisers.
Glowing sigils floated above the archway:
Knowledge is the truest enchantment.
Past the gates, the noise faded into quiet hums of magic. Crystals levitated over stalls, NPC scribes transcribed books that re-wrote themselves, and a faint scent of parchment and saltwater hung in the air.
Seryuuji stopped in front of a small wooden building marked by a swinging sign:
Appraiser's Atelier – Estrella & Sons (Lv.4 Certified)
He stepped inside. Bells chimed softly.
Behind the counter stood an elderly NPC woman, her avatar styled in traditional baro't saya — a fusion of cloth and light. Her nameplate read: Estrella (Appraiser Lv.6).
"Welcome, Sir" she said, voice warm but sharp. "You bring the scent of the tide. What is it you seek to unveil?"
Seryuuji unslung the bow and placed it gently on the counter. "I need an appraisal. Phantasmal-class item. Growth type."
Estrella's eyes widened slightly. "Ah. The world moves quickly tonight."
She waved her hand, summoning scanning glyphs that circled the bow in slow, methodical rings of light. The air rippled faintly with a low hum — not unlike ocean waves.
[Appraisal in Progress: 0% → 35% → 67%...]
The runes around the bow flickered, changing color. Estrella frowned.
"Interesting. This weapon's core mana does not belong to the current epoch."
Seryuuji tilted his head. "Epoch?"
She nodded. "Elder Tale's relics are coded after cycles — ages of myth rewritten into data. This bow bears a signature from the 'Dawn Epoch.' That predates the current era by… oh, at least two world resets."
The scanner pulsed once more, and the system message appeared.
_______________________________
[Appraisal Complete – Hidden Lore Unlocked]
Bow of the Dawn Tides(Phantasmal-Class, Growth Relic)
"Forged when the seas were one, this bow once sang beside its twin — the Stormcaller's Oath — across the eastern archipelago. When the world divided, so did their song."
Base Attack: 188–240
Magic Amplification: +12%
Passive Effect:Tide Resonance — Increases duration of support and enchantment spells when near bodies of water.
Growth Factor: Synchronizes with wielder's mana signature, evolving attributes based on combat style and emotional state.
Hidden Trait:Echo of the Twin Songs – Resonates faintly with "Stormcaller's Oath" (Yamato Region).
Sub-effect (Locked): Unlocks when both relics harmonize.
Status: 1 of 2 Relics Awakened.
________________________________
Seryuuji frowned.
"So… there's another one. In Yamato?"
Estrella inclined her head.
"Yes. Two relics bound by the same ocean. The other vanished decades ago, before the great regional divide. Some say the Stormcaller's Oath was the prototype for Yamato's old Weather Systems — before the game's lore split into shards."
He stared at the bow, the glow pulsing in rhythm with distant thunder. "Then this thing isn't just loot," he murmured. "It's history."
Estrella smiled faintly. "And you, child of the southern tides, may be the first to remind the world that the sea remembers everything."
_________________________________
[System Notification: Relic Questline Unlocked – "The Ballad of Two Dawns."]
Objective: Locate the Stormcaller's Oath (Yamato Region).
Note: Cross-regional resonance may destabilize mana fields. Proceed with caution.
_________________________________
He left the appraisal shop with more questions than answers.
The streets were calmer now. Only a few players lingered, watching from a distance — whispering, snapping screenshots, tagging his name in guild chat.
Then came a message ping.
_________
[Whisper: HaranaGuild_Lira]
"We're heading the next Manila defense raid this weekend. You'd fit right in."
"Harana's always got space for someone who fights for the coast."
__________
Seryuuji smiled softly, fingers hovering over his response.
[Reply: Seryuuji]
"Thanks, Lira. Really. But I think I need to understand this relic first."
"It's… singing to something out there. I want to find out what."
__________
[Whisper: HaranaGuild_Lira]
"Fair enough. Just don't disappear, ha? SEA's proud of you."
__________
He looked toward the horizon — where the sea stretched endlessly northward, to where the servers once touched, and where Yamato's storms still brewed unseen.
The Bow of the Dawn Tides hummed faintly. Somewhere beyond, its twin was calling.
"Then let's go find out what it is" he murmured.
_______________________________
The night air in Manila shimmered with faint magic.
Out on the breakwater, the sea reflected the lantern lights of the Adventurer's District — a blend of coral glow and neon sigils. Beyond the horizon, faint auroras flickered over the water: the Fairy Ring Grid.
To most players, they were just background scenery — a network of ancient portals long since broken by the Partition Update. But to veterans, and to those who trawled the deep corners of Elder Tale's forums, they were something else entirely.
Rumor said that on certain nights, for a few minutes at a time, Fairy Rings could sync across regional servers — linking worlds that were supposed to be isolated.
Tonight, one of them had lit up off the Batangas Coast.
Seryuuji watched from the city walls as threads of light shimmered over the sea, bending into a ring formation that pulsed faintly with rhythm. His HUD flickered, a low tone chiming in his ear.
___________________________
[System Whisper: Unstable Fairy Ring Detected]
Connected Region: Yamato Server – Akihabara Node.
Status: Sync window 00:18:47 remaining.
___________________________
He blinked. "Akihabara? That's… impossible."
Even as a SEA native, Seryuuji knew that name. The City of Adventurers, the heart of the Yamato server, where the first guild alliances had risen after the Catastrophe.
And now, somehow, a Fairy Ring off the Manila coast was linked to it — however briefly.
The Bow of the Dawn Tides on his back vibrated softly, threads of light crawling along its carved limbs.
Its resonance matched the rhythm of the ring on the water.
____________________________________
The next morning, a courier NPC found him at the inn, carrying a scroll stamped with a red hibiscus crest — the mark of Harana Guild.
To: Seryuuji
"Emergency Council.
Topic: Unstable Fairy Ring sync — Batangas coast.
Your item matches the flavor text in this quest line.— Lira, Guild Captain"
He smiled faintly. "So they noticed too."
Harana's guild hall sat high above the bay, built from coral stone and capiz shell — a masterpiece of SEA craftsmanship. The interior buzzed with players analyzing data screens, mana resonance charts, and forum threads projected in the air.
"Glad you made it" said Lira, waving him over. Her crimson hair was tied back with a gold ribbon, her kris sword hanging from her belt, a deadly blade.
She pointed to a glowing map. "Here's the current Fairy Ring grid. These rings are normally locked — local teleportation only — but last night, one of them linked to a foreign sector."
Seryuuji squinted at the pattern. The grid showed dozens of glowing nodes across SEA, but one shimmered differently — Batangas → Akihabara.
He frowned. "That's a cross-server path."
"Exactly." Lira tapped the node, and text flickered above it.
Connection logged on player forums: [r/SEA_Travelers / FairyRing_Sync_Tracker].
"The community's already on it" she explained. "Players from both regions have been trying to predict these syncs for months. They post schedules, track coordinates, and even organize cross-server 'ghost raids' when the rings overlap."
Seryuuji chuckled softly. "Old-school forum adventuring. I thought that stuff died with the beta builds."
"Apparently not" Lira said, smiling. "Last night's sync lasted eighteen minutes. During that time, a single data transmission crossed through — from Akihabara."
She handed him a scroll. The text shimmered faintly, its characters written in Runic Japanese — but translated automatically by the system.
____________________________________
The Message from Akihabara
To the One Who Holds the Tidesong
"The Stormcaller stirs again.
When the Fairy Rings align, the sea will sing twice — once from Yamato, once from the Dawn Coast.
Seek the First Tide Shrine of Palawan.
There, the harmony begins anew."
— Amane of the Crescent Moon Alliance (Akihabara Server)
Seryuuji's expression hardened slightly. "Crescent Moon… isn't that one of Akihabara's known guilds."
Lira nodded. "The forums say they've been mapping Akihabara's side of the rings for weeks. If this message came through, they must have used the sync window to piggyback the transmission."
He looked down at his bow. It pulsed once — faint, gentle, like an echo of distant thunder.
"Then they're hearing the same resonance we are."
_______________________________
Later that day, he returned to Estrella, the NPC appraiser of Manila. The old woman was already expecting him — her eyes sharp, her tone quiet.
"The sea hums again" she said softly. "You've felt it."
Seryuuji nodded, placing the bow on her counter. "It reacted to a Fairy Ring connected to Akihabara."
Estrella's eyes glowed faintly. "Ah… then the other song awakens. The Bow of the Dawn Tides was always meant to listen to the Stormcaller's Oath. Two halves of one melody — split by man, united by the sea."
______________________
[System Log Updated]
Cross-Server Relic Connection: Active (Akihabara Node)
Duration: Unstable, Sync Limited to Fairy Ring Schedule
______________________
She traced the glowing wood with her fingers. "You have something precious, Seryuuji. A relic that remembers what the world forgot."
He smiled faintly. "Then I guess I'll have to follow the clues."
That night, as he stood once more by the docks, the forum updates scrolled across his HUD.
____________________________
[FairyRing_Sync_Tracker Forum Post – 22:47]
"Next cross-server window predicted between SEA (Palawan) ↔ Yamato (Akihabara).
ETA: 36 hours."
"Participants: limited. Intermittent stability. Prepare backup mana links."
— Pinned by Moderator: CrescentMoon_Amane
______________________________
[Questline Updated – "The Ballad of Two Dawns"]
Objective: Investigate the Tide Shrine in Palawan before the next Fairy Ring sync.
Bonus Objective: Establish stable mana resonance through Bow of the Dawn Tides.
The waves lapped softly against the docks. The bow hummed again, this time clearer — a note of promise.
Seryuuji smiled, tightening his gloves.
"Palawan first" he murmured. "Then… Akihabara."
______________________________
The journey to Palawan was no simple fast-travel hop.
Since the Partition Update, long-distance teleportation had been restricted to linked city nodes — and Palawan wasn't one of them. To reach it, adventurers had to take the Sea Serpent Ferry, a player-run transport that crossed the Dawn Coast every few in-game hours.
Seryuuji leaned against the ship's railing, watching the horizon shift from the gold of Manila's skyline to the azure vastness of open water. Harana's strike party gathered near the bow — five players in total.
There was Lira, their guild leader, her Kris sword strapped beside a curved blade; Trent, a short but fierce Monk with brass gauntlets; Vellian, a Sorcerer whose staff looked more like a tuning fork; Kai, a healer and field alchemist; and Seryuuji, the party's Archer, Enchanter and Scribe.
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[Party Chat – Harana Expedition]
Lira:"Forum trackers say the next Fairy Ring sync starts in about four hours."
Kai:"Plenty of time to scout the ruins."
Tama:"As long as no sea monsters decide we look tasty."
Seryuuji:"Let's hope they remember the last patch nerfed them."
The chat burst into laughing emotes.
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When the ferry docked, the island of Palawan spread out like a paradise — cliffs overgrown with vines, white sands glimmering under a simulated sun, and ancient ruins half-submerged in clear water.
The Tide Shrine stood in the center of a shallow lagoon. Coral spires twisted upward like frozen waves, and floating mana sigils orbited its center in a slow, rhythmic pulse.Players had posted about this place before — "a dead dungeon," they called it — no loot, no enemies, just strange sounds and useless lore items.
But now, the air was different.
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[System Notification]
Fairy Ring Sync Window Approaching.
Linked Region: Yamato Server — Akihabara Node.
Stability: 62%.
_____________________
The lagoon began to glow faintly blue.
The same resonance Seryuuji had felt before now pulsed through the water, matching the rhythm of his Bow of the Dawn Tides.
He approached the shrine's center, the team watching closely. Lira strummed her lute once, sending out a harmonic pulse that stabilized the ambient mana.
"Resonance locked" she said. "Seryuuji, you're up."
He stepped forward, placing the bow on a raised altar of coral and stone.
Light rippled outward, tracing runes across the floor — not SEA runes, but Yamato glyphs.
"Confirmed," murmured Vellian. "That's Akihabara's signal."
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[System Log Updated]
Inter-Server Fairy Ring Resonance Detected.
Do you wish to initiate contact with linked region?[Y/N]
_______________________
Seryuuji hesitated for only a moment.
"Y."
__________________________
A beam of light shot skyward. The lagoon's surface mirrored it, forming a shimmering vertical gate — water and magic folding into a circular frame.
Static filled his HUD for a moment, and then—
[Inter-Server Whisper Connection Established]
A faint voice came through, distorted but audible.
"—Akihabara node responding. This is Amane of the Crescent Moon Alliance. We're detecting your signal. Who's holding the resonance core?"
Seryuuji stepped forward. "This is Seryuuji, from the Manila server — Dawn Coast branch. I'm using the Bow of the Dawn Tides."
"Then you're the one our signal reached." Her tone softened. "We've confirmed your item is the counterpart to the Stormcaller Harp. It's reacting to the item across the server barriers."
"Then the legend's true" Lira muttered. "Twin relics — one of sea, one of storm."
"The rings are weakening faster than we thought" Amane's voice continued. "Our mages believe they're fragmenting because of a corrupted process within the Akihabara grid. If the Dawn Coast's rings destabilize too, both servers could lose access permanently."
Seryuuji clenched his fists. "So this connection isn't just a miracle — it's a warning."
"Exactly. If the Bow's resonance keeps syncing to the harp's melody, you might be able to stabilize the grid from your side. But… we'll need to stay in touch." Static crackled again. The ring began to flicker.
"Amane?" Seryuuji called out.
"Keep in touch" she said, her voice fading. "When the next quest opens, follow the clues…"
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[Connection Lost]
Fairy Ring Sync Window Closed.
________________
Silence fell over the lagoon, broken only by the soft rush of waves.
Seryuuji picked up his bow — its glow dimmed but steady.
Lira exhaled. "Well. That was definitely not a normal dungeon."
Kai smirked. "Cross-server diplomacy through ancient MMO item drops. Never thought I'd see the day."
Vellian opened his menu, tapping rapidly. "The forums are already blowing up. Someone spotted the Akihabara node glowing in their world at the same time we activated ours. We just made history."
Seryuuji smiled faintly. "Let's hope it's the kind worth remembering."
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[Quest Updated – "The Ballad of Two Dawns"]
New Objective: Investigate the origin of the Bow of the Dawn Tides and its link to the Stormcaller Harp.
Sub-Objective: Monitor Fairy Ring resonance across the Dawn Coast until next cross-server event.
________________________
The bow pulsed once, releasing a low tone that echoed across the lagoon.
________________________
[System Warning: Resonance Overload Detected]
Cross-Server Mana Link Exceeding Safe Parameters.
Stabilizing Attempt: FAILED.
________________________
Seryuuji's eyes widened. "Wait—what?"
The lagoon blazed with light, the Fairy Ring roaring like a hurricane.
His interface overloaded with system alerts.
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[GLOBAL SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
⚠️ Phantasmal-class Relic Interference Detected.
Initiating Automatic Synchronization Protocol.
Player Selected: Seryuuji (SEA Server).
Transfer Path: SEA → Yamato (Akihabara Node).
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[SEA SERVER CHAT]
Chat: "NO WAY HE'S GETTING TRANSFERRED???"
Chat: "FIRST EVER CROSS-SERVER PLAYER OMG"
Chat: "BRO HE'S BEING TELEPORTED FOR REAL!!!"
Lira reached out, shouting, "Seryuuji! Cancel the sync! You'll—"
Too late.
The Fairy Ring flared white, engulfing his avatar completely.
The screen blurred, then cut to black.
For a few seconds, the SEA stream went silent.
Then — a new feed appeared.
Different environment. Different chat language.
The camera reset to a new server HUD overlay:
[Yamato Server – Akihabara Capital Plaza]
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[WORLD EVENT NOTIFICATION]
🌊 "For the first time since the Partition Update, an Adventurer has crossed servers."
Player 'Seryuuji' of the SEA Server has arrived in Yamato (Akihabara Node).
Associated Item: Bow of the Dawn Tides (Phantasmal-class, Growth-type Relic).
_________________________
The plaza erupted in fireworks and chaos. Players spammed emotes, screenshots, and cheers. Within minutes, hashtags like #TideTraveler and #SeryuujiCrossed trended across both regions.
Hundreds of Japanese players turned toward him. His tag now read:
[SEA Traveler – Seryuuji]
Seryuuji's character stood in the middle of the Akihabara Plaza, still glowing faintly from the transfer beam. The crowd around him cheered at first — the event had been a global spectacle. Players waved, streamed, and took screenshots.
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[YAMATO SERVER CHAT]
Chat: "SEA PLAYER OMG!"
Chat: "Seryuuji-senpai!!"
Chat: "FIRST CROSS-SERVER IN HISTORY!!!"
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Then the crowd began to disperse as the novelty wore off.
Seryuuji opened his main menu — and froze.
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[Error: Home Server Connection Lost]
Guild: N/A – Unavailable (SEA Server offline to this session)
Friend List: Data cannot be retrieved.
Return Function: Disabled.
_________________________
"Wait… what?" he muttered aloud. He refreshed, re-logged, even tried system repair commands. Nothing.
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[Elder Tale SEA Forum – General Chat]
Thread: [LIVE] Seryuuji Transferred to Yamato!!
>Ruffian:"His name's still online on the SEA guild roster but can't DM him."
>Tamakai:"Harana guild says his player data ghosted — like he's still logged in but in no channel."
>AdminMod:"Investigating reports of desync between SEA and Yamato player instances."
>Lira (verified):"We've lost contact. Seryuuji can't message or whisper us. Devs are silent."
>Ruffian:"Dude's literally stuck across servers…"
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[YAMATO SERVER CHAT]
[Seryuuji]: "Can anyone tell me how to use the return command? My SEA client menu's not showing up."
[Amane]: "It won't. The Fairy Ring sync failed mid-transfer. You're running on Yamato architecture now."
[Seryuuji]: "So I'm… stuck here?"
Amane]: "Until they reopen the Ring, yeah. You're effectively… a guest stranded in a foreign server."
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Players nearby began whispering. Some offered items. Others just stared — the kind of fascinated awe reserved for rare bugs and living legends.
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[Elder Tale Newswire | Breaking]"SEA Player Becomes Stranded in Japan Server After World Event."
Reports confirm that player Seryuuji (SEA Server) was transferred via the Palawan Fairy Ring event and is unable to return.
Developers have not commented on whether this was intentional lore progression or a synchronization failure.
Fans have begun calling him "The Tidewalker."
_________________________
Amane led him into a quiet meeting room lit by hanging lanterns. The chatter outside was still buzzing about the incident.
"You're not the first player to trigger something strange" she said, pulling up a holo of his character data. "But you're the first whose data anchor didn't reset. That means your identity tag's locked here."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning you're technically a Yamato player now — but your SEA progress, inventory backups, and guild access are all unreachable."
Seryuuji rubbed the back of his neck. "So… I'm just here. Alone."
She smiled gently. "Not alone. Just… adrift."
[System Notice]
Your status has been updated.
New Title Earned: "Tidewalker – The One Between Worlds."
Effect: Cross-server relic resonance +5%.
The Bow of the Dawn Tides pulsed faintly, reacting to the change. Somewhere deep within its code, the connection to SEA still lingered — a faint, unreachable rhythm.
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[Yamato Forum – Player News]
Topic: The SEA Enchanter who never logged out
>Windshade:"He's still online. Same location every night. Training near the shrine outskirts."
>Lune:"He's making a name for himself here. People say he's soloing mid-tier dungeons to learn local mechanics."
>Windshade:"Crazy part? The dev tracker still lists his region as SEA."
>Lune:"He's like a ghost between servers."
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[Elder Tale Online – Official Post]Title: Cross-Server Experiment Terminated
Date: [System Timestamp: +14 Days after Palawan Event]
Following unexpected desynchronization, the Fairy Ring Network between SEA and Yamato has been permanently deactivated.
Data trace from Player Seryuuji (SEA) confirmed stable but non-transferrable.
The character will remain active within the Yamato ecosystem indefinitely.
We thank players for their understanding.
— Elder Tale Development Team, Joint SEA/Yamato Ops
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Weeks passed. The Crescent Moon Alliance took him in. They called him The Tidewalker now — not as a title, but a habit of speech. It became part of Yamato's living legend.
He learned to live like any other local adventurer. Gathering quests, escort missions, raids — the rhythm of a server that had never known him, yet gradually accepted his presence.
[Guild Chat – Crescent Moon]
Amane:"Got room in the Akiba defense run?"
Seryuuji:"On my way. Still weird not seeing the SEA chat tabs."
Rin:"You're one of us now, right? You belong in this timezone."
Seryuuji:"Guess I do."
He smiled faintly at that.
Every so often, he'd still wake at dawn in-game, walk to the Akiba tower walls, and look east — toward where the Manila data grid used to be .The Bow of the Dawn Tides pulsed softly, as if it remembered too.
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SEA Server – Months Later
In Manila, Elder Tale SEA moved on.
The Harana Guild's roster kept his name, dimmed out but never deleted. Lira refused to remove him. The guild lore section even had a short note pinned at the top:
"Seryuuji — our scribe, our enchanter, the one who crossed the sea." "If you ever see him in Yamato, tell him Harana remembers."
Screenshots of his Yamato adventures circulated in forums and fan pages. People in SEA would sometimes visit the Palawan coast in-game — the now-quiet event zone — and leave items near the broken Fairy Ring as a kind of memorial.
"For the Tidewalker." "Come home, if ever it opens again."
But the gate never opened. And the patch notes never mentioned it again.
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Yamato – One Year Later
[System Message – Anniversary Event]
Celebrating 1 Year Since The Ballad of Two Dawns.
Special NPC Appearance: "The Tidewalker of the South."
Location: Akihabara Plaza.
Seryuuji stood by the fountain, surrounded by curious new players. Some thought he was an NPC — his nameplate grey, his title shining with a unique effect no one else had.
Chat: "Wait, that's a real player?"
Chat: "He's from another world."
Chat: "No way— that event was a year ago."
He didn't correct them anymore. He simply smiled and waved when someone bowed or typed "/respect."
Then, quietly, he drew the Bow of the Dawn Tides — the relic that had carried him here — and fired one arrow into the sky. The projectile burst into a faint aurora of blue light, forming the shape of a distant coastline before fading.
[System Notice]:
The Bow of the Dawn Tides remembers the sea.
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Night in Akihabara.
Seryuuji stood by the river, the moonlight reflecting on the water's surface — pixels pretending to be waves.
He whispered softly, "If you're still out there, Lira… don't worry. I made it."
Then he turned toward the city lights — where new raids waited, new guildmates laughed, and the world carried on —a different shore, but still a home.
[System Tag Updated]
Seryuuji — Adventurer of Yamato
Origin: SEA (Legacy)
Title: The Tidewalker.