《The Chaos》 Ki When was the last time you let loose? Ki read off a flyer taped to a window in a small street parlor. It depicted a scantly clad woman pressing her breasts together as her eyes lured the onlooker to take what she had to offer. Ki didn¡¯t take a second glance and instead landed upon another flyer on the window. There wasn¡¯t anything depicted on this flyer; Only black text in a simple font over a white background. It said: You don¡¯t belong here and we don¡¯t want you. You know who you are. Do us a favor and we can get you home. Ki¡¯s lips twitched. He looked inside the parlor, past the multiple posters covering the window. There were five people he could see dispersed throughout the parlor. Standing in the middle of the parlor was a middle-aged woman with a toddler boy holding her hand. The woman looked at the small boy as he pointed at something on the wall. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. While in the back, an older fellow, behind a small wooden counter, talked to two teenage boys. The old man had kind eyes and chuckled as the two boys were arguing about something that Ki couldn¡¯t hear. A faint smile twisted on his face. Not that anyone could see that. No one on the street dared to look in his direction. They all were going about their business. Some had umbrellas in their hands, waiting for the rain to come from the dark clouds above. Others were just strolling through the area with nothing better to do. The lights flickered inside the parlor. The mother looked at where her son was pointing at. The old man curiously looked at the ceiling as the two teenage boys continued their bickering. Ki continued his leisurely walk on the sidewalk. Humming as the rain began to fall. ¡°I haven¡¯t let loose in a while,¡± Ki said to no one in particular. ¡­And then an explosion erupted behind him. Liz On the outskirts of a small village, a teenage girl traveled alone through the dense forest that inhabited the mountaintop. The Blue Star had long fallen beneath the depths, allowing the Darkness to climb up again. This girl, her name is Liz, short for Elizabeth, was wearing ragged clothing that was not befitting for the beginning of this year¡¯s winter chill. Yet, she seemed unbothered by the cold sting as she trudged through the dark woodland. Carelessly, she crunched dead leaves beneath her feet and let fierce breaths escape her lungs. Wild beasts lurked in the forest at night and any out-of-place sound could immediately alert them to the traveler¡¯s position. But that was kind of the point. Liz wasn¡¯t planning on going back to her village tonight or going anywhere else for that matter. One way or another, she was hoping to die tonight. Recently, at the brothel she worked at, she had overheard talk of a monster roaming closely to the village. She didn¡¯t care how she died, as long as she was dead before the blue star rose from the abyss again. A certain cliff came to Liz¡¯s mind should the monster not sniff her out. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Which turned out to be a short-lived thought as a shadowy figure leaped from behind a tree a short distance from Liz. Despite wishing for this, she still got startled and stepped away from it as she held a hand to her chest. Her eyes closed tight, anticipating an attack and then a sweet relief. None of that came. She opened her eyes to see the shadowy figure still standing where it jumped out to. Its skin seemed darker and rougher than her own, but it stood on two feet like her. That was unheard of for wild beasts. Except its eyes had the bright and dilated pupils that were commonly associated with the beasts as well. Not that any of that mattered to Liz as long as she got what she wanted. ¡°¡°Will you kill me?¡±¡± Both her and the monster said to each other. Miguel Miguel was a geek who loved all things sci-fi and fantasy-related. He dreamt of living in worlds that he read of in novels and watched on television. Except, he knew that the experience of living in such worlds could never become reality¡­ Until they did. One morning, when he was driving to school, a truck was on the wrong side of the road and heading straight towards Miguel. There was nothing he could do to avoid the truck, and then everything went black. The next thing he knew he woke up in an unfamiliar place completely naked. Not long after that, he was found by some people and taken to a facility. The only thing that he had been told in the one week that he¡¯d been at the facility was that he had been transported to a different world. Which he had already deduced on his own when the only people he had seen so far had three eyes. Normal people would have been freaking out, but Miguel was ecstatic. He had been isekai¡¯d like in some of the anime he¡¯d watched. The adventure that he had always wanted was going to become a reality, and it was all starting at a school. Yes, a school. The first place he was taken to after leaving the facility. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Miguel was seated in an auditorium with hundreds of people who had some small variations to the normal appearance that he was used to. He¡¯d been told that everyone here had also been transported from other worlds. Next to him was a dude who seemed about the same age as him, but large wings sprouted from his back. And on the other side of Miguel was a young girl with eyes where the mouth should be and vice versa. It looked like the girl had been crying, but Miguel wasn¡¯t certain about his observation. ¡°What planet are you from?¡± Miguel asked the winged dude. At first, it seemed as if he was gonna be ignored, but then the winged dude answered in a hushed tone, ¡°Icaree.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool. I came from a planet called Earth. No one there had wings. Well, except for birds I guess. Did Icaree have birds?¡± The winged dude didn¡¯t respond, but it wasn¡¯t out of rudeness. The lights had dimmed in the auditorium and a nicely dressed three-eyed man walked onto the stage. Or, more precisely, a hologram of a nicely dressed three-eyed man walked onto the stage. Miguel felt excitement billow up. ¡°Hello visitors,¡± the man said in a friendly tone, ¡°I¡¯m sure you have many questions. So do we.¡± Liz 2 The Blue Star rose again and Liz was still alive. The monster was as well. Except, as Liz came to realize, the monster wasn¡¯t a monster at all. Just an odd-looking man. She had never seen a man like him before, but he also didn¡¯t look too different than herself. The only distinguishing differences that Liz could spot were his skin and eyes. Every person Liz had ever seen had soft skin that was various shades of pink and eyes of dull colors when compared to wild beasts. The man walking silently next to her, however, had rough-looking skin that was a light shade of brown. His eyes were also much brighter than any eyes she had seen on a person before, and more closely resembled that of a beast¡¯s. She had been hoping for a beast, but instead, she got this man. A man who wanted to die just like her. ¡°Why do you want to die?¡± The man asked Liz as if he had been reading her mind. For a moment, she thought of ignoring him, but then realized she had nothing better to do than to talk to this mysterious man. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°Just curious.¡± They continued to walk silently and aimlessly through the forest as Liz gathered her thoughts. The man didn¡¯t pressure her to respond, but she still did after thinking about her reasons. ¡°Just felt like dying would be better than living, I guess.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t like where you are at, huh?¡± The man said casually. ¡°I guess you could say the same for me, but for probably different reasons.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Which are?¡± Liz poked. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me yours. Why should I tell you mine?¡± Liz stopped walking, perplexed. She had a bad habit of asking too many questions. A habit that many men have tried beating out of her. The man looked back at her, one eyebrow raised above the other. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Liz replied as she began to walk again. She caught up to him a few moments later. ¡°I work at a brothel.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. We do have different reasons.¡± The man didn¡¯t continue speaking after that. Apparently, that was all he had to say. Liz felt her cheeks burn a little, and without thinking, she jumped in front of the man, forcing him to stop walking. ¡°You said you¡¯d tell me your reason if I told you mine.¡± Liz¡¯s finger angrily pointed at the man. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Liz thought,¡± Maybe you didn¡¯t, but now I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°You probably won¡¯t understand because even I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The man sighed and then took a moment to breathe. ¡°The reason why I wanted to die¡­ is because I¡¯m not from this planet.¡± Teze Dear my Beloved, There isn¡¯t an hour in a day where I don¡¯t have you on my mind. With every passing moment, I yearn to be in your warm embrace again. After you disappeared, I spiraled into a grave depression. Life had lost its vigor without you by my side. I spent many months secluded in my room¨Ca straw away from ending it all. The only thing holding me together was the belief that you are still out there somewhere. But then, I finally realized that sulking in my own despair wouldn¡¯t solve anything. If I truly believe that you are out there somewhere, then there has to be a way for me to find you. Everything we thought we knew about this universe changed that day, and I intend to figure out its secrets. It doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Today is the first day that I¡¯m back in the lab. Micha and Darlene have agreed to help me with my endeavors. All I can do is pray for your well being and everything else should work out as it should. I¡¯ll have so many questions to ask you when I find you. And who knows, you might be actively looking for a way back right now. You¡¯re resourceful and much smarter than me. I probably shouldn¡¯t be worrying as much as I am. Micha agrees¡­ He was silently reading over my shoulder right now. You know how he is. I gave him a good wack for that. You probably would¡¯ve chuckled if you were here. Shoot, I miss that smile of yours. I¡¯ll figure out how to find you as quickly as possible, so just be strong for me, okay? Love, Teze Ki 2 The nonsensical chatter came to an abrupt halt when Ki walked into the nighttime bar. Every figure seemed like someone you wouldn¡¯t want to mess with, and he could instantly feel the bloodlust from their glares. He paid no mind to this as he approached the bartender, who seemed to be in his late forties. However, the most distinguishing characteristic of this bartender was the eyepatch on his left eye that partially covered a nasty scar that ran from his chin to his temple. Besides that, he was quite distinguished-looking¨Cas he wore a black suit and slicked back his hair. The bartender had a deep frown on his face as Ki approached. ¡°I don¡¯t serve your kind,¡± the bartender said with a low growl. The ¡®kind¡¯ he was referring to was anyone not from this world. Ki wore a black cloak with a hood that covered his face in the shadows, but the large blue horn sticking out from his forehead made it quite difficult to hide his identity. ¡°I¡¯m not looking to be served,¡± Ki replied, curtly. The bartender put the glass he¡¯d been holding on the counter. ¡°Then, what are you here for?¡± ¡°A bounty.¡± A dreadful smile fell on the bartender¡¯s face. And then the entire bar erupted into a riot of laughter. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°And what makes you think we¡¯d be of any assistance to find your guy?¡± the bartender said between some light chuckles. ¡°What makes you think my bounty is only one guy?¡± Silence fell across the bar for another moment, before everyone erupted into laughter again. And among this chorus, one large man stood up behind Ki, towering over him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys,¡± he said with a confident grin, ¡°I¡¯ll handle this self-proclaimed bounty hunter.¡± Shouts of ¡®Go easy on him!¡¯, ¡®Make it quick!¡¯, and ¡®Show him why they call you the Beard Strangler!¡¯ echoed in the bar. Ki didn¡¯t turn around to meet his opponent. He didn¡¯t need to. The ¡®Beard Strangler¡¯ was already dead. His head rolled to the feet of someone sitting nearby as the body fell backward onto the hardwood floor. The chummy laughter instantly switched to a ballistic riot. Some screamed. Others yelled. A few tried to make a break for the door. Guns and other assortment of weapons were pointed at Ki as he continued to face the bartender. But, no shots were fired and no weapons pierced him. Only the sounds of bodies and heads hitting the floor cracked inside the bar. No one had escaped. The bartender was the only one left standing. His hand trembling¨Cstruggling to handle the handgun he had pointed at Ki. Seemingly frozen to the spot he was standing. Stepping over bodies, Ki walked toward the counter and grabbed the glass that the bartender had put down. ¡°Thanks for the drink,¡± Ki said, as he turned around and headed out the door. ¡°Who are¨C¡± the bartender began to ask, but was cut short when his head slid off his shoulders. Ki drank the shot of alcohol and smashed the glass on part of the floor that wasn''t covered by a body before walking out of the bar. Miguel 2 The crowd hushed completely upon hearing the three-eyed man. Expectantly waiting for him to continue whatever speech he had prepared. Miguel¡¯s ears perked up with excitement. ¡°My name is Veltoro Errg,¡± his welcoming voice echoed so all could hear, ¡°but feel free to call me Vel. I¡¯m the acting Emperor of Gallath IV, the planet we call home. Just as you have randomly appeared here on Galloth IV, our Emperor and many of the citizens have vanished to presumably other far-off planets. The reason why this happened is currently unknown, but many of our brightest minds are trying to find a working hypothesis as we speak.¡± Some whispers ran through the crowd as Vel paused his speech for a moment. After collecting some breaths, he continued: ¡°I know all of you must be feeling a sense of dread and worry from this revelation. Being torn from your home and dragged to some unknown planet with no way of knowing if you will ever be able to return.¡± Another feeling of elated excitement rose from Miguel¡¯s stomach. ¡°We know that there is nothing we can offer here that will take that feeling away from you, but while we try to figure out how to send you home, we wish to extend a helping hand. Our goal is to get all of you acquainted with our society so you can live peacefully among us while you wait. That is what this facility is for.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Vel¡¯s hologram vanished and in his place, a hologram video of the facility played. A deep voice narrated the video as it showed multiple rooms and activities that this facility had to offer. Bedrooms, a cafeteria, an arcade, classrooms, and many other cool things flashed on the stage in the hologram. The video ended with the narrator announcing the name of the facility being called ¡®The Visitor¡¯s Club.¡¯ Miguel solely applauded as the hologram switched back to show Vel. His claps, however, were not loud enough to be heard over the chattering crowd. ¡°I hope you enjoyed the brief tour of ¡®The Visitor¡¯s Club.¡¯ For the foreseeable future, this will be your home. We hope you can all make friends with each other and with us. Now, I will take any questions that you may have. Please raise your hand or any extremity that you may possess if you wish to be called on.¡± The lights were then undimmed and hands or extremities flew above heads. Vel, unsurprised, looked among the crowd, deciding who to choose. ¡°You, the one with tentacles,¡± he said. The crowd looked at the one with tentacles, waiting for it to ask a question. ¡°I¡¯m just curious if you know why we all speak the same language?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Vel said without missing a beat, ¡°Next question.¡± Sergeant Spoon The gates of the underworld rained fire from the sky. Sergeant Spoon bit her lip as the fire crashed into the protective shield around their encampment. Visible saturations could be seen in the magic shield, meaning it would surely collapse at any minute. And when that time comes, they¡¯ll be at the mercy of their enemies. Her heart raced at the thought. She had no authority to devise a strategy to get them out of this situation, and even if she did, she wouldn¡¯t know what to do. This attack had been unprecedented. The enemy shouldn¡¯t have been able to get this close to them without an alert being sounded long before. A few soldiers gazed hopelessly at the sky, speechless. Their weapons were held loosely in their hands. Sergeant Spoon could hear one of her Privates hurl in a bush. She didn¡¯t blame him, her own stomach felt weak. The firepower being unleashed at them was overwhelming, and if the intel she had received was correct, it was only one guy¡¯s power. Magic has been an aspect of life since the start of civilization. Its usefulness ranged from normal everyday tasks to a weapon of mass destruction. Except, as far as Sergeant Spoon was aware, this amount of power shouldn¡¯t be achievable by one person. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What do we do, Ma¡¯am?¡± her corporal asked through struggling breaths. ¡°There is nothing we can do,¡± Sergeant Spoon, said bluntly. ¡°Not against that.¡± ¡°Are we gonna die?¡± The question floated through the air with no answer. She didn¡¯t know who asked it and didn¡¯t particularly care. Dreed began to sweep in through the ranks at the encampment. Soldiers cried and prayed. Others looked at pictures of loved ones. Sergeant Spoon felt no particular emotion. She¡¯d escaped death multiple times before, but now it seems that her luck has grown short. No one was waiting for her back home, anyway. Her only regret would be failing to protect her country. The bombardment came to a ceremonious end as the fire burned through the magic shield. Cries of desperation filled the encampment. A few brave souls, accepting their fate, picked up their weapons and faced the enemy. They were encircled and had nowhere to run. The best they could hope for was taking some of the enemy with them. Sergeant Spoon felt the same. ¡°If we do die,¡± she faced her small squad, ¡°Let¡¯s die stubbornly. Last one standing has bragging rights in the afterlife.¡± ¡­And then the chaos of war unfolded.