《Trouble!》 01 - 00 - Prologue I can hear explosions, screams and the faint smell of something burning reaches my nose. I try to open my eyes as I clumsily bring myself up to no avail. It¡¯s no good, I feel as though my insides were ripped to shreds as I experience nausea and exhaustion. I will myself to stand up and I force my eyes to open but what I saw can only be considered as chaos. I see people with mangled bodies while some are slowly roasted alive by the very magic that they thought would protect them. I recall that I had some companions with me and as that thought was finally processed by my sluggish mind, I realize that ¡®she¡¯ was nowhere to be found. ¡°Ali¡­? Where are you¡­?¡± I call out her name as I walk around the burning village square. I see people running scared, clutching their children close to them as though the very notion of letting them go would kill them. I can¡¯t blame them, I¡¯m no good as an adventurer myself since I can¡¯t even protect my teammates. I can feel panic building up inside my chest as I start to think that the worst happened to my companions. I can¡¯t think that way. I reprimand myself. I guess I have to do whatever I can to keep myself awake. The smoke doesn¡¯t bother me, it must be because of my training and my experiences in the field but what bothers me is the smell; the smell of a thousand burning corpses filled my head with images of dread and pain. It¡¯s not helping, really. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Ke ¨C *coughs* Keith!¡± A familiar voice. I realize that the voice was calling for me so I prepared myself and ran towards the source. As I try to go around the burning corpses while avoiding the everfire that started this whole mess, I finally find the person who called my name. ¡°It¡¯s¡­you¡­you¡¯re okay...?¡± I find my companion clutching someone familiar, someone dear to me. I can feel the exhaustion, panic and fear taking over me and I snap. I break apart only to be stopped by ¡®her¡¯ voice. I look behind me and I am reminded of the horrors of this ¡®world¡¯ and why I must be strong. I take up my sword and activate my runes. I feel electricity and fire circulating from within and without of my body. I can do this. I have to do this. 01 - 01 - Beginnings I wake up with a start; I¡¯m sweaty and I can feel my heart pounding through my shirt. It¡¯s ¡®that¡¯ dream again. I¡¯ve been having that dream for a quite some time now and while I¡¯m not particularly religious or superstitious, it has been said that dreams are an oracle from a higher power. Coincidentally, I¡¯m just a regular human being save for my abnormal bad luck and my penchant for the dangerous and the bizarre. My name is Keith. I¡¯m a simple man who likes simple things, namely napping and cooking ¨C though I say that, the only people who have ever tasted my cooking can be counted on two fingers, my instructor and my childhood friend. Anyway, I take off my shirt, wipe off my sweat and quickly wear my sports attire and walk towards the door connecting my room to the common area of the barracks. I¡¯m a Prentice Knight serving under the Princess and my Instructor could be described as ¡®Demon Incarnate¡¯ or ¡®Dreadnought¡¯ but no one has the balls to call her that to her face. For the time being, I wave to my fellow Prentices as I head towards the gymnasium on the ground floor of this complex. ¡®A healthy body is a healthy mind¡¯ or something like that, right? For someone as lazy as me, maintaining a routine as demanding as this can be troublesome if I¡¯m being nice or pointless if I¡¯m being honest but it is something that I have chosen to do, not for myself but for the benefactor that I swore to protect. I notice the lack of chattering and I wonder why everyone is being quiet, even the rowdier bunch who gather around the newer recruits to pester them for their money. Clich¨¦, I know. There are two reasons for this abnormal occurrence. It¡¯s either the Princess is here and the Officers are taking an extra measure in being a pain in our asses or my esteemed instructor is here, awaiting the idiots who demanded to be her prodigies. As I reached for the gymnasium¡¯s door, my question was answered ¨C painfully. ¡°Worthless peons, know your place!¡± ¡°Gghhhhhhuuu¡± ¡°Ughhhh!¡± The sheer force behind the voice forced me on my knees and in the gym, I can see two figures on their bellies, flapping around like freshly caught Salmon. For a minute there, I saw some weird letters coming from the shock that I received but logically speaking, I must have been imagining it. The shout managed to force me, a perfectly healthy young man on my knees and the two unfortunate souls who received the brunt of the shock are on their bellies due to mana being infused into each syllable. That¡¯s nothing just anyone can do and the mere act of infusing mana into something as small as a voice could be considered nothing short of miraculous. The only one in our unit capable of something as pointless (but admittedly, impressive) as this is my instructor. Seeing me on my knees, my instructor gives me a mischievous smile as she sizes me up, like she normally does. She may look like she¡¯s only mocking me but as she plays with her long, dark hair, I can see her brown eyes focus on the smallest details surrounding me. From the traces of the bed on the side my face that I slept on, to which arm I put in through my shirt first this morning, nothing can escape her perception. It¡¯s creepy, really. ¡°Good morning, instructor.¡± ¡°Good morning, Keith. Did you sleep well?¡± See? Nothing escapes her eyes. Even the state of my sleep is under scrutiny. I simply smile and nod at her as I proceed to do my stretches. I can see the sun teasing the skies as it wakes from its slumber through the open windows in the gymnasium. The room is simple and wooden, filled with various tools and machines to help the soldiers maintain their physical fitness. Usage of the room is free and recommended, of course, and it is big enough to have at least 30 soldiers working out at the same time. In the middle of the room is a big mat, similar to ones being used in martial artes tournaments. On that mat are the two salmons who are now back on their feet, resuming their stance. Though they were mercilessly and effortlessly forced on their stomachs, these two are among the best prentices in our batch. The larger one is called Mifumi and the slimmer female is Lin. ¡°Hey Keith. You¡¯re up early.¡± ¡°K¡­Keith?! H-hey.¡± As usual, even their greetings are varied. Mifumi is scary as usual but beneath that harsh exterior lies a heart of gold and that¡¯s one of his many problems, the Man can¡¯t bring himself to harm other creatures even in training. Lin greets me like ¡®that¡¯ again, as though she was scared of me or something. I simply smile at them while I¡¯m keeping an eye on my heart rate. Noticing me struggling, Lin calls out: If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Hey Keith. Have you eaten yet? Maybe we can have b..breakfast together?¡± ¡°Ah hey Lin. Yeah, Mifumi! Let¡¯s go have some breakfast after our training!¡± ¡°¡±Idiot¡±¡± Every day, Lin asks me to eat breakfast with her and Mifumi and every time that I accept her invitation, my instructor and Mifumi always calls me an idiot. I wonder why? I notice that Lin seems a little crestfallen so I try to cheer her up. ¡°Hey Lin.¡± ¡°W-what is it Keith?¡± ¡°I think your form looks great today. Maybe your training is really going well.¡± ¡°Oho¡± I notice Lin stammering to herself as she performs her usual kata and on the side, I can feel that my instructor is sending me a malicious gaze. Mifumi, on the other hand looks around nervously as he does his kata. ¡°Did you say that I looked great, Keith?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, you always do. Except today you look a little better than you did yesterday¡± Well I really do think that Lin is a really fast learner so her training is naturally really going well so I can¡¯t let her overtake me too much. I pick up the pace as I start my usual jumping jacks. *Shudder*¡­ I notice a particularly evil aura directed towards me. Instructor¡¯s really angry about something. Oh God. Does she know? ¡°Keith, you stupid child¡­¡± ¡°I-instructor. I¡¯m sorry but I swear on my honor that you are the only one for me.¡± Now Lin¡¯s looking at me with a demeaning sort of ¡®you heartless scum¡¯ sort of gaze. I really am scared that my instructor found out that I trained with Siegfried the other day even though having her even consider me as an apprentice is the biggest honor anyone can ever receive in this academy. I notice that Mifumi is starting to sweat heavily between his brows, he must be really feeling the burn today! Anyway, my instructor¡¯s face looks flushed and as she noticed my gaze, she coughs and manages to calm herself down. Thank God. ¡°Well, *ahem* it¡¯s good that you know Keith. I¡¯ll leave it at that.¡± ¡°Yes instructor. You are the only instructor for me. I wish I could have you teach me forever as my only teacher.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You heard me right Instructor. I will no longer have lessons with Siegfried since I have you as my Instructor.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what you meant.¡± ¡°Yes that is exactly what I meant.¡± Huh? I can feel Lin¡¯s gaze slowly becoming warm while I can feel an otherworldly tension coming from the Instructor. It seems familiar. Sweat forms from my brow and traces itself to my chin as I realize that what I¡¯m feeling is killing intent and all of it is directed at me. ¡°Activate: Runes¡± Runes are ¨C wait. This is no time to review military terms! A torrent of flame forms around my Instructor¡¯s body and the wooden room starts to creak due to the superheated aura emanating from the Instructor¡¯s well trained body. The mat around her starts to rapidly melt as the air is sucked out of the room as she stands up and starts to walk towards me. ¡°I¡­I..Instructor...?¡± ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Run Keith!!!¡± Ugggh. I find a well-aimed fist lodged in my abdomen as my vision blurs and the air is forced out of my lungs. I faintly remember what happened. The instructor blinked from her spot and instantly appeared in front of me before I could even blink. It¡¯s a highly advanced military maneuver exclusive to my instructor and right now, I experienced the full brunt of her title ¡°Laser Beam¡± and it¡¯s definitely not for show. I start to lose my consciousness as I futilely try to keep standing. It¡¯s no good. I fall down and return to the world of dreams but I vaguely hear the instructor¡¯s soft voice before I completely pass out. ¡°Idiot. Saying that I was the only one for him when he didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± It¡¯s no good, I couldn¡¯t hear what she said. Well whatever it is, it¡¯s going to be another hell of a day for me. I guarantee it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s notes Hi everyone! Alizoned here. How did you like this chapter? Let me know in the comments below. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the next chapters! 01 - 02 - Vertigo I find myself slowly stirring from my forced slumber. My body feels horrible and my head feels groggy but there¡¯s a strange yet pleasant sensation supporting it. It¡¯s soft and it smells good but that¡¯s not right, I was knocked out and my head hit the hardwood floor. Did my brain magically explode and I¡¯m currently a vegetable with various tubes attached to my body¡¯s crevices? Oh God, that¡¯s not even funny. I slowly open my eyes and as they slowly adjust to the well-lit room, I realize that I¡¯m in the infirmary and my eyes meet the prettiest golden eyes that can only belong to one person. ¡°¡­Hey, Ali.¡± ¡°Hi Keith..¡± She gives me the brightest smile that she can give and man oh man do I feel happy to be alive. Ali is my childhood friend and though that¡¯s pretty much all I know about her, I do know that she serves as the First Imperial Princess¡¯ handmaid. When I was younger, my parents passed away due to the famine so I was living day to day, doing whatever I can to earn some money just so I can survive long enough to be able to enlist in the Military so I could live the good life as a non-commissioned officer; working as a secretary or something trivial and as a non-combatant. Anyway, one day, I find Ali being chased by Knights in shiny armor and without hesitation, I took her hand and led her to my special hiding spot and that¡¯s how we became childhood friends. She found out about my life and how my parents died and she promised that she would do something about it. A few days after that, a servant from the Imperial Family came to fetch me and he informed me that the Princess wishes for me to enlist in the Military as a Prentice so I can serve her in the future as her Knight. ¡°A Knight, eh?¡± I was intrigued. Though being a Knight is dangerous this is the opportunity that I was working for all this time. I have never met the Princess though I receive her instructions from Ali from time to time and they¡¯re mostly just reminders about doing good and not slacking off. ¡°Keith, you better do well in your training. The Princess says that she wants be with you soon.¡± You know, things like that. All I know is that the Princess and Ali sure seem to be close but that¡¯s none of my business. People can be friends with whoever they want to be and I¡¯m just glad to be able to spend time with Ali though I am honestly perplexed as to why she spends what little time she has to herself with me. Well, it¡¯s probably because we¡¯re really good friends so I shouldn¡¯t think about that too much. I accept the offer from the royal family and here I am now lying on Ali¡¯s lap in the infirmary. Anyway, all this thinking ¨C wait a minute. Back up a little, Keith. I remind myself about what I thought a few moments ago. Soft. Smells good. Ali. I¡¯m lying on Ali¡¯s lap. Ali¡¯s a Woman so she should be more mindful of who she gives this service to. ¡°Ali, I¡¯m thankful for the lap pillow but could you please move? You should really be more sensitive about who you give lap pillows to.¡± ¡°Ara Keith, I was beginning to wonder why you weren¡¯t nitpicking. It seems as though the blow to your body by your beloved instructor made you even dumber. Do you think I give lap pillows to just anybody that gets injured?¡± I am taken aback by Ali¡¯s words, though they may be filled with anger and acid, I¡¯m thankful that she didn¡¯t grow up to be like ¡®that¡¯ kind of woman though she seems to misunderstand how my Instructor feels about me. I can probably proudly say that I¡¯m her favorite student but this is all for the Princess and Ali who saved me from poverty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ali. I¡¯m really thankful that I have you in my life.¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­..it¡¯s quite alright Keith.¡± She softly strokes my hair and I close my eyes as I appreciate the gentle atmosphere between us. As I was about to return to my beloved world of dreams, I hear someone gritting their teeth and someone dropping something. Oh no. I turn my head and look towards the source of the commotion and standing there are the two people who are probably the most affected by this sibling-like atmosphere between Ali and I and those two people are my Instructor and Lin. ¡°You impudent Child¡­it seems that I need to remind you about your place Keith.¡± ¡°K..Keith¡­here I was worried about you and what are you doing over there cheating on us?¡± ¡°Ara, Belle, Lin, good afternoon¡± ¡°¡±Don¡¯t talk as though this doesn¡¯t affect you Ali!¡±¡¯ Wow, that tsukkomi from my Instructor and Lin seems really out of character and cheating on them? Oh I thought that they were going to nitpick on that. See, in our unit, we have a solid bond as a family so maybe they see Ali as a threat to the closeness of our unit. I should be more sensitive to things like this. As the bickering between the Women continued, I notice the Sun at its zenith. It¡¯s lunch time. I gently remove myself from Ali¡¯s lap and I stand up and head towards Lin. ¡°Hey Lin. I know I promised to eat breakfast with you but since I couldn¡¯t, would you like to have lunch with me instead?¡± ¡°¡¯KEITH?!¡± ¡°Yes! Definitely!¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go everyone!¡± ¡°Wait, everyone?¡± ¡°What an idiot.¡± ¡°Really, an idiot among idiots.¡± The infirmary is a small room anyway so having the four of us here is really troublesome and impractical and its lunch time, skipping meals is a horrible and disrespectful thing to do. We proceed to walk towards the cafeteria situated directly across the infirmary with nothing but a well-populated field around us. I see other prentices looking at me with venom in their eyes while others are simply dumbfounded. I realize that I am walking with the 3 most desired women in our military. Ali is the cheerful type with her relaxed smile, long brown hair, golden eyes and a song-like voice. People tend to avoid her probably because she¡¯s the Princess¡¯ handmaid but I know for a fact that she has a ten thousand strong fan club, who for some reason hates my guts. Belle, my Instructor could be said to be both a beauty and a beast. She is unmatched in combat and contrasting that is her otherworldly beauty with her long black hair, brown eyes and a mature aura that seems to enchant both friend and foe alike. I heard that even Kings and Conquerors sought her hand in marriage though she politely (and when I say politely, I meant that she destroyed their military in mock combat) declined them all. Lin is a rare beauty from the Beast Race. She has short black hair and she has that ¡®little sister¡¯ vibe to her that makes people want to take care of her that contrasts with her unusually mature physique so I have to be a reliable teammate and protect her from the dangerous sort of people that are into people like her. I remember her saying something about being royalty or something but I could be wrong. Anyway I understand why everyone is either confused or angry that I¡¯m swaggering myself to the cafeteria with these 3 idols. I sent them a look that said ¡®perish in the pit of your jealousy, mortals¡¯ and I can see some of them actually fainting due to their frustration. Heh. I should do this more often. ¡°Ara, Keith seems like he¡¯s enjoying himself¡± ¡°The saying ¡®a flower in both¡¯ hands can¡¯t even apply to what¡¯s happening right now, of course he¡¯s going to be happy.¡± ¡°I agree with you both though I know what you two are up to, Instructor and Lady Ali.¡± ¡°What are you implying, prentice?¡± ¡°Oho, do you dare challenge me child of the beast race?¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.¡°It¡¯s time to settle this. I won¡¯t hold back just because of your status Ali nor will I let my Instructor win. It¡¯s time to settle who¡¯s the legal -¡± I decided to ignore the suddenly lively trio of idiots who are suddenly emitting killing intent from their bodies. I really don¡¯t know what they¡¯re fighting about but whatever it is, it¡¯s none of my business. ¡°Quit feigning ignorance, mortal.¡± Huh? I just heard a strange voice. I stopped dead in my tracks and proceed to look around. I try to find the source of the voice but as expected, the voice could not be found. I know that hearing voices isn¡¯t really the most perfect sign of excellent mental health but I know what I heard but I don¡¯t understand what it¡¯s trying to say. I decided to ignore the matter for now. I don¡¯t intend to tell anyone about the dreams that I have been having and the voices that I have been hearing. It¡¯s enough for them to call me an idiot all the time so I can¡¯t have them worry about my sanity as well. The idiots behind me stopped arguing and all three of them eyed me suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I smile at them and then we proceeded to the cafeteria. The cafeteria is the only place in our military academy that sells food. Most of the students here come from well-off families so the hefty price tag of the various meals sold here are nothing for their loaded wallets. The cafeteria can seat around a thousand troops at any given time while most prefer to eat out in the fields. To the right of the entrance are the sellers manning the stalls. The food is divided according to their place of origin but there is no distinction or discrimination for the buyers, everyone is welcome to try anything provided that they can pay for it. I line up for the beast race stall while the girls lined up according to their tastes. I always line up here for their tonkatsu set as it is cheap yet balanced since it contains rice, meat, vegetables and fruits for dessert. ¡°Why, if it isn¡¯t the peasant Keith. What¡¯s wrong, are you too shit poor to buy anything actually worth eating?¡± ¡°Kekekekeke¡± ¡°Hahaha! Nice one Sir Rolando!¡± It¡¯s Rolando Seras and his two stooges who will be known as Friend A and Friend B. Irrelevant people should stay irrelevant. Rolando is the son of the Governor of the Kingdom of Anthedon, home of the Military Academy I am enrolled in so with his great riches and power comes his endless arrogance and stupidity. Rolando is in love with Ali but he¡¯s been spurned from the get-go. I mean how does that even work? Royalty trying to get with a commoner like Ali? Well, whatever. I continue to ignore the bothersome pests behind me as I hummed to myself. I don¡¯t normally hum, by the way. I¡¯m doing this so he knows that I¡¯m ignoring the shit out of him. I can feel his temper rising from behind me and I imagine steam coming out of his ears. ¡°You filthy dog!¡± ¡°How dare you ignore Sir Rolando!¡± "I bet he got his manners from his whore of a mother.¡± I feel the tension in the room increasing by the second. Everyone around me is nervously eying the exchange between Rolando¡¯s group and myself. If it comes to a fight, I don¡¯t know if I can win straight up. Rolando may be arrogant but he is skillful. He has inherited some pretty powerful runes due to his Father¡¯s influence while I have nothing but my training and in this world, money can get you a lot of things, especially power. ¡°See? The battered pup can¡¯t even bark for his bitch of a mother.¡± ¡°Kakaka. Forgive the poor Sir Rolando, this little shit can probably learn his lesson if we beat it into him.¡± ¡°Why that¡¯s a good idea you two. You, Peasant, come with us.¡± Rolando gestures to the back exit of the cafeteria where, obviously, my beat down is going to happen. As a Man who has been wronged, I can¡¯t simply say no. I know I can¡¯t win but this is something that I have to do. I see Lin and Ali nodding to themselves while my instructor is quietly sipping tea but I wave my head at them. I tell them ¡®I can fight my own fights¡¯ with my gaze. They reluctantly accept my selfish request but damn, if it wasn¡¯t for my honor I would have probably let them beat the shit out of these idiots. Oh well. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you going to let your Mommies fight your battle for you, Peasant Shit?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not my Mommies but you¡¯ve been talking about Mothers for a while now Mommy¡¯s boy. Let me guess. Your mommy never kissed you good night or something?¡± Aha. I¡¯ve done it now. Rolando didn¡¯t say more and he started walking towards the back area while I follow. Obviously, his friends are right behind him and the moment I got out with them, his two friends grab my arms and I am hit in the head from behind. Damn, that hurt. I realize the coldness of the damp area and come to the conclusion that the back area is actually a storage for the cafeteria. Rolando punches me in my face as his two goons hold me down. *crack!* I think his punch just broke my nose and I realize that it did because my nose is now profusely bleeding. ¡°Haha! Even your blood is dirty you pathetic little shit!¡± One punch after another is dealt to my body. I can feel my ribs cracking and I think my collarbone actually broke. The two idiots finally let me down though I know that this is far from over. ¡°Come on dog. Squeal like the little shitty dog that you are and I might consider forgiving you.¡± ¡°¡­.dogs¡­don¡¯t squeal¡­they bark, you stupid asshole.¡± I should learn to keep my mouth shut. Rolando is handed a steel pipe. Where the fuck did they get that? Well whatever the case, even if I die here like this, I will not yield nor will I give him the satisfaction of breaking me. They can keep hitting me for all I care. ¡°Sir I think we should stop.¡± ¡°Just keep hitting the little shit!¡± ¡°But Sir! He¡¯s¡­he¡¯s badly hurt! I think he¡¯s had enough¡­.¡± ¡°Silence! The death of a peasant can hardly affect the empire now can it?!¡± I am hit with kicks and the pipe. I don¡¯t think I can move anymore. Blood is clouding my vision and the darkness is starting to beckon for me. Shit. Am I dying? I hear something else cracking and I realize that he shattered my kneecap. Finally, my head is hit with the pipe and I hear something snapping With that, the beatings finally stop and the three idiots start walking back inside. ¡°Hah. You look good splattered on the floor like that like the shit that you are.¡± The two idiots with Rolando say nothing but can only look at me with sorry eyes. I say nothing, rather I can¡¯t actually say anything and try to stand up. It¡¯s no good, my body isn¡¯t listening to me. I¡¯m lying in a pool of my own blood and I realize that dying by choking on my own blood would be pathetic. Damn, I really shouldn¡¯t be joking right now. I can only hope that someone finds me before I really die. I can hear someone dropping something that sounded like plates by the way they were breaking as they hit the cold floor and now the person is frantically running towards me. It¡­smells good and it reminds me of my Mother. It¡¯s no good, I¡¯m starting to lose consciousness. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± The voice tried to say. I can¡¯t hear what comes next and with that, I pass out. Possibly for the last time. 01 - 03 - Chance My name is Yuriko and I am but a commoner working for the Military Academy as a cook. I¡¯ve always been passionate about cooking and performing simple chores and to be able to find a job that allows me to cook for people is already a great blessing. Today is another uneventful day, aside from the gymnasium burning down due to Lady Belle¡¯s temper, everything is as normal as it can be. It¡¯s almost lunch time, so right now, all of the cooks are busy preparing for the hungry prentices. We¡¯re in the kitchen in the building behind the cafeteria and separating the two buildings is a storage area we use for extra chairs, tables, utensils and the like. Picking up materials from the storage area is a hassle but we do it in shifts and today¡¯s my turn to be the kitchen¡¯s errand girl. As I cut vegetables and cook, my mind wandered elsewhere. I thought about the prentice who always ordered the same thing. He often came during lunch time and he always ordered a Tonkatsu set and when he eats it, he always seems happy or content and seeing someone appreciate food like that warms my soul. I often find myself thinking about him and soon enough, I started longing to see him eat and enjoy himself. I finally finish preparing the vegetables and cooking my part. ¡°We¡¯re finally done!¡± ¡°Yuriko, grab some cups from storage, would you? We¡¯re going to start prepping the food for selling. Please handle the food from the Beast Race today would you?¡± ¡°Sure, no problem~¡± I smile at my senior and I give her a respectful bow. I head towards the cafeteria and only then do I realize that today¡¯s my chance to talk to Mr. Tonkatsu. I can¡¯t wait! I start humming my favorite tune and headed towards my work station for today. As usual, lunch is uneventful. Aside from a few orders here and there from hungry prentices, I look at the time and realize that he¡¯s late today. I wonder if he¡¯s alright. I soon notice the prentices getting a little fired up. I wonder why? As I pondered that, I soon see the answer for myself. ¡°It¡¯s that show off again!¡± ¡°Why¡¯s he hanging around Princess Alicia?¡± ¡°No, no! Why is he with Mistress Belle?¡± ¡°Idiots! It¡¯s Princess Lin I¡¯m worried about! I..I just want to protect her from guys like him!¡± ¡°That fool! Doesn¡¯t he know how to escort Royalty? He¡¯s supposed to be Princess Alicia¡¯s Knight! What an idiot.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just a Knight-Candidate, get your facts straight.¡± ¡°He sure is lucky though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t admit that! It only makes us seem pathetic.¡± It¡¯s Mr. Tonkatsu! But what¡¯s this? Is that who I think it is? He¡¯s surrounded by royalty! I always see him around Princess Alicia but I thought that was normal since I heard he was her Knight-Candidate but now he¡¯s hanging around not only Princess Alicia, but Princess Lin and Lady Belle as well? I wonder what kind of man he is to be able to surround himself with such powerful people. They all seem to be extremely close though and realizing that made my chest ache a little. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mr. Tonkatsu separates from the Princesses and queues up at my stall. As the line dwindles down to a few people with him in the end, I start thinking up of ways to start a conversation with him as I took orders and gave the customers their food. Of course, I give all of them a warm smile and wish them an enjoyable meal. It¡¯s only normal to be polite right? I soon find myself staring at Mr. Tonkatsu and I realize that a group of prentices are approaching him. I know those three! They¡¯re the biggest bullies in the academy! I¡¯ve heard nasty rumors about that Rolando Seras. There was an incident from before when Rolando struck a cook in the face for putting carrots in his meal. Of course, the incident disappeared without a trace, apparently due to his father, the Governor¡¯s influence. I see Rolando trying to get on Mr. Tonkatsu¡¯s nerve but it doesn¡¯t seem to be working in his favor. I can¡¯t really hear what¡¯s happening but eventually, the three bullies walk out of the cafeteria¡¯s back door and head to the storage area with Mr. Tonkatsu walking behind them. ¡°Those dirty! Ali, Instructor, should we just leave them be?¡± ¡°I know what you mean Lin¡­¡± ¡°Ali..¡± ¡°It¡¯s a man¡¯s pride and we shouldn¡¯t get in the way of that. As long as it¡¯s a fair fight he will not lose.¡± ¡°How are you sure that those three would fight fair?¡± ¡°As a teacher, I must believe in my students. The day that I fail to believe in them is the day I fail as a teacher.¡± ¡°Deep words, Belle, but we both know you¡¯re extremely worried for him, aren¡¯t you? He¡¯s not just a student for you after all.¡± ¡°Alicia, watch your tongue!¡± A lady should not eavesdrop. I stop listening to the Princesses conversation. Everything should be okay with Mr. Tonkatsu, right? ¡°Yuriko! The cups! I asked you to get them a while ago. I need them now, please.¡± ¡°Oh no! I forgot. I¡¯ll go get them right now!¡± I quickly remove my apron and rush towards the storage area. As I was about to turn the door knob, the door opened violently in front of me. ¡°Move, peasant.¡± It was Rolando and his friends. They seem a little¡­off. Mr. Tonkatsu probably lost the fight and is probably resting outside. I decided to bring Mr. Tonkatsu his food. He¡¯s probably hungry and this is probably the best chance for me to get to know him. I grabbed a Tonkatsu set, some utensils and headed towards the storage area. I look around for Mr. Tonkatsu. Eh? What¡¯s this mark on the floor? It¡¯s a little red dot, actually a lot of them seemingly forming a trail. I follow it and then I saw him¡­ beaten, broken and bloody. I drop the tray that I am carrying and rush towards him. I kneel besides him and place his head on my lap. ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± I start tearing up. What can I do to save him? I start panicking as I frantically cried. Don¡¯t die, please. Mr. Tonkatsu, don¡¯t die. 01 - 04 - Downtrodden Chapter 4: Downtrodden What¡¯s my name? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where is here? A dozen questions appear in my mind but as expected, only silence awaited me. I am surrounded by darkness and strangely enough, I feel like emptiness itself. I cannot feel my limbs nor can I voice out my anguish as I float in this mass of darkness. The silence is deafening and I can only be helpless. I realize that I must have died, that my mortal shell is no more and strangely enough, I don¡¯t feel bad about it at all. There¡¯s a sense of fate to all of this and I feel as though this was bound to happen and the only question was when. I humbly accept this cruel fate and resume meekly floating around in this pit of nothingness. As if. I recall vague memories of people suffering and dying by the hands of the lords who swore to protect them. I recall a woman¡¯s sickly face. She¡¯s paralyzed from the waist down and she requires the aide of someone to attend to her every need or else she cannot survive. I cannot recall her name but even in sickness and despair, she remains a light to the darkness that has formed in my heart. I do not remember my name and in my life, I am sure to have forgotten the majority of my childhood but one thing I will never forget is the feeling of hope that Woman has instilled in me. A feeling of longing replaced the despair in my heart and in that moment, I feel the darkness being swept away by light. I see a figure in the distance walking towards me. I realize that the figure belongs to this beautiful red haired woman and when she reaches my side, she unfastens the binds that connected my body and soul to the darkness. Just who is this woman? As I gazed into her eyes, I recall a life I must have lived in the past. I remember everything. ¡°¡­it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. You¡¯ve always been an unlucky bastard weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only unlucky because I¡¯m your best friend. Didn¡¯t you once say that the people closest to you are cursed?¡± ¡°No, I said that the people I fall in love with tend to die.¡± ¡°So how many legions of Men have perished due to your love, Chief Warlock?¡± ¡°Only one..¡± She sends me a gaze filled with an entire lifetime¡¯s worth of longing. I can only smile wryly at her as I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°You really are a despicable Man..¡± ¡°Yet we¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°The best of friends.¡± ¡°So¡­is my current life over?¡± I asked her honestly. ¡°It is, and it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I can hardly hide the shock in my voice. Well, duh. What the hell does that even mean? ¡°Your life ended only because of a stupid decision that you made, you idiot.¡± ¡°Well, in this life, I am powerless but I still do have my pride as a Soldier.¡± ¡°Only weak dogs have barks as loud as yours, Hero.¡± I cringe at her brutally honest retort and seeing my face, she heartily laughs. I am captivated by this woman but for now, I need her to get to the point. Sensing the change of atmosphere, she drops all signs of playing around. She inaudibly casts a spell of complex origins but my ¡®Eye of Alchemy¡¯ recognizes it as a resurrection spell of the highest order. A contract appears in my heart. ¡°Oops. Before you do so, Hero, I would just like to tell you that I will unlock 1/1000th of your original power so that you may use it in your human form. Is that agreeable?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.¡°1/1000th? Seems a little low. Can¡¯t I have more?¡± ¡°Of course you can but I will not grant you that power. The Golden Age War has passed and we now live in the realm of the mortals so you can either re-train yourself or find a way to unlock the rest of your power yourself.¡± ¡°But seriously, that amount is too small.¡± ¡°Do not underestimate yourself, Hero. That much is enough to start a change in the world.¡± ¡°Ugh. Stingy. Fine.¡± ¡°Conditions set. Contract amended.¡± The contract appears once more and I haphazardly accepted the contract. What did I just agree to? ¡°Well, I will see you very soon but for now¡­..¡± She comes closer and I can intimately feel her push her body against mine and our lips meet. It¡¯s probably part of the contract signing or whatever so I don¡¯t push her away. ¡°be satisfied with just that..okay? I¡¯ll see you soon, my hero.¡± As she says those words, a flash of light surrounds my body. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huh? Something soft is pushing against me. It smells nice. I wake up and my eyes meet a woman¡¯s eyes. They¡¯re pretty but I sense a deep sense of duty burdened by hatred behind them but I shrug that feeling away. ¡°H¡­huh? Mr. Tonkatsu?!¡± ¡°Huh¡­where am I? Rather, who are you?¡± ¡°Well, my name is Yuriko and I saved your life. What¡¯s your name, Mr. Tonkatsu?¡± ¡°My¡­.name¡­I don¡¯t know..¡± I can see her looking at me with pity. We¡¯re inside a small hut and from the inside, I can see that we¡¯re surrounded by trees and to the north is a beach. I can see some old geezer waving his sword around and I can smell the sea water from here. So we''re in an island huh? ¡°Hey, how far is the beach from here?¡± ¡°Half a day¡¯s walk.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I can see it from here.¡± ¡°You jest. Even with an Exo-Armamental suit, we can only see half of the distance that you claim to see.¡± ¡°Well I can prove it. Right now there¡¯s an old man swinging his sword there like an idiot. Again and again and again.¡± ¡°Oh you mean Marume? It¡¯s time for his training so he¡¯s doing just tha¡­ Wait. What did you just say?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can see him swinging his sword from here. I can even tell you the inscription on his sword.¡± She looks at me with surprise, disbelief and apprehension in her eyes. ¡°Just..what are you?¡± She inquires. ¡°I don¡¯t know that myself¡­¡± I wake up without knowing anything. Not my name, where I came from or why I am here. ¡°Well, help me make new memories, will you, Yuriko?¡± The woman gasps and gazes into my eyes. Heh. I¡¯m really good at making friends, apparently. ¡°Of course, Mr. Tonkatsu.¡± She places her hand over mine and as she leans in closer, to whisper something to me, I presume, my stomach grumbles. ¡°Oh, you haven¡¯t had your lunch yet, have you?¡± With that, we rise up from the bed and I begin my adventures on this island. I¡¯ll figure out who I am eventually but right now, I wonder what¡¯s for lunch. I have a lot of questions I need answered. I probably have a home and I probably have some people worrying for me. I¡¯ll get through this. You¡¯ll see. 01 - 05 - Words of Power It¡¯s sunny outside and right now, Yuriko and I are having lunch. I asked her about the circumstances of our meeting and she mentioned that I am a Prentice studying at the famed Anthedon Military Academy. She also told me about my circumstances as one who is to be the Princess¡¯ Knight once I graduated. She told me about how Rolando and his friends, about how they beat me down. It seems that I received a trauma to the part of the head that affected my memories like this. She mentioned that the Doctor who examined me said that recovering my memories could take some time but I should be prepared for them never coming back at all. Well that¡¯s a lot to take in. I sip my soup as I eyed the tonkatsu that Yuriko prepared for me. I¡¯m saving that for my main dish. Speaking of Yuriko, my first impression of her is that she seems to be friendly and caring but all of that are underwhelming compared to the the danger I feel whenever I actually look at her. She has no excess movements and she has no openings. How can an innocent girl like her develop such senses in a time of peace? This woman¡­she¡¯s hiding something. ¡°Mr. Tonkatsu, is something the matter?¡± She suddenly calls out. ¡°Erm. No, why?¡± ¡°Well, you have been staring at me for a while now.¡± She says as she avoids making eye-contact with me. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to stare at you, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Are you enjoying your meal?¡± As I was about to answer, the door slams open and a dagger zooms in on my face with tremendous accuracy. It¡¯s too slow. I catch it with my index and middle fingers and casually toss it aside. ¡°Captain! What are you doing with this hick?¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude Chie, and what did I say about throwing knives inside the house?¡± ¡°Mmm. Did anyone throw a knife inside the house? I remember throwing it from the outside.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Chi.¡± It¡¯s Chie and for some reason, she refers to Yuriko as ¡°Captain¡± and to me, ¡°Hick". Chie is a brown haired girl that sports a mid-length pixie cut. She¡¯s not too tall but she¡¯s not too short either and her combat senses seem refined as well. On her neck hangs a pendant that, for some reason, resembles the one Yuriko is wearing. As she notices my gaze, her deep blue eyes transformed into slits as she eyes me with venom. ¡°Stop staring at me, hick! You¡¯re going to infect all of us with your stupidity! While you¡¯re at it, stop flirting with the Captain, okay?¡± ¡°Stupidity can¡¯t be caught, stupid. Stupid people like you are born with it.¡± ¡°People who call people stupid are the stupid ones, hick!¡± ¡°You called me stupid first so should I refer to you as Stupid-Prime from now on?¡± At that she explodes and I find a flurry of knives making their way to my vital spots. I release stored energy from my body and shouted: ¡°Fall!¡± The knives all fell down from the force of my voice but what bothered me are the girls. They¡¯re on their bellies with a shocked look on their faces. ¡°C-C-Captain, you saw that, right?¡± ¡°Words of power.¡± ¡°Like that Dreadnought? The Envoy of Destruction?¡± ¡°Yes, just like Lady Belle.¡± What are they talking about? All I did was release a miniscule portion of the mana I store inside my body. I don¡¯t know how I know how to do that but it just naturally comes to me. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I just released my mana.¡± I earnestly asked. ¡°You really a stupid hick aren¡¯t you?¡± As usual, Chie is on point. ¡°Stop it, Chie.¡± Yuriko suddenly looked at Chie and her usual smile was gone from her face. Scary. ¡°Mmmuu..Okay Captain.¡± As she holds her hands to her chest. Chie takes a deep breath and explains that infusing mana into words was nothing just anyone could do and that in the world, only this ¡®Lady Belle¡¯ could do it. It¡¯s a form of mana control that¡¯s required to access intermediate ranked runes. There are other ways to utilize intermediate ranked runes, sure, but doing it this way is probably the most efficient but it is also the most difficult to achieve. In about three hundred years, only Lady Belle managed to succeed in this endeavor and now, here I am. ¡°Is..is that so? I¡¯ll be more careful with it then.¡± I humbly replied. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re a fast learner, hick.¡± ¡°Only because you¡¯re a good teacher, Chie.¡± ¡°Hey hey. Stop flirting around Mr. Tonkatsu! You too Chie!¡± Yuriko says, as she pouts and crosses her arms. ¡°¡±Okay¡±¡± Chie and I reply, defeated. ¡®We weren¡¯t flirting around okay¡¯ As I am thinking these thoughts, I sense a chill coming from the skies. ¡°Duck!¡± I pushed Yuriko to the side of the wooden hut and shield her with my body. Just as she was about to wonder why I pushed her down, a powerful bolt of thunder wrapped in flames hits the roof of the wooden hut and the hut is instantly engulfed in flames. ¡°An enemy attack?¡± ¡°Yuriko, keep your head down. We¡¯ll have to escape somehow. Chie, are you okay?¡± Silence. All I can hear are the flames licking the wooden hut¡¯s debris. I then realize that the walls are covered in blood and some sort... of soft, squishy matter. ¡°B¡­blood?...Chie?¡± As Yuriko looked around, searching for her friend, I realize that I was staring at her the entire time. Yes, blood was all over the walls and that matter seemed to have been flesh. I see Chie¡¯s roasted corpse on the floor, missing a few parts. She must have taken the brunt of the mana attack. I try to shield Yuriko from this sight as she comes close to me but to no avail. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She closes her eyes as she offered a prayer to her deceased friend. I was expecting some crying or screaming but this is..different. Is my understanding of the relationship between people muddied by my memory loss? ¡°Mr. Tonkatsu.¡± She says as she gives me a gaze filled with resolution. ¡°We are under enemy atta ¨C¡° I activate my mana once more and willed myself to knock her out. Without knowing how I did it, I found myself standing behind her as she falls down, unconscious. I knocked her out with a chop and try to hide her somewhere safe. With the way things are going, she¡¯s probably going to commit suicide to avenge her friend and I can¡¯t have that. I¡¯m carrying her with me as another barrage of spells hit our last location, which was the hut. I run with all of my might and notice that we have travelled a fair distance as I can barely hear the spells exploding here and there. I might actually be pretty fast. I find a suitable spot to hide Yuriko and place her there. I can only pray that when she wakes up, she thinks of herself and run to get some help. It starts raining around me and I can feel tension building in my chest. I have decided to fight against the invaders. I myself will avenge Chie and I will destroy those who¡­ Woah woah woah. When did I get so violent? I calm myself down as I ran towards the source of the spells. Woosh. I pass by trees and plants at a blazing speed. Movement seems easy enough. I jump and land on a sturdy looking branch as I jumped from tree to tree, trying to conceal my movements. Moving fast is good and all but it¡¯s noisy and wasteful of energy. My body responds to my new-found way of traversing the jungle as though it tirelessly did this in the past. Seems as though I¡¯ve had some training for guerilla combat. ¡°That¡¯s convenient¡± I said as I thanked Lady Belle in my head. A few moments pass and a few almost crashes later, I sense a presence erratically moving around a few feet away from me. I hastily hide myself in a tree and mask away my traces. It¡¯s bizarre how all of this is natural for me. ¡°Did you find them?¡± ¡°No sir! But it seems as though we got someone with our bombardment spells, sir!¡± ¡°Good. Keep searching.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± The officer leaves and left behind is the soldier he was speaking to. I can¡¯t recognize his uniform but they seem oddly familiar for me. I decided to question him. I waited for him to drop his guard and crept up behind him, but funnily enough, I step on a branch and he notices my presence. ¡°Kyaa! Freeze!¡± ¡°Did you just actually say ¡°kyaa¡±?¡± ¡°No I did not. Do not move!¡± As he aims his sword towards me. ¡°For a coward, you sure know how to handle that sword.¡± That wasn¡¯t a lie. He¡¯s really familiar with a sword but I think I can beat him. I harnessed the mana inside my body and released words of power. ¡°Drop your sword!¡± His grip refused to part with the sword so his sword, along with his entire body hit the ground with a shocking thud. I notice trees falling down around me. Did I do that? I collected the soldier and transported him near the hut which they mercilessly destroyed. I tie him up in the nearest tree and slapped him, to wake him up of course. That and I felt like it. The force of my slap seems to have dented his full-faced helmet and is now holding his face in an awkward angle. Seems as though I crushed his jaw, too. The soldier screams in agony as he realizes what just happened and I again gathered mana and released new words of power. ¡°Silence.¡± The soldier immediately stopped shouting and by the looks of his shoulder movement, I say he¡¯s trying to grasp his throat. ¡°Now soldier, what¡¯s about to happen can either be pleasurable or painful but all of that will depend on you. I have a few questions that maybe you can answer. Satisfy me and you¡¯re free to go but lie to me or even think for a second that you can fool me? Well, you¡¯ll just have to find out what happens right? Nod if you understand.¡± The soldier nods with enthusiasm. Coward. I nod back at him and he gives me a smile. I remember Chie¡¯s mangled, bloodied remains and anger begins to cloud my judgment. Why does he get to smile? Huh? I release new words of power directed towards his pinky finger. ¡°Break¡± His finger slowly bends backward as it slowly breaks itself. The soldier can¡¯t even cry out in pain and after the ordeal, he looks at me as though asking ¡®Why did you hurt me?¡± I smile at him, cracked my knuckles and began the¡­interrogation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s notes: I''d get mad too if someone interrupted tonkatsu time. Hi everyone, Alizoned here. How do you like the story so far? Let me know what you think! 01 - 06 - Monster I¡¯ve been interrogating this soldier for a while now but it seems as though he doesn¡¯t know anything. I wonder why he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Mmff mmfff¡­¡± he says weakly. ¡°I sealed your ability to speak, you say?¡± I place his knife down and glared at him. I see him looking at me with fear in his soulless eyes. He¡¯s desperate and afraid and I know why. I caused him to become that way. I inflicted an ungodly amount of pain upon this person who probably didn¡¯t do anything wrong. In other words, he¡¯s just another solider just doing his job. I crouched and stared him in his eyes. ¡°Say, do you want to live?¡± He nodded as the smell of blood and fear mixed into the air. He¡¯s bleeding heavily. I smile and let out a soft chuckle. ¡°Okay,¡± I stand up and reach my hand out towards him. ¡°Let me help you up.¡± He looks at me with apprehension in his eyes but in the end, he decided to trust me. Good. He takes my hand and I pull him towards me for a hug. ¡°Mmf?! Mff?!¡± He panics but offers little resistance.¡± I gaze into his eyes and smile. ¡°Shh. It¡¯s going to be over soon I stabbed him in the stomach with his knife, twisting it while I continued to maintain eye contact. I wanted to at least give him the respect and dignity that he deserves in death. I will not kill him by stabbing him in the back. That¡¯s cowardly. ¡°M¡­mmff¡­¡± He struggles, flailing his arms as though he was trying to push me but obviously, he couldn¡¯t pull it off, not with the amount of blood that he¡¯s lost. ¡°It didn¡¯t have to be this way but this is war.¡± I tried to convince myself of that fact. I know that there¡¯s something violent inside of me but once I commit unspeakable horrors in the name of vengeance, only then will I truly lose myself. I know for a fact that this level of violence is common in battlefields around the world but I do not delight in it nor do I take pride in the fact that I tortured this man. I made him lose face and self-respect and the only way I could have ever apologized is by taking on the burden of killing him to his face. ¡°Men are strange creatures.¡± I sigh as the man tried to struggle. Little by little, I notice that the amount of force behind his movement slowly dissipate. For a while, he continued moving but in the end, I decided to finish him. I twisted the knife still in his stomach and proceed to cut him diagonally. Splok. Shhff, shff. His innards spill out as his arteries spray out his blood. His body, at this moment, does know that it had just died so it tries to keep things in order by working normally and doing so caused him to die. I mean, thinking about this seriously, you just can¡¯t stop your body from functioning right? I mean without external help, sure. So either way, working regularly or irregularly, his body would have died by the trauma that I inflicted upon it, loss of blood and of course, losing his innards. ¡°¡­t¡­..thank¡­..y¡­you.¡± He closed his eyes, seemingly satisfied. ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m the one who lost out?¡± I wipe the knife clean and pick up the knife¡¯s sheath. As I thought about burying him, a notebook slipped from his person. I picked it up and started browsing it, stealing a glance here and there whenever something interested me. Floop. Something slipped from the pages. I crouched down and picked it up. ¡°Hm.¡± It was a picture. I look at it and see the soldier together with a woman roughly the same age as he was. She wasn¡¯t anything special but she wasn¡¯t bad either. I turned the picture around and read the dedication out loud. ¡°With love, Candice.¡± I pocketed the picture. ¡°So that was his girlfriend, huh.¡± I felt a bond with my first kill. I feel as though I owe him a debt of a lifetime. I know that it¡¯s weird to think this way. ¡°Humans are strange creatures.¡± Wryly, I say to myself. The man took away the last thing preventing me from becoming a full-fledged solider, the thing that separated me from the rest of the cowards out there. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve killed now.¡± I chuckle to myself. I¡¯m not happy about killing, of course not. I¡¯m happy that I now have a burden to carry, that right now, this Mr. Tonkatsu is not just anyone. He¡¯s killed and he will kill more, even legions upon legions if only to protect his benefactor, the woman who saved his life. ¡°Rest peacefully.¡± I offer a silent prayer to the soldier whose life I just ended. I stand up and start jogging towards the enemy camp. This I know because of the map the soldier had with him. I climbed the nearest tree and jumped to the next, repeating this process as I gained speed and momentum. I tried to avoid making noise but I¡¯m only human after all. It seems that the power inside of me, or whatever it is can only come out when I¡¯m feeling an extreme emotion such as loss or anger. I have to keep myself calm. I cannot succumb to that power. I have to grasp whatever humanity I have left, even cling to it if I had to. Jumping to the next tree, I notice that some of the animals in the forest are avoiding me. It must be the smell of blood surrounding me. ¡°Huh. Maybe these animals are smart after all.¡± I jumped to the next tree and grabbed a branch. ¡°So these beasts will give way to bigger beasts.¡± Law of the jungle and all that. I soon hear someone barking out orders. It seems I¡¯m close to the base. I stopped my movement and gathered mana into my right arm. I breathed in and out, releasing the impurities inside of my body as I took in the mana around me. Crack. I hear movement a feet away from me. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. It seems there¡¯s a soldier patrolling the grounds. Well, I expected resistance so one, two or a hundred of them wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°Yes,¡± I took out my knife. ¡°I did resolve myself to protect her. I watched the soldier for an opening. He is looking around, seemingly alert. I have to be cautious for now. I can take my time. I¡¯m the hunter and they are my prey. (Yawn¡­.) An opening! ¡°Activate: Rune.¡± I feel power surging from my body and for some reason, the words that came out of my mouth seemed natural, as though I¡¯ve been saying those words for years now. ¡°Laser Beam.¡± Unexpectedly, energy wrapped my body in a red light and as I thought to take a step, I realize that it took me right in front of the soldier. With no time to react, he futilely tries to avoid me by jumping to the left but I am faster. Much faster. Holding the knife with two hands, I pass through the soldier like a hot knife cutting through butter and he explodes into a lump of flesh behind me. ¡°Laser beam¡­huh?¡± I cleaned the knife and returned it to its sheath. ¡°That¡¯s a horrible way to die.¡± Crack, crumple. ¡°A...a¡­.arr¡­arrrgghhhhhh!¡± ¡°Shit.¡± A hoarse scream sounds to a few meters away from me. ¡°I¡¯ve been found.¡± I gather mana into my right hand reactivate Laser Beam. ¡°Eh?¡± It won¡¯t activate! I dashed towards the enemy soldier as he takes out his sword. ¡°You fucking monster!¡± He waves his sword, running towards me. ¡°Die!¡± He floppily slashes down his sword. Thankfully, it doesn¡¯t seem as though he¡¯s skilled at this. ¡°Die,¡± he strikes from below and delivers a flurry of stabs ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Na?ve.¡± I block the flurry by hitting the base of his sword with my knife and directed it upwards. Due to the momentum of my counterattack, the enemy¡¯s sword scratched his face but that should be the least of his concerns. He is pushed down by my attack and I take the opportunity to straddle him. ¡°M¡­Monster¡­¡± He cries as he sends spittle to my face. ¡°S..spare me!¡± I paid him no heed and I stabbed and stabbed and stabbed. I stabbed his jugular and using the serrated edge of the blade, I ripped out his larynx. ¡°G..guhhhh¡± he weakly sends punches towards me but of course they don¡¯t do much. Finally deciding to end his misery, I stab his face and find myself covered in blood and grey matter. ¡°Disgusting¡± I wipe myself, trying to clean out the sweat, blood and foreign flesh stuck to my body. ¡°I should try to be cleaner when I kill them.¡± With resolve in my eyes, I continue my advance to the enemy stronghold. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Laser Beam work? Is there a charge time between attacks or something?¡± I slipped into the shadows and crept towards the next enemy soldier. ¡°I guess I need to study my abilities more.¡± I also had to keep ¡®that¡¯ in check. I throw a rock towards the nearest tree. Tok. ¡°Huh?¡± the enemy soldier takes out his sword as he turns around to investigate the source of the sound. ¡°Was that just an animal or was I imagining-¡° the next words, whatever they may be, will forever be unknown. I pounce at this opening and covered his mouth with my left hand as I repeatedly stabbed his chest. Crack, gukok. I hear his ribs and chestplate breaking but I pay it no mind as I gently put him down. Confirming his demise, I move on. Reaching the enemy tent, I notice that there are no guards around it. ¡°Now that¡¯s weird.¡± I take out my knife and cautiously made my way inside. ¡°No, please, no!¡± Crack, guuushhh, splok I hear someone! I rush inside the tent and I find myself suddenly surrounded by blood, guts and crushed bone fragments. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I wipe my face clean and prepared to activate my runes but what I saw stopped me in my tracks. Standing in from me was a suit of armor that I have never seen before. At least after my amnesia, I suppose. It¡¯s surrounded by a current of electricity and in its right arm was a sword as large as my body. It¡¯s approximately 173 cm long and 60 cm wide. It¡¯s bigger than a broadsword! Holding up its left hand, I soon realize that that¡¯s where all of the blood came from. It was dangling the crushed remains of the enemy officer that I saw a few moments ago. It seems as though this suit of armor crushed this base by itself. ¡°Shit.¡± I stood ready, preparing for combat. ¡°I won¡¯t die, not from this.¡± The suit of armor dropped the enemy and looked at me. From this angle, it seems as though the armor is contemplating on whether or not it should kill me. It releases the electric current from its body and releases steam from its thrusters. It relaxes its stance but I know better. I keep up my guard and prepare myself for a fight or flight scenario. The suit of armor sheaths its sword and laughs. Eh? I think I know that voice. ¡°Been a while, hick.¡± She says. __________________________________________________________________ Mr. Tonkatsu''s progress so far ____________________________________________________________ Author''s Notes Strawberry Jam everywhere. (You know, the blood and guts and whatnot) Hey everyone. Alizoned here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Oh, that came out wrong. I do not condone violence, okay? 01 - 07 - Wrath I can barely contain my surprise. Standing right in front of me is the person I thought I was avenging a few moments ago. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m feeling happy, relieved or angry but I do know that I¡¯m confused. ¡°C¡­Chie¡­?¡± I sheath my knife and give her a smile. ¡°You¡¯re really Chie aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about hick?¡± The armored suit opens up its visor to reveal the face inside. ¡°See? It¡¯s really me. Who else were you expect..¡± I rushed towards her and gave her a tight hug. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay,¡± I squeezed tighter. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how I would live with myself if you really died, idiot.¡± I feel relieved. The burden that I was carrying in this world was lessened by Chie¡¯s survival. I really thought that she died. I was willing to live with that fact and the fact that I could not protect her. ¡°I¡¯m happy to be alive too,¡± She tries to pry me off of her by pushing me away. ¡°but could you please let go of me? I might catch your stupidity you know?¡± She gives a light smile. Her actions contradict her words so that confused me for a while but I let go of her nonetheless. This place, being covered in guts and blood isn¡¯t really the best place to have a heartfelt reunion between comrades. Though I say comrade, I¡¯m more of a dependent on these people. ¡°By the way, though I know she¡¯s tough and all¡± She looks into my eyes, seemingly worried. ¡°but could you take me to where the captain is?¡± I give her a nod. ¡°Follow me.¡± I grasped her hand and lightly jogged with her in tow. Her hand, even though it is covered by armor, felt warm. Chie really is alive. I smile and chuckle to myself, relieved of whatever burden or curse that I placed upon myself. ¡°Say,¡± She coughs and asks. ¡°How did you do all of those things?¡± ¡°So you saw me.¡± I tensed my jaw, feeling worried. ¡°I¡¯m horrible, aren¡¯t I?¡± She thinks for a while. ¡°No, you were kinda¡­¡± she pauses and looks at me, seemingly measuring my mettle. ¡°..cool.¡± she added softly. ¡°I see.¡± I smile at her. ¡°Cool, huh? Well that¡¯s better than having you scared of me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get so full of yourself hick!¡± She pouts and puffs up her cheeks. ¡°So how did you do it?¡± she asks. ¡°I lost my memories but it seems that my body is familiar¡± I hesitate. ¡°With warfare.¡± It¡¯s true. I¡¯m not trying to make myself sound cool or like an anti-hero but that¡¯s how my body felt. Everything that I do could be closely related to the art of warfare. I have no wasted movements, my breathing is incredibly steady and I have an inhuman amount of natural mana and stamina. I look at the sky as I traversed the forest with Chie, navigating to where I kept Yuriko. Even my battle senses are weird. I can almost predict an enemy¡¯s action, as long as I can maintain eye contact with them. I can also hear and see things that normal people cannot. ¡°Made for battle, huh.¡± I raise my left fist as I eyed it with longing. ¡°I¡¯m nothing but a killing machine then.¡± Suddenly, I felt my other hand being gripped tighter by the girl I was pulling. ¡°That may be but I do know that you got mad for my sake and that you were fighting for the captain.¡± She gives me her most honest smile. ¡°So I know that you were fighting to protect us.¡± She looks forward and breathes the fresh forest air. ¡°I hope you continue to do so in the future, hick.¡± I hold her hand tighter and in response, her face reddens to an amazing degree. ¡°Thank you Chie.¡± I really am thankful. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Monmon.¡± She smiles again, dazzling me in the process. I find myself incredibly stunned by Chie. Maybe I can fight. Maybe I can move on as long as I can protect that smile of hers. Though the mood is great, I just have to ask. ¡°Monmon?¡± Just what is a Monmon? ¡°It¡¯s my nickname for you.¡± She averts her eyes. ¡°Though I heard that soldier call you a monster, by calling you Mon-kun, I¡¯m making it known that you¡¯re m¡­our monster.¡± So ¡®be thankful that you have friends¡¯ huh? I sigh in resignation and accept my new nickname. She asserts herself. ¡°But you can call me Chi¡± ¡°Chi, huh? Okay.¡± I made a new friend, I smile to myself. ¡°Alright Chi! I¡¯ll tell you what I know.¡± I told her about ¡®Laser Beam¡¯ and how I can only use it in short bursts. I tell her about my adventure in the forest and about how I adapted to the situation. ¡®Oohs¡¯ and ¡®Aaahs¡¯ were given by Chi at all of the right times. She¡¯s surprisingly a good listener. So after telling her my story, I then ask her about hers. ¡°How are you still alive? I saw your body Chi.¡± ¡°Oh that.¡± She thinks to herself for a moment. ¡°Did you forget that I was carrying the hunt of the day when I entered the hut?¡± I honestly don¡¯t remember that. I nod at her. ¡°Well that thing got left behind when I was warped.¡± She calmly responds. ¡°Warp¡­?¡± I inquired. She looks at me as though I was a..well..hick. ¡°A warp basically transmutes the human body into particles and transfers them to a set location.¡± She gestures with her free arm. ¡°From point A to point B, provided that the object of transfer remain motionless.¡± I realize where this is going. ¡°So Chi,¡± I slowly hesitate and ask. ¡°When I jumped to protect Yuriko, the warp process for our bodies was interrupted?¡± I gulped. ¡°Spot on.¡± She laughs to herself. ¡°By ¡®protecting¡¯ her, you placed yourselves in even more danger.¡± She pauses for a while before continuing. ¡°Though I can¡¯t blame you for doing so.¡± She smiles. ¡°You thought first of protecting her, someone you barely knew. I find that admirable.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. By now, we have been running for quite some time now but the both of us are still breathing normally. I then understood that it was her armor that was doing the heavy lifting for her. ¡°Say Chi, what is that?¡± I point to the armored suit. ¡°It¡¯s incredibly powerful but it looks too heavy.¡± She gives me another smile. It seems like she¡¯s a fan of these armored suits. ¡°Oh this?¡± She points to her armor. ¡°This is an Exo-Armamental Suit. It¡¯s for people like me who can¡¯t use magic.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I made a mental note not to mess with the suit. I mean I did see it practically crush someone with very little effort. ¡°Seems like an ultra-powerful weapon.¡± Her smile only got bigger. ¡°It is, it is. My squadron exclusively uses the exo suit and¡± she puffs out her considerable chest with pride. ¡°We¡¯re considered to be the best among all of the users.¡± Her statement made me cringe. ¡°So you mean to say that there are a lot of you with that kind of powered suit?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°A whole squadron?¡± She proudly corrects me. ¡°Nope, my home¡¯s military.¡± ¡°So when you say ¡®Captain¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Yup! Yuriko is the Captain of our elite Iron Maiden Squadron.¡± She breathes, seemingly to catch her breath. ¡°Her title is Reaper. She¡¯s the very best among the best.¡± That beautiful woman is actually a beautiful goddess of death? I shudder at the thought. ¡°Actually she should be close, the captain.¡± Chi looks around. As I was about to ask how close she was, I was interrupted by an intense heat coming from our 6 ¡®o clock. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± I take out my knife and prepare for combat but again, what I saw stopped me in my tracks. It was a godlike being covered in an intense fire, surrounded by a raging torrent of electricity as it gave off a most horrible feeling of killing intent. The surrounding area started to wither away due to the intense heat and static energy being released by this God. It seemed to be a white armored suit with a golden trim, seemingly better suited to being an extravagant decoration instead of a weapon of war. ¡°Captain! Jaguar 01 reporting for duty!¡± Without releasing my hand, Chi gives a salute to the Godlike being. Yuriko returns the salute. ¡°Reaper acknowledges.¡± She opens her visor and instead of smiling at me, gives me an irritated ¡®why are you alive¡¯ look. ¡°Geh.¡± Yup. That¡¯s the only thing I said. ¡°So you two have gotten closer, eh Chi?¡± Yuriko smiles yet her eyes seemed angry. Chi lets go of my hand and bows to Yuriko. ¡°It¡¯s complicated Captain! Forgive me.¡± I can¡¯t let her take all of the blame, can I? ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Yuriko,¡± I bowed to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to leave you but I couldn¡¯t bear to see you hurt.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only saying that, Mr. Tonkatsu.¡± Yuriko pouts. ¡°I know what kind of person you really are.¡± ¡°That was the old me, Yuriko. I don¡¯t have any memories of the past so right now¡± I gaze into her eyes, showing her my resolve and sincerity as a man. ¡°You are the only one I have. Chi, too.¡± ¡°But.¡± Chi tries to interrupt. ¡°E¡­eh?¡± but it seems Yuriko was only confused. ¡°Let me protect you. Let me stay with the both of you.¡± I compose myself and continued. ¡°And should any harm or danger befall the either of you, let it be known that I would come to your rescue, wherever you may be or whatever danger you may face.¡± The atmosphere around us was intense but the mood doesn¡¯t feel bad. ¡°Do you understand what you¡¯re saying?¡± Yuriko takes out her sword and points it at me. I walked towards the massive sword and directed it towards my heart. ¡°Yes, ¡°I looked her in the eyes. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Then,¡± She sheaths her sword. ¡°I christen you with a new name. Not to replace your old one but to seal the vow between the three of us.¡± She utters a few words and the armor around her breaks off, retreating to the pendant around her neck. Chi does the same. ¡°From here on out,¡± Yuriko takes out her sword and hands it to me. ¡°You will be known as Alphonse, one who was born for battle.¡± I take her sword and give her a smile. I take a deep breath, finally relieved. ¡°So what happens now?¡± ¡°Now, we find the enemy ship and we destroy it.¡± Yuriko walks ahead, pauses and smiles at me. ¡°You with me, Alphonse?¡± I laugh. Does she really need to ask me that? ¡°Through Heaven and Hell, Yuriko,¡± I smile at Chi. ¡°You too, Chi.¡± ______________________________________________________________________ Everyone''s progress so far: _____________________________________ Author''s Notes: Hey everyone. Alizoned here. Happy new year! How are things so far? Let me know in the comments below. And how many of you are happy that Chie''s alive? Are things progressing the way you wanted them to? Sound off in the comments below. Thanks for reading this far and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come! 01 - 3.5 - The calm before the storm Warning: Please read only AFTER reading Chapter 7! I notice him staring at me with sorry eyes. It doesn¡¯t seem as though he¡¯s sorry for not being able to beat them up but rather, it seems as though he¡¯s saying he¡¯s sorry for not being able to stop me from crying but then he suddenly passes out. I try to hold back my tears as I notice him slowly fading away. I can¡¯t just not do anything. All of my life I have run away from who I really am but that ends today. If not for me, if not for my family or for my kingdom then I will fight for you. I hold my pendant and utter a few words: ¡°Activate: Exo-Armamental Suit.¡± My body is covered by a highly advanced exoskeleton designed for magic warfare. I can feel my strength, endurance and speed rising tremendously. As a person born without a developed sense for magic, as is everyone in Pantheon, we have to rely on these machines to be able to defend our dominion, otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t even be able to put up a fight up against those magic wielding monsters. I applied advanced medical artes to Mr. Tonkatsu using my suit¡¯s mana drive. As I said before, I am a person born without any senses for magic so on my own, I cannot use runes nor can I tap into my own mana reserves. For me to be able to use magic that I normally cannot, I have to rely on my suit¡¯s mana drive. The mana drive is an artificial engine developed by Pantheon for use in Exo-Armamental magical warfare. It basically condenses the mana around us on a regular basis so theoretically speaking, we have a near limitless supply of mana. Of course, highly advanced runic magic such as Lady Belle¡¯s ¡°Laser Beam¡± is impossible for us but we can wield a vast majority of the magic available to man. I can hear Mr. Tonkatsu¡¯s ragged breathing slowly stabilizing. Good, the medical artes must be working. Satisfied with stopping his bleeding, I send out a transmission to headquarters. ¡°Call sign Reaper, this is Yuriko, Knight-Captain of the Republic of Pantheon¡¯s Iron Maiden Squadron. I am requesting a warp. Stat. I have with me a heavily injured man in need of immediate medical assistance.¡± ¡°Roger that Captain Yuriko. It¡¯s good to hear from you again.¡± ¡°Did Captain Yuriko say she had a man with her?¡± ¡°¡°Whaaaaaaaat?!¡±¡± ¡°Keep quiet, Chie, the Captain can still hear you!¡± ¡°Teehee, these girls haven¡¯t changed one bit¡± I shake my head as I smiled to myself. I¡¯ve been running away from my duties all this time. Was it because I was afraid? Or was it because I was running away from the shame of failure? Regardless, I have come to see this kingdom as evil. There will come a time to deliver judgment on its government but for now, I have him to worry about. I smile at Mr. Tonkatsu¡¯s sleeping face as light begins to cover our bodies. ¡°Captain, coordinates set to Izumo. Warp engaging in 3. 2. 1.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. As the lights around us intensified, I find myself feeling nauseous but as soon as the feeling made itself known to me, I realize that we have already reached our destination as I smell the ocean in the air and hear the breeze of the wind passing through the trees. Izumo Island, an uninhabited island home to my unit. Though I say that, it¡¯s just a regular resort island, completely unlike a certain fortified fortress in Zanzibar Land. Greeting us is my subordinate, Chie, call sign, Berserk Flash. She used to be shorter than I am but she grew during my absence, huh. Well I chose to run away and live a normal life for a time but I don¡¯t regret it at all because I did manage to meet Mr. Tonkatsu in the process. I¡¯ve had military training all my life but I have never met anyone as disciplined as he and everything about him intrigues me. ¡°Captain!¡± as Chie salutes me. ¡°Good to see you, Chie, but this is going to have to wait.¡± I impatiently answered as I returned her salute. ¡°Yes, Captain I know. Medical squad. One injured man with possible ruptured organs and broken bones. Bring him to the medical trailer, stat.¡± Chie barked out her orders with accuracy and authority. My, she sure has grown. As I was admiring my dear subordinate, I hear thrusters from behind me. Ah, Ebon Mk. II engines, perhaps? They¡¯re pretty new. The medical team has arrived. Two female emergency medical technicians wearing highly advanced weaponized Exo-Armamental Suits land on the warp platform, quickly saluted Chie and I and picked Mr. Tonkatsu up and brought him to the medical trailer. ¡°I guess I¡¯m back on the island huh?¡± And suddenly, my dear subordinate loses her calm and jumps towards me. ¡°Captain, welcome home.¡± Chie says as she hugs me. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m home. Sorry it took me so long.¡± I reply as I hug her back. As soon as the tension wore off, I cried the tears that I had for Mr. Tonkatsu. After seeing the prentice that I admired from a distance beaten and broken like that, I just felt so relieved that he was safe now. ¡°Captain. Before that, I have something to report.¡± She says as she tenderly strokes my back. After hearing what she has to say, my heart skipped a beat. A few moments pass and I breath deeply. I have found my resolve. I have to protect him. ¡°The enemy is coming¡­you say?¡± ________________________________________________________ Author''s notes Hello, hello. This basically details what happened between Chapters 3 and 4 and tells us how Ke..err Mr. Tonkat...err Alphonse ended up in Izumo Island. So are you liking the progress so far? Questions? Comments? Post them all in the comments section below. I''ll do my best to answer everyone''s queries :) Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! 01 - Episode Alicia - 001 It has been a few days since Keith disappeared. The academy is in a state of gloom and a lot of the people who knew Keith are either depressed or angry, I cannot say whether I am a part of one or the other but right now, all I know is that my heart is in shambles. Keith had a confrontation with that parasitic leech, Rolando. Lin and I wanted to give the bullies an in-depth lesson on humility but Keith decided to face the problem on his own. It was not arrogance, at least I did not that think it was. I think that it was pride. Lin and I conceded and simply waited alongside Belle. Despite herself, we felt that she was raring to go end Rolando right then and there and who could blame her? I know about her past, that she has history with Keith. All of us have a shared past with Keith. We each loved him wholeheartedly and we understand that the relationship between the three of us is a lifelong rivalry as well as a lifelong of friendship. A kind of sisterhood, perhaps. I met Keith during my childhood as I was running away from my lessons in etiquette. I always hated those. I fell in love with his sense of freedom. I wanted that for myself. I found out that he was the son of ¡®those¡¯ nobles and that he was experiencing a life of poverty. Wanting to take this man for myself, I decided to make him my Knight. I wished for him to be with me, not for who he was but for who he was to become. Making him my knight without the Queen¡¯s approval could be considered lese majeste or the act of committing an offense against the dignity of the reigning monarch but I didn¡¯t care. See, Keith was and still is my elder sister the Queen Regnant Astarte Claire Marte¡¯s beloved fianc¨¦e. They were always playing together in their youth but the trauma of losing his parents made him forget all about his life prior to his family¡¯s downfall. Forgive me my Queen. I have permitted harm to come to the man we both love. I will accept any punishment or burden but I have to find him. I have to believe that he is still alive, somewhere, somehow. I am alone in my room. It¡¯s a modest room, compared to my usual quarters but I like it. It has a desk, a simple bed and a simple lamp. The most extravagant object in this room would have to be the white bow that I had propped up against the wall. I have no attendants and no other friends to speak of in this academy, at least real friends aside from Keith, Lin and Belle. Alone with my thoughts, I recount the events of what happened when Keith disappeared. __________________________________________________________________ Lin was obviously mad. ¡°Belle, why didn¡¯t you say anything! You¡¯re his instructor aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ara, Belle was too busy scheming to take Keith away from me again.¡± I sipped from my tea. I laughed at Belle¡¯s perplexed face. ¡°I¡¯m only kidding, dear.¡± ¡°You princesses sure have it easy.¡± Looking into our eyes, Belle continued, ¡°but they are taking too long.¡± We were getting worried. ¡°Should we go check after all?¡± Lin stood up and started stretching. ¡°I can take them down with Instructor¡¯s Laser Beam.¡± Pok. ¡°Troublesome child.¡± Belle calmed herself down and smiled, ¡°You do realize that the only one who has successfully replicated Laser Beam is Keith, right?¡± It was a funny sight. Lin was hit by the very technique she was bragging about and she couldn¡¯t even react to it. Then again, I don¡¯t think I can even flinch must less react to that ungodly speed as well. I started laughing, uncaring to the gazes directed at me. ¡°But Keith would never use Belle¡¯s Laser Beam in a non-combat situation.¡± I paused, ¡°because he knows exactly how dangerous it is.¡± Lin, visibly annoyed said, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I protect what¡¯s mine.¡± Her ego, seemingly fueled by our flabbergasted faces spoke for her. ¡°Simple as that.¡± As things started to heat up behind the three of us, our attention was caught by the back door opening. Rolando and his cronies went out of the room, covered with filthy stains. ¡°B¡­blood?¡± As usual, Belle notices it too. Minutes pass by like seconds and we find ourselves still starting at the door, Keith nowhere in sight. We heard a bone chilling exclamation from the outside. ¡°Oh my God!¡± Followed by a sudden mana burst. ¡°Warp?¡± Belle, realizing the urgency of the situation was the first to stand. She used Blink and was instantly transported to the door. ¡°Lin, let¡¯s go.¡± I stood up, and together with Lin we rushed towards the stockroom. Opening the door, we see a distraught Belle, kneeling in a pool of blood. We soon realized that it was Keith¡¯s blood but his body was nowhere to be found. I started tearing up, feeling hopelessness take over my body. ¡°I knew Yuriko wasn¡¯t anyone normal but to think that she was a part of that Iron Maiden Squadron.¡± Belle punched the wall and I watched a significant portion of the cafeteria building dematerializing right in front of my eyes. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Iron Maiden Squadron?¡± Lin inquired. I guess she doesn¡¯t know about ¡®that¡¯ unit. Belle nodded. ¡°They are non-magic people who built combat suits that rivals even our strongest soldiers.¡± Belle shook her head, seemingly correcting herself and added, ¡°But the Iron Maiden Squadron is different. I heard that their Captain rivaled even me in power.¡± ¡°But will they hurt Keith?¡± Lin¡¯s sincere question took us by surprise but it was one that I wanted to ask for myself. Thinking deeply, Belle replied, ¡°No. I do not believe so. I¡¯ve seen her looking at Keith. That woman¡­¡± Belle was clearly hesitating but added ¡°she¡¯s one of us.¡± One of us. I knew how both simple and complex those three words are but I was comforted nonetheless. ¡°But this amount of blood is abnormal. Rolando and his peons didn¡¯t even look injured.¡± Realizing the meaning behind her words, Belle froze. ¡°Belle, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Princess, the Instructor, she¡¯s saying that there¡¯s only one person who all of this blood could belong to.¡± Lin¡¯s eyes were tearing up. ¡°Keith?¡± My voice cracked. I was consumed by rage. I knew that Yuriko had Keith but even then, I was unsure if he was alive. I have yet to see him after all. I turn around and make my way back inside the cafeteria. From a distance, I can hear Rolando laughing and recounting what he did to Keith. He was proud of having crushed a man who could not fight back. He was delighted. He was satisfied. Before I can even voice out my anger at this injustice, this horrible deed, I felt a dangerous presence behind me. It was Belle, finally succumbing to her rage. This was not the rage of a lover rather, it was the pure rage of a teacher for what happened to her beloved student. Belle was surrounded by blue flame and surging from her body was the mythical black lightning. It was truly a sight to behold. Each step she took shook the building and objects to her immediate vicinity spontaneously exploded while some started to melt. Rolando stopped dead in his tracks. It was, after all, a most terrible fate to make an enemy out of this dreadnought. Belle is the most powerful soldier and the most brilliant tactician in our kingdom, some might even argue that she was the best in the whole entire world. ¡°What have you done, Rolando?¡± It was a tired voice, coming from the speakers scattered around our academy. It was Governor Seras, Rolando¡¯s father and the governor of this kingdom. ¡°I have done nothing wrong!¡± Rolando cried out. ¡°I merely squashed an insolent bug!¡± The fury surrounding Belle intensified. The cafeteria started crumbling and the students, sensing the danger, started evacuating one by one. They were now watching the scenes before them from the outside. ¡°Is that really the instructor?¡± Inquired a random student. Shaking, another student said ¡°She¡¯s¡­really scary.¡± Breathing heavily, another student said ¡°I¡­I think that I want her to hit me when she¡¯s like that.¡± ¡°Ewww! Pervert!¡± ¡°Still, that bastard Keith sure is lucky to have someone like that mad on his behalf.¡± ¡°Imagine all the crazy angry sex that they co ¨C¡° ¡°¡±EEEPPP!¡± I gave them a sharp look conveying my dissatisfaction and disgust. These prentices really are quite stupid. Governor Seras continued speaking. ¡°Well that bug¡¯s lover is about to destroy you and this kingdom. Are you willing to take responsibility for that my stupid son?¡± Seras coughed, he really was sick. ¡°Can you take it upon yourself to protect this kingdom from the dreadnought?¡± Rolando was sweating bullets. He couldn¡¯t say anything. He shouldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°But before you destroy my son and my kingdom, Instructor Belle,¡± Governor Seras beseeched her. ¡°Would you please repel the oncoming enemy attack? I trust that the prentices would not do so well against enemy bombardment.¡± The strange thing about this is that he sounded completely cool, as though he was uncaring that an enemy was coming towards us. Belle was silent for a while, contrasting her outwards appearance that of a destroyer. She nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± She took out her sword, Grandia, and disappeared, leaving nothing but ravaged debris and the tension in this room. The citywide alarm started ringing. There really was an enemy attack and Belle was dispatched to eliminate the foreign threat. Of all times, why now? I shook my head, dispelling my worries. I am a princess. I must protect the people. I shouldered my bow and headed out with conviction and a sense of duty in my heart. ______________________________________________________________________ Author''s notes Alizoned here. What did you think of this chapter? Let me know in the comments below. Hope you enjoyed. Trouble! Reading Guide (Updated 7 March 2015) Hi everyone. I''m posting a reading guide here to help clear things up. Hope this helps. Thanks. VOLUME 1 Chapter 0 - Prologue : http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6121 Chapter 1 - Beginnings: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6128 Chapter 2 - Vertigo: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6130 Chapter 3 - Chance: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6133 Chapter 4 - Downtrodden: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6134 Chapter 5 - Words of Power: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6135 Chapter 6 - Monster: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6178 Chapter 7 - Wrath: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=7355 Chapter 3.5 - The calm before the storm: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=7357 Chapter 001 - Episode Alicia: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=8514 Chapter 001 - Episode Belle: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=8545 Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.Chapter 002 - Episode Belle: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=8547 Chapter 8 - Threads of Fate: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=8550 Chapter 9 - Astarte: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=8589 Chapter 10 - Ascension of War: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=8617 Chapter 11 - Desolation: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11709 Chapter 12 - Renewal: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11851 Chapter 13 - Valefor: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11964 Chapter 14 - Absolute: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11994 Chapter 15 - End of a Journey: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=12031 Chapter 16 - Epilogue: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=12036 VOLUME 2 Chapter 00 - Looking Back: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=12203 Chapter 01 - Confusion: 01 - Episode Belle - 001 ¡°Pointless.¡± A single word escapes my rose colored lips. I am surrounded by a blanket of darkness, mirroring the emptiness inside of me. I look towards the sky painted with vermilion and fire and I appreciate the stench of death that fills the air. The capital is under attack from an enemy nation and the citizens are being slaughtered like animals. This is the feeling of war, the feeling that I¡¯ve longed for all this time. I am a horrible human being but is that so bad? Mindlessly walking around the burning capital, I come across an enemy soldier who looked no older than twenty years old. I am not bothered by his appearance nor his age but I am intrigued by the display of violence occurring in front of me. A woman¡¯s voice, ragged and devastated spoke a few simple words, ¡°Please. Please, don¡¯t.¡± but I understood that those words were the difference between life and death for her. The soldier was slowly approaching her, knife in hand. I understood that the soldier had probably lost his mind ¨C the look of delirium plastered on his face was indicative of that. Instead of stopping this sorry scene, I instead found myself engrossed in my own world. I find myself thinking about the circumstances that led to this young man¡¯s extreme changes. Was he ordered to murder children? Was he ordered to burn people alive? The human psyche intrigued me. I am also intrigued by the woman¡¯s expression. That look of fear on her eyes slowly stirred to wake a deep emotion from within me. ¡®Instructor!¡¯ cried a lazy looking young man. In spite of myself, remembering his hopeful eyes pulled me back from the brink of insanity yet again. You¡¯re still saving me even if you¡¯re not here, Keith. I understand now. Having power is useless if that strength remains stagnant, unused and under control. It has to be given free rein in order to be able to accomplish whatever it is that I want accomplished. After all, everything in this world is mine for the taking. No, I mustn¡¯t have these thoughts. I slap myself a few times on my cheeks. Inside of me lives a monster that is beyond the comprehension of mortals. It is not human and it does not seek peace with humans. It is simply a behemoth that cannot be tamed but¡­his smile saved me when the whole world was happy with the carnage that I brought upon it. I was raised under extreme circumstances. It was a covert military school that had its students kill one another in order to bolster growth and encourage a sort of evolution within us. Nobody ever expected that the monster was real, at least not until they laid their eyes on me that is. Orphaned at a very young age, I was brought before a group of researches and stripped naked. Having every inch of my body examined by scientists and doctors with all of their prodding and checking took its toll on me. I was emotionally dead by the time I was 6 years old and that¡¯s when the monster started to slowly take over me. It was my first ¡®skirmish¡¯ against another student of the same age. He was a scrawny young man who looked fragile and he looked as though he would break if he was even slightly handled roughly. I remember deeply disliking him. We were given weapons and were thrown inside what is now known as the Falaris Death coliseum. It is a gigantic structure that stretches for miles on all ends and at the center was the ¡®field of operations¡¯ which was really the polite way to refer to the killing floor. The result should be obvious but I had indeed murdered that child with a smile on my face. I remember savoring the look on his eyes when I ripped out his guts right from his torso and it didn¡¯t stop there. Day after day, more researches came to observe my ¡®skirmishes¡¯, from crushing my opponents with the sheer volume of my mana to roasting people alive with my black lightning, everything was being gleefully recorded. Some time passed and the pile of bodies only grew higher. I had managed to kill each and every one of my rivals in the academy and I was concluded to be the next step in human augmentation in the military. I was registered in the military as a human weapon, expendable but of the highest importance. I was a living weapon. I brought forth carnage every time I was deployed in the field and I paid no heed to the numerous cries for mercy that were thrown in my face. After all, what use could a weapon have with emotions and sympathy? Killing because I was ordered to do so slowly became killing because I wanted to. I was a complete mess, as chaotic and empty as the darkness that had consumed my heart. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. One fateful mission came by and by chance, I found myself slowly dying due to dehydration and starvation. I was in a land of famine and plague and I was surrounded by the rotting corpses of the citizens that the military was sworn to protect. We were ambushed by the enemy and I was all that was left of my unit. All of my handlers were dead, the researchers were captured and I was on my stomach, dying of hunger. I remember wanting to survive, thinking that this was the worst way to die. It was even more shameful than being killed by your enemy so I thought to simply end it all. I was thinking of biting my tongue off and simply get it over with but¡­he saved me. I remember looking at him with disbelief in my face. Of course, I didn¡¯t have emotions back then but curiosity got the better of me. I was fascinated by this malnourished child. Though his body looked weak, his eyes showed a resolve that could only have been forged by facing years of hardship and tragedy. The boy was Keith and his parents had just died yet here he was running around active war zones trying to save people like me. I wondered why he did it. I thought about a dozen selfish reasons that could be motivating the boy but none of them seemed correct. His honest eyes told me that. He simply took my hand and helped me stand up. He gave me what I suspected to be the only food that he had on him and handed me a half-empty canteen. Weakened by hunger, my will could no longer help itself and I found myself devouring the child¡¯s lifeline. Expecting him to be mad, I found him looking as though he had just been promised the hand of the Queen in marriage. He was happy for me and that one selfless act that saved my life had saved my heart too. I remembered that I too was human and that I was someone that felt and loved and was afraid too. I started crying out the years of violence that took a hold of my life. I was extremely filthy at the time and I remember being covered in the blood of my enemies. I started feeling insecure and the boy seemed to notice that. He wipes the blood from my lips. ¡°Your lips look beautiful¡± he said, as he smudged blood all over my rose colored lips. I lovingly remember that day as the day I reclaimed my humanity ¨C it was also the day I fell in love. I am human and it is my duty to save the people regardless of their race or status in life. I hurriedly pulled out my sword and called out to the crazed soldier that was creeping towards the woman I saw earlier. "Hey creep!" He died before he could even realize what had happened. I simply activated my ¡®Laser Beam¡¯ and I am now covered by blood. How ironic. My face was covered in red and I wipe the muck off with the back of my hand. I glance at my glove and I can see an indentation of my lips as though they were painted with a lipstick and not with something that used to be inside a human. ¡®Beautiful in red, huh.¡± I chuckle to myself. The woman slowly gathers her thoughts and turns to look at me. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± She bowed her head deeply. I smile at her. ¡°You better find someplace to hide.¡± And I gestured for her to go. She stood up and started running towards what I presume to be is a center for the evacuees. I activate my runes and I am now surrounded by a raging wall of fire and a chaotic torrent of black lightning, burning and destroying everything in my path. ¡°I have to save this city.¡± I take my sword and activated my runes. ¡°Absolute Artes ¨C Activate¡¯ The red skies and the Moon that was dyed in the color of blood seemed to be strangely calming. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I last let loose. Try not to die before I have my fun, okay everyone?¡± I said towards my yet to be seen enemies. _______________________________________________________________ Author''s Notes Hi everyone. I wrote this chapter to tell us the story of how Belle met Keith and what had happened between them. This chapter also tells us more about Belle''s past and about the insanity that has always been with her. Will she be able to keep this thing in check? I can only hope so. Thanks for reading this chapter and please look forward to the next one. 01 - Episode Belle - 002 I close my eyes and concentrate my mana to my nerve center. I am in my own world and wrapping its endless arms around me is a light unlike any other. It¡¯s the so-called light of life or the essence of mana. Normal people should be able to faintly sense mana when it is dispersed around them but seeing it in its most natural form is impossible, at least for everyone else. Sensing the entire city around me as a form of wisp, the light moves, seemingly searching for others like it. ¡°I can see it.¡± Processing the mana around me as though they were numbers and words, I look towards the East, the symbol of the rising Sun. ¡°Found you.¡± I lick my lips in satisfaction. ¡°Hold on to your hats gentlemen.¡± I open my eyes and focus mana towards my extremities. I can feel the power building up in my body. The environment reacts to the stimuli that my mana is generating and as I lowered myself in anticipation of the sudden burst of speed that I am going to go through, the earth below me shatters and the buildings start to violently vibrate in their place. The black lightning around me intensifies, causing destruction to the world around me. Electricity is generated by an outburst of mana and fire is created when that mana is concentrated within the body. Normally, thunder is yellow or something in that hue but the thunder that I generate is black. It is more intense and it indiscriminately burns the world around it, wanting to paint the entire world in ebony which is why I have to fight alone. Feeling the power inside of me reach at least an eighth of its total capacity, I calmly exhale. ¡°Burn.¡± I draw my sword and the sudden outburst of mana launches me at a speed that supersedes reality. I travel in a straight line and everything around me is immobile, as though the world has stopped but I know better. I pass through buildings and carriages but they do not violently explode nor do I burst through them, I simply disintegrate whatever I¡¯m passing through. I am travelling at the speed of light and I see enemy soldiers stopped like the world around all of us and before them were a group of terrified women and children. I understand killing your enemies but to mindlessly execute citizens that had nothing to do with the war you are waging is stupid though I understand the pleasure bloodshed brings to the individual. Passing through the enemies, I waved my sword and put it back in its sheath and with it, the images surrounding me slowly return to normal and I hear cries for mercy and sympathy but drowning that is the drunken laughs and insults the soldiers are throwing at them. I stopped a few meters away from the enemies and one of them notices me. ¡°Oi,¡± he spits at my shoe, ¡°bitch.¡± He tries walking towards me but before he can even take a step, his foot violently melts away. ¡°What the fuck?¡± He cries out, ¡°What the fuck did you do to me?!¡± The others start pointing their weapons towards me but what follows are the sounds of metal hitting stone. They¡¯re dropping their swords along with their now melting hands. Some of them are screaming while some of them are crying but most of them are just hurling insults at me. By now I am deeply breathing, surrounded by the pleasure of death. ¡°Your screams are starting to get me wet.¡± I inhale the smell of their rupturing organs and pleasurably exhale. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The looks on their faces, or at least what¡¯s left of it was simply a sight to behold. They were confused and afraid of their horrible fate. I did not attack them, I simply passed through them and like the buildings before them so they started disintegrating at the molecular level. Dying like this is a horrible way to die. With the last of them finally drew his last breath, I continue towards the east, releasing thunder and fire behind me. The people I saved couldn¡¯t even thank me, I understand their fear but this is why I am fated to be alone. Only ¡®he¡¯ understands. I jump up and release a huge chunk of my mana and I use my fire to thrust up to the sky. Essentially, one could call this flying but it isn''t. I simply launched myself upwards and I am slowly countering gravity with a huge concentration of fire hot enough to burn an entire palace into ashes. To the east, I see an anchored warship which can only be the enemy flagship. Surrounding the gigantic ship were about eight dozen frigates and armored battleships. I draw my sword and start focusing another eighth of my total capacity to it. I channel my runes. ¡°Activate Runes - Dreadnought¡± A dazzling light came from my sword, Grandia. I raised it up to the heavens and I recounted the incantation to use the Anti-Military Rune, Dreadnought. ¡°As terrible as Lightning and as intense as Hellfire, I call upon the might of the Gods and beseech them to lend me their power! Shatter the wicked and feast on their skins ¨C ¡° I prepared my stance, ¡°Smite them, Grandia!¡¯ The light from my sword shined brighter than the sun, giving the sky the illusion that it was daylight when in reality, its half-past 8 in the evening. I swung the sword in a wide arc and it released an energy as intense as its light and hotter than hellfire. The energy that was released was as big as the smallest frigate but it was faster than lightning. Time seemed to stop as the soldiers on the ships remain dumbfounded and unable to act, not realizing that their moment of demise was coming for them. Like a raindrop disturbing a flower¡¯s peace, Dreadnought hit the flagship and imploded upon itself, generating three hundred tons worth of fire and pressure and it rapidly expanded, slowly eating away at the other ships in their fleet. In a few short moments, only the dry harbor remained and some bits and scraps of the enemy ships scattered around. Seems as though dreadnought evaporated a huge chunk of the harbor. I sigh, "I have to make it less potent next time." With the danger coming to an end, I take a deep breath and resolve myself to find Keith. ¡°Approximately 300 ships destroyed and all this in 8 minutes¡­.I think I¡¯m losing my touch.¡± I laughed amidst the stench of death and suffering, losing myself to my bloodlust. __________________________________________________________________ Author''s Notes Hi guys, Alizoned here. Sorry for the short chapter but this marks the end of Belle''s POV..well for now. How do you like the story so far? Let me know what you think in the comments below. 01 - 08 - Threads of Fate + Episode Chie - 001 Something smells good. It¡¯s a sweet kind of smell which reminds me of shampoo with a slight tinge of sweat. It¡¯s pleasant to the nose, simulating the image of a healthy flower waiting to be plucked. My body feels heavier than usual too and I can¡¯t move my arms. I slowly open my eyes and the first thing I see is the ceiling but it takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust. That¡¯s right, I passed out after that wild goose chase last night. Yuriko, Chie and I went after the enemy flagship. We traversed the untamed jungle and it took me quite a bit of effort to keep up with those two Exo-Armamental Suit wearing monsters. We searched the island from the afternoon to dusk but we couldn¡¯t find anyone. Giving up on our search, Yuriko brought us to another hut and I took a bath and naturally, I passed out. I was dead tired from overusing ¡°Laser Beam¡± and the tension that I felt the entire day didn¡¯t help my mental health at all. I yawned and smiled, ¡°I guess this isn¡¯t so bad after all but,¡± I looked around the simple room. ¡°Where are they?¡± I wonder where Chie and Yuriko went off to. I tried standing up but something soft is pushing up against me. It¡¯s pleasant to the touch. With curiosity starting to get the better of me, I tried touching the soft object but I knew better. That ¡®soft and heavenly¡¯ thing could only be Yuriko¡¯s mature chest or Chie¡¯s shapely ass. Knowing better than to be an idiot, I forced myself to stand only to blunder and make an ass out of myself. My right arm was being pressed between two round objects and the force that I exerted in standing up backfired into me tripping falling headfirst to the left side of the bed. Expecting a painful crash to the floor, I found that my left arm was being caressed by two bountiful objects as well. I guess I thought wrong, it wasn¡¯t Chie or Yuriko, I was stuck between the two of them with my arms pressed between their chests. From either side, I am met by a strangely erotic sight of a maiden¡¯s unprotected sleeping face. Instead of complaining to the Gods, I find myself at peace as I stared into their faces as the cuteness of their silent breathing filled the room with a pleasant atmosphere. I free my left arm from Yuriko and I begin stroking Chie¡¯s face. Her usually serious demeanor seems as different from her pleasantly amused face as I gently held her cheek, filling up my hand with her body heat. I turned to my left and did the same thing with Yuriko. She always has this fear in her face whenever she looks at me but right now her face is at its most beautiful state. I gently stroke her face and the sight of her appreciating my touch brought a smile to my face. I strengthen my resolve to protect these dear friends of mine but what reason do I have to risk my life for two people I have barely known for a day? I¡¯ve been wondering that myself when I first woke up but everything makes sense now. They are important comrades who fought beside me. They will never betray me and I will never betray them. No, that¡¯s not even the real reason but it¡¯s not a lie either. The truth is, I have nothing but the two of them. If I have to spend the rest of my life with these two then I will die happy and content. ¡®Man¡¯s greatest treasures are his friends, after all.¡¯ Shuffle, shuffle. A sultry voice spoke into my ear, surprising me. ¡°Ara, ara. I didn¡¯t know you were so daring, Alphonse.¡± She kissed my cheek and pulled her face back, revealing a fiendish smile. ¡°Oh, you were up then, Yuriko?¡± I touch the part where she kissed me. ¡°You should have said something then. It¡¯s rude to pretend to be sleeping.¡± She chuckled ¡°Well I really don¡¯t mind you touching me, Alphonse, but for you to touch Chi at the same time,¡° She looked into my eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little too greedy?¡± Feeling venom in her voice, I involuntarily shuddered. Noticing my reaction, Yuriko lets out a soft sigh. ¡°I¡¯m only kidding¡± and as she finished what she was saying, she swiftly knocks my hand away and forces me down with a military take down. She now has me in a mounted position and I have no way to counter. Forming a fist, she pulls back her arm and releases a punch faster than anything I have ever seen before. Cringing, I open my right eye to check if I was still among the world of the living only to find her head on my chest and her right arm cradling my head. ¡°Do you still think that I¡¯m mad, Alphonse?¡± She looks at me with those pitiable eyes again, totally devoid of the commanding aura that she had when I first saw her with her Exo-Armamental suit on. I shake my head and gave her what I can only describe as an honest smile. She bites her lip, seemingly troubled. ¡°Alphonse, I¡¯m afraid that I may not want to tell you who you were before you became Alphonse.¡± Her eyes started tearing up. ¡°Would you hate that kind of woman? Would you hate me if I told you that I needed you far more than you needed me?¡± So that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering her. I take my time to think of how I honestly felt about my situation and when I had reached my decision, I knew there was no turning back. I gently caress her cheek with my hand and I wipe the tears that flowed from her eye with the other. ¡°None of that matters right now Yuriko. I want to regain my memories and I¡¯m sure that I have friends waiting for me but no, I will not hate you for wanting to keep things as they are now.¡± I held her hands with both of mine and I looked into her eyes, conveying the seriousness of what I am saying. ¡°But please do not try to stop me on this journey of mine for it is mine alone to take.¡± She tightly holds my hands in response but she looked annoyed. Making a ¡®tsk¡¯ sound, she reprimands me. ¡°It is not your journey alone, Alphonse. You have Chie and I with you.¡± She pauses and then lays her head on my chest. ¡°Forever, you know?¡± To my right, I felt something completely contrary to the sweet mood between Yuriko and myself. I remembered that we weren¡¯t alone. ¡°Am I in the way, Captain? Monmon? Then this annoying cockblocker should probably leave.¡± Chi was completely mad. Instinct taking over, I pulled on her hand as she was standing up and hugged her with my free arm. Seeing her change from angry to flusterred and finally to happy within seconds brought pleasure to my heart. Am I actually a sadi, no I can¡¯t even go through with that thought. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Captain, sharing is caring.¡± Chi smiled smugly. Yuriko, not wanting to miss out gave me another kiss but this time it was longer and¡­wet. ¡°You have a lot more to work on, Chi.¡± She said as she wiped the saliva from my cheek. Seeing a string of her spit form as she separates her lips from my cheek is strangely erotic, that and considering the way they are dressed. Oh did I forget to mention that? Yuriko is wearing this appealing black lace lingerie that looks too risqu¨¦ to the male eye. Her gorgeous porcelain figure is highlighted by the contrast the dark pieces of cloth brought to her pure and snow white skin. Chie, on the other hand is wearing this cute night gown that highly accentuates her youthful features to an almost terrifying degree. The women kept trying to outdo each other that it started to annoy me, I wanted to have breakfast after all. I sat down and I cracked my knuckles. Yuriko and Chie were dumbfounded but as they were about to voice out their complaint or whatever, I grabbed Yuriko by her lingerie and gave her a deep kiss, massaging her tongue with mine. She tried to resist it at first but she soon found herself immersed in the world that I created with my tongue. I don¡¯t know how I learned how to kiss like this but it¡¯s a pretty useful technique. Separating my mouth from hers, a string of saliva is formed and I pulled my head back and watched it break apart. Yuriko had a look of annoyance on her face but then resorted to pouting. I then grabbed Chie and traced her collar bone with my thumb. She shuddered at my touch but I knew better. I pulled her face towards mine and gave her a passionate kiss as I grabbed her magnificent chest with my free hand, directing her head to mine with the other. Chie didn¡¯t seem like she was experienced with these sort of things but it was cute how she was doing her best. I then pulled back and kissed Yuriko again, this time she was more willing. I grabbed her large chest with my hand and massaged it, seemingly shaping it to the form of my hand. She lets out this cute little voice that made me laugh a little. I did this for a while, changing between Chie and Yuriko. After kissing the both of them, I simply stood up and left the two panting and confused. That should teach them not to get between me and breakfast. ______________________________________________________________________ Episode Chie 001 Pant. Pant. Pant. I¡¯m panting and besides me is my Captain, Yuriko. We¡¯re both sweaty and happy but we weren¡¯t satisfied. I mean who the hell does that? Who the hell gets you in the mood and simply walks away?! In the first place, did he even know what he was doing? How the hell did he learn to kiss like that? It¡¯s unreal! His tongue felt wonderful and the way his lips collided with mine felt absolutely exquisite! I think I even got a little we ¨C wait that¡¯s not important right now! Pant. Pant. Pant. ¡°Captain..¡± I looked at the woman beside me. She had this look of content on her face but it was masked by a look of an even greater yearning. I know what she wants but she didn¡¯t get it. No, no one got it. ¡°Chi, that was superb but I didn¡¯t expect him to be that rough!¡± She licked lips and giggled. ¡°I know that the pact between us was made but for him to act like that on the first day! I wonder what he¡¯s going to do tonight!¡± She giggles and rolls around. Ah yes, the pact. The pact of ¡®naming¡¯ a soldier is actually one of the oldest traditions in our military. It is a deep honor for a Man to be named by an Exo-Armamental Wielder because it signifies that the man has proven his mettle and is deserving to be married to the one who named him. The pact can be between two or more people but in our kingdom, it is generally recommended for a man to be married to multiple wives due to our low birth rate and so in this sense, Monmon, Captain and I are all a family now. Geez, I wonder how the rest of the squadron is going to react to this. ¡°So how was it Captain. Your first kiss?¡± I averted my eyes and stared at the nearest wall. ¡°It was¡­intense. How was yours, Chi?¡± She smiled happily. ¡°He was gentle but rough.¡± I blushed and seeing Yuriko¡¯s amused expression, we both burst into laughter. As this gentle scene was unfolding, a thought suddenly hit me. Does that hick even know what the ¡®pact¡¯ actually is? Knowing him, he probably kissed us just to shut us up! This is going to be troublesome in a lot of ways. _______________________________________________________________________ Author''s Notes Hey everyone. This here was originally released during the last few weeks of december. Sorry it took so long to upload here but I tried to make it better. Anyway here is my original author''s note and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. ----------------------------------------------- Hey guys! Alizoned here! This here is the beginning of my 2 part Christmas Gift for you my readers! The next part introduces one of the most important characters in the series, Keith''s actual fiance. Though he''s married now, apparently. These warrior races have strange traditions don''t they? Thanks for supporting me this year and I hope to spend next year with you too! Happy holidays! P.S. People have been wondering about how Belle looks like so I''m going to be sharing with you the character model that I had in mind BEFORE I actually played Fire Emblem. Weirdly enough, I found Belle there! All of that is Belle save for a few differences in armor-class and accessories. Also, Belle tends to have an arrogant face on most of the time. So without further ado, I give you Belle..err Cordelia from Fire Emblem Awakening Spoiler : 01 - 09 - Astarte Chains breaking, bodies burning and an unshakeable feeling of dread. I wake with a start. What was that dream? What a cruel thing to behold. As I was trying to come to terms with myself, assuring an invisible companion that I was fine, a single name passes through my lips, as silent and fleeting as the dream I had of the Man behind it. ¡°¡­Keith¡­¡± I lie in bed feeling despair, awake but not aware; alive but only just. I force my limbs to move, urging my fingers to take a hold of my bed so that I may help myself up but they prove to be as lifeless as they seem. My legs refuse to stretch and move, my muscles neither contract nor make any forms. I am trapped in a prison of my own design. I am a helpless spirit chained to a lifeless body. I stay flat on my back with my auburn eyes fixed on my ceiling, magicked to imitate the outside sky. A trapped bird¡¯s dream of freedom, I think to myself. I feel a tingling sensation near my abdomen. It¡¯s warm. I must be urinating. How ironic for a Queen obligated to serve her People to not even be able to help herself, to not even be able to act on behalf of her betrothed. What was with that dream? Was it an omen or with what little mercy they had for me, the Gods decided to ¡®bless¡¯ me with a vision of what has already come to pass? I ponder to myself these questions that probably do not have any real answer. I need to get the word out. I need to ascertain Keith and Alicia¡¯s safety yet I cannot move nor do I have the influence or authority to send out a scouting squad to determine their whereabouts. I am a mere figurehead used by the Governors to control Valiante. A Queen helpless in the face of the Machinations of Man. I knew that I was born for greatness, that I was born to serve and to love but luck was not on my side. When I was younger, I suffered a horrible accident that disfigured my spine. I loved riding horses and I loved taking them out for a ride every afternoon after practicing both the Sword and the Magical Artes. I especially loved riding with Keith and Alicia, as I had done so in my youth, one can say that riding was my way of reliving the happier days where we could simply frolic about in peace. The faithful day came suddenly. I was finished training my body so I went for a ride around the Royal Hunting Grounds. As my Horse was galloping, preparing to make a jump over a fence, it suddenly collapsed. I was found buried under the horse, my back shattered. That day robbed me of my body. I can no longer walk, I can no longer run but worst of all, I can never be able to hold ¡®his¡¯ hand in mine ever again. The doors to my room burst open and my friend Artesia enters my room bringing with her the scent of mushroom soup and tea. I call her my friend yet there is more to Artesia than most care to admit. She is a servant of the Royal Family but in truth, she is my half-sister from one of my Father¡¯s many affairs. She was given a job as a Maid and a home by my late Mother but I decided to keep her close to me as a confidante, a friend but most importantly because she is my Sister, regardless of the circumstances of her birth. She seems chipper as usual, she¡¯s humming her favorite tune and is walking towards my bed with a skip in her step. I smile at her like I always do and she smiles at me like she always does. Without saying anything, having without the need to, we communicate our love for each other with that simple familial gesture that you would give a friend, but to us both it means so much more. ¡°Good morning, Artesia.¡± ¡°Good morning, Your Majesty¡± as she bows towards me. ¡°It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± As usual, she is polite and rigidly meticulous, just the way she likes it. Artesia was trained by the Ladies of our Convent to the strictest qualities of a Lady of the Royal Court in terms of conversational skills, studies and etiquette and she has since lived by and through her training. I try to tell her that she need not concern herself with formalities and customs but she gives me a glare that makes me want to just quiet down and forget whatever concern I had with her overly professional decorum. I look at her and I nodded, signifying that I was ready for breakfast. Artesia removes my sheets and seeing what I had done in my moment of weakness, she gives me a sad smile. ¡°I apologize for making a mess of my sheets, Artesia. I think I am starting to lose control of my bladder as well.¡± As I smile weakly. She just stares at me and I notice a faint tear run down her face. She soon starts crying, kneeling at my bedside putting her head on my chest. I try to hug her back but I cannot. I can only stare in weakness as my Sister cries for me. ¡°My Queen. My Sister. Why do the Gods test you like so? You have done no harm to anyone that did not deserve it. You are a stalwart of Justice, an enemy of oppression and a patron to the poor, so why you? The Gods know of my wish to trade places with you yet they do not grant it. Why must life be so unfair? Why you? Why my beloved Sister?¡± I am touched by my Sister¡¯s love for me but she gives me far too much credit but to think that she felt this way, to think that she wanted to exchange places with me, for this alone I am thankful. ¡°Artesia, you must never wish to take over my disability. This is my burden to shoulder and mine alone. I am merely carrying the sins of my Father and of the Kings before him and for a single member of the royal family to carry the burden of this curse is more than kind. I believe that we all have our roles to perform in this world and I know for myself that you are going to do great things in this world one day but for now, I kindly ask for you to keep on looking after me, though I am but the anchor that weighs you down.¡± I sincerely share my honest feelings with Artesia but it affected her more. She started crying more but now, she was tenderly hugging me as though she was a younger sister who just got scolded. How cute. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°My Queen, if taking care of you is a burden then allow me to carry it for the rest of my life. As long as I am with you, the Queen I admire and the Sister that I love, I am happy to live the rest of my life in servitude as long as it is in service of Your Majesty. This I swear on mine honor.¡± ¡°If we want to live for a long time together then I would like to eat my breakfast first. I believe I am dying of hunger.¡± I smile at her and she looks up at me and she starts laughing and of course, I start laughing with her. To be showered by love and care by this Sister of mine is enough for me, at least it should have been enough for me. Deep in the darkest recesses of my heart, I feel anxious, worried¡­ Keith. Where are you? ¡°My Queen?¡± She wipes face with a handkerchief ¡°Is there anything that pains you?¡± How perceptive. ¡°Yes, Artesia. I had a dream. I saw Keith surrounded by dread and war.¡± ¡°A¡­a dream, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. I have never felt this anxious before.¡± ¡°I¡­I see. Well, for now let me feed you this soup that I made. It¡¯s starting to cool down enough to eat!¡¯ ¡°Yes, please. Let¡¯s eat.¡± What was that hesitation just now? Just what are you not telling me, Artesia? I look to my window and soon find my thoughts racing towards the man that I love, the man that I am to marry. Marrying Keith has been my dream ever since I was a young girl but all of that was put on hold when his parents were framed for rebellion towards the crown. My father, the late king, ravaged their land with magic and alchemy which led to its collapse. Keith¡¯s parents who strongly believed in noblesse oblige or in the noble¡¯s obligation fought the insurmountable odds but they too suffered from disease and famine until they eventually died. The shock of losing his parents and everything that they owned caused Keith great trauma which damaged his temporal lobe making him susceptible to memory loss. By my count, Keith has lost his memory once. Luckily for me, Alicia found Keith one fateful day and declared him her Knight. Although I was anxious about Keith¡¯s malnourished state, I was happy that Keith himself was alive. That was enough for me. I know of Alicia¡¯s great love for Keith and I have no intention of handing him over to her, that much I know to be true. I was originally what people called a prodigy in the use of runes but without the use of my limbs, I have but one ability left which is the ability to read the future through my dreams. I am what people believe to be an oracle of sorts, with most of my dreams heralded as either a sign of blessings to come or a harbinger of death and tragedy. Right now, my dreams have shown my beloved surrounded by death. I have to bring him back. I just have to. I obediently allowed Artesia to change my sheets and feed me my breakfast. She then gave me a bath. I love taking baths and if anything, I find baths relaxing. My favorite scent is honey lemon, something Keith described to be the smell of his idea woman when we were younger. I giggle to myself and I find Artesia smiling at me though it was short lived. Seemingly fumbling with her thoughts, Artesia gives off a feeling of anxiety. ¡°My Queen,¡± she looked at me seriously, ¡°I have terrible news.¡± Thump. My heart is rapidly beating. I can almost hear it through the aroma infused water I was bathing in. I hold back my worry and I tried putting on a brave face. I earnestly looked at her. ¡°What is it, sister?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Keith.¡± Artesia knelt beside me and held my hand. Of course, I cannot feel it but I can feel the empathy flowing from her body to mine. ¡°We received a communique from Lady Belle.¡± She paused, ¡°It seems as though Governor Seras has made his move.¡± I could feel my heart breaking. ¡°Is¡± I stammer and I can¡¯t find the words to describe what I am feeling nor can I complete my question. I don¡¯t think I can bear to know. ¡°My queen, he is alive but missing. Lady Belle believes him to be with Reaper of the Iron Maiden Squadron of the Republic of Pantheon.¡± So he¡¯s with ¡®that¡¯ woman. Fine, at least he is alive. But Seras cannot be forgiven. With resolve in my eyes and fire in my heart, I declared the following. ¡°Artesia, Anthedon cannot be forgiven. Mobilize the army and demand for his arrest. The fool has violated the treaty between our nations having attempted to murder the blood of a noble of the Kingdom of Valiante.¡± I paused as I watched her nodding. ¡°I do so order as the Queen of the Kingdom of Valiante. Let the fires of justice raze the garden of its weeds and vermin.¡± Having received my orders, Artesia nodded. ¡°For the glory of the kingdom and her dominion, let your will be done my Queen.¡± I will see you soon Keith but only after I rid the world of the scum that dared to harm you. _________________________________________________________________________ Author''s Note Two in one day. Merry Christmas everyone - is what I would say had I posted this earlier but it has now been edited and improved for your viewing pleasure. Anyway, Astarte is one of my favorite characters in this work. I think that she is sweet and that she will always resolve things through fair means. She''s one of the truly pure characters in the series but unfortunately, she''s completely paralyzed from the neck down. Anyway I hope you don''t let her disability get to you and enjoy her for what she really is, one hell of a woman! Hope you enjoyed one of the more dramatic entries in Trouble! Alizoned 01 - 10 - Ascension of War Surrounded by the fragrance of stew, I am sitting in our hut¡¯s dining room as I wait for Chie and Yuriko to exit our bedroom. A lot of things have happened during my stay here in the island and for me, these experiences make up my entirety as a person and as a man. The decisions that I have made and the lives I had taken to protect the women in my life were horrible deeds and thoughts if one were to honestly assess them but I do not regret anything. I can hear the pot rattling about as the sauce simmers down and from the scent coming from the stew, I determine that it is ready to eat. Light enters the kitchen from the small window directly in front of the sink where the dishes are stored and it emphasizes the wooden features of our simple home. Though I call it our ¡®home¡¯, I am horribly aware of its existence as one of the emergency safe houses strategically placed around Izumo Island. Yuriko and Chie are the leaders of the Iron Maiden Squadron hailing from the Republic of Pantheon. Since the people born in Pantheon are unable to utilize mana, they rely on a magical device that stores mana around them, or something to that effect. I¡¯m no expert in these matters but the power that the both of them displayed and the technology available to them puts them up there amongst the strongest people in the world. I pour myself some stew and sat down at the table. I¡¯m still trying to regain my memory but I¡¯m only getting brief flashes that make no sense and it¡¯s starting to frustrate me. In the corner of my eyes, I see a glimmer coming from my left hand, perched on the table. It¡¯s a ring. It¡¯s not particularly gorgeous but it isn¡¯t ordinary either. I remove it from my left ring finger and examined it closely, checking the surface for any scratches or engravings that could lead me to my identity but I am left disappointed when I find nothing. Suddenly placing her weight on me, Yuriko greets me. ¡°Ara, Alphonse. What are you looking at?¡± She lies her head on my back as she hugs me from behind. I hide the ring in my pocket and feigned ignorance. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was simply caught up in my thoughts.¡± I took a spoonful of the stew. Silence surrounds us for a few moments with only the chirping birds and the soft breezes of the wind to comfort us. ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to carry your burden alone, right?¡± She places her hand over mine and turns my head. My eyes meet hers. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I breathed in her scent as I touched my cheek with hers, holding her close with a one-armed embrace. ¡°I know.¡± I am suddenly attacked with a light peck on my other cheek. ¡°You¡¯re in your own world again, aren¡¯t you, Captain? Mon mon?¡± Chie pouts for a second but breaks character as she dazzles us with a cheerful laugh. Chance! I activated my runes and caught her unaware. I blinked to her side and grabbed her hand and spun her around like a dancer would spin his partner and swiftly pulled her close as I lowered her body into a dip, my lips dangerously close to hers. I pulled my head back a little, clearly to her dismay. ¡°Admit your defeat, Chi.¡± Clearly getting frustrated, she pouts again. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, Mon mon, you know¡­¡± she starts mouthing off again, to my entertainment. Aware that Yuriko was silently watching us from the side, I made swift work out of Chie. I literally took her breath away as I plunged my tongue into her mouth, massaging her tongue with mine. She tried to fight back by going on the offensive but to no avail. I can feel her body going limp with ecstasy as she caresses my face with her hands. Noticing her exposed collarbone, I take advantage of this momentary lapse and gave it a light kiss. I can feel her shiver but that¡¯s enough of that. Noticing that my punishment put her into a daze, I gently place her on an empty chair and proceeded to wash the dishes. Yuriko stands up and starts helping me out. ¡°That was pretty smooth, Alphonse. Were you such a player before?¡± She gives me a knowing smile. Is ¡®player¡¯ another term for ¡®sadist¡¯ in their republic? I¡¯m sure it means ¡®cheater¡¯ or something but I can¡¯t be too insensitive about these things. Not wanting to appear stupid, I just casually shrugged and redirected the question to her. ¡°You knew me before I lost my memories, yes? Can you at least tell me a little about myself?¡± Again, silence fills in our surroundings for a few moments, save for Chi¡¯s light panting. I guess my punishment was too severe after all. ¡°Alphonse, you were always surrounded by talented people and you seemed to be kind though you had this ¡®lazy¡¯ aura around you. I guess you could say that you caught my interest as I was hiding around your academy as a cook.¡± Rinsing the soap off the plates, I answered her. ¡°Why the hell were you a cook when you are the head of an elite military unit?¡± I had more important questions to ask but this seems more pressing. She simply smiles at me but the image of a hannya mask appears behind her. I guess I should drop it for now. ¡°Anyway, Alphonse, there is something that we have to tell you.¡± Pausing to replace the washed dishes into the cupboard, she calls on Chie who immediately snaps back to reality. Hey what do you know, Chie and Yuriko really do have a different atmosphere to them when they¡¯re all serious. Is it weird that I find that attractive? Well whatever. ¡°Mon mon, we have been summoned back to the capital for an envoy with our great leader.¡± ¡°Chi is correct. We are re-assembling the rest of the squadron scattered around the island and we are immediately leaving for Pantheon. War is upon us, apparently.¡± Woah woah woah! This is too much to process all at once! I take a seat and turned towards Yuriko. ¡°What do you mean war is coming?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. With sincerity in her eyes, she nods at me. ¡°The Queen of Valiante has called upon her allies to wage war on Anthedon who has apparently harmed her¡­..lover.¡± At this, she averts her eyes from mine. Weird. ¡°Alright, when do we leave, Chi, Yuriko?¡± I feel knots forming in my stomach and I¡¯m more than against the idea of going to war but I can¡¯t just leave them be. ¡°No, Alphonse. Chi and I are going to war. You are going elsewhere.¡± Yuriko¡¯s stern voice shocks me. Chi nods at her Captain and then turns to me. ¡°You have a different directive from ours Mon mon, sorry.¡± She gives me a kind of a sorry smile that you give to people who got their pizza taken or something. ¡°What? Directive? Who gave me a directive?¡± Pointing at myself, I demonstrate my confusion by waving my arms like an angry idiot. This is done to give more emphasis to my shock. The door suddenly opens from behind me and a gush of wind enters the room and stops at my side, with a blade pointed at my throat. Was that magic? ¡°I did.¡± Snarled the source of blade. She has this melodic sort of dreamy gravelly voice that seemed to fit her demeanor and aura. I carefully looked towards her and noticed that the ¡®voice¡¯ had long, white hair and red irises that could only be described as bewitching. ¡°¡°General Isara, M¡¯aam!¡±¡± The strongest soldier and her most trusted lieutenant are standing in attention, saluting with utmost respect towards this Isara who still has her blade pointed to my neck. She smells like white plum. Wait, what am I thinking?! She sheathes her blade, ¡°At ease.¡± And proceeds to sit herself from across of me. ¡°I have heard about you, ¡®Alphonse¡¯ and I must thank you for saving Chie and Captain Yuriko, though they needed no saving.¡± She takes off her cape to reveal her toned, curvaceous body as she traces her slim, white arms with her hands. She smirks and then bows her head for a second. ¡°I must apologize for pointing my weapon at you but I had always wanted to cross swords with a disciple of Belle. I heard that your runes were pretty good though they weren¡¯t up to her level yet.¡± ¡°The name is familiar but I know of no one ¨C¡° but she raises her hand. ¡°Yes, I am aware of your predicament. Anyway, to the main point.¡± She looks at me and I nod at her, signifying my readiness and attention. She lightly clears her throat. ¡°I need you to suppress a syndicate down in the south. They kidnap beast men and sell them into slavery. Lethal force is authorized.¡± ¡°While I am against the idea of slavery, why though? Are they some sort of important military asset or something? I won¡¯t do anything unless it was to protect Yuriko or Chie. Maybe even you, Isara.¡± Momentarily caught by surprise, Isara laughs. ¡°Ha. You have balls, Alphonse. I like that. No, it isn¡¯t like that. Yuriko requested for your participation. I could easily wipe out the syndicate with our Orbital Positron Cannon but doing so would warrant the anger of the beast race.¡± She pauses, ¡°I had heard that a certain doctor specializing in the study of the mind resided in that region. Maybe you can get him to help you out.¡± ¡°I see. What about Yuriko and Chie?¡± Suppressing that syndicate in exchange for help with my memories may seem like an extremely daunting task but I have no choice. I have no leads at the moment. ¡°These two will be going with me to Valiante. We have a war to fight. It is likely that you will not see each other for a while so make your farewells now.¡± I look at Chie and Yuriko and smiled at them. We are being separated as fast as we were put together by some unknown power but I can feel that this was a predetermined path that I was bound to take. These women are a part of me as much as I am a part of them. Though it pains me to admit it, they have become my important comrades whom I will protect to the best of my abili ¨C Irritated, Isara interrupts my monologue. ¡°This is taking too long!¡± She adopts a high-pitched voice, seemingly mocking me. ¡°Bye Wife Number 1. Bye Wife Number 2!¡± Wait, Wife 1 and 2? ¡°Selphie, warp this fucker.¡± Warp?! Before I could voice my protest, Chi handed me a heavy rucksack and gave me a swift kiss. Not wanting to lose, Yuriko hands me something soft and gives me a sweet kiss in the lips as light started to surround my body. Before nausea could even hit me, I gave Isara one final look as I nodded at her and I gave her an earnest smile. Her cheeks reddened momentarily. I guess the nausea affects everyone? As fast as I was thrust into this troublesome situation, I find myself surrounded by sand that seemed to stretch into eternity on all fronts. Placing my rucksack down, I feel a soft sensation from my right hand. ¡°Oh yeah. Yuriko handed me something before I left!¡± I opened my hand and inside it was ¨C ¡°Panties?!¡± What. the. hell. I sigh to myself and fell to my knees. ¡°This is going to be a troublesome journey, isn¡¯t it.¡± __________________________________________________ Author''s Notes Hey everyone! I hope you liked the chapter. What did you think of our recent developments? Maybe enough for you to write a short review or so as a reply in this thread? Whatever works! If you have any questions or things you want clarified, kindly post them here and I will do my best to reply to everyone. Thanks for staying with me until now! Alizoned. 01 - 11 - Desolation Surrounded by sand on all sides, I exhale as I half-heartedly pick up my things without forgetting to dispose of the ¡®treat¡¯ Yuriko handed me at the last second. What an idiotic woman, really. What the hell would I use that for? She could have given me some food or clothes that I can wear but no, she just had to give me her underwear! This warrants a severe punishment when I meet her again, I sigh to myself in self-ridicule. The sun shines its light upon the broad sea of sand while the heat sears everything in its path. Just being in this extreme heat is exhausting enough but now I have actually pass through this heat to get to my destination. I started walking due South on an unwanted quest to destroy a slavery ring or something to that effect. An hour passed and then another and then another and somehow, I¡¯m still surrounded by nothing but sand. I drooped my shoulders and shouted, ¡°How far is this place, anyway?!¡± I decided to rest for a bit and settled myself nice and comfortable under some shade provided by the natural landmass around me. I closed my eyes and started meditating and of course, to regain my strength. I slowly slipped into unconsciousness. Surrounded by a deep nothingness that seemed to stretch into infinity, a familiar voice breaks the silence like a zephyr into the night. ¡°¡­So you¡¯ve returned, ¡®Hero¡¯..¡± ¡°So it seems, Warlock. It has been a while, hasn¡¯t it.¡± I replied. She scoffs and looks at my face, or whatever I have right now in this darkness, with a deep longing but the affection is no longer there. ¡°I missed you, Hero.¡± ¡°As did I but what is this about?¡± I wondered. ¡°Your powers are being affected by a natural reversal of causality which diverts it from your runes and redirects it into its source, mu or nothingness.¡± What the fuck? I look at her in confusion. ¡°What does that mean? What about my runes and my training?¡± ¡°While your current avatar possesses abilities that are slightly superior to that of a normal human being¡¯s, your runes and some of the abilities I previously unlocked for you are being sucked into itself. In short, from nothing they return to nothing.¡± ¡°You seem to be losing your touch, Warlock.¡± I jokingly teased her, hoping to ease the tension. ¡°Oho this is no joke my dear.¡± She exhales and walks towards me. As she inches closer and closer, I feel her breath on my face, she lifts my chin and she directs her gaze into mine. ¡°You are losing your powers and I cannot do anything about it right now. No more runic abilities, no more enhanced artes and no more superhuman feats.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She pauses and steps away from me. ¡°Hero, your abilities are being judged by Akasha to be too dangerous in this time and age. I¡­I personally don¡¯t give a shit but I thought you should know.¡± I listened and finally, I understood. ¡°I¡¯ll start with nothing. I did it once and I will do it again. You are a horrible friend though, Warlock.¡± My current avatar has already resigned himself to this fate and going back on our word just isn¡¯t our style. ¡°I would have made a better lover than your Princess or her ¡­¡± and the darkness was no more. I wake with a start, sweat on my face and sand scattered all over my clothes. The sun has set and I can feel the harsh cold in the desert and I can feel my body infinitely weaker than I was a couple of hours ago. ¡°What was that dream?¡± As soon as I started focusing on what had happened in the world between mind and matter, a sharp flash of light appears in my head and I can remember no more of my dream. I tried lifting my sword arm. ¡°Activate: Runes¡± I feel a heavy vibration that is like an earthquake. The sand around me is shifting and I can hear the pitter patter of a noble steed. My surrounding is embraced by a sort of nothingness and while my sword isn¡¯t reacting to my runes, there is still something unnatural happening around me. As the sound of the steed approaches me closer and closer, I inhaled as I concentrated more and more energy into my runes. As I was about to reach my peak, I hear a voice coming from behind me. ¡°DON¡¯T FANTASIZE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING DESERT, DIPSHIT!¡± That¡¯s when I realized four things: That the ¡°pitter patter¡± that I heard was the sound of a caravan being chased by an Earthly Beast. That the earthquake was caused by THEIR commotion. That I can no longer call forth my runes and finally how much it hurts to be launched into the air by an unapologetic rider commandeering 4 horses. Just my luck¡­..right¡­? ---------------------------- Author''s Notes Hey everyone. How''s it been? So anyway I''m going to start being a little bit more active again so, sorry for the delay and I apologize for the length of this chapter. I actually lost the succeeding 12 chapters or so and it''s been difficult trying to retype them all from memory but I still know what''s supposed to happen so it''s all good. Thanks for reading my work and for any comments or questions, write ''em up and I''ll do my best to reply. 01 - 12 - Renewal I¡¯m stuck in the middle of nowhere, I lost my abilities and I am currently feeling the top of my unfairly battered head. Also, I¡¯m running for my life. I was literally sent flying by a carriage driven by a maniacal bitch who didn¡¯t even bother to look back to check if I was fine but I know why she didn¡¯t look back at all. I am currently being chased by a 100 meter tall dragon and dragons of this size usually weigh around 100 to 120 metric tons. These proud beings are referred to as ¡°Earthly Beasts¡± and most of them attack people, cities and other beasts just for the heck of it. They are a remnant of the long gone, God-forsaken Golden Age War. Running through a desert as you are being chased by a fire-breathing asshole of a dragon is no joke, truly. Sensing something coming from the dragon, I jump to the side abandoning all pretense of getting away in exchange for temporary protection against an unrelenting foe. I tucked my head and my arms in, prioritizing my chest and brain above everything else and I get into a combat roll that ended up with me rolling down a steep hill of sand. The dragon roars and its roar sends a shockwave that almost stunned me had I not moved out of the way. Feeling dizzy and a little nauseous, I will myself to stand up. I¡¯m down on one knee and I notice my labored breathing. So losing my runic abilities affected my body this much, huh? That¡¯s just my fucking luck. I punch my despondent leg in frustration. ¡°Son of a bitch. Stand! Stand, Alphonse. You will not die here!¡± The dragon, distracted by my sudden disappearance and obviously disgruntled is wreaking havoc as it flails its claws and tail about, destroying the earthly fixtures around it as though they were made out of cardboard. It randomly roars out a fire that could be felt from miles away and I feel myself sweating. Whatever sand the fire hit turned to some primitive form of glass. Is there something to that fire on a molecular level after all? Wait, I can¡¯t think about that right now. I manage to bring myself up but keeping myself up is an obvious struggle. I am dehydrated, exhausted and feeling completely hopeless in the face of this insurmountable foe. Steeling my nerves, I calmed myself down by performing a breathing exercise similar to Lamaze. I can feel some energy returning to my joints and muscles and this pained body of mine could speak, it would probably condemn me to eternity for the hardship I¡¯m bringing it. With the dragon rampaging nearby, I decided to get away from it, regardless of direction. I just need to put some distance between us. I notice a sandstorm coming in from the west. With the cold desert winds buffeting the back of my broken body, I started running to the east. Pained and noticeably weaker, I kept running, despite the elements and fatigue that I felt and couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of irony in that nothing but trouble has been happening to me lately. With the dragon almost out of sight, I started to relax my running. ¡°Man, that fucker was big. Too big and too dangerous for comfort. Fuck that fucking fuck fuck, really!¡± I¡¯m a little bit crasser today but who can blame me, really. I remove my canteen from my bag. I unwrap it from the cloth that bound it and notice something fall off. I shrug it off and removed the cap. I brought it close to my lips and a familiar feeling hits me. I decided to ignore it for now and I took a swig, hastily gulping down the cool and fresh water that I brought back from Izumo Island. The water canteen is standard issue for those in the Iron Maiden Squadron. Whatever liquid placed inside is kept perpetually warm or cool by a special rune inscribed by the manufacturer. Another special function placed in this military issue canteen is that it will keep on producing a special solution filled with electrolytes, sodium and glucose essentially making this small metallic can a literal fountain of life. Stashing my canteen back in my bad, I made a mental note. ¡°I should thank Chi when I get back.¡± Suddenly, I remember the thing that fell off when I unwrapped the canteen. I looked around and after a few seconds of searching, I find it almost hidden away from view by sand. I picked it up and realize that it¡¯s a note. ¡°More detailed instructions, perhaps?¡± I asked the air, seemingly waiting for a response that is sure to never come. ¡°Who am I kidding?¡± I prepared myself and I opened the note. Inside, written in small but cute handwriting was anything but proper instructions. It read: Dear Alphonse, By the time you read this note you will have been long gone from your wives, especially me, your first and most important wife. (You better not disagree) I couldn¡¯t help but feel helpless and disheartened by our sudden parting but I realize that this too is hitsuzen. Regardless of my personal feelings, know that you must take care of yourself while we are apart. Please, come back to me safely. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.Forever yours, Yuriko. Your wife. I stare at it with an empty expression on my face. Normally, I would have probably blurted out something like ¡®WHAT?!¡¯ but I¡¯m too tired for that right now. I smile to myself as I think of how good a joker Yuriko is. Before I could laugh, however, I notice that the letter went on. Written in a slightly messy but composed handwriting, the letter continued. It read: Hick, Try not to die, okay? I mean you HAVE to take responsibility for ¡®this¡¯ and ¡®that¡¯ and what if I get a baby? Well we are already (What¡¯s written here is obscured for some reason) but I just had to make sure, okay? I mean the captain claims to be the ¡®legal¡¯ one but we both know who¡¯s truly important, right? Love you, monmon! Lovingly, Chi Seriously? What is up with these women and their jokes? And what the hell does she mean ¡®this¡¯ and ¡®that¡±!? And baby?! When did that happen? This must be a horrible joke! Yeah! That must be it! Before, however, I could convince myself, I notice that the letter went on and this time it was neither cute nor was it handwritten. It read: Mr. Alphonse, We only met for a few moments but as it is customary for my country, I have reached the regal age of 24 and as such I am required to marry a suitable warrior with whom I can procreate with. I have ascertained for myself that you are one worthy of such an arrangement with me henceforth I had my staff place a charm in the canteen. Once you drink from that canteen, your soul and mine will be magical bound to one another for eternity effectively making us husband and wife so be sure to read this before you drink from your canteen, understand? I await your response. Cordially yours, High Commander Isara Supreme Commander Republic of Pantheon I folded the suspiciously long paper and placed it in my bag. Unable to hold it in, I pause for a moment. I breathed in and finally, I released my pent up frustration. ¡°WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE THESE IDIOTS THINKING ABOUT? NO MAPS, NO INSTRUCTIONS AND A FUCKED UP JOKE! FUCKING FUCK FUCK!¡± Oh these fuckers be ready for the punishment of their lives once I¡¯m through with this shitty mission. I swear on this life and the next that I will have my vengeance. As I nodded due to my newfound resolve, I smell something burning from a distance. Against my better judgment, I decided to run towards it, with my bag in tow. As I cleared the distance with a little bit more ease due to my short rest and the magical properties of that fucking canteen, I reached the wreckage in time. It¡¯s turned on its side as it is slowly destroyed by fire. The horses are nowhere to be found. (Cough cough!) ¡°Is anyone still alive?!¡± I frantically search through the wreckage. (Cough!) I¡¯m (Cough cough!) right here! Please (cough!) save me!¡± I rushed to the source of the person¡¯s voice and I frantically started digging. ¡°Please! Hurry!¡¯ I am hurrying! I grit my teeth and steeled my nerves. I grabbed wood and wreckage on fire and heaved with all of my might, managing to stand the carriage upright. I find the source of the voice trapped under some more wreckage. I take out my knife and cut the strange person free and drag her and myself away from all of the smoke. With the danger gone, I fell down on my ass and looked at person I just rescued and he seems to be fine. ¡°That was a close call huh eh dude?¡± ¡°Eh? Who are you calling a dude, idiot?¡± Huh? That voice? ¡°By chance do you happen to be¡­¡± ¡°Oh! You were that idiot dipshit who hit my carriage! Thanks for saving my life!¡± This bitch! It was her all along! I should have left her to die! ¡°Oi! Look at me and at least show me your face!¡± The woman responded to my voice and sat in front of me. What happened next sent shivers down my spine, reverberating to my very being. She looked into my face and I can sense her slightly awestruck. She took my face in her hands and I hear her slightly sobbing as she removes her hood. She looked at me as though I was the only light left in a desolate and dying world. She looked into my eyes, to my very soul and it looked as though she was thankful just for my being there with her. ¡°¡­it¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s no lie right¡­¡± What is she talking about? Have we met before? ¡°¡­Keith..¡± _________________________________________________________________ Alphonse Status Update Author''s Notes Hey everyone! How do you find our progress so far? Let''s discuss Trouble and its plot so far! Your comments, reviews and ratings are welcome! Thanks for reading this far! Alizoned 01 - 13 - Valefor ¡­Keith? Does she have me confused with someone else? It¡¯s weird, looking at her now, I can definitely feel some sort of familiarity with her but¡­this could be a trap. I mean, what are the chances of meeting somebody in the middle of the desert who knows me? This is too good to be true. I better play my cards right. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you must be confusing me someone else. My name is Alphonse and I¡¯m with the Iron.. I mean I¡¯m affiliated with Pantheon. Sorry.¡± She stared at me for a while, ¡°But that can¡¯t be. You¡¯re Keith, aren¡¯t you!¡± she says with tears in her eyes. I calmly ask, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wrong and even though I¡¯m not this ¡®Keith¡¯, how can you even tell?¡± as I cringed at the thought of crushing her hopes. Slightly taken aback, she mumbles. ¡°¡­but you smell like him and you the color of your mana is the same..¡± Failing to her hear, I asked her to repeat what she said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing! I just said that you looked like someone I used to know.¡± She flashes me a smile. Now that I think about it, this girl is actually pretty cute. She feels like a younger sister that I would like to protect but her well-developed body is..well..it¡¯s something else. ¡°Ehh? What are you looking at, Alphonse?¡± She says as she covers her chest to no success. I mean how can you even cover those things?! ¡°What? No, I was just surprised that you would wear that kind of armor even though it is covered by your cloak.¡± I stammer in response. This incredibly beautiful woman is wearing some sort of form-fitting material that resembles a tank top and short shorts. Seeing her like this reminds me of an athletic student during P.E. or something. ¡°Oh? You mean this?¡± She flashes me her chest err tank top. ¡°It¡¯s for ease of movement. I can¡¯t exactly move well in armor and I¡¯m not all that comfortable covered in metal or leather.¡± That makes sense. Hell, I¡¯m not even going to complain. Her body is great, probably almost as great as Yuriko¡¯s and a little bit more developed than Chi¡¯s but her personality is horrible. ¡°Well, I¡¯m headed to the south. Will you be okay on your own uh.. you?¡± ¡°I am headed there too. I have a few things to discuss with their mayor and it¡¯s Lin, not ¡®you¡¯. Jeez. Even your forgetfulness is so like him.¡± She retorts. ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m off. You take care. There¡¯s that dragon too.¡± I said, as I started walking away. ¡°What kind of gentleman would leave a lady like this? Is this some kind of neglect play? I¡¯m not into that you know!¡± I sigh in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯ve already decided to follow me haven¡¯t you? I have no reason to stop you and as you said, what kind of man would I be if I were to leave you.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then. Try not to be a burden, okay?¡± ¡°Geez. You can try to be charming all you want but I¡¯m already engaged, okay?¡± She playfully nudges my shoulder. ¡°Wow, another woman engaged to be married. Just my luck.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that the women around me keep on making jokes about marriage and it¡¯s starting to unnerve me.¡± ¡°What? Really? You must be popular then!¡± ¡°Far from it.¡± Making small talk as we made our way through the desert, I got to know Lin. She¡¯s apparently an important person from Yamato, a kingdom populated by the Beast Race on a goodwill mission from the Queen Regnant of Valiante. I learned about her engagement to this Keith and how it happened was actually a pretty funny story. ¡°See, back when I was a new student at the military academy in Anthedon, I got lost and entered the boy¡¯s shower room by accident. It was empty at the time and it was late at night so I was all sweaty from training and my clothes were sticking to my body like crazy!¡± Imagining that scene got me a little excited. Holding back a nosebleed, I urged her to continue her story. ¡°Well Keith was out training too with his annoying girlfriend/instructor Belle. Well I say girlfriend but Keith was totally oblivious to our feelings so it¡¯s a one-sided relationship. Anyway, anyway, Keith walked in on me as I was stark naked! Well, he was naked too and I mean wow, right?¡± ¡°So you guys saw each other naked. Okay, that made things a little awkward didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well not so much awkward, more like, I felt like it was a funny twist of fate, you know?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. Some pervert walks in on you and you feel like its destiny? There¡¯s something wrong here.¡± She laughs at my all-too realistic analysis. ¡°No, you see, back in my home town, boys were never allowed near me. I was under heavy guard at all times and in my land, a woman should only show her bare body to the man she is to marry. Do you see where I¡¯m going with this?¡± ¡°Well you should be going to the police to report him.¡± ¡°No, dummy! By Yamato tradition, he had an unbreakable obligation to marry me.¡± What the hell is up with women and marrying! Poor guy. ¡°Wait. Doesn¡¯t he have a one-sided girlfriend? This guy sounds like a dumbass.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if he has a girlfriend or a wife. Even if I am wife number 3 or 4 or 5, as long as he marries me then the Royal Family of Yamato will stay their hand.¡± Stay their hand? What?! ¡°Wait. So if he doesn¡¯t marry you¡­¡± ¡°Then war will come to both of our homelands!¡± She then flashes me another one of her imouto smiles. She¡¯s dangerously cute. I say dangerous in its most literal sense. Scary. Too scary. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you almost thought that I was that guy! I can¡¯t handle that kind of responsibility. The women I live with are joking around with marriage all the time and now even their boss is joining in. More marriage jokes will be the death of me.¡± At this, she gets quiet and the mood gets a little awkward. After a few silent moments, she turns to me. ¡°¡­so¡­you live with at least two women?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. We¡¯re sort of like work friends.¡± She smiles wryly. ¡°Women never joke about marriage, at least not with the man they love, Ke ¨C I mean Alphonse.¡± Well, getting to know Lin was a good experience for me. I now know to stay away from her naked body no matter what. After speaking for what seemed like hours, it looks like we finally reached out destination. Lin jogs up ahead and turns to me with the biggest imouto smile yet. ¡°Well, welcome to Braille. Home of bandits, whores and miscreants!¡± She gives me a thumbs up. That¡¯s quite the descriptor. ¡°I have to go on ahead, Alphonse. I¡¯ll see you after work. Please tell me more about your polygamous life of sin. I would like to prepare for my proposal with my sisters Belle and Alicia. See you!¡± She smiles and runs off before I could even offer my well-practiced tsukkomi. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Left in the dust and surrounded by at least a dozen and an even bigger crowd, one can only notice how lively this city of sin is. There are stalls selling different goods everywhere, from normal food stuff to the more exotic and slightly erotic. It seems as though one can buy anything here as long as they had the money or property for it. Yes, even people can be considered as goods here. Up ahead at what I assume to be is the center of the village, a sort of show is going on. Naked people are chained up and are put on display for people to bid on them. Some of them are bent over for ¡°inspection¡± while some of the women and men are being raped for a quick profit. Others are beaten just for the heck of it. Disgusting. Leading this horrible show is a stout man in his early forties. He has a turban on his head and a white cloak covering his unfit body. He has a childish face accentuated with age but he doesn¡¯t look all that smart but I guess that¡¯s part of his ¡®appeal¡¯. The man continuously shouts things like ¡®for sale!¡¯, ¡®come check them out for yourself!¡¯ ¡®Elves are sold at half-price! He¡¯s definitely connected to that kidnapping syndicate Isara asked me to take care of but really, how can I? I¡¯m not as strong as I was before and I have no allies nor any means to reach out to Yuriko and the others. I¡¯m all alone here. Grabbing my pouch from my pocket, I open it to count 30 gold pieces, a dozen silver pieces and quite a few bronze pieces. I don¡¯t know how much is worth but I pray to the Gods that this is enough to get me by. I decided to start my investigation. I approached the slave market and steeled my nerves. ¡°Say you there, young man!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How about a slave? You interested in fucking one? To have a servant? Or both? Bahaha.¡± ¡°Well, I need an educated one that can cast magic. You have one of those? Race doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Weirdly enough, my question wiped the smile off his face. ¡°Sure I have one of those but she has quite the attitude problem. Won¡¯t listen to anyone and attacks anyone that tries to buy her. Surely you would prefer something else? How about this sexy one? You can fuck her at night, in the daytime, basically fuck her anytime!¡± ¡°No. Let me see the troublesome one.¡± The stout man gestures to one of his servants to watch over the store as the stout man brings me to a building quite close to the square. ¡°So why do you need one that can cast magic, adventurer?¡± Ah, this seems like routine. Well, let¡¯s play along. ¡°I happened upon a dragon as I was journeying through the desert. If I have a slave that can cast magic then that slave can help me out. If not, I can use the slave as a shield.¡± ¡°You are pretty direct, no? My name be Valefor. Slave and Sex extraordinaire.¡± ¡°I am Alphonse. Just Alphonse.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Alphonse. We¡¯ve reached our destination. Please be wary of her.¡± We entered the building and he led me to the basement where there are countless slaves in cages. Some of them seemed malnourish but most of them had a feeling of dread and hopelessness to them, some don¡¯t even have light in their eyes anymore. This is depressing. Valefor led me to the deepest and darkest part of the basement and to my surprise, I find a large enough cage with amenities with a bed and everything! Inside was an elegant and gorgeous woman, sipping tea. She notices our presence and she eyes Valefor with contempt. She then turns her eyes to me. ¡°So, is this one looking to buy me too, Valefor?¡± she says as she drinks from her cup. ¡°You know that I am very particular with¡­people.¡± Her serene yet intelligent eyes meet mine and I return her look with earnest curiosity. I take out my pouch. ¡°I¡¯ll take her, Valefor, if she¡¯ll have me.¡± Valefor remains quiet as he watches the elegant woman in the cage. He then lifts his hand up and gestures the number 4. ¡°So 4 gold pieces?¡± I inquire. ¡°That¡¯s too much! Are you planning to buy a house? No, I meant 4 silver pieces!¡± So despite his being an asshole in general, at least he¡¯s honest about it. But what the hell? How much money did Isara actually give me!? I take out the money and I handed it to him. He then gestures to his guards to exit the basement and he follows them. Just as he was going up the stairs, he turns to me. ¡°Convince her and she¡¯s yours. If not, try not to die and simply refund your purchase. Good luck.¡± After making sure that the slavers were out of earshot, I turned to her and extended my right hand through the gap in the cage. ¡°Greetings. My name is Alphonse. Let me free you and lend me your aid to free the others. After that, go in peace and I shall never bother you again.¡± After I said my piece, the woman simply looked dumbfounded as she looked into my face and at my hands. After a few moments of silence, the woman laughs a hearty laugh, completely overcoming the dread and despair around us. It was a beautiful laugh. Crazy, sure, but beautiful. ¡°Alphonse is it? Well I¡¯ll be. This is the first time anyone has ever decided to treat me as an equal, regardless of my status as a slave for sale. My intuition tells me that you are kindhearted. Do you truly desire to free my brethren?¡± I stared back into her deep, crimson eyes and I gulped, ready to make another commitment. ¡°Yes. Tell me your name.¡± Suddenly, a terrible and ominous feeling reaches into me, burrowing itself into the deepest parts of my soul and the surrounding cages all burst open simultaneously. The elegant woman rises from her seat and walks through the bars. No, to be precise, as her body touched the metal bars, the material started to dissipate into nothing. What kind of magic is this?! ¡°Very well. For now, my name is Artemis and you are my Master.¡± She takes my hand in hers. With her body completely engulfed by a dark aura that is eternally trying to consume the red lightning surrounding her, I felt fear..and admiration. Author''s Notes Hey everyone! How''d you like the little-bit-longer chapter? It''s my birthday surprise for everyone! Anyway, it seems as though Keith''s troublesome life continues again but will it be for the better or for the worse? We''ll see, won''t we? Anyway we are now entering the climax of volume one so expect me to make good on my promises of death, murder, death and killing people off! Or not. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading! 01 - 14 - Absolute ¡°Artemis?¡± Covered in darkness and surrounded by the broken and desperate slaves that Artemis just freed, I am blanketed by doubt and insecurity. The burden of responsibility for these people falls into my unwilling shoulders and I don¡¯t think that I can protect all of them. I don¡¯t even think I can destroy the organization that broke them in the first place. I notice that my breathing has gotten a little more ragged. I get it, I¡¯m panicking. I can rationalize what¡¯s happening around me easily but I don¡¯t know how to react to all of this. Who can I count on for help? What should I do? Should I involve Lin in this? Where would we even go? Seemingly sensing my internal chaos, Artemis places her hand on my shoulders and suddenly, I feel calm and I¡¯m breathing a little easier than before. She calmly walks away from me and chuckles to herself before turning to me once more. She takes out a long sleek pipe, lights it and she takes a long and smooth drag which she exhales. ¡°Are you feeling better now, master?¡± I nod at her but I couldn¡¯t contain my curiosity. ¡°What did you do to me, Artemis?¡± I asked. Artemis laughs away my question as though the answer to it was obvious all along. ¡°I simply flushed out the negative energy you were generating due to stress, anxiety and fatigue. It made you better, right master?¡± True, it did make me better but I have never experienced this sort of magic or rune before. To freely manipulate a person¡¯s emotional state is on a whole other level when you compare it to artes such as the words of power. It¡¯s easy to make the body obey but the mind and heart are not so easily swayed, depending on the individual¡¯s resolution and motives. With sweat on my brow, I walked towards Artemis and grabbed her by her shoulders. ¡°Just¡± I pause for a moment, ¡°who are you, really?¡± Artemis¡¯ eyes narrow for a split second before she smiles at me again, seemingly to reassure me of her intentions. ¡°Why, I am Artemis, your servant and confidante.¡± She takes the hems of her skirt and she curtsies. ¡°Are you sure you are okay, master?¡± With faux concern in her face, I calmly nod in response. Just who is this profoundly powerful person and why did she agree to be my servant in the first place? Why didn¡¯t she just escape in the first place and destroyed these slavers herself? There has to be a reason. Nothing can ever be this good to be true. Immersed in my thoughts, I nearly failed to notice the gathering of the slaves before us. The stench of dried urine and other bodily fluids pulled me back into reality and made me realize that the needs of these people greatly outweigh my petty problems of insecurity and doubt. As I was taking their faces in, a serene looking old man was limping towards me. As he was approaching me, he stopped just before reaching 5 steps of me and he respectfully bowed his head. At his example, the other slaves followed suit. A few moments pass and I am caught unaware at this bizarre sight until the old man finally addresses me. Without raising his head, he asks, ¡°Wer bist du, mein Herr?¡± He pauses, seemingly contemplating what he was about to say next. Finally, he continues. ¡°Bitte erlauben Si emir, mein Leben, Sie widmen.¡± What language is this? Before I could even ask or apologize for not being able to understand his question, Artemis walks towards me and blows air into my ears. ¡°Artemis?¡± She chuckles and gestured towards the old man again, urging him to repeat what he said. ¡°Who exactly are you, M¡¯lord? You have done me a great service. Please, allow me and my family to devote our lives to you¡± At this, the other slaves murmur in agreement and others even plead with me to accept them as my servants, even the women who were being sold as sex slaves were begging me to take them with me. Wait, weren¡¯t they speaking some different language just now? So how can I understand this man? Seeing the confused look in my eyes, Artemis smiles a knowing smile. So it was her again. Just how powerful can one person be? This is a pretty useful skill. I graciously thank her in my head. ¡°Old man, everyone, why serve me? Artemis was the one who saved you all.¡± Yup, it should be that way after all. ¡°M¡¯lord, if I may be so bold, Lady Artemis here is someone we all admire and we know just how powerful she is. She brought back to life those who died from the beatings they gave us and sometimes, she conjured up food when we needed it most. She is a goddess in our eyes but she has never spoken to anyone before. What. Then. could compel someone like her to speak? Either an impending danger or a willing hero. You are that hero m¡¯lord.¡± Shouts of agreement and praise resound from the crowd of slaves. Some of them were happily singing while the others were hugging each other and some of them are looking at Artemis and I with affection in their eyes. Wait, ¡®affection¡±? I angrily turned to Artemis and I took her aside. ¡°Artemis, did you do something to these people?¡± I shared my suspicions with her. As though she was punched in the gut, Artemis showed me a nasty look and then she actually punched me in the gut. ¡°Fool, do not downplay their devotion to you. These people have tirelessly prayed for hope and finally you come. I did not toy with their emotions, I am no such divine entity. They see the same things I see in you: the full potential of the human race.¡± Artemis then smiles at me and urges me to face the crowd of slaves. ¡°Old man, what is your name?¡± ¡°They call me Marume. I was captured in Izumo Island when I went there for a vacation with my family 3 months ago.¡± Hearing the name Marume brought back a memory to me, one between me and Yuriko when I first came to Izumo. But that was only a few weeks ago, not more than a month or two. Weird. Maybe they just have the same name. I decided to ignore the issue for now. ¡°I am called Alphonse.¡± I nod at them, ¡°but are you sure with serving me? I have no plans for you all right now and even if I did allow you to serve me, I would probably not care even if you ran away afterwards. If you understand that then we all have an agreement.¡± I guess the best course of action to take is to not really give a shit about them. I guess I can provide some food and change of clothes but that¡¯s about it. It¡¯s too much of a hassle to take care of them so if I absolutely have to take care of a few slaves, I might as well dissuade the majority by telling them the truth but boy was I mistaken. In response to my ¡®apathetic¡¯ statement, I am met with pledges of undying devotions and loyalty. Overcome by this turn of events, I am at a loss for words and Artemis, being the faithful servant that she is speaks on my behalf. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°You are all my master¡¯s now. Serve him well and you will be treated well. Reward your chain-breaker with your undying loyalty!¡± A resounding cheer from all of the freed slaves almost shook the ground. Artemis would be a great tactician and battlefield commander but what she did right now doesn¡¯t help my dilemma at all. Well, whatever. I¡¯ll think about this later when I have to. Besides, we have more pressing matters right now: Getting these slaves out. Seemingly peering into my mind once again, Artemis speaks to me again but with a little more restraint and formality in her voice. ¡°Master. I realize that there are a number of these people and that you might have a hard time in freeing them all. So, I have a proposal.¡± I widened my eyes at this. Is she actually reading my mind? Wait, can she see me naked through my clothes too?! I cover my chest and crotch with my arms as I turned away from her. ¡°Relax, I cannot see through clothes, master, but listen here. Will you allow me to go on a rampage on your behalf? I will take the slavers lives and secure our exit. Is that agreeable with your thoughts, master?¡± I know that Artemis is powerful but how powerful is she? I managed to subdue an enemy base easily merely with my words of power and laser beam but can she actually put her abilities to use? Seemingly sensing my doubt, Artemis frowns. ¡°Do you distrust me, Alphonse?¡± Eep. ¡°No, I do not. Then I shall allow it.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°No. You must give me the command. Think hard and think it through. This command binds me to you and was made when you purchased me from the slaver.¡± Failing to understand what she just said, I just said the first words that came to mind. ¡°Your master commands you! Unleash carnage upon this desolate world!¡± Sounds a little too chuuni to be me but hey it sounds cool. I mean I hope it sounds cool. I look around at the slaves¡¯ faces and sigh in relief when they are all doing the ¡®hell yeah!¡¯ pose. I guess I was pretty cool back there. While I was celebrating my new found coolness, I failed to realize that I had inadvertently unleashed hell on Earth. The earth started to shake below me while the ceiling and the walls were swaying back and forth. The intensity of the force behind me was too much, much much stronger than the earthly beast I encountered in the desert. Much stronger than Yuriko or Chie and right now it is much stronger than I am. With fear in my heart, I turn around and face the source of that overwhelming, otherworldy power. Upon seeing where it came from, the hairs on my arms were standing up. What I saw was a sight to behold. Wearing her gothic Lolita getup, Artemis¡¯ dress was covered by a deeply diluted black aura that seems to stem from her mana but this density is nothing I have ever felt before. It seems as though she literally has unlimited mana. Surrounding that dense outpour of mana was blue lightning that sparked every now and then and I can feel that one spark from that would probably roast me to oblivion. If that isn¡¯t enough, Artemis¡¯ empty hands was now occupied by an otherworldly ethereal sword that was at least 20 feet long. Her long hair was now swaying back and forth due to the sheer amount of pressure she was releasing and the slaves looked fearful for their lives but they weren¡¯t moving an inch. Artemis, what the fuck are you? At that, she turns to me and bows as though she was a knight. ¡°Great hero, your wish shall be granted. I will ravage your enemies and crush them like the insects that they are. I¡¯m off.¡± Artemis phases through the roof and I have no way to catch up with her. I instruct the slaves to hide here in the basement for the moment. I run after Artemis with all of my might. ¡°Activate: Laser Beam¡± I activated laser beam twice and finally reach the city square but what awaited me was a scene of pure carnage. Standing in the middle of all of this destruction was Artemis and around her were the slavers but of course, none of them are recognizable due to the majority of them having been crushed like a can. Is this some sort of gravity magic? Blood, organs and brain matter surround the area. It is a horrible sight. This can¡¯t even be called a battle anymore! This is pure carnage. Nothing more. Nothing less. As I was lost in my thoughts, rambling about morality and right and wrong, Artemis started walking towards Valefor, who was nursing his left leg which looks to have been blown off. ¡°How could you side with him?! A mere human!¡± Cough, cough! Artemis simply smiles. ¡°I have no reason to answer you, slaver. Repent upon your sins in the next life.¡± Artemis raised her sword but before it is brought down, faster than anything, a cloaked figure punched Artemis three times, once in her neck, once in the middle of her back and once in the rib which was followed up by a kick. Before I could react, the figure looks at me with wrath in its eyes. I can¡¯t tell if this is a man or a woman but this degree of hatred is not normal. The masked figure flips something towards Artemis and he grabs Valefor and they disappear out of sight. ¡°L¡­laser beam?¡± What the hell! That was laser beam wasn¡¯t it? Wait, that¡¯s not important right now. Artemis! I run towards Artemis but she pushes me back with mana. I find myself covered by a barrier of sorts as I try to voice my protests to Artemis but the barrier was muffling my voice. Artemis smiles at me and she mouths a single word to me. Live. Before I could understand what she meant, the thing that the masked figure threw towards Artemis shined and it started rapidly expanding as it collapses on itself. Nuclear Fission. Anti-Fortress Arte. I know now how I know of this but this is seriously dangerous. I try to fight my way through the barrier to get to Artemis¡¯ side but before I could even struggle, the object flashes once more and it finally explodes, swallowing everything in its kill zone. Everything, except me. Artemis. Author''s Notes Hey everyone! Two little-bit-longer-than usual chapters in one day! This is the end of my birthday surprise for everyone. I guess a lot of people died just now, eh? Well how will Alphonse react to this? We''ll see won''t we? Until next time! Please share your thoughts, opinions, basically what you thought of the chapter in the comments section okay? Thank you! 01 - 15 - End of a journey I can hear explosions, screams and the faint smell of something burning reaches my nose. I try to open my eyes as I clumsily bring myself up to no avail. It¡¯s no good, I feel as though my insides were ripped to shreds as I experience nausea and exhaustion. I will myself to stand up and I force my eyes to open but what I saw can only be considered as chaos. I see people with mangled bodies while some are slowly roasted alive by the very magic that they thought would protect them. I recall that I had some companions with me and as that thought was finally processed by my sluggish mind, I realize that ¡®she¡¯ was nowhere to be found. ¡°Artemis¡­? Where are you¡­?¡± I call out her name as I walk around the burning village square. I see people running scared, clutching their children close to them as though the very notion of letting them go would kill them. I can¡¯t blame them, I¡¯m no good as an adventurer myself since I can¡¯t even protect the people who entrusted their lives to me. I can feel panic building up inside my chest as I start to think that the worst happened to my companions. I can¡¯t think that way. I reprimand myself. I guess I have to do whatever I can to keep myself awake. The smoke doesn¡¯t bother me, it must be because of my training and my experiences in the field but what bothers me is the smell; the smell of a thousand burning corpses filled my head with images of dread and pain. It¡¯s not helping, really. ¡°Al ¨C *coughs* Alphonse!¡± A familiar voice. I realize that the voice was calling for me so I prepared myself and ran towards the source. As I try to go around the burning corpses while avoiding the everfire from the Nuclear Fission arte that started this whole mess, I finally find the person who called my name. ¡°It¡¯s¡­you¡­you¡¯re okay...?¡± I find Lin clutching someone familiar, someone dear to me. I can feel the exhaustion, panic and fear taking over me and I snap. I break apart only to be stopped by ¡®her¡¯ voice. I look behind me and I am reminded of the horrors of this ¡®world¡¯ and why I must be strong. ¡®How many cycles has this been?¡¯ A voice asks me. ¡®How many times have you failed, Hero Ryner?¡¯ ¡°Ry..ner..?¡± ¡®Don¡¯t tell me you have forgotten your true inner self, Hero?¡¯ Panicking, I stand and search for the source of the voice. Lin looked troubled while Artemis looked weak but fine nonetheless. ¡°Show yourself, demon!¡± Chuckling, the voice continued taunting me. ¡®You dare call yourself a demon? What a fool. Then let me give you a choice. Give up your life, Alphonse, and I will resurrect everyone here and make it as though nothing ever happened. You could also choose to simply run away like the coward that you truly are.¡¯ ¡°No magic can bring the dead back to life, demon. You cannot fool me.¡± ¡®Then shall I kill you for having scratched my Rafflesia?¡¯ The shadow¡¯s voice suddenly directed itself towards Artemis ¡®What is your decision, Warlock?¡¯ ¡°Keep me out of this, Ryner.¡± Trying to show a defiant face, Artemis tried to sit up but her body was too weak to support her slim frame. ¡°You go too far with your pranks.¡± ¡®This is no time for jokes, Warlock. It seems as though that Valefor has found himself a troublesome ally. I am merely giving my immensely dense human avatar a choice. Die, and save lives or run away and save his. It¡¯s a simple choice, really. One he has failed to make countless times. This is the 600th cycle. Will Alphonse prevail where his other self, Keith, has not? We shall see.¡± At this, Lin started to speak. She weakly looks at me, ¡°What do you mean his other self?¡± ¡®You still haven¡¯t realized it yet, Lin? Alphonse is an amnesiac Keith. How can you not realize this?¡¯ Awestruck, Lin started crying. ¡°Hey, Belle,¡¯ she says as she looks at Artemis. ¡°I finally found him. He¡¯s finally¡­back to¡­us.¡± Barely finishing her sentence, Lin passes out as she holds Artemis in her arms. ¡°Ryner! You cannot interfere! You know the rules!¡± ¡®Warlock, have you gone softer for your student? We have lost the privilege of kindness and while we are following the rules, the other side is not. The boy has to die.¡¯ This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. At a loss for words, the woman Lin referred to as Belle simply studied us. Thinking back upon the days that had passed, I guess I am fortunate to have spent them with Yuriko, Chi and the others and meeting people from my past in this wide and vast world should make me a happy man. I guess I will die without having recovered my memories but that too is fine. I wonder why my other-self failed to stop this from happening 599 times. There has to be something different. Something must have changed but I can¡¯t recall what it is. Wait. That¡¯s it. In this cycle, I lost my memories and I was separated from my friends. But I¡¯m with them now. So what changed? Finally finding the resolve in my heart to finally do what is right, I stand and face the shadow¡¯s general direction. ¡°Hero. I¡­I have decided to die so that others may live.¡± ¡®I knew you would choose correctly. Is that all?¡¯ ¡°Hero, what changed? I thought that it was because of my memory loss but it doesn¡¯t make sense. I am reunited with my friends and yet, apparently, something is still different. What is it?¡± Stepping out of the shadows, the man finally reveals himself. He¡­.he¡¯s really me. He¡¯s a slightly older me! He looks cooler though. That''s not fair. As I was thinking that I was about to die while I see a more handsome version of myself, my fears were making themselves reality. I may not be attractive at all! I mean look at Artemis, she''s practically drooling at the sight of his slightly disheveled hair. Wait, why the fuck am I thinking how I''m so not cool right now. That really makes me uncool! Waking me up from my delusional stupidity is Ryner. He brings me back to the pressing matters at hand. ¡°Alphonse, what¡¯s changed is actually the most vital piece of this puzzle. Had you not lost your memories, you would have simply travelled the world with Alicia and had you travelled here with her, she would have died and you would have chased after Valefor without ever looking back to save the lives that were lost here. One of those lives that needs saving is the Mayor of this town and having saved those lives would have enabled us to eventually win this never ending war. The creature with Valefor does not know that Raflesia and I could relive cycles and this is our only chance at victory. We have already lost 599 times, after all.¡± So I¡¯m just a pawn in this divine comedy? Well, that¡¯s not too bad. Hearing the name ¡®Alicia¡¯ brought a soft pain to my heart. Just who is she? She must have been important to you, eh, Keith? ¡°Well, I guess I will never truly find out, eh, Ryner?¡± ¡°Heh. I guess so. You¡¯re doing the right thing, Alphonse. You did well.¡± Before even having the chance to blink, the entire world stopped for me. I can see Ryner slightly tensed for combat as he prepares to draw his sword, presumably to end me. I see the faces of the people I have met and I find myself wryly smiling at the things we have been through. As Ryner¡¯s blade draws closer, finally, a blonde haired beauty with the prettiest golden eyes that I have ever seen. I have never met her but her name escapes my lips. ¡°Ali¡­.¡± Time resumes and I find Ryner behind me, sheathing his sword. Before I can even realize what had happened, I fall to my knees with the darkness surrounding and swallowing me. Artemis looks at me with a solemn look in her face and Ryner is honoring my final moments by watching me until the end. This is it, huh? The end of my life of¡­Trouble. Author''s notes Volume one is finally ending! This extended prologue is going to be ended with an epilogue. Heh that''s pretty clever. Anyway there''s a reason for everything being so fast paced but it''s going to be answered with volume 2 but I do welcome assumptions! Also, comments and suggestions are welcome too. Thanks for reading thus far. I hope you stick with me as we start volume 2. Thanks! Alizoned. 01 - 16 - Epilogue In the world of darkness, there is nothing. I am nothing. I am one with nothing. I guess I really am dead. From the eternal void came another voice. It¡¯s Artemis. ¡°It has come full circle, hero.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°You have done well.¡± She walks towards me, and gives me a warm hug. ¡°I¡¯ve longed for you for a millennia and now we are together again at last.¡± She gestures for me to walk with her, in this abyss, she is the only source of light, the one illuminating my path. ¡°Your job is not yet done though and our true reunion can only happen once everything is over.¡± She stops and in front of us lies a large, closed door. She touches the wooden finish and turns to me. ¡°You have earned this respite but there is a job to be done. What is your decision? Enter this door and finish it or stay here, with me, for all of eternity?¡± She gives me a knowing smile. I take a step forward and fling open the door to my destiny. It¡¯s bright! The brightness overwhelms the abyss and the scene is transformed into one of an eternal calm. I take a good look at Artemis, nay, Rafflesia and I take in her image, her curves, her aura. This must be as hard for her as it is hard for me. I take a few short steps towards her and take her into my arms. ¡°You¡¯ve grown quite bold. Won¡¯t Yui get mad?¡± She says with her flushed, perfect face. ¡°I have enough troubles to deal with, adding one more shouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡± I smile at her. I gaze into her eyes and pull her close to me and our lips meet. I can feel her breathe, her every being transferred to the very recesses of my soul. I can feel her warmth which is pleasant to the touch. Parting with her is another sin that I must bear but enjoying her is a punishment that my soul will have to answer for one day. I grasp her round breasts and I fondle them, shaping them to fit my hand which is quite the daunting task considering their size and their softness. It¡¯s as if it belonged to a fairy that could be crushed at the slightest of touches. I part my lips with hers and she is left breathless as she tries to remain prim and calm. Our breaths are heavy and our body needs each other¡¯s warmth. Before I could get carried away, I started walking towards the light. ¡°Is this another one of your so-called punishments, Alphonse?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Keith, and no, this one¡¯s for love¡± ¡°How can you fucking say that with a straight face you chuuni virgin!¡± BOOM. Critical hit. I decided to laugh it off and I kept walking towards the light. I take one last look at her and I plunge myself into the unknown world that awaited me. I wake up with a start; I¡¯m sweaty and I can feel my heart pounding through my shirt. It¡¯s ¡®that¡¯ dream again. I¡¯ve been having that dream for a quite some time now and while I¡¯m not particularly religious or superstitious, it has been said that dreams are an oracle from a higher power. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Coincidentally, I¡¯m not just a regular human being save for my abnormal bad luck and my penchant for the dangerous and the bizarre. My name is Alphonse. I¡¯m a simple man who likes simple things, namely napping and cooking ¨C though I say that, the only people who have ever tasted my cooking can be counted on two fingers, my instructor and my childhood friend. Wait, something¡¯s wrong here. Aren¡¯t I supposed to be dead? I feel like I¡¯ve seen this happen already. Anyway, I take off my shirt, wipe off my sweat and quickly wear my sports attire and walk towards the door connecting my room to the common area of the barracks. I¡¯m a Prentice Knight serving under the Republic of Pantheon and I live with two idiots and apparently, their boss. Wait, something really seems wrong here. Ignoring the sense of nostalgia and general D¨¦j¨¤ vu, I wave to my fellow Prentices as I head towards the gymnasium on the ground floor of this complex. ¡®A healthy body is a healthy mind¡¯ or something like that, right? For someone as lazy as me, maintaining a routine as demanding as this can be troublesome if I¡¯m being nice or pointless if I¡¯m being honest but it is something that I have chosen to do, not for myself but for the women that I swore to protect. I notice the lack of chattering and I wonder why everyone is being quiet, even the rowdier bunch who gather around the newer recruits to pester them for their money. Clich¨¦, I know. There are two reasons for this abnormal occurrence. It¡¯s either the Princess is here and the Officers are taking an extra measure in being a pain in our asses or my esteemed instructor is here, awaiting the idiots who demanded to be her prodigies and then it hits me. Everything that has happened, the name that I called myself, my ¡®rebirth¡¯ and my ¡®death¡¯ and meeting Artemis in that void. The cycle has restarted with all of my memories intact. A familiar voice calls out to the two struggling prentices. It really has restarted. ¡°Worthless peons, know your place!¡± ¡°Gghhhhhhuuu¡± ¡°Ughhhh!¡± I guess I¡¯m going to have to continue this turbulent life but this time, I have the tools and knowledge necessary to avoid a bloodshed, or start one myself. I guess I can spare the Trouble this time around. Life is going to be a little more interesting. Author''s Notes Hey everyone! We''re finally done with volume 1! The cycle has restarted! What will Keith do now that he has the knowledge and the skills to deal with his Trouble!some life? The answers await us in Volume 2! I thank everyone who has supported me from the get-go and to my new readers. I know I may not be the best writer but I hope that you enjoyed my story so far. Thanks for sticking with me! Alright! Survey time! Could you please tell me what think of the story so far? Maybe write a review for me too? Alright? Cool! I appreciate it. Thank you and see you in Volume 02! 02- 00 - Looking Back Alphonse''s Thoughts So it¡¯s been a shitty start so far, right? I started out as a Prentice, just your average Knight Candidate waiting for my Investiture so that I could be dubbed a Knight of the Empire, a Knight for my Princess. Of course, fate is never kind. I have been through so many hardships and misfortunes, so much so that I have even started to doubt my worthiness of living. Who can carry this much burden while he is forced to experience one troublesome circumstance after the other? I even lost my memories because some jackass aristocratic prick decided to take out his virgin chuuni frustrations out on me. Granted, I did ask for it ¨C literally, but he didn¡¯t have to hit me in the head with a pipe. That shit is not cool. I guess I can personally teach him how it felt. Hehe. The funny thing is, while I have had a horrible time so far, most of it was spent with people who made living my amnesiac life a little easier and the thing is, while our meetings were brief and our bond developed sporadically and quite honestly, from out of nowhere, my gut tells me that I know these people from somewhere, or some time but I can¡¯t say so for sure right now. So will I find them in this world and recruit them to my cause? Maybe. Will I kill them should they prove to be my enemy? Yes but that isn¡¯t important right now. I need to focus on consolidating my foothold as Knight so that I may have my say in the Imperial Court and that I need to work on making myself stronger first. The important thing is that I know I can trust them and if I am to live my life and win this cycle, I¡¯m going to need all of the help I can get. Speaking of which, Keith and Alphonse. Two different people who share the same body. Right? Wrong. While I was born as Keith and spent some time prior to my death in the previous cycle as Alphonse, it¡¯s safe to say that I have been reborn in this cycle with two distinct memories and experiences and that¡¯s good. I have quite the revenge plotted out for the people who got me in the mess in the first place. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. So are you asking me if I am willing to walk through the path of carnage to save this world? Yes. My end will justify my means. History will probably remember me as a murderer or as a tyrant but if that is what I have to become in order to avert the future Ryner has experienced 499 times, then I will taint my sword with the blood of a million wicked assholes in order to save the lives of a million and one innocent people. That is my justice and that is the troublesome burden that I must carry. I will win this cycle or I will die trying. Hello everyone. Alizoned here. We''re finally at volume 2 and things are finally looking to take off. I''ve given you the prologue ahead of time so that you could at least have a feel for the things that are to come for our protagonists. Anyway, thank you for supporting Volume 1 and I hope to have you keep on supporting me for Volume 2. If it wasn''t for you, my readers, I would never have continued this series. So thank you for sticking with me. On another note, I''m thinking of writing a one-shot of a VRMMORPG themed story then maybe see how you guys will react to that. Well, we''ll see what the future brings. Alright, thanks for reading! 02 - 01 - Surprise In front of me is a door that is a little bit taller than me. It is made out of wood and it leads to our academy¡¯s gymnasium and behind it are my friends Lin, Belle and Mifumi. Currently, Lin and Mifumi are down on their knees, forced into this position by the sheer power behind Belle¡¯s words of power. Normally, this would be something quite normal for my day to day life and usually, I would be there with them, beaten and bruised due to the harsh training that is ¡®granted¡¯ to us by the Empire¡¯s most powerful tactician but today is a little different. Fuck that. It is completely different because this is the second time in my life that I have experienced this same exact scenario. Things are different because I have already died once and I seem to be reliving one lifetime repeatedly. Crazy, right? I understand that I could be dreaming or that this could be mere coincidence or that I am simply overthinking things and these are all fair assessments, however, I am right here right now. Usually, these time-centric stories would begin with the owner or the caretaker taking great care to avoid doing anything out of the ordinary for fear of a time paradox but it has happened and it will again ¨C lest I fail to accomplish certain things, of which I am yet to understad for myself, that would finally help me break this cycle of dread ¨C and of course, to keep me from dying ¨C again. Taking all of this into account got me thinking and so, I unknowingly stared at the gym¡¯s door like an idiot waiting for someone to tell him what¡¯s up ¨C but with that regards, I really am an idiot with no idea on how to fix this dilemma. As I was thinking to my poor, troubled self, I sense a wave of killing intent sent to my current position. Everything around me slows down ¨C from my breathing, to my heart rate to my thoughts ¨C everything is clear and everything is visible. I hear a crack coming from the gym door and sure enough, I see the tip of a sword that I know very well. With no time to react as the sword slowly pierces through the wooden material, I roll over to the side and I used myself as a fulcrum as I kicked the tip of the sword, breaking it in half due to the momentum. Pressed for time, I stood up and anticipated the next move as the broken half of the sword is falling to the floor, ¡°Shit, is this Laser Beam?¡± True enough, I see the door breaking into itself as a sudden burst of force is slammed into it from the other side. I see Belle¡¯s hair slowly waving as she hits nothing but air after I hid myself during her first attack. She notices what I did to my sword and before she could even face me, I stand from my position, evading the remaining half of sword as she swung it at me, using its momentum to deflect her strike I move her sword hand away and I ram my knee up her stomach as I grabbed her neck from behind, applying just enough pressure to keep her in place. What the fuck just happened? Did I manage to get some sort of magic to stop time? No, I have to think about this logically. I managed to see Belle¡¯s move and I managed to counter it in such a short time. The only logical answer for now is that I can think better and faster than the average human being. Also, I must have caught Belle unaware. She is my instructor and she is Rafflesia¡¯s human avatar in this cycle after all, though she doesn¡¯t know that yet. Belle is on her knees, clutching her stomach as she shakes and convulses because of the pain. All of this happened in a span of 2 seconds. I feel awake and vivid. Coughing, Belle looks at me with a look of surprise on her face. ¡°What¡­what the hell was that, Keith?¡± ¡°Keith! Are you okay? What happened to you and the Instructor!?¡± Mifumi and Lin rushes towards us, clearly as confused as Belle was. Trying to steady her breathing, Belle looks at me. ¡°That was an impressive show of skill, Prentice. No one has ever been able to block my Laser Beam, much less use it against me in that manner. Is this the result of your training, Keith?¡± I chuckle at her. ¡°You have been driving me into the ground for these past couple of months and what¡¯s with your welcome for me? It¡¯s too early in the morning for you to rush me with your sure kill move.¡± Lin, still confused and quite frankly surprised at this turn of events turned to me. ¡°You are much stronger than you were yesterday, Keith. Much much stronger.¡± Mifumi could only nod his head. ¡°Prentice, do you mind letting go of my neck now?¡± Red in the face, Belle asks me to let her go. Realizing that I was actually holding her quite intimately, I immediately got my hands off her. I apologized and just shrugged the ¡®accident¡¯ off. ¡°Keith, you really are quite the womanizer aren¡¯t you.¡± I don¡¯t want to hear that from you Mifumi. ¡°Keith! How about a battle?¡± Lin asks. Having no reason to refuse, I answered in the affirmative. ¡°I will battle you as long as you team up with Mifumi.¡± Massaging her stomach, Belle lets go of an ¡®Oho¡¯ kind of laugh. ¡°What a confident brat. Lin, let¡¯s take him on. No crying if you lose, Keith.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Come at me.¡± Lin and Mifumi ran towards me. Honestly, they were pretty fast. As they were running, they drew their weapons and started running with a zig-zag pattern, obviously devised to confuse their enemies. They reminded me of the way Yuriko and Chie fought back then. I readied my stance and as Lin jumped in the air ready to lunge at me, I breathed in the air and suddenly, I can see clearly again. Lin is up in the air, slowly gaining speed and if I were to get hit by her sword, it would probably be the end for me. Mifumi, on the other hand is at my blind spot. This is a really troublesome way to get cornered. Sword at the ready, Mifumi prepared to lunge at me should Lin fail to hit me with her move. I jumped back and seeing Lin¡¯s landing spot and Mifumi¡¯s trajectory, I prepared myself. Time resumes its normal speed and Lin, about to land, is surprised that I was no longer in her sight. I stepped in grabbed her leg. Wow, her leg is so soft and firm. Wait. Fuck that. I spun her around and throw her at Mifumi. Just before her body crashed with Mifumi, I used Laser Beam and elbowed Mifumi out of the way as I caught Lin out of the air and into safety. Raggedly breathing, Lin looks at me and I can see that her face is very red. She¡¯s also panting. ¡°You¡¯re too strong. I knew you could use Laser Beam but to actually execute such a move in combat, are you really not a genius at fighting Keith?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind Lin. This is a result of the training that we endured together. I also found myself in a bit of a pinch as I almost took your pincer attack with Mifumi. Was that something you were practicing before I got here?¡± ¡°Yes, Keith. The reason why the Instructor got mad was because we couldn¡¯t do it right. Speaking of which, are you okay Mifumi? Geez, that was mean of you Keith, to only save me while you blew him out of your way. Mifumi is still our friend you know!¡± Coming out of the wall because he was literally blew away to the next room, I see Mifumi smiling at us. ¡°It¡¯s okay Lin. That was a great move, Keith. You really are quite something.¡± I smiled at him. I realize that Lin was still panting. ¡°Lin, you need to work on your stamina more. You¡¯ve been panting for more than a few minutes now.¡± With her palm in her face, Belle calls me an idiot. Mifumi is laughing. ¡°Keith, you may have become quite the fighter but you¡¯re still the number one dense idiot. Lin is looking at me with a ¡°Umuuuuu¡± kind of face. She¡¯s so cute. I put her down and I walked towards the training dummies in the room. Curious, Lin and Mifumi were eyeing me. I breathed in and I started practicing my normal katas and stances. I do this for a few minutes before Mifumi and Lin decided to join me in hitting training dummies. We spent the time talking about stupid things that aren¡¯t worth sharing. We¡¯re having small talk in other words. I decided to take the opportunity to ask them about the current situation. As I was speaking with them, I realize these things: This is the same exact timeline that I came from. In short, I am not in another world nor am I in a different direction. I am the same Keith that I was when I was Alphonse. I may have lost some of my more powerful abilities but I have retained my combat experience and my instinct. The way I was stopping time was actually just me slowing time. According to Belle, the only people capable of doing that are fighters who have spent quite some time in earning experience in the field of combat. This is going to be pretty useful. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I also realized that I have already made some changes to this timeline by evading Belle instead of taking in her words of power. The situation for today should remain roughly the same the first time around but I have to be extra careful. After a few hours passed with the training dummies beaten and battered, Lin, Mifumi and I decided to rest. ¡°What¡¯s up with all of the questions, Keith? Are you feeling okay?¡± Lin asks. Mifumi simply watched us. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I wanted to make some small talk. It¡¯s kind of a way for me to practice conversing since I am not that interesting.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lin purses her lips and after a short pause, she added, ¡°Do you want to take your lunch with me Keith?¡± ¡°Sure as long as you are buying.¡± ¡°Why did you have to ask Mifumi and Belle again eh?!¡± Mifumi chuckled. ¡°Keith didn¡¯t say anything like that.¡± ¡°Eh? Eh!?!?!?!¡± Lin started panicking. ¡°So it¡¯s just going to be the two of us?¡± ¡°Yes. Unless you want to avoid spending it with me to avoid rumors of us going out, we can invite the instructor and Mifumi to come with us.¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t necessary! Please wait for me here! I will take a shower and change my clothes. I got pretty sweaty during that intense training session that we had.¡± Lin said as she started running towards the showers. Now that I think about it, sweat seems to be glistening from Lin¡¯s clothes. Her curves are emphasized because her shirt is sticking to her body like latex. In the middle were her large, soft breasts. They seemed to be a little too big for her body-type but I sure am thankful for this heavenly sight. As I was thinking about Lin, I sensed killing intent coming from Belle. Yes, Yes. No sexually harassing my fellow Prentices. I know. ¡°I will take my leave too. Good match Keith. Thank you, Instructor.¡± Mifumi says as he takes off. Man, that guy has always been desperate to imitate his favorite hard-boiled soldiers. I spent a few minutes of silence with Belle. I still can¡¯t believe that I get to spend more time with my beloved instructor after I was forcefully separated from her during the last cycle. I guess I was a little more interested than I should have been in Belle but I¡¯m sure she only sees me as a prot¨¦g¨¦ or a younger brother at most. I mean even the legendary Chief Warlock Rafflesia even spent her life as Ryner¡¯s best friend during the Golden Age War as Ryner spent his days with Yui. Belle was sitting in her usual spot, seemingly defenseless. She was sipping tea as she fanned herself with her hands. I tried using my newfound abilities for the greater good. I breathed in the air around me and everything became clearer and slower. I could see further and I could sense further. I look at Belle¡¯s hand in mid-fan motion and I walked closer to her. I looked at every detail of her body and I stopped at her nape, which was exposed when she removed her armor. I notice a bead of sweat slowly sliding down from her nape to her bountiful chest. I don¡¯t know how long I stared but when I had my fill, I returned to my position, sat down and continued meditating. From the corner of my eyes, I swear I could see Belle smiling. I wonder why. A few minutes passed and when I felt rejuvenated (I think I actually fell asleep for a while), I stood up and headed to the shower room to refresh myself. I passed by Belle who smiled at me. I think my heart stopped for a bit. I bet she wants something. ¡°You were impressive today, Prentice. Who are you, really?¡± ¡°Instructor? Has the heat gone to your head? I am your apprentice Keith, sworn Prentice-Knight to her Highness the Princess Alicia.¡± ¡°I could see that but you seem different from the passive and idle Keith that I know. You seem..¡± pursing her lips, she added ¡°driven.¡± ¡°I just want to graduate as fast as I can, go through my investiture as Knight and serve my country by protecting its Princess and you are the best instructor there is. I guess it should be normal for me to be different after training under you for a while, right?¡± Belle looked surprised but I felt like she was considering everything first before deciding anything. A few moments passed and Belle finally answered me. ¡°You seem to be the Keith that I know but you are a little¡­different. Dangerous too. Try not to make trouble here, okay?¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± I wave at her as I walked towards the shower area. I entered the Male Shower room and got a glimpse of Mifumi¡¯s junk. I was traumatized and stunned for a good 2 seconds before he realized that he needed to cover that gigantic monstrosity and he started apologizing as his¡­thing swayed up and down. I passed out and Mifumi started running. What a fucking way to get knocked out. I stood up and took my clothes off, got in the shower and cleaned myself up. As I was scrubbing my body, I noticed that I had a scar where Ryner ran his sword through me. This is bizarre. There has to be a reason for this and I need to find a way to communicate with Ryner in order to find the answer. Finishing up, I stepped out and wiped myself down. I went to my locker and got a change of clothes. It¡¯s my usual Military Academy Uniform. I do need to get to classes after lunch after all. I stepped out and saw that Belle was still there, meditating. I sense an oppressive aura coming from her and it sent shivers down my spine. What¡¯s with this level of danger coming from her? Every fiber of my being is shouting hostile and are literally begging me to run away. I couldn¡¯t move and I couldn¡¯t say anything. Not even my heightened battle senses could do anything to make a dent against this monstrosity. Belle really wasn¡¯t being serious earlier. So is this the true power of one who is truly powerful? I still have a long way to go. If I were to put this into perspective, the normal human being is somewhere around level 10 and I am at level 12 or 13. Belle would probably be somewhere beyond that, maybe even more than level 40. Facing my limits, I resolve to become stronger, at least strong enough to move through this dense field of aura. The ominous feeling around me dispersed and I could finally move and breathe again. I¡¯m sweaty and trembling. I look at Belle and see her looking at me with a troubled face. ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to be here, Prentice.¡± She says. ¡°I took a shower but more importantly, what the hell was that, Instructor?¡± ¡°I was simply practicing my Battle Meditation. If used, it will utterly crush the enemy¡¯s morale and heighten and encourage our allies. It¡¯s an advanced technique that only I have mastered.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that awesome then. Will you teach me?¡± ¡°No.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°It¡¯s terribly difficult. Maybe one day but not right now. Your body wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Obviously crestfallen, she perks up and smiles at me. ¡°We¡¯ll get there slowly my dear student.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I gave an energetic reply. ¡°Run along now. You must not keep Lin waiting.¡± I thank her and ran out to find Lin waiting for me where the door used to be. She¡¯s dressed up in her usual uniform but something about her seems a little different. She¡¯s airing out a delicate feeling that seems to rest on the boundary between cute and mature. ¡°Do I look weird, Keith?¡± She asks. ¡°No, you look good. Something¡¯s different about you.¡± ¡°Ah! You noticed! I¡¯m wearing a touch of make-up.¡± ¡°Well I think that it makes you look mature and cute. Maybe you should also tie up your hair?¡± ¡°Ara, are you forcing your preference on me Senpai?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± She giggles at that and she locks her arms with mine and she started pulling on me. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab some lunch Senpai!¡± I am caught unaware. Her fragrance smells of shampoo and a touch of a fruity perfume. It mesmerizes me and she catches me staring at her. ¡°W-what is it?¡± ¡°Ah, no. I was just surprised that you were using that particular shampoo.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I bought it earlier. Is it to your liking?¡± ¡°Yup! Definitely.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± We started walking towards the cafeteria and by now, we reached the field separating the various buildings in our Military Academy¡¯s Campus. Author''s Notes Hey everyone! Enjoy! [Survey] Favorite Trouble! Waifu? and Trouble! Discussion Thread Hey everyone, Alizoned here. Like what the title suggests, this will be a survey and generally a discussion about your favorite female character and anything about Trouble! in general. You have an idea on how to improve your Waifu''s character? Share it. You think your waifu is better than the other waifus? Tell us why! Theories on which Waifu is a Goddess/Demon Avatar? The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Think Keith is an idiot? Tell us why! Everyone is welcome to speak here and all of your comments and opinions count. Let''s have an intelligent and healthy discussion everyone! Also, Trouble Volume 2, Chapter 2 coming up in a bit so while we wait, let''s exchange some ideas! I will also be here to answer questions every now and then. 02 - 02 - Darkness Begins With Lin by my side, people from all over the field are sending me gazes of hatred and I can even hear someone chanting some sort of death curse while looking at me. I can understand their gazes of jealousy, really I do. Having some nobody take one of the Academy¡¯s idols and parade her in broad daylight with linked arms? Even I would hate the son of a bitch who would dare do that. I return their gazes of jealousy with a smug face filled with as much confidence as I could muster and I pulled in Lin even closer as I held her with one arm and hugged her close to me. Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t I do this the last time too? But that was with my beloved Instructor and Ali. I wonder where Ali is? As I was contemplating the wonders of living through something twice, I feel something soft pushing up against me. I turn to look at Lin and she is doing her best to avoid my gaze and she seems to be blushing up to her ears. Yup. You guessed it. Her massive mountains were being caressed by my body. I get it. Women don¡¯t want to be cuddled by someone they don¡¯t like. Sensing my loosened grip, Lin suddenly points her head up and looks at me. ¡°Is¡­is something the matter, Senpai?¡± ¡°Eh? No, I didn¡¯t think about what I was doing and held you too closely. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Senpai? When did you get that impression?¡± She says as she pouts at me, turning her lips into the cutest ¡®^¡¯ shape ever. So does this mean that she doesn¡¯t hate it? Well, alright then. (Author note: Finally, he¡¯s getting it. Idiot.) I hugged her closer again and this time, I chose the simpler approach by simply laying my arm around her neck and pulled her close to me. It was a hug that was neither from a brother or a friend. I guess you could say that I was playing it safe. I could hear her giggling as she snuggled herself more closely to me and then I realized the possibility that this girl could actually like me. ¡°I could stay like this forever, Senpai.¡± I smile at her innocent words. We remained closely linked as we walked through the field. I was constantly avoiding curses and wishes of death thrown at me while Lin was stuck in her own world, mumbling something about forever and happiness. I guess it has to do with the time when I saw her naked the first time I met her. You see, when I started out as a Prentice here in the Academy, there was this transfer student. She was found to be very cute, thus, the people and virgin society of the Academy placed her among the heavens (with Belle and Ali) on a pedestal making her inaccessible to normal people. In short, her cult-like fanclub made a pact to hurt the people trying to get close to her. Did this make her Academy life wonderful? No, it didn¡¯t. She remained friendless for a good portion of her stay at the Academy until the fateful day I really needed to take a shit while the Men¡¯s shower room was locked. I barged in the female shower room, thinking it was empty and I entered a stall where I did my business. I could hear someone showering and I decided to ignore it, thinking it was Mifumi or something. Now this is where I think I made my first mistake in hindsight. Why the fuck would Mifumi be taking a shower in the Women¡¯s shower room right? Well at the time, all I cared about was enjoying the greatest crap I ever took that day. Finishing my business, I stand up, admired my handiwork and flushed. I was so proud of myself. I went to the sink and found out that there wasn¡¯t any running water for the faucets. Just my luck, I thought. I decided to enter a shower stall, which was around 10 paces away from the sink in the L-shaped room. I barged in a random stall and before I realized what was happening, I suddenly found myself on the floor with a pleasant feeling on my face. Spoiler : Yup. You guessed it. Lin, in a state of panic, pushed me down and attempted to run away only to trip on the soap that she brought and ended up almost killing me with her magnificent breasts. Not thinking straight, I decided to lick away at her chest and moved on to her left nipple. ¡®Mmm¡¯ slurp ¡®Pink eh?¡¯ I could hear Lin panting as I continued licking her. After a few moments, she started grinding on my crotch. ¡°Harder¡­¡± she exclaimed. I then transferred my attention to her right nipple as I kept up the pressure by caressing and shaping into my hands shape her breasts. ¡°It¡¯s..good¡­¡± She started grinding on me faster. I could feel her slim body moving faster and I could feel how hot she was. Needless to say, I was aroused as well. The sight of this brown haired beauty grinding on me as I feasted on her tits was extremely erotic. I moved up a bit and looked her in the eyes and to my horror, I realize that was of the Beast Race. She seems to have lost to her pleasure and the people of the Beast Race tend to go into an extended heat period which would be troublesome. I need to get her back before she starts fucking random guys because of a lapse in my judgment. I slipped my hand between her legs and I started applying what Siegfried taught me whenever he lent me ¡®those¡¯ kinds of books. She bit her lips as she moved her hips to the tempo of my fingering. With my free hand, I grabbed onto her left tit and bit. I could feel her getting lost in ecstasy as I sent shivers down her spine. I move my fingers faster and I grabbed her head and kissed her before shoving me tongue inside. Sensing that she is nearing the end, I pinched her clit. She started convulsing in pleasure and finally, she fell down and laid her head on my chest. I couldn¡¯t believe what I just did, about how I almost lost myself in pleasure as well. The strangest part about all of this is how right it felt. Like how I probably subconsciously yearned for her body as she yearned for mine. After a few seconds in silence, she lifts herself up and the smell of the fruity shampoo lingers. She looks me in the eyes and gives me a sweet kiss. I smile at her nervously, for fear of retribution or revenge but instead, I got a bigger shock. ¡°Yes, I do accept you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you say, Miss?¡± ¡°I accept you Senpai!¡± She jumps me and hugs me as I hugged her back in confusion. Later, Mifumi, who is Lin¡¯s childhood friend and bodyguard informed me of what I had done. Sitting in the shower room with his large monstrosity hanging out, he looks at me and laughs. ¡°So you didn¡¯t know about our custom, eh?¡± ¡°No. Not a clue. I thought I was saving her dignity because the only way to stop a Beast Race¡¯s heat is by relieving it before it gets worse.¡± Mifumi nods. ¡°True but our law also dictates that the only man who is permitted to take care of a female¡¯s heat is by rights her husband. Our custom also dictates that the first man who sees a female¡¯s naked visage is by Beast Race law her husband.¡± ¡°What kind of troublesome law is that Mifumi?¡± ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t our fault entirely. Princess Lin has been closely guarded ever since she was younger. I was to ensure that no harm could come to her when she is out and about and her hand maidens do everything they can to keep anyone from peeping on her. Anyone who sees her naked does automatically become the Prince of our Country after all.¡± ¡°Well she does have a hot body, I understand ¨C Wait did you say Princess?¡± ¡°Yup. Lin is our one and only Princess. You understand that you HAVE to take responsibility right?¡± Gulp. Mifumi stands up and his gigantic thing swings up and down. ¡°You do understand what would happen if you refuse to take responsibility right?¡± He eyes me menacingly. I really hope that he means to beat the shit out of me instead of pounding the shit out of me. There¡¯s a big difference between those things and the difference is like heaven and hell. I could only nod at him and he laughs. His thing happily swings up and down as well. ¡°Good, good. I look forward to serving you as well, Lord Keith. Or do you prefer that I only call you Keith here in school? Well, the ceremony has already been accomplished so congratulations on your first marriage!¡± ¡°Eh? What ceremony?¡± ¡°Well, in Beast Race Marriages, for a Man to be considered a Woman¡¯s husband, they have to engage in sexual intercourse and the Man basically has to let his partner finish. If you get my drift. This is done in private by the way.¡± ¡°Eh? EH?¡± ¡°Yup! The way the Princess told me, I wanted to experience that sort of thing myself! Without even using your ultimate weapon and you made her finish! That¡¯s amazing!¡± His thing is throbbing dangerously. Could Mifumi be after my chastity? He¡¯s looking at me like a snake looks at its food. With his thing fully ¡®awakened¡¯, I could see my life flashing before my eyes and so I fainted and earned my lifelong trauma of Mifumi¡¯s thing. So here we are again back in the present and I realize that Lin was talking to me. ¡°Senpai, are you okay? Your heart rate is a little high. Are you sure you are feeling well?¡± As she tiptoes to touch her forehead with mine, I get a glimpse of the mountains I was daydreaming about. I almost fainted. I gently flicker her in the head and smiled. ¡°Dummy. You do realize that I have to take care of you so stop worrying about me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural for me to worry about you Senpai. I mean if I didn¡¯t do this much, the Instructor and Ali would take you for themselves.¡± ¡°You really are a dummy aren¡¯t you?¡± We both laughed at how stupid we sounded. As this pleasant atmosphere continued, we kept walking, just talking and laughing about the dumbest things. ¡°Can I talk to you about something Senpai?¡± ¡°Mmm?¡± ¡°Did anything happen to you?¡± She purses her lips as we continued walking. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly¡­you right now.¡± I kept quiet, thinking how I could play this off. It¡¯s one thing with Belle and her ultra-analytical mind but I can¡¯t see myself lying to her. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for too much, just that you would look at me every now and then Senpai but am I too selfish for thinking that being like this with you isn¡¯t so bad?¡± I smile at her honest feelings. ¡°Senpai, I know that you are only pretending to not notice but on my end, as someone who has fallen deeply in love with you not because of the circumstances of how we met but because of who you are and how you have treated me, is it wrong to ask for something like this every now and then?¡± ¡°No, you aren¡¯t selfish Lin. I am simply indecisive.¡± I pat her head with my free hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too cowardly of me to not choose?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one thing we love about you Senpai. Teehee.¡± In a world where polygamy is commonplace, at least for the wealthy, I wanted to find love that is pure and true. Unfortunately, I found love in a lot of places. With my Instructor who only sees me as a sort of pet and my Kouhai who has grown to admire me. Had I been the Keith from the previous cycle without the knowledge of what is to come then I would have probably settled for simply vying for the both of them but¡­things have changed. ¡°Unfortunately I can¡¯t return your feelings Lin. Not yet.¡± ¡°I know, Senpai. We all do. There¡¯s something you have to do first, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Then we will be waiting.¡± She smiles at me with her ultimate little sister smile and I return her pure smile with my own, wretched and broken smile. ¡°Well that¡¯s enough of that Senpai! We¡¯re finally here!¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Right in front of us is the Cafeteria and as usual, it is filed with Prentices rushing in to fill themselves with the food sold here. This is also the place where everything changed during the last cycle. If I remember correctly, Rolando should be inside with his idiotic group of friends and Belle and Alicia should be in there somewhere but maybe that changed too since I took only Lin with me and I didn¡¯t spend time in the Infirmary in this cycle. I wonder what else changed. I walked in with Lin by my side and I lined up for the usual Tonkatsu set. Rolando and his groupies should confront me in a few moments and they will invite me for a ¡®talk¡¯ out in the back. As I was trapped in my thoughts, I was called by the young woman managing the line. She always took my order back then and so she always had a Tonkatsu set waiting for me. ¡°Welcome Mr. Tonkatsu, let me guess, are you getting the Tonkatsu set again?¡± She flashes me a familiar smile. ¡°Eh. Yuriko?¡± ¡°Eh? How do you know my name Mr. Tonkatsu?¡± ¡°Senpai, did you add another one to your harem without us knowing?¡± ¡°Eh? Harem?¡± I decided to ignore Lin for now. ¡°You are Yuriko right? So you really were the one who saved me before.¡± Not necessarily nervous, Yuriko seemed a little too calm. ¡°What do you mean saved you? If you mean I treated you with a meal then that probably happened but I don¡¯t recall ever feeding you except for the Tonkatsu sets that you always offered.¡± This must really be Yuriko. That manipulative appeal that she has and that long black hair, I can¡¯t ever be mistaken, especially not with her Goddess-tier body. It is currently hidden by her loose-fitting cooking clothes but I know better. I decided to play along with Yuriko for now and to see where this goes. ¡°Eh. I must have been mistaken. Sorry. I¡¯ll have a Tonkatsu Set.¡± ¡°You got me worried there Senpai. She¡¯s cute though but don¡¯t get any funny ideas, okay? Ah! I¡¯ll have a Cheesecake!¡¯ Yuriko simply stood there after handing our orders. I apologize for nearly breaking your cover Captain but I couldn¡¯t help it. I wonder how I can get closer to her again. Maybe I can simply start talking to her to earn her friendship. Happening upon a recently empty table, I sat my tray down and Lin sat down and gestured for me to sit beside her. As I wryly smiled at her, I felt a dangerous feeling coming from behind me. I activated my combat senses as I breathed in the mana in the air around me. Everything turns to a stop and I can see things more clearly now. I see a carton of milk being thrown in my direction but in this mode, it is too slow for me. I dodge to the side of the carton and catch it in midair. I threw it back to its source by instinct and I activated Laser Beam and dashed towards Rolando and his friends. I am standing right in front of Rolando and on his face is a look of triumph. He doesn¡¯t know that the carton of milk is rushing towards him at a speed of 80 km/h. That¡¯s going to hurt son. I stand behind him and deactivated my combat senses. Suddenly, a sound of cardboard filled with liquid sounds of a splat near me. Rolando was hit by the carton of milk and his nose is bleeding and some milk even got in his eyes. Lin is sitting in our table happily eating while watching the spectacle. By now, everyone is in the Cafeteria is quiet and the only sound that everyone can hear is the sound of the milk and blood dripping from Rolando¡¯s face. I can sense anger coming from him as he looked for the target of his affections. Me. ¡°Did you lose something Rolando?¡± ¡°Guh. You fucking peasant pig show yourself!¡± Wimpering, Lackey A calls Rolando¡¯s attention. ¡°Rolando, he¡¯s behind you!¡± Before Rolando could even look at me, much less attempt to punch me with that halfhearted effort at a punch, I stepped sideways and dodged his punch. Caught unaware, the momentum of his punch caused Rolando to fall forward on his face and I can hear a painful crack coming from it. It seems as though he broke his nose. With blood and snot overflowing from his cocky face, I decided to probe him a little bit more. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine Rolando? Are you sure you haven¡¯t inherited your Father¡¯s impotence or something?¡± ¡°You fucking bastard!¡± Clearly, agitated, Rolando stood up and the feeling around him changed. Though he was covered in blood, his sigils were clearly well made. He was starting to cast Intermediate Ranked Magic which would clearly not only damage me but the people around me as well. Is he even thinking properly? ¡°Just you wait. I will blow you and every little piece of shit here to nothing!¡± I could probably wait until the last second before I cast Laser Beam to knock him out but I remembered that I had to pay him back for what he did to me before. ¡°Hey Rolando..¡± ¡°No use begg ¨C¡° But he never finished his sentence. ¡°Activate: Runes. Laser Beam!¡± I blinked right in front of Rolando and before he could even react, I activated my combat senses and gave him a flurry of punches. I punched him in his face and broke his nose in repeatedly as I grabbed his arm and dislocated his shoulder. I used the momentum in his motion as he slowly fell to the floor by stepping on his leg as hard as I could as I pulled his collar making him into a big human ¡®C¡¯ and I could hear his leg break and a part of his spinal column break. I then grabbed him by the collar and started punching him in the face. ¡°This is for hurting me!¡± Bam! ¡°This is for being a dick!¡± Bam! ¡°This is for saying that the Tonkatsu Set sucked!¡± Bam! ¡°This is for trying to take Alicia from me!¡± Bam! "This is for pissing me off!" Bam! Bam! Not nearly done yet, I took off his pants and punched him in the groin around 30 times. After the 25th punch, I notice that his balls started to bleed and that they were irregularly shaped after taking such a beating. I then took a step back and blinked towards his lackeys and gave them the same treatment. I then took off one his Lackey¡¯s pants and inserted his thing into Rolando¡¯s back. Look, I made a gayhuman centipede! After all of this is done, I reactivated Laser Beam and blinked towards Lin and sat beside her. I deactivated my combat senses and time started to flow normally again. Before Rolando could even notice the spectacle that he has become, the entire room starts laughing at him. He then notices something stuck up his butt and before he could pull it off, his ass clenched. He defecated due to the stress, the torrent of pain that assaulted him and due to him defecating, he involuntarily exercised muscle control and quite literally wrung out the other guy¡¯s thing. The guy gave a disgusted but somewhat satisfied groan and then I realized that he quite literally came inside Rolando¡¯s ass. Rolando started crying as he shouted profanities and curses and the best part was that he didn¡¯t even know how that shit happened. The entire room started looking at me and they applauded my work of art. I guess I could probably get used to this. With Rolando and his lackeys being collected by the Medical Team, the Cafeteria burst into celebration and everyone is talking about what they just saw. Worth mentioning is the fact that I apparently shoved the guy¡¯s thing up Rolando so hard and coupled with the fact that he involuntarily tensed his butt, they were literally stuck together and had to be escorted to the Infirmary like that. As they were being carried out, a burst of laughter can be heard from the field. I feel satisfied now and I think I may have actually grown to like this sort of thing. It couldn¡¯t even be called combat because of how fast it happened. With things settling down, Lin couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°I realize that Instructor¡¯s Laser Beam is effective but to use it that way¡­that was really funny Senpai¡­but you kinda overdid it.¡± As she gestures towards the lone figure cleaning up on Aisle Beat down. There, I saw Yuriko with an extremely agitated look on her face mopping away Rolando¡¯s mess. I feel sorry for you Yuriko but you have to remain strong to keep your cover! I offered her a prayer. Well whatever. ¡°My hands are still dirty Lin, do you mind helping me out?¡± ¡°Eh? What do you mean Senpai?¡± ¡°Mm. Nevermind then.¡± I gave Lin a fake pout. ¡°Eh! I was only kidding Senpai! Here, say Ahhh!¡± Tonkatsu really is the best after all. Continuing with this pleasant atmosphere was a dream come true for me! Of course, everyone in the cafeteria who celebrated my victory is now wishing for my death while the females were all looking at us while saying ¡®Lucky bitch¡¯ or something. Yup! I¡¯m definitely lucky! Lin kept on feeding me as we made small talk and some people even went by to offer me congratulations or expressions of their appreciation. It was a fun lunch. Riiiiiiiiing! With the bell having rung, Lin and I then realized that we had to go back to our respective classes. Bidding her good-bye, she gives me a kiss on the cheek (Fuck you Keith chants started) and runs off to class with a ¡°Teehee!¡± I smiled wryly at her and walked towards my own class. I enjoyed the sudden quiet that I was experiencing for once. I have had quite the troublesome life before it ended as suddenly as it began back in the last cycle. I spent some time thinking about my next step but I couldn¡¯t arrive at a good enough theory much yet a conclusion. I really do have to find a way to communicate with Ryner or Rafflesia but I can¡¯t just force them to come out can I? With the sun up high, I can only sigh as the day has only really began. I kept on walking back to my usual classroom. As usual, I was the only student there and the teacher was absent. Apparently, I am on a special curriculum designed by the greatest tactical mind in the modern world, Belle. So I basically sit inside this old school wooden classroom and sit down and keep on breathing in and out. It¡¯s a of runic practice that¡¯s meant to strengthen my body. I sat down and concentrated. I breathed in the wooden smell emanating from the floorboards. It¡¯s quite pleasant, truth be told. I sat still for about a couple of hours. I felt like an idiot and just when I was about to give up, I felt a shiver go up my spine. I felt some sort of energy entering me as though I was being strengthened by some kind of external force. I felt powerful and I felt like I was one with the universe. My worries, my problems, everything was transformed into this psychedelic medley of colors and eternal calm. I felt bliss. This must be what they call Nirvana. I feel a tremor and the world collapsed around me, burying me into unlimited darkness. I felt despair and loneliness, as though I was going to be swallowed and consumed by it. I felt like I was starting to lose my sanity. I saw various images that were too horrible to describe. Images of Belle being raped, of Lin being impaled from her mouth to her womanhood, to Alicia being stripped of her skin and above it all was the image of a woman who looked familiar to me. She was grimacing. She had these beautifully tragic golden eyes and long golden hair. She was in a wheelchair. Was she overseeing their torture? Is she my enemy? My ally? Who is she? Before any other thoughts could penetrate my slowly deteriorating self, I felt a hot red flash. Before I knew it, the image of a beautiful girl with Golden eyes is starting at me and I was back in my world. I felt tired and drained and I was, frankly, still afraid. ¡°A..are you okay Keith?¡± ¡­Alicia.. and just like that, all of my worries disappeared again. 02 - 03 - My self-proclaimed girlfriend cant be a Yandere?! Opening my eyes, I meet the gaze of the prettiest golden eyes that I have ever seen - and this particular pair can only belong to one person - Ali. I feel overjoyed upon having met her again but for her, the last time we saw each other was probably somewhere between 24 and 30 hours. Ali smiles at me as she slid her bangs behind her ears. The sight of her mesmerizes me and before I can even give the Princess'' handmaiden my greetings, my eyes suddenly wet themselves with my tears. Ali has been a close friend of mine ever since I found and saved her when we were younger. I then found out that she worked for Her Imperial Highness the Princess and having served her loyal handmaiden, the Princess extended me an olive branch in the form of a job and scholarship offer. Of course, I accepted. I needed money and connections at the time seeing as how I was living in extreme poverty. I breathe in Ali''s scent, barely believing that she was there with me. I take in the entirety of her beauty and I re-etch her face in my mind. I then hold my cheek and realize that Ali probably slapped me awake. Was it because I was having a nightmare? In the first place, I don''t even remember what I dreamed of but it was probably something horrible. More importantly, why does my chest hurt every time I catch a glimpse of Ali''s golden eyes? I sense an ominous feeling warning me of something but that must be wrong since I am safe with her, with Ali. Ali looks at me and with a worried expression on her face, she touches her forehead with mine to ascertain my temperature. "Ara, you seem to be fine, Keith." She says. "I''m...okay. I think I just had a bad dream." She grimaces at that. "You were sweating a lot Keith., I don''t think it was just an ordinary bad dream. What was it about? Can you tell me?" Eh. So she did take care of me. How wonderful of her. "Not really. I can''t remember much but it felt horrible. Like every bit of happiness was sucked away from me." "Ara ara, that''s not a good sign Keith." She gently caresses my head with her hand as I enjoy the feeling of the lap pillow she was giving me. Just as I thought, Ali''s laps are the best. I smile to myself. "Ali, how long was I out?" "Hmm. Good question. I started taking care of you at around 3:00 in the afternoon, so that''s 3 hours after you caused the commotion in the Cafeteria. It is now 8 in the evening. Ufufufu." Seemingly amused with herself, Ali gives me a flick to the forehead. "Keith, you are aware that the Princess intends to make you her Knight as soon as you graduate, yes? Then why haven''t you made any progress? Isn''t that sly fox any good as a teacher?" Eh? Sly fox? Does she mean Belle? Eh, I''m a little confused as this is clearly a conflict of interest for me. "I do apologize for wasting a day''s worth of training Ali but something weird happened to me." "Oh? Do tell." Clearly curious, Ali stopped caressing my head and sat me down against the classroom''s wall. "I was doing my usual breathing exercises but after a few hours of staying still, my body suddenly entered a state of bliss and then - nothing. I guess that was when I passed out." Ali''s face suddenly contorts with fear but the expression is gone as fast as it appeared. "Ali? What''s wrong?" "It''s nothing Keith. Would you like to rest some more?" She gestures to her luscious thighs. "No need to hold back." She gets down on both knees and she started to crawl towards me like how a Panther would stalk its prey. She was extremely sexy and right now, I couldn''t take my eyes off of her. "Ali, wait a minute. You mentioned that it is now around 8 in the evening right?" Surprised by my question, Ali stops and thinks for a bit. "Precisely. It is now 8 in the evening. What''s wrong?" "So you''ve been taking care of me the whole time, eh?" Blushing, Ali retorts "You seem to be living some sort of fantasy that you thought of for yourself, Prentice." as she pouts in her corner. You don''t have to be so shy, Ali. "Come to me, Ali." I call out to her as I extend my right hand as an invitation. "Ara, the spineless Keith has finally decided to grow a pair? Ufufu." Under the cover of moonlight, a ray of light hits Ali''s face, framing it in all of its perfection. She''s underestimating me. Well I''m not the same person as I was before! Before Ali could react, I gently grabbed her left hand and led her to me. As stated earlier, the classroom we are in is an old style wooden classroom and it''s pretty small. You can reach each end of the room in about 10 paces. but the room seemed enormous because we are the only two people using it right now. "Wh-what are you do-do-doing Keith?!" I pulled her towards me and I caught her in my embrace. Ali is struggling. Of course she would. She''s too proud to actually admit defeat to her childhood friend. "Un...unhand me!" She looks at me with defiance in her face. Cute. I look her in the eyes and I ask, "Ali, do you hate me?" and my question stops her in her tracks. "Of course not. Idiot." "Then why?" Ali, in a rare display of emotional immaturity blurted out. "Fine! I get it. You only want me to come close right? Fine! Don''t regret it!" She forcefully snuggles herself next to me. Was that so hard? I run my hands through her perfect golden hair. Her hair is flower fragrant and each breath she takes is as precious as the fleeting moments in life we take for granted. We stayed in this position for a while. "Ali.." "Mmm?" She replies, with her eyes closed and her head on my shoulder. "I''m sorry for having left you." "Mmm? What do you mean?" "Eh. It''s nothing, it''s nothing. I just wanted to apologize to you." She looks up at me and pokes her tongue out. "Ehehe. Well, keep spoiling me and who knows, I may just forgive you." Seeing this side to the mature and slightly taciturn Ali makes my heart a little bit lighter. Ali has always been the quiet type of girl but recently, she picked up this older sister type of attitude that was haughty and annoying and she always picked fights with my Instructor and Lin. She''s well-read, she''s sociable, she''s popular among the students in the academy and she''s extremely beautiful. It''s no wonder that even though she is the reclusive Princess'' handmaiden, most of the students think that Ali is a member of royalty herself. I heard that she also has a large following of people and of course, representatives from our academy''s virgin society who constantly pray to the gods to have Ali step on them and insult them or whatever. I do not know where Ali''s dominatrix image comes from but seeing the unusually tame and graceful Ali like this causes me to shake my head in disbelief. There is no way that she''s an ''S''. She''s quite practically a princess herself, well, at least I think so. Fundamentally speaking, Ali is kindhearted and she looks out for everyone. She''s kind of shy when it comes to speaking her thoughts but that is usually hidden by her ''Older Sister'' facade. Interesting how people think up of ways to protect themselves, no? Worth noting is how Ali dresses nowadays. Before, the young Ali always dressed up with pretty dresses which I assume were hand-me-downs from the Princess herself, however, the current Ali is a farcry from her younger self. Ali constantly wears a modified version of our academy''s uniform with her top custom made to resemble a striped male''s polo shirt and adorning it is a pink necktie. She''s also wearing business-class pants that emphasizes her thighs and attached to her right leg is a short crossbow. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ali''s skill with the crossbow, especially with the bow and arrow, is noteworthy in that she has never missed a target during the duration of her enrollment here in the Military Academy. She is hailed as a rare genius who competes in International Archery Tournaments throughout the year. I remember sparring with Ali when I started out as a Prentice here. I assumed that I could take her out seeing as I grew up with her and that she was a girl. Boy was I wrong. Thinking that I could win with brute strength, I rush her as I prepared myself to dodge her attacks. What I didn''t anticipate, however, was her use of two gas operated crossbows which essentially fired arrows at a fast rate without needed to reload or pull back on the string. Needless to say, I was soundly beaten before I could even utilize whatever training I had back then so I know for a fact that Ali is more than capable of protecting the princess on her. But I can''t leave that burden to Ali alone. I too must work hard in order for the Princess to accept me as her Knight after my graduation! Having been lost in my thoughts for a while now, Ali tugs on my sleeves. "Mm, Ali?" "Keith, do you....do you want to come to my room?" Eh? Why her room? Her room is directly in front of the Princess'' room. Should I even go there? "Hah" "Hah" "Hah" I wonder why she''s slightly out of breath with that flushed look in her eyes? Wouldn''t I get in trouble if I were to step in close proximity to the Princess when I should be training? "Eh? Why your room, Ali?" "Do I have to...spell it out for you?" "Eh, whatever. If we get in trouble, talk to the Princess for me okay?" "She wouldn''t care. I swear it." I wonder where she gets her confidence? We stand up and I follow her to her room. Of course, we pass through the usual field in the middle of the Academy. Directly in front of me is the cafeteria but we turn right to return to the dormitories. The trip back to the dormitories seemed faster than the trip we took this morning but that should be expected seeing as how the night was beautiful and cool. Reaching the 8th floor, instead of turning left to return to the Boys quarters, we turn right and head towards the Girls quarters. The hallways are eerily quiet, with the only source of light being the moonlight, everything has become a frozen paradise for Ali and I to enjoy. Reaching the end of the hallway, we reach Ali''s room. Behind it is a grandiose door adorned with various jewels and impressive craftsmanship - it is the Princess'' room. We enter Ali''s room as quietly as we could and upon reaching the side of her bed, I turned around and prepared to sit on it. Before I could do so, however, Ali quickly pushes me down. With her hand still on my chest as she looks down upon me lying down on the bed, Ali''s golden eyes peer into mine and she licks her lips. "Keith...I...want you." Ali starts taking off her necktie. The sound of her slowly undressing as she rides me is strangely erotic. I am caught in a trance and I get swallowed into her pace. I frantically remove my upper clothes as she started moving with my manhood being caressed by her thighs. I can''t seem to shake off the feeling that something is wrong but something inside me tells me that all is well. Could that be Ryner? Well if he says so! "Keith. Embrace me, please." Ali lets out a few moans of pleasure as I gradually got into it. "Yes, that''s it. Faster! Faster Keith!" I wanted to ravage her, to rip her apart. I wanted to submit to my primal urges and take her right then and there, regardless of how I actually felt for her. I couldn''t care less if my heart yearned for a forbidden love between pupil and teacher - what''s important is what''s in front of me right now. Ali, slowly being enraptured by pleasure starts taking off her pants. The sight of her half-naked body stimulated me more than ever and I quickly rip off her undergarments. As I was about to partake of her womanhood,, I hear a sharp ''thud'' from behind me and then two quick ''zip'' sounds followed by what sounded like a soft ''boom'' and is finally concluded with the sound that you get if you fill a balloon up with water and then suddenly drop it onto the ground. I found myself covered in blood and what seemed to be brain matter was scattered all over the room and all over me. I was surrounded by organs and blood and a half-dead upper half of what used to be Ali who''s trying to crawl to what I assume that it think is safety. Completely caught unaware, I get down on my knees as I start trying to gather and fix up Ali. I frantically pick up her organs, starting with her intestines. I hang her guts on my neck and I pick up a fragment of her still beating heart. "K...Keeeeeiiiith" A sharp screech completely unlike her soft voice escapes Ali''s mouth. "Fuuuuuuuck you and your whoooooores." Ali''s corpse tries to crawl towards the window and I beg it to stay. "Please! I almost have your parts with me! I will protect you, let me save you!" I start crying. Why? Why am I crying? "It is tooooooo late for youuuuuu. Acceeeeept your faaaate and dieeeee!" "Don''t say that Ali! Don''t say that!" I increase my pace and frantically pick up her body parts. I drop her heart and it hits the ground with a ''splot!" sound and blood sprays from it, covering me in bile and Ali''s blood. Ali''s upper body crawls towards the window and it desperately reaches for safety but - ''SPLAT!'' A sharp object pierces her head and her already opened skull burst open and spilled what was left of her head into the sheets. I was now completely covered in blood and innards and I couldn''t help but feel nothing but anger. This is exactly how I felt the last time I saw Valefor. Is the showdown happening earlier in this cycle? "Who did this?!" I try to remove the sharp object which impaled Ali to the wall as she lies there slack jawed. Now that I notice it, I seem to see a tear from her ear to the left side of her mouth and it seems that the upper part of her head would suddenly rip itself away from its lower half. "Show yourself!" I grab Ali''s body and I hold it close to me. I imagined how pleasant it was to be with her and how I wanted to be with her forever. I caressed her bloodied hair with my hands and suddenly, I feel a pressure coming from the doorway. Before turning around, I breathed in the mana around me and everything stops. I can think faster, I can see better and I can react more efficiently than any living human being on the planet. Preparing for battle made me unprepared for the horror that I saw next. Author''s Notes: Hello everyone. It''s a sad day for everyone here seeing as how Ali was killed off by me, the author. What did you think? Need more blood? More gore? Let me know what you think! 02 - 04 - Forced Psychosis I found myself standing in the middle of our empty field and aside from having dirt on my feet and my arms, there were no traces of blood or anything sinister on my clothes. I was completely clean but what was scarier was the fact that I was smack dab in the middle of our field in the middle of the night completely out of it. What the fuck did I just see? I don¡¯t know how to describe it the kind of brutality that I saw. Did I do that? Did that actually happen? As these questions filled my head with fear and uncertainty, I fell to my knees. ¡°Oh my God¡­Ali¡­¡± I was kneeling on the grassy field and I held my head in my hands. Thoughts like ¡®How did I get here?¡¯ and ¡®What the fuck happened?¡¯ filled my head with more uncertainty and my heart with fear. Did I kill Ali? Did I do that to her? I dreaded to find out what actually happened and yet I knew that if I was to retain my sanity, I would have to confirm that I didn¡¯t do anything to harm my friends. After convincing myself of this and repeating ¡®Everything is fine¡¯ repeatedly as a mantra, I decided to take responsibility for my actions. I stand up and walk towards the scene of the crime. I walk across the seemingly limitless field as I held myself for support. I come across corpses in varying states of decay. It seems as though a large-scale battle happened here not so long ago. ¡°Who attacked the Anthedon Military Academy?¡± but the more fitting question seemed to be ¡®What attacked the Academy¡¯ and judging from the claw marks and the injuries inflicted on the dead Prentices, it seemed as though they were hacked and slashed to death. As I passed the corpses while I was walking towards the Women¡¯s dormitory, I notice a trend that appeared as I was ignoring the various dead bodies around me: All of them start to disappear as soon as I turn my back on them. Where do the bodies go and why do they go there? From the distance, I see a thick fog consuming what little light was afforded to the grounds of the Military Academy and soon, it engulfed everything in a thick and inescapable wall that will definitely keep our sanity from leaking out. I resumed walking towards the Dormitory and in front of it hanging from a tree was Lin. She was missing her clothes and various blades and other torture devices are seen amongst her possessions. Some were even stuck inside of her. ¡°What kind of sick fuck would do this?¡± I take Lin down and settle her nicely somewhere. She¡¯s no longer alive but I will at least save her some dignity. I offer Lin¡¯s corpse a silent prayer as I quickly hurried to return to the dormitory. Before me is a huge door that is distorted beyond all belief. It is blackened by burns, bloodstain and some signs of magic remain. So this place really has transformed into a battlefield eh? But what could have happened to make it so? I steel my nerves and I entered the place. I placed my hand on the door and tried pushing it in but, as expected it wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°Eh. As expected.¡± I tried kicking it in and I tried bashing it with my martial arts techniques but nothing seems to be working. I walked a few paces away from the door and I prepared myself. Yup you guessed it. I¡¯m going to ram it with my body. Before I could run in like an idiot, I felt a gentle presence behind me. ¡°Ara, you seem to be planning something stupid again, Ryner?¡± That voice? I turned to look at the source and standing behind me with her crossbows at the ready was Ali in full combat gear. This can¡¯t be! Ali died! I mean she practically exploded right in front of me. There¡¯s only one solution to this conundrum then. ¡°Imposter!¡± How dare she take on Ali¡¯s form?! I lunged at the fake Ali with Laser Beam but she casually pushes me aside. Martial arts?! This guy is good! ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing you idiot hero?!¡± The imposter shouts at me. ¡°You can¡¯t trick me!¡± I prepared myself for another strike. I breathed in the mana around me but ¨C ¡°Huh?!¡± Nothing¡¯s happening! I don¡¯t feel my senses or my abilities rising but it seems as though I got that wrong. It¡¯s not that my abilities weren¡¯t working. ¡°Ufufufu. Did you really think that I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with you dear?¡± The imposter jumps into the night sky and she takes careful aim with her gas-propelled crossbow. ¡°Give it up before I actually shoot you Ryner! The Princess wouldn¡¯t want that happening and neither would you!¡± How dare she use the Princess¡¯ name against me! I kick down on the floor and launch myself towards her with nothing but my fists. ¡°Tsk!¡± The imposter takes careful aim and launches 3 arrows against me. I see them closing on in me and jumped to the left. The first one barely missed me. In mid-air, I realized that she shot in an arc in anticipation of my movements. I tuck myself and flipped myself over to the right side to evade the two arrows. I dodged the other one but the last arrow grazed me in the face. ¡°Shit!¡± I see another arrow flying towards me and with no options left, I got hit in the shoulder and the impact pushes me back towards the ground. I fell a good 12 feet and hit the ground with a thud. ¡°Give it up Ryner. Why are you even attacking me in the first place?¡± The imposter appeals to me yet again. ¡°We¡¯ve finally reached Karthur¡¯s stronghold after losing so many of our allies. Rafflesia is inside there and we need to get her out.¡± ¡°You can kill me if you want, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I will simply be reborn into a new cycle anyway. ¡°Are you really that stupid? Why the hell would I kill my future husband, the Hero?¡± ¡°Eh. Husband? Hero? You seem to have me confused for someone else you fake Ali!¡± ¡°Again with this Ali person. Who is she?!¡± I am officially confused. ¡°Eh? You are Ali..or at least pretending to be her aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Huh? Did they cast a confusion spell on you or something? It¡¯s me. Your girlfriend and companion Yui? Hero of the Beast Race?¡± ¡°Since when have I been in a relationship with you idiot?¡± ¡°How mean! I knew you were a womanizing dumbass but to think that you would forget me in the middle of the war!¡± ¡°Eh? War? Aren¡¯t I in the Military Academy?¡± Swish! 3 arrows land in front of me. With a big bulging vein in her head, Ali(?) walks towards me and I can feel an immensely powerful aura surrounding her. ¡°Ryner. I guess you have to die too! You cheating scumbag!¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itAnd then it hits me. She¡¯s been calling me Ryner the entire time. ¡°Al..I mean Yui-san?¡± I put my hands out in front me signaling my intent to talk. ¡°What year is it?¡± ¡°Year? No such concept exists. We have been fighting this war for over a few decades or so now though.¡± She holsters her crossbows. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay Ryner?¡± Before I could respond, time pauses around me and the surrounding is suddenly replaced by a huge white background of nothingness. I can feel another powerful aura coming from behind me. ¡°Hero. Try to remain calm.¡± ¡°Eh? Artemis? Why are you here?¡± It was my servant from the end of the last cycle, Artemis. What the hell is going on here? ¡°You screwed up.¡± Eh? Screwed up? What did I screw up again? ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well it seems as though you screwed up your breathing exercises earlier today. You unsuccessfully tried to unconsciously integrate this one¡¯s Battle Meditation into your own technique and inadvertently mixed up your own memories with Ryner¡¯s.¡± Eh? What? WHAT? What are you talking about?! ¡°You are in a state of forced Psychosis and your real body is in the physical world being waited on hand on foot by Lin and Belle. The Princess was summoned by the Queen so Ali isn¡¯t in the Academy.¡± ¡°But I saw her die!¡± ¡°No, you saw Beast Race Hero Yui die ¨C or at least a fake version of her die. Demon Lord Mors used her as bait before to draw in Ryner and have him die with despair but that didn¡¯t work. My memories are still hazy but I am sure of that.¡± ¡°But she called me Keith and I called her Ali.¡± ¡°No. You are unconsciously rebuilding Ryner¡¯s life with some events from your own life.¡± Eh?! ¡°So, technically speaking Hero, your stupidity paid off and you have officially screwed yourself over.¡± ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m stuck here?¡± ¡°For the time being yes. Time is disjointed here in this realm. In the physical realm you only need to rest for about half a day to recover but half a day in here could very well be 50 years¡¯ worth of time in the real world.¡± ¡°Eh?! EH?! Wouldn¡¯t I have failed the cycle then?!¡± I fell on my knees and went to the best ORZ position you will ever see. ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡± Rafflesia, the usually calm and collected Chief Warlock started laughing. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you fell for that. You should be fine once you wake up. I am leaving you here for a couple of days so that you would have some time to think about what you have done.¡± ¡°A couple of days here wouldn¡¯t faze me!¡± A large imaginary vein popped out of her head. ¡°We shall see.¡± She opens her robe to reveal a long, white leg that could only belong to top class supermodels ¨C no, Goddesses, and throws something at me. It¡¯s a majestic looking sword! ¡°That¡¯s the Sword of Avalon, a Hero-class sword. Its abilities and bonuses are locked both here and in the physical world but it grows with its owner. Use it well.¡± ¡°Heh! I could survive in here even without this useless shit!¡± Three veins popped out and they don¡¯t seem to be imaginary this time around. ¡°Getting yourself stuck in this forced psychosis and getting my avatar worried, you piece of shit you need to smarten up!¡± Thousands of light blue sigils surround her as the ground violently shakes and thunderclouds appear. ¡°Eh. What are you doing¡­.M¡¯am?¡± I feel something extremely ominous. Is this the power of the most powerful magic user in history?! What the fuck?! ¡°Hehe. It seems I can use at least an eighth of my full abilities in this world. Prepare yourself and grit your teeth, idiot.¡± She breathes in and upon exhaling, her breasts give a soft bounce. 11/10! Bravo! Encore! ¡°Chronos Manipulation ¨C Time Rupture!¡± Time completely stops around me or rather, it completely slows down to 1/32nd of its original speed. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡± A huge crater appears below her and this time, a hundred thousand or so creepy looking sigils appear around her. My jaw dropped to the floor. This can¡¯t be¡­ ¡°Grand Resurrection ¨C Tenebrae Aeternam!¡± The ground starts shaking and from the distance, I can hear a rumbling. Over a billion skeleton soldiers are marching towards me! What the fuck!? ¡°These skeletons are slow but they still hurt. Try not to die Hero! This place will dispel once you kill every single one that I summoned! Toodles!¡± Poof! Artemis suddenly disappeared into nothingness. Rather than a Chief Warlock, she seems more like a Necromancer or a Devil to me! With the horde of skeleton soldiers coming towards me, I steel my nerves and tightened my grip on the fancy looking sword that she gave me. I then cast Laser Beam and rushed towards the skeleton army. I mowed down a good couple hundred or so of them. I dodged an attack from behind me and I countered with a swift bash, knocking away the skeleton soldier¡¯s sword and apparently his skull. This is fucking troublesome! Meanwhile, in the Infirmary in the real world. ¡°Eh! Senpai is mumbling something!¡± ¡°Ignore him Lin. He must be having a good dream with what two beauties worried sick for him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right Instructor! We¡¯re lucky that the clingy pretender Princess Ali isn¡¯t around to monopolize him again!¡± ¡°He¡­looks so peaceful in his sleep.¡± The two beautiful women sigh and give him a kiss on his cheeks, ignorant of the troubles Keith is currently facing at the moment. Author''s Notes First off, Alizoned here. I would like to apologize for the extremely shocking chapter from last night. As explained here in this chapter, Keith fucked up his training and accidentally got his consciousness stuck in the dream world where he accidentally mixed up his and Ryner''s memories. Just to confirm things, Ali is safe. I never planned on killing her this early and this was deliberate. I wanted to give Yui the chance to appear since she was originally slated to appear in Volume 1 but having her appear here seems like a better idea. I also wanted to give a sneak peak on Ryner''s life. His life was one filled with tragedy and like Keith, he too was extremely stupid but only when it counted. Rest assured that the characters are safe - for now. Thank you for reading and keeping up with my work so far! :) New book and updates to Trouble! Hey everyone! Alizoned here! I am sorry for my long absence, however I am here to stay once again! See, I went on a ''soul searching'' trip of sorts and I ended up not returning for a few weeks but I am back and healthier than ever. Now, I have good news for you, my ever awesome readers! One is that I''m working on a new work which would probably intrigue Trouble!''s more hardcore readers. It''s titled Empire of Glass - The Heroic Legend of Heron. It''s a reincarnation book with my own twists and turns so please give it a shot. Link''s here: This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=2060 Give it a rating while you''re at it please and thanks! Secondly, news for Trouble! Please rest assured that I haven''t cancelled the book or anything like that. I am currently researching so that we could move the story forward. Any suggestions? Feedback? let me know! Let''s talk about it! Thanks very much! Update - Been a long time Hey everyone! It''s been a while. How have you all been? I haven''t updated Trouble! in a long time and honestly, it was because due to an accident, I lost the master file for the future chapters of the series. I''ve been trying to rewrite it as best as I could but it just isn''t as good as I want it to be so I decided to take a break from Trouble! for a while. It didn''t help that I was reassigned to another country for my work for a while but I''m back now and I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news: Bad news is that Trouble will still be on indefinite hiatus. It''s the same with Empire of Glass since that was meant to be my outlet for my author block with Trouble. I love the story and most of my friends want me to continue it but rest assured that I will. I''ll probably have to rewrite it from the start but that''s something that I''m more than willing to do - but not now.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Good news is that I finally found my passion back and I have a story that I''ve been trying to flesh out for a year or so. I''ve been getting it reviewed by many different people and so far most of them like the premise and the prologue so that''s a great start. I can''t wait to share that with you all. For my old readers, I apologize for my absence. I promise that we''ll get back to Keith''s adventure - eventually. But thank you for sticking with me until now, especially to the people who still say hi to me whenever I drop by the chat. I look forward to sharing my new work with you all in a few days. Please look forward to it! Alizoned.