Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

God had his favorites. Sadly, you weren't one of them. Yes, he decided to give you the worst luck imaginable. So of course God decides that you would die in the most ridiculous way possible, death by escalator. That sounds stupid, right? How could anyone die that way? 

You , apparently, whilst on your way to buy cold medicine for yourself. God decided it would be funny to kill you by a dysfunctional escalator. You remember vividly the pain of your bones crunching when you fell through the floor and you scrunch your nose up in disgust.

So then... How were you still alive? You woke up to find yourself in an alleyway, it was surprisingly well lit, looking up you could see the night sky, clouded with light pollution. The alleyway had metal pipes overhead with warm steam seeping out occasionally. 

As any sensible person would do after they had supposedly died, you chose to wallow in despair. Thankfully you couldn't smell blood on your beloved jacket, your jeans were still intact. 

Oh shit! You thought as your hands immediately went to your pockets. 

And... 

of course…

 no luck. 

Your phone was crushed into pieces in your pocket. Your wallet was still there but it was almost in pieces. In conclusion, you were stranded in some random city with nothing but the clothes on your back. The thought made you grimace, if you truly were dead, then was this supposed to be the afterlife? 

Well… You wouldn’t really know until you decide to leave this god-forsaken alleyway, right? 

Well god said fuck you once again when you’re suddenly whacked in the back of the head. Fuck! That hurt. But it wasn’t enough to knock you out sadly, you honestly would have preferred that to whatever nightmare you had to face outside the alleyway. 

Sadly God chose to continue your suffering and you can vaguely hear the sound of an old man nagging at you. Looking down, you see a dumpy old man with a shiny bald head and thick silver beard, waving his cane around at you. 

When you finally tuned in to what he was saying, the old geezer was ushering you to follow him inside. Inside where you ask? Well lo, and behold! A door appeared on the wall to your left with the old man holding the door open for you. 

Suddenly you remembered the rules that your mother beat into your head… Don’t follow random strangers, she said… Don’t trust anyone when you’re someplace unknown… Pity your mother wasn’t here to scold you now as you followed the old man through the suspicious door. 

You half expected to be led into some dingy dungeon and used as ransom for your poor family. But to your surprise, you were in some dusty workshop. There were all sorts of science-y type of equipment strewn across the shelves on the wall of the cramped room. A large table was in the middle of the room filled with an assortment of ingredients, from dried herbs to even containers with questionable animal parts inside them. There was just enough space for you to walk around the table and reach the counter at the end of the room. 

The old man disappeared into another room behind the counter, leaving you to just awkwardly stand around. It was quite obvious this place was a shop, it definitely looked like something straight out of a fantasy. Taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, you noticed the faint scent of frankincense in the air. The old man gave you a nondescript vial of red liquid. You shook the bottle a bit questioningly, the cork on top kept the contents from spilling. 

“Vell don’t just shtare at it. Yer shpposed to drink it” the shrewd old man said, he seemed rather annoyed that you were taking too long. His thick bushy brows were furrowed and his eyes narrowed at the vial in your hands. You look back at the vial as you cautiously remove the cork. A soft satisfying pop sounded and the scent of caramel apples wafted its way into your nostrils. Well, the questionable drink certainly seemed enticing now as you shut your eyes and tilted your head upwards to drink. The liquid was fizzy and warm as it went down your throat, you suddenly felt more energized and the throbbing at the back of your head had died down. You lick your lips for the rest of the droplets and look at the old man questioningly. 

The old fellow shook his head and glared at you. Ah, was he expecting payment? You didn’t get the chance to tell him the bad news when he cut you off with his gruff voice “Yer veaker than I zhought you vere,” He said. Ok. Ouch. That certainly hurts your right in your nonexistent pride. But it wasn’t really your fault that you were weak and lanky. Three years of quarantine can do things to an introvert that already barely gets outside as it is. 

But that was beside the point, the old man’s pale green eyes scanned your form. “Vhere are you from?” he asked. You bit your lip and stupidly stuttered out the city you were from. The old man didn’t seem to be convinced with your answer and you felt like you wanted to melt into a puddle from the sheer heat of his gaze. “And vhere exaktly is zhis city that you are from?” he asked, this time it was more demanding as if trying to coax something out of you. You told him the country you were from and that seemed to anger the old man even more. 

“Look here you, Racker,” he said. What the hell was a Racker?! Was that an insult? Judging from his accent, was it German? Were you in Germany? The old man didn’t give you time to indulge yourself in your thoughts as he continued, “If ya ran away from yer folks ya should have just said that right away. Look at you, you’re pale as a ball of vool.”. The old man sighed and he handed you a thick book from the counter. You almost fell to the floor from its sheer weight. The title of the book had symbols of what looked like a mix of Nordic Runes and maybe Chinese. Though you couldn’t read it, you could understand it. Somehow. And that baffled you, it was like an RPG game where you can understand some unknown language. The old man sent you a displeased sigh and opened the door behind the counter.

“Oi, if you plan to stay ‘ere you better start learnin’. For an apprentice, you’ll do” the rugged old man said as he turned towards the door. “W-Wait!” You called out as you put the thick book back onto the counter and resting your hands onto the thick cover. You huffed and looked back at the old man, leaning towards him. “Where am I?!” You exclaimed at him. The old man looked back at you with a frown.

“Yer at the best Alchemist Schop in Eisenstadt, the one and only Mystiker, now ‘urry up and bring zhat book vit ya upshtairs.” were the old man’s final words before he disappeared from sight. Hah… You wanted to faint right then and there. Mystiker? Eisenstadt? You knew those names all too well. You covered your eyes with your hand as if to shield yourself from your own nightmare. “Shit…” You muttered. God truly was cruel to you. Of all things… You were isekai'd into the deadliest game you’d played as of recent. What. fucking. luck.

Chapter Text

Eisenstadt was the western capital of the Autumn Branch and the second biggest city in Yuan next to Yuan Central City in the Spring Branch. Luckily for you, you ended up in a decent part of the city with the Old man, whom you learned to be Alven Volkner. All of the facts seemed to line up much to your dismay. You concluded that you were Isekai’d into the game “Alchemia: Myth of a World Tree '', a BL RPG where there was no happy ending. 

Yes, you heard right, the game caused a lot of uproar among fans(you included). The ending upset everyone when all that bloodshed and war amounted to nothing since no matter what ending you got, the world tree burns and almost everyone dies. You played the game three times to realize that, you played the Sun Ending, the Moon Ending and of course the Eclipse Ending. It was only in the eclipse ending where innocents had the chance to escape and live beyond the ice wall. 

Each end was focused on one of the two characters with Eclipse being known as the Perfect ending where you get to play both roles. The game’s climax stemmed from their argument where you could follow the perspective of the two characters after they separate from their journey. Their relationship was the inciting incident for the nation’s dividing war and you wanted no part of it and of course, you made it your ultimate goal to survive. 

Let’s start with the facts you do know. First, thanks to Alven, the old man was willing to teach you Alchemy. Perfect for self-defense for someone as weak as you. Second, Eisenstadt was a danger zone. War would eventually break out between that city and the capital of Yuan and you wanted nothing to do with it. One way or another you had to move yourself to the Felshutz, a town found in the east of the Autumn branch. 

Felshutz was barely mentioned in the game and was considered a safe haven for refugees of the war. Staying there could give you more than enough time to plan your escape from the world tree. This leads to the third fact, you had to figure out when exactly in the timeline you were in. If you were lucky, you could have maybe a year or two to plan your escape. If you were EXTRA LUCKY you could easily live your entire life without dealing with the inevitable war. 

Alven was kind enough to tell you it was the year 5800 of the Leonis calendar; five years off from the start of The Great Pilgrim, which was, thankfully, the beginning of the game. At least five years gave you more than enough time to prepare for your great escape. 

And Finally, you had to come clean with the old man about some truth. You hid the part that you were from another world of course. You doubted that he would believe it so you came up with a convoluted story. You felt kind of guilty for lying but what else could you do? If you told him the truth, it could very well be the thing that sentences you to your death. 

You created a story of how you were abused by your revolutionist-thinking parents. You told the old man how they forced you to train and refused to make you participate in the Tethering Ceremony. Alven seemed to believe your story so that was a relief. Currently, it had been a week since the old man took you in and he would make you do various chores such as manning the shop and cleaning all the equipment while teaching the basics of Alchemy. With your help, the two of you cleared out a storage room so that you could have your own bedroom.

 It had the bare minimum that you needed. Like a desk in front of the window looking out into the city for you to study and a single-sized bed with a basic wooden frame at the corner of the room. You currently sat on the flimsy wooden chair in front of the desk as you bit onto the end of your pencil. You glared at your notebook as you reread the current facts you collected. Thankfully you could still remember how to write in English, so despite your body screaming for you to write in another tongue; you willed yourself to write in English. You couldn’t let anyone read what you knew so writing it in English was your safest bet. 

Now… What else could you do? You glanced at your reflection out the window and came up with a plan. You made yourself ten rules of survival. It didn’t take long for you to come up with ten rules so you leaned back to look back at your work. 

Rules to Survive 

Rule 1. Don’t show this notebook to anyone

Rule 2.  Learn Alchemy, could save your life 

Rule 3. Be as insignificant as possible, blend in. 

Rule 4. Avoid using modern language or English 

Rule 5. Don’t tell anyone about your past or where you’re from

Rule 6. Do not let anyone know you have no Pathfinder 

Rule 7. Run away from all danger

Rule 8. Find a way to escape before the war breaks out

Rule 9. Don’t interfere with the story significantly

Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters 

You nodded to yourself as you hid the notebook under your bed. As soon as you did, Alven’s slightly muffled scream called for you. You leave your bedroom to greet the old man in the living/dining room. The stocky old man glared at you and gestured to the mess of notes and bottles you left on the dining room table. You purse your lips and look away from his gaze. That earned a good whack to the back of your head and you groaned. It seemed to be routine now, you left your mess everywhere earning a whack and a scolding from the old man. 

Though… 

You weren’t exactly annoyed during it all. The old man was kind enough to give you a home, he’s feeding you, caring for you, he even made you an apprentice! Sure the old man can be scary and mean but… He treated you like his own. You silently prayed to whatever God that cursed you that the kind old Alchemist would be safe from any harm. At least in this world, Alven was your only family and you would cherish each and every moment. You needed to enjoy each moment… Alven and everyone else would die soon at the hands of that war. 

You received another whack in the back of your head. Alven ushered you to get ready, ah yes that’s right… today was the day you got to buy supplies with him. You went back into your room to get changed. The old man was nice enough to give you a new set of clothes. Since you moved in here, you put on a sleeveless dark green vest with a popped collar over a white dress shirt with laced puffed sleeves. You struggle a bit to put on your dark brown airship pants and your laced knee-high leather boots. Brushing away your tangled pixie-cut hair from your face, you glanced back at the mirror in the room and put on your brown beret cap that had goggles on it. You were now looking like someone that fit the theme of Autumn, you see Autumn’s theme in the game was German Steampunk which meant that they were the most technologically advanced compared to the other branches.

What were branches exactly? Think of them as different states in a country, each branch based on the season they are set in. In the world of Yuan, the world as they knew it exists atop a World Tree, and on the tree, there were permanent seasons starting from the center as Spring with its theme being Chinese Nobility, then Summer as the Medieval Nordic, Of course, Autumn is next to follow, and finally, the outermost ring being Winter, the frozen wasteland. 

Honestly, flat earthers can eat their heart out for being right… somewhat. But one season all around meant that high-quality crops were available year-round. It was rather convenient. However, the crops did have a slight glow to them…

But putting that aside, there was another difference the world of Yuan had to your own. This world had what was called Even hours and Odd hours, as you could guess even hours were the time people were awake. The night was their day and our day was their night. It took you a while to get used to the change.

Now, where exactly are you going? You left the house with Alven and he led you towards the outskirts of the city. The pair of you were heading towards Beech Forest(Honestly the name made you laugh quite a bit), the trees were over 50 meters tall with thick grey trunks. The trees were known as Tricolor Beech and its leaves that littered the ground of the forest had a stunning deep purple color. Close to the city, In a small clearing of the forest, there was a bustling market for any alchemist’s needs. There were an array of tents filled with curiosities, forming a circle around the clearing. At the center of the market was a wooden stage for Alchemists to show off their discoveries. The market was lit with tall mushrooms that glowed a warm amber light as if they were streetlights. Currently, no one was taking the stage and it seems like today was one of those quiet days since there were sparsely any people in the market. 

Alven dragged you to a tent filled with an array of mushrooms. There was a scent of burnt sugar emanating from the tent and there was a soft mix of neon glows coming from the mushrooms. Though there were some that you recognized from your own world, there were many more that looked out of this world such as mushrooms with fur, strange toadstools with spiraled caps, and even fungi that would occasionally fart! The old man hands you a small leather pouch that has a slight weight to it. You look inside to find the famous Amber pieces: the currency of Yuan. 

They were coin pieces made from hardened tree sap that came in a variety of colors depending on the value. 1 Blue Amber being worth 10 Black Amber, 1 Black Amber worth 10 Green Amber, so on and so forth following Red then Yellow Amber. Inside the pouch was a handful of Red Amber Pieces, you weren’t exactly sure how there actually were. You look at the old man in confusion and he just huffs and turns his back to you, about to leave you alone next to the tent. “Buy Vhatever katches yer eye,” he said as he left for another tent. 

The old man sure was nice… You decided to make the most of it and go through the array of mushrooms the seller had to offer. Starting with the farting mushroom! You take the strange shroom and examine it closely. Its cap was of a yellowish-green color and had small craters on top that would occasionally expel gas that smells of rotten eggs. The bright blue stalk was thick and had a fuzzy texture. You stifled a laugh as the tiny shroom in your hands let out a squeak-like fart. This was definitely going to be your favorite one out of your little shopping spree. You ended up buying five of the farting shrooms before looking at what else the tent had to offer. 

As you were perusing the tent’s offerings, another patron joined your company, their identity hidden with a dark blue cloak with a large hood that covered their face... You couldn’t really tell who it was though nor did you exactly care to find out. 

Though it seemed the stranger was interested in you, “Ya find anything interesting?” he said, trying to strike up a conversation. The stranger has a deep masculine voice with a playful and self-assured tone to it. It strangely unnerves you how familiar the voice sounded, you scream internally at the prospect of who the person next to you could be. But first, deep breaths. You made rules for a reason so it's just a matter of time before you have to use them. 

Rule 4. Avoid Using Modern Language or English

"Ze fart stools are vone of my faforite ingredients to vork vith" you said, imitating the old man's accent to blend in with other Autumners. It was perfect you must say! Perfect accent and acting! You think you had the stranger convinced when they snorted in reply. The stranger picks up another fartshroom and squeezes the stalk. The shroom let out a loud slapping fart as stinky gas erupted from its small craters. 

Rule 3. Be as insignificant as possible, blend in. 

You had to bite back your laughter. You had to at least seem mature and know what you were doing right? Maybe the stranger would lose interest in you if you acted all serious and think you were one of those strict alchemists. You clear your throat and turn your back to the stranger and say "If you vouldn't mind. I am not intervested in konversation." The stranger seemed to be done talking with you too, shoving the poor squished shroom into their bag. They give the seller a Red Amber piece before leaving you to your lonesome. When the stranger is out of your sight, your shoulders relax and you let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully, you dodged a bullet there. 

Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters

Would your encounter count as breaking a rule? Maybe. But it didn't seem so significant, more like the NPC talk you hoped for. The tanned hand that squished the mushroom earlier was enough to send red flags through your brain. Having tanned skin was considered to be abnormal in this world since people slept during the day and were awake in the evening. Tanned skin was often associated with criminals, an indicator of suspicious dealings during Odd hours. But one tanned character who stood out in the story was--- 

"Rune!" A high-pitched tiny voice interrupted your thoughts. Looking over your shoulder, you find a tiny pixie with messy blue hair and green eyes, wearing a dress made from a maple leaf and with wings that were reminiscent of butterflies. The little pixie that was flying over your shoulder, her pale hands were on her hips, her legs stretched out as she leaned closer to you. "You're such an airhead! I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes!" She exclaimed. This little pixie went by the name Moxie and she was Alven's Pathfinder. 

So what was a Pathfinder? To put it simply, they were familiars that, as the name suggests, help you through your journey through life. Everyone in this world was born with one but they only made an appearance to their partners if they went through the Tethering Ceremony. 

Pathfinders were basically like magic in this world. They were the mythical creatures that you could normally find in fantasy that gave their partners special abilities and powers. Honestly, they were very cool. Having a pathfinder was like having a best friend with you all your life. And since you were basically living as a shut-in for most of your life… sometimes it can get a bit lonely.

This little pixie in particular was quick to accept you into the family, treating you as if you were her rebellious teenager. She was a big help around the house and was more than happy to teach you whenever Alven was busy. Honestly, it sometimes baffled you that someone as scary as Alven could have such a sweet Pathfinder like Moxie. 

But where did that leave you? Did you really not have a Pathfinder or have you just not met them yet? You weren’t exactly keen on getting attention just because you don't have one. Moxie was dragging you by your hair towards the tent Alven was waiting for you in. "Hey… Are you sure you don't want to go through the ceremony?" The pixie asked. 

Rule 6. Don’t let anyone know you have no Pathfinder.  

"I'm not that interested in meeting them. Or maybe…" you trail off as if to add dramatic tension. "Maybe I'm terrified to meet them, trauma and all that," you said. That seemed to hit a chord with Moxie and before entering the tent, she hugs the bridge of your nose. 

"It's ok if you aren't ready to meet them yet. But I'll be here for you, don't worry" she said. That warmed your heart a bit but it also made you guilty for lying to the two of them when you first met. They were both kind people… 

However, survival comes first. Your only choice was to stick with your rules and you'll live a long and happy life. 

… right?

….

But

But

But

Surviving is such a lonely existence, isn’t it?

Chapter Text

One year passed in a blink of an eye and you were starting to get used to your life here. Aside from that time in the market, you had a mostly unbothered life. Your knowledge of the game's Alchemy system helped you become better than most apprentices who studied for as long as you. And thankfully, it seemed that your progress was good enough to let the old man sign you up for the license exam.

You see, every year an exam is held for young alchemists to get the Fire License. As the name implied, this license would allow you to make use of fire while experimenting. But why wasn’t it normal to use fire in this world?

To put it simply, this world relied on a great tree. This world tree that the world existed atop on was fragile and was dependent on the people who lived on it to care for it. There were strict rules for anything involving the world tree and rules about Fire were the strictest of all. Fire was banned in this world unless you had the Fire License.

 But in case you were wondering how people cook their food; they don’t for the most part. Using fire in cooking was considered to be high class since chefs also required a fire license like everyone else. It was one of the main reasons why you couldn’t wait to get your license. You missed hot food… 

You drum your fingers against the wooden counter, back hunched over staring at the ticking clock next to the cashier. It was midnight now and Alven asked you to look after the shop while he left to get something for you. Quietly, you sigh and bite your lip. The day of your exam is tomorrow actually and if you pass, you’ll have much more freedom. You were all alone in the shop on a, particularly slow evening. It should be fine to make use of the time to update your notebook, right?

You take a quick trip upstairs to grab the notebook hidden under your bed. It was a miracle that Moxie hadn’t found it since the little pixie was adamant to clean the bed. The notebook was half stuffed with notes of the game and whatever you could remember of the game’s plot. The leather edges of the cover were heavily wrinkled due to intense use, pieces of scrap paper stuffed between the pages made the first half of your notebook even thicker than it should have been and the latter half of the notebook was left with imprints of your hard handwriting. 

Ding!

You were about to update your notebook when you heard the soft jingle of the shop bell coming from the lower floor. You quickly shut your notebook and rush downstairs. Just as you were about to greet the customer, your vision was blocked with a large fabric nearly engulfing your body. From its weight, you could judge that it was a heavy cloak. 

You struggle to get rid of the cloak, catching a strong scent from the rough fabric. It smelled of burnt sugar, it reminded you of-- oh no. In a panic, you frantically toss the cloak away from you and over the counter onto the ground in front of the visitor’s feet.

You clear your throat to hide the wariness bubbling up inside you as you force your best smile as you greet your new customer: “Hello Surta, what brings you to our little shop?”

Surta Hyrsson, otherwise known as “The One Cursed by the Sun” , was one of the two main characters of the game. His golden blonde curled locks bounced as he tilted his head at you. The corners of the man’s sunset red eyes curled upwards as if he was pleased with your look of disbelief. Surta was… 

Stupidly handsome.  

It was one of the few things that aggravated you while playing the game, someone who was such an asshole having such godly good looks. The two scars that were over his eyes that, thematically, were supposed to be seen as ugly in the game,  just made him look even sexier. 

Honestly, you wanted to punch the stupidly sexy smirk right off his face. His sun-kissed skin accentuated his toned muscles, it made you feel jealous. Your eyes couldn’t help but wander down his body. His clothes consisted of a sleeveless maroon unitard (that did nothing to hide his lean and firm muscles) held up by the gold ring attached to his black leather neckpiece. 

Though you couldn’t see it, you knew his back was bare with an opening that was just BARELY above his ass and you would have loved to run your hand down his toned back and smooth as fuck skin. 

His ass was probably --- Erm ... A-Anyways ... 

His faded red leather boots were covered in dirt and soot and around his waist was a leather black belt with a small satchel attached to the back that no doubt held dubious items. 

The satchel on his belt was enough to worry you since Surta was already infamous at the beginning of the game. He was introduced as a crazy pyromaniac that caused chaos in the Spring Branch by burning down aristocrats’ homes and stealing their belongings during the fire. The satchel from what you could remember contained items he used to start several fires that killed hundreds of people. But… There was one thing that stood out to you seeing him for the first time. He was missing a very iconic clothing item… Could it be--

“I’m in need of a little assistance,” He said as he bent down to pick up the cloak that you threw to the floor.  Surta’s smirk turned into a wolfish grin, he looked down at you as he continued to speak “The scent of burnt sugar... a familiar scent, don't you agree?”

So you were right that day. The cloaked stranger that spoke to you that day was Surta. Seems like your rules weren’t effective enough to keep Surta from seeing you again for whatever reason. “If you came just to chat with me, I suggest you leave,” you said. You refused to interact anymore with this guy lest you be pulled into the game’s plot as some sort of third wheel. That’s what your rules were for!

The pyromaniac didn’t seem to be irked with you as he leaned forward, his warm breath tickling your nose. “Awww. So you decided to lose the customer hospitality? You even dropped the accent you had when we first met.” the man said teasingly. 

You scrunch your eyebrows and turn away from him as you say “Just say what you want and let’s get this over with.” Surta placed a hand over his heart and had a look of mock hurt on his face. As much as you hated it, you had to forgo your rules for a moment and appease the pyromaniac. If you let him do this, maybe he’ll just leave you alone. Forever ideally.

“You don’t need to be so hostile to me. It’s like you don’t even want me around,” he said in a mocking tone.

YES! That’s exactly it! You silently prayed that he would take the hint and leave you alone. But God loves to fuck with you and, to your dismay, Surta seemed to be enjoying your hostility even more. 

The man didn’t let you reply as he continued talking, “The Fire Management Bureau holds a yearly exam for Fire License and the only time the bureau is open to the public. Annoyingly, it’s also the most heavily guarded day” 

Ah… a growing pit started to form in your stomach. You didn’t like where this was going. Biting your lip, you turn to look at him and let him continue his little monologue. 

“Now there is a special item I’m looking for and... “ You shiver under Surta’s piercing gaze, his eyes never leaving yours. “Say…” He started, you jump in surprise when he suddenly slams his hands on the counter. “You’re getting your license tomorrow aren’t you?”

There it is. The very thing you were dreading. You take a step back and press yourself against the wall. Now it all made sense to you... 

Surta was trying to get his iconic cape and you just happened to be his way to get it. 

Chapter Text

It was as if the pressure in the room grew tenfold as the air seemed to leave your lungs. Was this god’s cruel way of forcing you to take part in this fucked up story? That single year of freedom and bliss was just a fluke? Your own folly and confidence led you here. No… This just had to be a one-time thing right?... That’s right. You were just the NPC who helped Surta get his beloved Phoenix Down. There was no need to worry. 

The Phoenix Down was a special cape that Surta owned at the beginning of the game. Though it was never specified when he got it, the cape itself had its own history that the game expounded on. Made from the feathers of the Vermillion Bird, Solis: the God of the Sun, crafted this cape as a gift to his descendants. 

It was a beautiful sunset gradient shaped like the wings of a bird and shimmered under the light from the gold threads woven into its seams. As to why it was being held by the Fire Bureau, that was because of the cape’s special ability to light itself on fire. By pressing the golden clasp on the cape, its “wings” would instantly light up in a flurry of gold flames. 

But this time, the cape wasn’t in Surta’s hands but with the Bureau’s. You snapped your attention back to Surta who’s eyes never once left your visage. The fire in his eyes told you one thing: no matter what you say, you would agree in the end. You exhale deeply and place a hand over your chest. 

“If I do this… Won’t I be incriminated too? This could ruin my life.” you said. Surta seemed satisfied with your reply and he leans away, the pressure of the room seeming to die down a bit as well.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I promise to protect your identity and if anything goes wrong; I’ll take the fall” he said. Though Surta was a dangerous man, he was genuine. He never once lied in the game and he was always pursuing whatever he believed to be right. You have no doubt that he would keep his word. 

But that wasn’t enough to convince you. Though Surta was a man of his word, that wouldn’t mean that he wouldn’t try to drag you into more of his shenanigans in the future. You needed to make a safe fail for yourself. Surviving meant living a life without him and you have to make sure it stays that way. 

“Even so. I’ll only do this one thing for you. All I’ll do is give you a way inside.” You said and Surta gave you a confident grin as he held his hand out to you. “That’s all I need. So I guess this means we have a deal?” he said. 

You stare at his hand pensively. If you accepted this, there was no going back. Whatever was going to happen after this could very well lead to your death. But… You steel yourself and grasp onto Surta’s rough hand. With a firm shake, you two share a look of determination. “It’s a deal”

Peering into your surprisingly larger-than-life eyes, Surta could tell you wanted nothing to do with him. Your pupils wavered as if they refused to look at him; however, they held no fear. You may have looked like a scared tiny animal to anyone else but to him… They looked at him as if they knew him, trusted him. It perplexed Surta then and it still does now. 

One year ago, Surta had taken a slight interest in Alchemy. His hometown, Lat Kommun, only had a mystic healer as the local specialist. During one of his infamous arson acts, an Alchemist that was on the scene almost captured him. 

Surta never realized how much of an opposing force they could be. They didn’t even need their Pathfinder to be able to control the field. After that incident, the blonde male decided to venture to the Alchemist Capital in the Autumn Branch: Eisenstadt. 

To his displeasure, Alchemists were much rarer than he thought. Only 1 out of 1000 apprentices become masters whilst the rest either remain as an apprentice or quit. It didn’t help that his reputation was infamous, no alchemist worth their salt would interact with him. 

Surta already concluded that he had no way of becoming an Alchemist. He needed to find someone who could lend him their skills. So there he was, scouting for a naive soul in the nearly empty marketplace. Ah, he spotted one. You appeared to be around his age and were left alone by your master at one of the stalls. Your eyes glittered in excitement looking at the mushrooms for sale, it was innocent curiosity, something Surta hadn’t seen in a long time. The blonde male moved to stand next to you. The lively look in your eyes seemed to disappear immediately at his presence. 

“Ya find anything interesting?” Surta asked. He watched carefully as your breath hitched. And your eyes started to grow larger (alarmingly large Surta had to admit), as your eyes shook. Were you afraid of him? No, it didn’t seem like it, there was no fear in your eyes. No, there was simply… dread? 

How odd… 

How… 

Exciting!  

It was almost as if you were expecting him as you seemed to be trying (and failing) to calm yourself. Expecting him, eh? Now, what would make you think you would ever have the chance of meeting the “The One Cursed by the Sun”? Surta wanted to get more information out of you but then---

But then you had the audacity to respond to him with that fake accent. Did you think you were fooling anyone with it? Surta almost found it amusing how terrible your acting was. He wanted to see your facade break a little more as he took the shroom you were, oh so interested in, and squished the life out of the poor thing. The blonde almost felt proud to almost make you break your weak act. 

Your mistake was telling the man to leave you alone. Just because he was out of sight, didn’t mean the pyromaniac wasn’t watching you. Keeping to the shadows, Surta followed you through the market. He listened to the pixie rant to you with mild interest. 

“Maybe I'm terrified to meet them, trauma and all that," you said. 

Well, that was rather vague but it was enough for Surta to make an assumption. He grinned as the scars over his eyes throbbed slightly, a strong sense of belonging and warmth filled the man. 

No doubt in his mind. 

You were just like him. 

That’s got to be something to bond over, isn’t it?

Surta has decided then. He will make you his ally, whether you liked it or not . 

You couldn’t get a chance to punch the smirk out of the Sun bastard’s face. Surta simply shook your hand and left you without another word. Did the man not even think to come up with a plan or was he just going to rely on you and hope things would turn in his favor? Either way, leaving you clueless was stupid of him. In the game, Surta wasn’t considered stupid. He was confident and brash but never stupid. 

So why… 

You groan as you slam your head against the wooden counter. The growing pain was nothing compared to the dread in your heart. Were you breaking your own rules by choosing to help him? Maybe. But in your defense, you could just be an NPC who helps him once and never interacts with him again. 

Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters  

As much as you hated to admit it, you were breaking your own rules. Your chest ached, a feeling of loneliness washed over you when the blonde left. Despite going against your own rules, you wanted to interact with him more. That sense of belonging that thumped in your heart was---

No

This will just be a one-time thing.

 You push yourself up and slap your cheeks to bring yourself back to reality. No matter what . Tomorrow has to be the final time you will interact with the main characters. 

For your own safety, you will do whatever you can to keep it that way. 

“I just need to give him a way in…” you muttered to yourself as you glared at the cloak Surta had left behind. 

Picking up the rough fabric, you slowly hold it close to your nose and take a deep breath. 

The scent of burnt sugar… 

and... 

the sound of crumpling? 

It sounded akin to a wrapper and you tried to search for any hidden pockets in the cloak. Bunching up the fabric in random spots, you eventually hear the sound again and a thin rigidness under your hand. Following it, you come across the hidden pocket with a slip of paper inside. You toss the cloak onto the counter as you look down on the crumpled slip between your fingers. There wasn’t any text written on it but there was a diagram on it that looked like a rough sketch of the layout of a floor in a building. There was an x mark found at the left-most room of the layout.

You sigh in defeat. So he did give you instructions. BUT DID HE HAVE TO MAKE YOU GUESS?! You could already figure out that you needed to be where that x mark was but what floor? What time did you have to be there? You had no idea where and where you couldn’t be in the Fire Bureau for the examination. As much as you disliked unknown variables, you had no choice but to work with whatever you had. For now, you need some fucking sleep…

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you have everything you need?” Moxie’s concerned voice let up in an attempt to break the tense atmosphere. The front of the Fire Bureau was crowded with folks that seemed to mostly be his age. There were a few others that seemed to be much older than the rest but you didn’t pay any mind to the crowd. Moxie and Alven, like the supportive “parents” they are, decided to walk with you to the bureau. 

Poor Mox was fussing over your large and heavy satchel bag. You weren’t really sure what she packed in there but like a worried mother, it was filled to the brim. “Oh, and I also packed ingredients just in case you needed...” the pixie continued to ramble on about the contents of the bag. 

“I packed a frost potion just in case it gets too hot. Just a drop should be fine but you never know. I also packed an explosion potion---” 

Wait what? 

“Vhy vould jou put somzhing zhat dangerous in zhe Racker’s bag?” Alven asked in disbelief. You were the same actually. Why would she stuff a bomb in your bag?! You grip the strap of your bag tightly as your movements become more rigid. 

The pixie gasped in surprise and suddenly clung to the brim of your cap tightly. “But our Rune is weak! He needs it to protect himself!” she exclaimed. The old man only nodded in agreement.

You let out a sigh and force a smile for them.

“I’ll be fine Mox,” you said. Though to be honest it felt more like you were trying to reassure yourself than the two worrywarts accompanying you. If you had the option, you would have chosen death. Your safety was riding on a single man with an ego as big as the sun. No wonder you were shaking like a leaf! 

Sure you trusted Surta’s capabilities but the man gets captured at the beginning of the game. So you have every right to doubt him! 

You bid goodbye to the duo and push your way through the crowd. Ugh. The loud shouting from the crowd was getting on your nerves. Though you didn’t really care since the paper stuffed into your pocket was the bigger problem. 

Fuck the Fire Exam!! 

You probably might lose your license as soon as you get it for helping the crazy fire bitch! 

Entering the building, you noticed two things. 

1. The entrance was heavily guarded. People going into the building were checked thoroughly and were heavily monitored. However…

1. The exit was not as guarded. In fact, those who exited the building seemed to get free roam and linger inside.

“That fucking exam is already as difficult to take as it is in Spring Branch!” you heard the yell of a test taker who had just taken the exam. The man wore hanfu and the clear anger from his face ruined your image of the word “noble”. 

You wanted to ignore him but it seemed like the noble decided to put up even more of a fuss and grab the closest person to him. The poor sap who was manhandled by the angered noble was shaken aggressively. The sap looked like someone from autumn, they had the classic steampunk look albeit rather simplistic. 

You click your tongue. He was making such a scene over a test. It didn’t help that the Autumner started yelling and screaming as well. 

“It’s not that hard of a test! Calm down, sir!” 

“YOU AUTUMNERS THINK THAT YOU ARE BETTER THAN US???!!! WE WERE BLESSED BY THE GODS!!” 

Ah. things were starting to get worse now. The noble was now yelling profanities. At least the guards were starting to step in. 

But that did not seem to hinder the Spring noble from his yelling.

“YOU’RE ALL IGNORANT FOOLS! YOU’RE MEANT TO BE PART OF OUR NATION!!! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF YOUR PLACE IN OUR NATION!!!!” 

Now everyone was looking at the disgruntled noble as the guards dragged him away. You sigh in relief as the heated atmosphere seemed to die down a bit. That felt so random. But was it? You knew that in the game that Spring and Autumn didn’t exactly see eye to eye. Despite being one nation, Spring seemed to look down on the other branches. 

‘Blessed by the moon god, Spring Branch was the most fertile and most absolute. Spring is the moon god’s ideal world’ 

That was what people would say about Spring. It was where the nobility lived and were the direct benefactors to the World Tree. 

Summer and Autumn were considered to be lower yet… Autumn didn’t seem satisfied. The metal branch of the World Tree was less fertile, the lands were jagged and hard to live in but underneath their feet were such luxurious metals. Autumn was much more independent in comparison to Summer or even Spring. 

‘If we are to be abandoned by Gods, then we must build our own’

The motto of Autumn was one you quite frankly agreed with. Autumn was the most developed of the branches. Much of the technology built here is used across the entire nation. But there was always tension between the two branches, that tension would finally snap when the two protagonists... 

You just needed to run away as fast as possible and get as strong as you could to live your dream of a peaceful life. You decided you weren’t going to waste any more time and quickly used the clear path made from the scuffle to enter the building. The guards ushered you into the testing hall right away. 

Finding yourself in a large hall with other testers. It was easy to tell from where each person was from just from their distinctive clothing. 

Spring with their purple or blue hanfus, practically glowing porcelain skin, and long black or ashen hair. There were a significant number of them standing there with backs straight and chins high. They all seemed to be grouped together but were giving off a silent aura that made the atmosphere unbearable. 

Summer was much less than either branch. Wearing a typically green or dark yellow waistcoat, a white shirt, knitted stockings, and leather shoes, Summer folk had slightly tanned skin from working in the fields during late odd hours. Their hair was probably the brightest of the three branches with shining blue or neon green hair with ranging length. They too were huddled close together whispering to each other.

Autumn was a bit more spread out and was the largest group of the three. They usually wore simple clothing with a leather vest and various belts on their person. They typically had ivory skin and brown or reddish-brown short locks. One of the Autumners noticed you and motioned you to come closer to their group. 

You wasted no time and quickly made your way to their group. The Autumner gave you a sympathetic smile before speaking in a hushed tone, “don’t mind any of them. They all got sticks up their asses anyway” he said. 

You glance at the group of Spring nobles and frown. “Are they always like this?” you ask and you receive a nod in reply. 

You didn’t really get much of a chance to chat since the guards ushered all the groups into separate areas. Spring at the front of the hall, Summer after, and Autumn towards the back. The facilitators provide you with a… 10-page exam?! You knew that the license was difficult but 10 back-to-back pages was just ridiculous! 

You held back a sigh and focused all your attention on the exam. You could take as long as you needed to anyways. 

Did God decide to take pity on you or what? That exam was… suspiciously easy. The questions were so simple that you just needed basic knowledge and common sense. It didn’t even seem like it was worth the outburst that occurred outside. 

You scrunch up your nose. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Most of the Autumners had already finished their exam by the time you finished. Spring and Summer on the other hand… Most of them were still there. The back of the hall was nearly empty and had a very relaxed atmosphere. However, the front was the exact opposite! 

Biting your lip, you gather your papers and walk towards the front. You could feel the cold angered gazes from the front piercing your back as you handed your exam to the test facilitator. They led you out of the room and provided you with a form to fill out while waiting for them to check your exam. 

The form asked for basic details like your name, address, contact information, etc. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to ask for information about your pathfinder. You would think that it would be essential to know that but nonetheless, you were grateful you didn’t have to. By the time you finished writing on the form, the facilitator whispered a soft congratulations as they took your form and moved you to the license room. 

They made you take your picture with a camera(You had to stand still for a good 2 minutes because images took a lot longer to process than our modern cameras). Plastering on one of the two photos they took onto a card, they handed over your license. 

A sigh of relief passed your lips as you looked onto the thin amber-colored resin card. Your information was engraved into the resin with your picture sealed under a quick-dry formula to keep it in its place. The license looked a lot like the driver’s license you once owned back on Earth. 

You left the room only to realize that you were now basically alone. 

Ah.

So now was the perfect time. You glance around the hall to see if anyone was there. Aside from other people leaving or the occasional guard roaming the halls, you probably could get away with anything right about now. 

Quickly! You pull out the slip of paper and follow the map. Luckily, it seemed to be the floor you were currently on. It leads you to a dark storage room, with random supplies. Looking up, you find a small window close to the roof of the room. You frown at the height and use a nearby step ladder to reach the window and quietly push the window open.

You were suddenly knocked by a sudden force and gush of wind. Closing your eyes, you brace yourself for impact!...

Huh?

There was no thump or pain in your back. Instead, you were in the warm embrace of none other than the man of the hour. Surta. He was grinning like a predator that just found his new meal as he looked down at you in his arms. 

“Took you long enough. I was getting a bit bored waiting” he said. 

You frowned at him and tried to remove yourself from his hold. You wince when Surta tightens his hold on you. What the hell was this fucker thinking about? 

“Hey. We had a deal” 

“Yes, we did. But I still need you, hostages are very useful in these situations.” 

HOSTAGE?! Your eyes widen in horror and dismay. Did this fucker just make you his emergency way out?! None of that was part of your clearly verbal deal! You were ready to punch him until he let you go but he stopped you by adjusting his hold on you. He changed from lifting you like a bride to carrying you like the sack of potatoes that you truly were. Though if you were being honest, this view was perfect to see his magnificent ass---

“This wasn’t part of the deal!” You screamed. Surta immediately hushed you and walked towards the door. 

“I said that I would take the fall if anything happens and you said you would give me a way in. You did your part, now I’m doing mine. Don’t you know? Hostages are the least suspected during a break in” Surta said. That motherfucker. You didn’t need to see his face to hear the shit-eating grin on his face. He played you like a fool! You groaned and covered your face with your hands. 

This couldn’t get any worse! No, wait it could! This crazy pyromaniac was dragging you towards danger! “I’m going to die” you muttered to yourself. Surta is going to use you as some meat shield and you’re going to die a sad and lonely death. 

Your stomach was starting to hurt as it was pressed against the blonde’s shoulder. You didn’t really care though. While the crazed terrorist was carrying you down to the Bureau’s treasury, you were focused on muttering your will. If you were paying any attention, you would have noticed Surta listening to your crazed mutterings as if it were music. 

He thought it was cute actually. Even as a hostage, you didn’t really put up much of a fight to his antics. Though he doesn’t usually appreciate passivity, you were certainly an odd one. Most people would be thrashing around and causing a scene, but you did none of that. It was convenient on his part. 

Surta was moving stealthily, occasionally shushing you when a guard was nearby. To be honest, you were impressed that he can still move so well with your heavy bag and your fatass. Not that you were that heavy--- that’s not the point!

He passed the first floor with ease and reached the basement. The underground floor of the bureau was complex. Since you weren’t paying attention, the layout felt like a maze, countless unnamed rooms passed your vision. 

You decided to give up on figuring out the layout and trusted that the pyromaniac had done his research. Surta suddenly stops walking and puts you down. He holds your face with his hand and tilts your head enough for you to see past the corner you hid behind. 

At the end of the hall, there was a vaulted room locked behind a metal door and a large guard stood in the front. To be frank, it was a letdown. You expected it to be more guarded like those bank heist movies you used to watch in your old life. Sadly there were no killer lasers or a large room with a ton of guards. You couldn’t help but pout. 

“What I need is just past there. Any ideas how you can sneak me in?” Surta asked. You shivered at his sultry--- nope. You weren’t going to fawn over how sexy his voice sounded. No to thirst hours! Wait what was he talking about again? AH! That’s right. 

You replied in a low voice as well saying: “Just do what you always do.” That earned a chuckle from Surta and he pulls you away from the corner and into a random room. 

“Stay here and I’ll do what I do best,” he said in a mocking tone. You pout and cross your arms. You weren’t some genius that could come up with complex plans in an instant. Smirking, you decided to get back at him. Why not tease him? 

“Well, I trust you. Is it wrong to place my trust in my comrade?” you ask in a sly tone. The playful look in Surta’s eyes almost instantly faded away. His sudden poker face was worrying. Did you say something wrong? 

“You trust me huh?...” He said. It was like a fire lit in his eyes again and he grins. You frown as he suddenly pats you on the head. Looking up at the blonde, he had a fond-looking expression on his face. 

“Wait for me then. I’ll be back in no time” He says as he walks out the room. Leaving you lost in your thoughts. That was… odd. Surta should already have many allies in his hometown. Why did he react like he was hearing the word “trust” for the first time? 

BBRRRRRRNNNGGGGGGG! 

A loud alarm sounded followed by shouting. “FIRE! FIRE!” You could hear frantic running from outside the room. Classic move: Fire as a distraction. You pressed yourself against the corner of the wall, listening intently to the chaos outside. So you decided to wait. 

And wait 

And wait.

And wait… 

Something isn’t right. Surta is usually one to act quickly. You were probably in here for ten minutes, the screaming and the alarm hadn’t died down either. What was going on? 

You had to find out. You crawl towards the door and slowly open the door enough to give you a peek. The blood in your body had turned cold at the sight. Surta was fighting his way towards where you were. In his hands was the cape you instantly recognized. He didn’t even have enough time to put it on as guards were starting to overwhelm him. 

It was for a brief moment but you swear the two of you locked eyes. You squeak and shut the door. Your heart started to beat frantically. That wasn’t good. Not good at all. If this continued, Surta could get captured, or worse… Killed! 

But… 

“Isn’t this a good thing?” you muttered. Guilt quickly set in at your sudden thought. If Surta was gone… wouldn’t the war never happen? Wouldn’t you live a safe life if he died? 

“Ha… I’m pathetic” you said to yourself. You couldn’t just do that. He wasn’t just some video game character anymore. He was alive. He was real. And that crazed pyromaniac could very much die if you didn’t do anything. Were you being sentimental? Surta was one of the few things that were still familiar to you. 

In a way he reminded you of the life you left behind. The sense of belonging ached in your chest. You needed to help. You had to do something! 

But what?... 

Your eyes turned to your satchel bag and you rummaged through it. Ah! You found two potions inside, an explosion potion and a frost potion. If you mixed these together… You tried to open the potions, however…

You noticed how much you were shaking. Were you hesitating? Why were you hesitating? 

‘If I wait any longer he’ll---’ you thought as you tried to push way your growing fear. If you do this, you won’t get to live your peaceful life. If you do this, you could probably die in Surta’s stead.

“I have to save him. I don’t care what it takes.” 

-Rule 3: Be as insignificant as possible [Broken]- 

Suddenly a digital screen appeared in front of you. It looked like the UI of a video game. 

[Congradulations! You unlocked “The Menu”! As a gift, you were given the “Title”: Mixologist!] 

“What?...” You were confused. Why did this suddenly appear? And what was a title? 

[Would you like to equip the title Mixologist?

(Yes) or (No)]

You were dumbfounded but you quickly tapped the screen for yes.

[Equip “Title”: Mixologist

Gained the Ability to mix potions in an instant!] 

Would you look at that! Just what you needed! 

[Would you like a tutorial on the “Title System”?] 

As nice as that was, Surta was still fighting for his life just outside. “Skip,” you said. As you looked at the two potions in your hands. You lightly touched the two potions together. The potions glow and disappear from your hands. In one of your hands, there was a new potion with milky white liquid inside. 

Shaking the concoction lightly, the mixture began to fizz. You then shake it violently as your eyes grew wide and chaotic. Bursting out the door, you scream loudly to grab everyone’s attention.

“SURTA!!!” You throw the bottle onto the ground and clouds thick of white fog cover the hall making it impossible to see past an arm’s length. A burst of flames appears from the fog followed by wails of pain. You were about to turn away and make a run for it when you’re suddenly scooped up into someone’s arms. 

 “Good thinking!” Surta says, laughing in an almost euphoric joy. He was finally wearing his iconic cape. Sadly you didn’t get the opportunity to get a good look at it as he sprinted away from the fire he left in his wake. Looking up at his face, you could see just how much he enjoyed the thrill of it all. The blonde ran up until he reached the roof of the building. He stood close to the edge and waited for the guards to follow him. 

“I suggest you stand back unless you want me to kill this poor hostage of mine!” He exclaimed. Surta lightly placed his hand on the gold cape clasp as he laughed mockingly towards his pursuers. They froze as they looked at you. Playing your part, you decided to thrash around. “Help me please!” you shouted. 

The pyromaniac was really enjoying the villain role. Clenching tightly onto the cape clasp, the vicious look in his eyes was enough to deter anyone. He salutes towards them before leaping off the roof with you. You didn’t even have the opportunity to scream as the beautiful sight took your breath away. 

Wings. 

Beautiful Wing-shaped cloth glittered under the moonlight. They were spread wide open as if the two of you were gliding away. It was a magnificent sight that even the game could not fully grasp. The cape left a trail of embers that looked like fireflies in its wake. Surta lands on a roof and runs off again. Jumping from roof to roof with you in tow. 

The blonde then drops from a roof into a dead-end and pushed you towards the pile of trash. The male glances at you before pulling out a large ragged cloth from his satchel. He presses his body against you and covers both of you under the cloth. “Steady your breathing and keep still” he whispers. You try to do so and fail miserably. The adrenaline was making you pant. You weren’t used to this much exercise! 

The pyromaniac clicks his tongue and covers your mouth with his hand. You both stayed there, curled up against each other under a stuffy ragged cloth. The heavy footsteps came and went. You were terrified. The past hour you both stayed pressed against each other, the warmth between you two was starting to make you sweat. But as time passed, a thought crossed your mind:

‘What the fuck did I just do?’

Chapter Text

How long were you in this position? You couldn’t really tell but… 

It’s hot…  

A little bit too hot as your cheeks began to warm. It was getting harder to breathe. Surta didn’t seem to be as affected by the heat as you were. There wasn’t even sweat coming off him! 

No this…  

Your eyes widened and you desperately tried to pull Surta’s hand away from your mouth. You needed to breathe! Surta didn’t relent however and kept his grip on your face. Being much weaker than him, the most you could do was scratch his hand. 

You were starting to panic as chills ran down your body. 

A fever! 

But why now? Why at the worst time possible! It’s been so long… You got too comfortable. Breathe…! I need to breathe…! You began to struggle even more as if you were fighting for your life. 

These chronic fevers… A remnant of the past life you thought was left behind. Usually, fevers were symptoms of something else but yours were different. They never had a reason, they came and went without reason why. They were so unpredictable that even doctors could not understand them. 

But right now, your backstory didn’t matter. You needed to breathe! Lifting up your leg, you stomp down on Surta’s foot. He flinches and you take the opportunity to rip yourself away from his hold; leaving the supposed safety of the blanket that covered you both.

Pant. Pant. Pant. 

You took in deep gulps of air as you leaned against the alley wall. Your vision was starting to blur as the fever built up inside you. Reaching towards the blur of red close by you, you try to get his help.

“Home…” 

Your vision turns black. 

Surta was quick to catch your collapsed body. He was beyond confused by this sudden development. From being so cooperative to thrashing like your life depended on it was too jarring. But as he held you in his arms, he could tell something wasn’t right. You were hot… Too hot! The warmth from your skin… the endless sweating… the desperate gasping for air… Were you ill? 

The pyromaniac frowned as he lifted you up in his arms. To be honest… he was a little afraid. Your skin was so hot that he was worried you might burst into flames! Did something happen when he left you alone in that room? 

His mind wandered to the potion you created for your escape. Was that the reason? FUCK! Surta had no clue if that was the case. He knew nothing about alchemy after all. However, he knew one thing: he needed to cure whatever is ailing you. 

Surta pulled you closer to his chest as he bolted out the alley. Home was it? He’ll go there then. Risking yourself to save his life… Why would you do that? The man had to push that aside for another time. Right now, he needs to take you home! 

A little child was laying in their bed. Their cheeks bright red as sweat dripped from their brow. Two figures loomed over the child, one was more gentle while the other was much colder.

Deep Breaths. Let the wind flow through your body and cool you down.

You should have listened to me. I told you to not go outside. It’s much safer at home.

Don’t listen to her, ok? Kids like you should be outside anyways.

It’s fine for you to be a shut-in. Live like this or xasjx bfidf jlrnv cvva will find you

(Y/N), go outside. Don’t be afraid, after all, you are ebrdf siyot h …

You wake up to find yourself lying on your bed. The uncomfortable lump of a journal hidden underneath was leaving your back sore. You slowly sit up as you try to recall the events before you passed out. The Bureau… The Alley… and… 

The fever… that dream… You recognized one of the voices but… who was the other one? Your head was beginning to throb. Why was your memory suddenly going fuzzy right now? The people in your dream… Mother… You recognized that cold voice from anywhere. 

“(Y/N)! You’re awake!” you turn your head towards the door. You flinch when a sudden blue blur crashes into your nose. Moxie had tears flowing from her tiny eyes as she hugged the bridge of your nose. Though you couldn’t really see her properly, you could tell that she was a mess.

She faces you again and— 

SMACK 

Your head suddenly turned to the side as a throbbing pain blossomed on your cheek. For a tiny pixie, she slaps quite hard. No wonder the old man is afraid of getting her angry.

“You idiot!” She screamed as hot tears continued to flow from her eyes. Guilt was starting to bubble up inside you as you lower your head. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You should be— B-Becoming a hostage…! And--- And--- WAHHHHH" Moxie began to cry hysterically as she gripped tightly onto your clothes. 

You gently use two fingers to rub her small back. "I'm sorry. I should have been more careful" 

"You should be… sniff… We're so happy you're back home alive!" 

Actually… now that she mentions it. 

"How did I get back home?... I can't exactly remember." 

Moxie pulls away and wipes her tears away as she speaks: "We're not sure either. The neighbors said they found you passed out nearby. And you looked so ill too…" 

A sudden whack to the back of your head makes you groan in pain. "Ve schould 'Ave made jou ekcershize more.  Zhat damn Arschloch muscht've been hart to run vrom, '' Alven said with a disgruntled look on his face. The old man had just entered the room only to glare and scold you. Like a truly loving parent. 

Ah. Well, at least Surta wasn’t caught leaving you there. You sigh in relief. 

"That's good" Moxie and Alven look at each other. Your relief may have been for Surta's safety, to others your relief was interpreted as something else. 

"Don’t worry (Y/N)! The first prince said he’ll bring you to the palace!” Moxie exclaimed. 

Huh? The First prince? As in the crown prince? You frown at the thought. You did not want to catch the attention of the Second main character of the game. The crown prince was the love interest of Surta and the catalyst for the collapse of Yuan. 

He was also stuck up, strict, and had lovesick tendencies. Seriously, how did Surta fall in love with that asshole? If it wasn’t against your rules, you would have whisked the pyromaniac far away. But that's beside the point.

Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters 

Rules? What a joke. This world wants you to interact with these scary main characters. It would be one thing if the crown prince would send someone to protect you. But bringing you there; A commoner of all things. 

‘It’s too suspicious’ you thought. 

Your actions had only attracted more trouble. Now you gained the crown prince’s attention. What was the point of these rules if God decided to ruin each one of your plans? 

“I’m actually a little jealous that he invited you there. But if it means you’re safe from that terrorist then I don’t mind! The crown prince said he’ll have someone escort you in three days” Moxie said, relieved that you were going to be safe. Pity, she was wrong. This wasn’t about protection. 

You simply close your eyes and smile at the little pixie. “Yes. It will be my first time in spring, I’m quite nervous.” 

“Oh, that’s right… You always look so scared all the time. Oh no! What if someone tries to take advantage of you again while we’re not there?! We can’t let that happen right Alvie?!” The pixie turned into a worried mother as she looked at Alven for reassurance. 

“I zhink the racker vill be fine. He has an eschcort anyvay.” Alven said whilst crossing his arms. 

“Mox, I think the old man is right about this one. I’ll be fine” 

The pixie huffs and places her hands on her hips. “You better mean it or— Or you’re grounded for the next month!” 

You laugh at her response. Moxie was starting to act more and more like your mother with each passing day. A warm feeling bloomed in your chest. You wanted them to live peacefully. Were you really just going to abandon them for your grand escape?... 

Your smile quickly turned into a frown. ‘I don’t want to lose them either’ you thought. Like Surta, Moxie and Alven were special to you. They’re part of your new family after all. You wanted to protect them. 

But wouldn’t protecting them also change the story? 

Rule 9. Don’t interfere with the story significantly

Your rules rang in your head. ‘Keeping two other people alive shouldn’t be too difficult. I just need to convince them to move to Felshutz with me’ you thought. 

“Hey (Y/N)? Do you still feel unwell?” Moxie asked. You had almost forgotten that you were frowning for a good minute now. 

“I think I just need some rest.” 

“Ok. Then we’ll leave you alone for now. Call us if you need anything” the pixie said as she ushered Alven out the room. 

You gave it a moment for the dust to settle before jumping out of bed and grabbing your journal underneath. It’s been a year now since you’ve lived in this world. You needed to prepare for your encounter with the crown prince. 

Information is key. You were so grateful that your past self had written all the information they knew in your journal. Flipping through the pages, you stop at the chapter dedicated to all the important characters you could remember from the game. First was Surta’s information… then Second was… 

Yue Zheng, The Crown Prince

• Pathfinder: Zhongli, the Dragon of Boulders and Celemine, the Moon God (He gets this later on but for now I think we’re safe)

• The crazy crown prince that falls in love with Surta

• Scary against politicians and bloodthirsty for anyone who breaks the law

• Traditionalist prick

• REALLY hates Surta at the beginning

• A goddamn mother lover. 

• Is not that close with his siblings, kinda a loner ngl 

• Very skilled with the sword 

• Excels in Magic. Well attuned with his pathfinders 

• No tragic backstory but pretty sure he was neglected

• Likes to read romance novels cuz of course he does

• He’s handsome as fuck and it’s not fair 

…

…

…

… What the fuck was this? Were these your actual notes about him? You wanted to hit your past self in the back of the head. The information wasn’t as useful as you would have hoped for. 

You were ready to throw your useless journal away when a sudden all too familiar digital screen appeared in front of your eyes. 

[“Rules of Survival Journal” has been added to your archive! Would you like to view it? 

(Yes) or (No)]

You stare at the screen dumbfounded. An archive? It reminded you of how RPGs often had archives of miscellaneous books or a story log in their systems. Was this part of the menu you had unlocked earlier? You press the yes button as the screen changes into the Archive menu. 

Looking at the contents, you scoff in amusement. 

How lucky 

The archive had the exact same data that you collected throughout the game. Was this God’s grace? The books of unnecessary world-building, the monster reference book, and most importantly… 

The Adventure Log 

You couldn’t hold yourself back from smiling as you scrolled through the Adventure Log. “It was here… it was all here…” You muttered as excitement bubbled up in your chest. 

The Log had filled in the gaps of your memory. But there was more… 

Aside from the game-related books, there was also a section dedicated to you. Your Journal was here, but the most surprising of all was… 

Your own Adventure Log. 

You do a quick read-through of the contents and notice how it only contained moments of your life here. The Dialogue was perfectly recorded but the actions and expressions of people were only vaguely written. It was also only written in your perspective and what you saw and noticed. 

You sigh in disappointment. That log would have been more useful if it could provide more information than what you knew but you suppose it’s helpful in keeping track of things you may forget in the future. 

“Huh?” you said as you found another section that surprised you. Your Rules were in a completely separate section. 

What was even stranger was the change to it. 

Rules to Survive 

Rule 1. Don’t show this notebook to anyone

Rule 2.  Learn Alchemy, could save your life 

Rule 3. Be as insignificant as possible, blend in.  

[Broken Year 5801 Felis Calendar - Gained ‘The Menu’]

Rule 4. Avoid using modern language or English 

Rule 5. Don’t tell anyone about your past or where you’re from

Rule 6. Do not let anyone know you have no Pathfinder 

Rule 7. Run away from all danger

Rule 8. Find a way to escape before the war breaks out

Rule 9. Don’t interfere with the story significantly

Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters 

The 3rd rule was crossed out and underneath was a date. So that day when you chose to act… Gaining the Menu was the benefit? You supposed that there is probably more to it than that. If you broke more rules… What benefits could you gain from it? 

You decided to brush it off for next time. As interesting as it was, you made these rules to live a peaceful life. So doesn’t that mean… 

You gasp in horror at the realization. 

“If I break these rules… I’ll become a protagonist! And I’ll lose my peaceful life!”

Oh no. You wanted none of that! You wanted to live a peaceful life as a shut-in! 

Yes… 

A shut-in… 

You recalled the dream you had prior and your past life. It was nice being a shut-in. It was always safer inside and you could do whatever you wanted in your little world. 

But… You frown while staring at the semi-transparent screen in front of you. The titles… You didn’t get the proper opportunity to learn about those since you skipped the tutorial. But you knew the basic gist of it thanks to your gamer logic. 

Titles were basically permanent benefits that you could equip. You could vaguely remember a past game you had played where they also had titles. They were similar to skills where they gave the user some status buffs. But they could only be equipped off battle and only one at a time… 

You sigh and lay on your bed. What counted as off and on battle? Is it just when you’re fighting? How long would it take before you were considered on or off battle? And… 

“Could I break those limits?” you muttered absently as you stared at the ceiling. Sure you didn’t WANT to break it. Those types of things come at a cost and are usually game-breaking! 

But you could probably do it if you wanted to. Which you don’t. Only a crazy person would attempt something like that. There were probably crazy protagonists that would attempt something like that. But you weren’t that! You are just some NPC that wants to live as a shut-in. 

You were about to go back to sleep when you suddenly shoot up from the bed. 

“Crap!” 

You totally forgot you still needed a plan to deal with the crown prince! Sleep? Who needs sleep! My life as a shut-in is at stake here! 

You then proceeded to spend the next twelve hours locked in your room reading the archive and making a plan to convince the Crown prince you are not that interesting of a person.

Chapter Text

“Are you supposed to be my escort?...” you look down at the little boy in front of you. 

Standing at the shop’s front door stood a little boy with black hair and light brown eyes. He looked to be around the age of twelve with his height being around just above your waist. The boy wore a dark blue tang suit with silver embroidery and his black hair was in a bob haircut that framed his slightly chubby cheeks perfectly. 

“So cute…” you couldn’t help but mutter.

“Excuse me?” The cute innocent face the child had earlier quickly turned sour as his vicious glare aimed at you. You shiver under his gaze. Geez… Even the children in this world are scary. 

“You should be grateful that his highness has decided to give a commoner like you any attention. Honestly, if it were me I would have just left you to die. Sadly his highness is too caring for his subjects” The child looked annoyed as he scanned your frame from top to bottom. 

His words stung deep and the scrutiny on his face can rival the same cold judging stare on your mother’s face. Though to be honest… you did look like a mess. You had dark circles under your eyes and your skin was pale. During the three days you had to prepare, you basically had nothing to show for it. Even worse… 

That bastard wouldn’t leave you alone! 

You could recall vividly the headache that bastard was giving you that day. The pyromaniac decided to barge into your room through the window unannounced. Surta was sitting on your chair with his legs resting on your desk as if he was right at home. His arms were crossed as he looked at you with an expressionless stare. 

Usually, Surta would have a look of mischief on his face but today he seemed to be serious. But why was he so serious? Honestly, you couldn’t believe it yourself. 

“I want to come with you. What’s so wrong with that?” He said to you. 

Ah… What’s wrong? What’s wrong?! It took all your willpower to not smack the bastard right in the face. 

“The reason why I’m going in the first place is because of my connection with you. Won’t going with me just prove that we’re accomplices?” you said. You didn’t expect Surta to insist on coming with you… let alone check on you!

“I thought that you were smart? Doesn’t the crown prince want to kill you? Won’t coming with me get you killed?” you continued. Surta looks up into the ceiling in deep thought. Was he just now thinking about the consequences?! You were ready to sigh in disbelief when he decided to respond. 

“That’s why I want to come with you” 

“…Huh?”

What was that supposed to mean? Surta seemed to understand your confusion as he continued.

“I… want to protect you. You’re weak and the slightest breeze could break you like a twig. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone with my mortal enemy” 

Ok. First off. Ouch. Did he really see you as a weakling? 

Second. Was it really because he wanted to protect you? No, you couldn’t believe that. You were just accomplices. He couldn’t have gotten attached to you that easily. Right? It could be he wasn’t attached but rather… 

‘He’s suspicious of me’ 

That made much more sense to you. Was he worried that you were going to expose him? Maybe you should reassure him? No, that won’t really work. There’s no way Surta could trust your word so easily.

‘It’s best not to think about that right now.' you thought as you pushed Surta’s reasoning aside. 

“Fine then.” you said. Surta didn’t seem convinced as he raised an eyebrow in question. 

“Not gonna argue with me?”

“Why would I?... You’re just going to do whatever you want anyway.” You point at Surta and try your best to give him a stern look. 

“But I won’t help you.” you said. Surta stares at you as a smirk appears on his face. 

“Sounds good to me” The blond gets up from his seat and walks towards you. You have to tilt your head up to look at the man as his tall stature towered over you. 

“Greet me when we see each other again, won’t you?” he said. You frown at the thought. 

“I really hope we don’t” 

Surta left soon after that conversation. Being a living ball of anxiety, you couldn’t help but worry about whatever the bastard had planned. But you chose to deal with that problem when the time came… So you chose to focus on something else. You spent the past three days going through the archive and menu you had gained. 

But all of it led to one realization: You couldn’t beat that skill… 

‘Oppressive Aura’ 

It was a terrifying skill that Yue had. It made opponents practically immobile with fear. It was a very practical skill that you often liked to use while battling in the game. But it had more uses than in battle. You recalled the cutscenes where Yue had used the oppressive aura on others. It almost functioned like a lie detector: making others so afraid they wouldn’t dare to lie. 

You had nothing against that of course. Well to be frank, you had nothing against magic. However, in Autumn magic wasn’t as prevalent. Sure there were pathfinders accompanying their summoners but people relied more on technology here. 

“Stop staring into space and show me your luggage please” you blink and look back down at the child in front of you. Ah, he was glaring at you. It was making you uncomfortable as you clear your thoughts. 

“S-Sorry I was just thinking. But umm…” You turn back to the store and grab your large case from the storefront. You grunt as you try to drag it to the entrance. Wow, you packed a lot for staying for a month. But to be honest… You don’t recall it being that heavy. 

No matter. Moxie probably decided to add a few more things to it anyway. You finally push your luggage out the door and you take a deep breath. 

“I now understand why his highness asked that I escort you. You’re weaker than any commoner I’ve met before. Seriously, how hard was it just get one luggage?” the vicious kid said with such contempt. 

“You don’t need to tell me twice… I know I’m weak. I’m very weak.” 

Suddenly a flash of green appeared in your vision. You gasp and jump back in surprise. Suddenly in front of you was a beautiful woman with Dark green hair and neon highlights. You couldn’t see much of her face as it was covered by a mask but her blue eyes seemed to glow as she glared at you. 

‘So Scary…’ You thought as you looked up at the woman in front of you. Her terrifying dominant figure towered over you. She didn’t say a word and picked up your luggage with such ease. 

“Is she your pathfinder?” you couldn’t help but ask. The child looked at the woman for a moment before turning back to you. 

“She is. Does that bother you Autumner?” The boy said. 

“No. It doesn’t. She just… caught me by surprise.” 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you were scared autumner.” A smug look appeared on his face as he continued: “It’s a shame people here prefer to live like savages.” 

Now he’s done it. Your anxiety shoots up as you look around you. The alleyway was empty, thank god. 

“You shouldn’t say such things here.” You started to wonder if this kid really was your escort or just some spoiled rich kid. Actually, wasn’t it illegal to have child labor? Why was a kid escorting you to the palace anyway? 

You look back at the young boy with a frown on your face. He looked back at you with a frown in turn. 

“Are you looking down on me?” he said. You shook your head: “Not at all. I was just wondering why someone so young was escorting me” 

The boy puffed his cheeks in anger as he placed his hands on his hips. “Excuse you, despite my age I am considered one of the best, most reliable servants in the palace. I was raised to serve the royal family!” 

The boy turned his back against you and faced towards the alley exit. “Hurry up or else we’ll be late for the zeppelin.” Without another word, the boy leaves the alley. 

You follow behind him as you both enter a rather modest-looking carriage. Sitting at the driver’s seat was the green-haired woman from before. You enter the carriage and gently seat yourself on the plush velvety cushion. 

Looking across from you, the boy sat with his arms crossed. His legs were swinging back and forth with the tips of his toes barely touching the ground. He looked… adorable. Sure the scowl on his face didn’t match his young features but he was still cute. 

“Weishi Lao” 

“Hmm?” You look at him and tilt your head. 

“I can’t serve you properly unless you know my name. It’s Weishi Lao,” he said as he looked towards the window. 

You suddenly jerk forward as the carriage moves. “Well… I hope we get along for the month we’re together Weishi.” you smile slightly at the boy. You could only pray to the gods above hoping for the trip to go well. 

“Isn’t this too extravagant?” you look up at the large zeppelin. It had a massive oval-shaped balloon with wings made of bronze and sailcloth. Underneath was an extravagant wooden carriage that could probably hold 30 people. It was beautifully carved and painted silver and blue. 

You stepped inside and the floor was covered in purple carpet with air that just smelled of money. ‘I’m not worthy’ You thought as you slowly took one step after another. You have never set foot into any sort of luxury liner. Hell, even the high-end malls you thought were too good for your broke ass. Being in this luxury Zeppelin felt wrong to you. 

“We are just joining the autumn nobles on their trip to Spring Branch. His highness thought it would be more convenient to bring you along with them. Be grateful that he even allowed you to stay in one of the first-class rooms here” Weishi said. Unlike you, he looked completely unbothered by the extravagant atmosphere. 

You look at the boy and force a smile. “Yes, I’m very grateful to the first prince.” 

Weishi huffs and starts walking down the hall. “Follow me, I will show you to your room” 

You follow the boy to one of the rooms. ‘Room 30’ was engraved on a bronze plaque screwed to the door. It was the farthest room from the stairwell. Weishi opens the door to reveal what you thought was an extravagant room. The queen-sized bed looked so soft and comforting. The furniture was glossy redwood that seemed to be newly polished. The whole room was practically sparkling! It was enough to make you gasp! 

GASP!

And you actually did… Weishi was giving you a judgemental look but didn’t say anything. Your face was burning from embarrassment. “S-so I just stay here the entire time right?” you tried to change the subject. 

“Yes. It would be advisable to not mingle with the Autumn nobles. The only time you will get to see them is in the dining hall above during meal times. The trip will take around at least 3 days depending on the weather.” Weishi stops for a moment and glares at you. 

You got goosebumps as your rubbed your arm to calm yourself. “Also, whatever you do, do not anger any of the nobles. Neither I nor will his highness defend you from their wrath” the boy said. 

You gulp as your eyes grew wide. Ah, this was somewhat like a test run, if you could do well with these nobles, you could probably survive an encounter with the crown prince. Weishi leaves allowing you some breathing room and time to unpack. 

“This should be fine. I can survive for three days…” You mutter to yourself as you open your large suitcase. 

“Ugh Finally” 

…

You couldn’t help but stare at your suitcase. It couldn’t speak… Why did you hear a voice?...

…

“Phew, it was getting really uncomfortable in there. Not to mention everything smelled like chemicals” 

No no no. Why did you have to recognize that voice? 

…

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to greet me?” that playful voice said as you felt a warm hand on your head. 

Your eyes grew wide like a deer in headlights as you screamed at the top of your lungs. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Chapter Text

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” 

God really loved to see you suffer. You slap the hand away from your head and glare at the man.

“WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE?! MY—” You gasp and push the man aside. You clutch onto your suitcase. 

That bastard… He took out all your clothes!! There was almost nothing in your luggage. Despair kicked in as you lost the light in your eyes. 

‘He took out everything… I have nothing to wear…’ You wanted to cry. 

“I’m going to be naked in front of the crown prince…” you muttered softly. 

The bastard who ruined your life just laughs heartily at your suffering. How cruel… 

“Is that seriously what you’re worried about?” the crazy pyromaniac continued to laugh. 

You wanted to punch that smile right off his face. But if you did, he could probably kill you. No, he will kill you if you anger him. So you just had to bear with it… 

“Why here… Why me…” you said. You sat on the floor. Your legs lost all their energy to stand after seeing that bastard’s face. Fear was starting to take a hold of you. Why was this man so determined to ruin your life?! If he gets caught… if YOU get caught…

“I’m going to die…” 

“Don’t say such bullshit. You’re not going to die so long as I’m here” Surta said. 

God must be laughing at you right now. “You’re supposed to be smart… Didn’t you think that you being here…” 

“You said I could do whatever you want. So I just made some room for myself with your things. Is that a problem?” Wow. Such confidence in his voice. Honestly, you were jealous. 

You slowly lift up your head to look at him. He was leaning over you with a shit-eating grin. You really wanted to strangle him. Sure he can do whatever he wanted. He has plot armor, doesn’t he? He can do whatever he wants that’s true… 

But… 

“Do you expect me to just fix whatever trouble you cause?” you had to ask. Surta was a main character. He can do whatever he wants. But you? “I’m just an NPC, I don’t have plot armor.”

Surta tilts his head as confusion fills his face. “NPC?” 

Rule 4. Avoid using modern language or English 

…Fuck. 

QUICK! CHANGE THE SUBJECT!

“S-Sorry I was just mumbling… I’m…” You hold your arms out to him. If he was going to be here, he might as well carry your tired body. 

“I’m tired,” you said. Surta’s eyes soften(?) as he picks you up from the floor. He held you in his arms with such tenderness as he lay you on the bed. You couldn’t believe it, he was looking at you with such gentle warmth. 

Damn did it make him look handsome. Ah, it went away. Surta had a teasing look on his face as he lay his hand on your forehead. “This poor baby had a long day, didn’t you? Of course, you’re tired. Get some sleep baby. It’s past your bedtime” 

Fuck this bitch. You decided to bite back. “Only if you join me Daddy.” you said with a dull voice. You had no clue of Surta’s kinks, you just knew the game would skip whenever he and Yue would… 

You did not want to think about it. BUT DAMN WAS THAT ONE FANFICTION OF THEM SPICY— not that you read any of them. Why would you? You hated seeing them together. 

Actually, you would definitely hate either of them as a romantic partner. I mean if you had to choose between a physically abusive Surta or an emotionally abusive Yue. The answer was obvious. You’d rather stay single forever. 

They were fun characters mind you. Fun to play and root for but to date any of them? No way. Never in your life. You just wanted to live a single shut-in life! Plus, why would you get in the way of someone else’s love life? Surta won’t just fall in love with you. He’s going to fall in love with Yue. You knew that of course. 

So why would you even think Surta would fall in love with you? Maybe you’re just suffering from main character syndrome? Yeah, it could be that. You weren’t a main character of course. You’re just an NPC. You needed to remember that. 

An NPC that just wants to survive. This is just… special cutscenes with the main character. Yeah. You were just a random quest for the main character. Yes, that’s right. You’re just some line of text among—

“Stop thinking” you shivered as Surta spoke in a low voice next to your ear. You shiver and shut your eyes tightly. You didn’t want to give Surta a reaction and turn to your side. 

Wow, this bed was really comfy. It was like laying on— No no no. Don’t think about the man who was clearly over your body. 

Don’t think about how he’s basically pinning to the bed. 

Don’t think about how his low chuckles sound so hot. 

Don’t think about the warm hand on your waist.

Don’t think.

“Don’t look so scared”

Don’t think. 

“It’s not like I’m going to eat you” 

Don’t think!!!

SLAP! 

You gasp as your eyes shoot wide open. Surta was sitting over you with you between his legs. He was facing away from you with his eyes wide in shock. 

It was when you felt the dull ache on your palm that you realized what you had done. 

“S-Surta—” 

“I’m sorry” 

“… Huh?” you couldn’t believe what you just heard. You were speechless as you watched Surta slowly turn his head. Your eyes were wide as saucers while you searched for anger in his eyes. But you saw none of that. He looked… Genuinely apologetic. You were shivering from fear. The Surta in the game would have acted differently. He would have hit you… He would have— 

“Stop thinking” the voice was firm. Warm hands held your face bringing you back to reality. There was no semblance of a smile on Surta’s face as he looked at you. His brows were furrowed and his nose was scrunched up. 

The man sighs and— 

Smooch. 

Huh? You felt a light touch on your forehead. Did he… Did he just kiss your forehead? The hand that was on your waist pulled you closer and you were met with a warm and hard chest. 

“Stop thinking. I’m sorry for teasing you. Just stop thinking and go to sleep.” Surta said. You could feel him rubbing circles on your back. Finding yourself laying on the bed again, your eyes start to feel heavy. 

“Don’t think… Just get some sleep.”

You listened. 

Ugh. You woke up to the sound of knocking. You groan as pull the covers over your head. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK 

The knocking persisted regardless. It was annoying you. With some reluctance, you get up from the bed. You drag the duvet with you letting it wrap around your body as you lug your way to the door. Opening the door, you see Weishi tapping his foot impatiently with his arms crossed. 

“Took you long enough. Get ready, we are to have breakfast in the dining hall. You have 10 minutes to prepare or else I will leave you here to starve.” the vicious kid said as he pushed you back into the room. 

You blink slowly trying to process everything. Your brain was slow to catch up… Breakfast… and… 

GASP! 

Suddenly you’re wide awake as you quickly scanned the room. But to your surprise… No one was there. Your eyes went back and forth across the room. 

“...Where is he?” You muttered as you slowly made your way back to the bed to fold the duvet. You accidentally bump into the nightstand and find a new pair of your clothes folded neatly on top. 

“He has to be here right?” You leave the duvet on the bed and search your suitcase. It was nearly identical to how you saw it yesterday. But there were enough of your clothes for maybe… three days? It wasn’t a lot but it was definitely less than what you remember packing. 

Surta is here. But you didn’t really have time to think about it. You needed to get dressed for breakfast! You’ll look for the pyromaniac later. It’s not like he’s going to leave your room, right?

The dining hall was just as grand as you had imagined. It took up nearly the entire floor of the carriage with a chandelier above it. The nobles who were mingling with each other were just as dazzling as the decor. They wore a mix of Steampunk and Chinese garbs, Silkpunk style if you will. It really made you feel the weight of their stares. 

You felt so out of place. Weishi didn’t really care as he led you to a far corner of the dining room. He tells you to sit and leaves to get food for you. Gingerly taking a seat on the plush chair, you let out a deep sigh. 

Too stressful. Everything was too stressful for you. You wondered where the pyromaniac went. What happened yesterday too… It was surreal to you. Surta… on top of your… on the bed… 

Your face was burning. If you hadn’t slapped him, would it have kept going?... You cover your face with your hands. 

“I can’t” you said to yourself. Sure Surta is mellow now but… This is just his past. You knew he would get more aggressive… more forceful… more terrifying in the future. He has the Phoenix Down now. 

Ah, you could already imagine what sort of… suddenly fear washes over you. Why were the nobles all coming to spring? Could it be… Is that why?... 

You quickly opened up the menu and went straight to the archive. Scrolling through the blue screen rapidly, you find what you were looking for. The section was dedicated to collectible items. There was a set dedicated to newspaper strips of Surta’s past feats. And one of them was… 

[CRAZED TERRORIST STRIKES AGAIN! 10 NOBLES DIE DURING THE CROWN PRINCE’S BIRTHDAY]

Hah… No way… Were you going to be involved in this too? You read through the article. Your heart beginning to race faster and faster with each sentence. 

[The infamous pyromaniac that had originally kept his focus on homes of wealthy merchants targets the crown prince during his celebration. However, this terrorists motives for attempted assasination are unknown.] 

You knew why of course. Surta just hated Yue. He thought killing him would fix all the worlds problems. Crazy bastard. At least that’s what you think. The pyromaniac never really stated his reasoning in the game. 

[The ensuing fire and collapse of Shi tu palace and the deaths of 10 nobles. 5 from Autumn, 3 from Summer, and 2 from Spring. The terrorist escaped amidst the chaos and is still at large!] 

The Shi tu palace… It was built as a celebration for the birth of the crown prince. Such a large palace just for one prince… And Surta burned it all down. This was probably the start of Surta’s “career”. It showed his capabilities and raw strength. 

You look at the date for the article, “Orian 23, 5801 Leonis”. Of course. That’s going to happen in a month from now. Just your luck. If it’s a month after from today… won’t that mean you would still… 

You were ready to cry. Does this mean that Surta would act while you’re here? Won’t that implicate you more to the crown prince? Didn’t you just speed up the story by smuggling a terrorist into here?! 

You had to stop it right? Your mind looked back at the archive. You click on the “Rules of Survival”.

Rules to Survive 

Rule 1. Don’t show this notebook to anyone

Rule 2.  Learn Alchemy, could save your life 

Rule 3. Be as insignificant as possible, blend in.  

[Broken Year 5801 Felis Calendar - Gained ‘The Menu’]

Rule 4. Avoid using modern language or English 

Rule 5. Don’t tell anyone about your past or where you’re from

Rule 6. Do not let anyone know you have no Pathfinder 

Rule 7. Run away from all danger

Rule 8. Find a way to escape before the war breaks out

Rule 9. Don’t interfere with the story significantly

Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters 

You didn’t want to break anymore of these rules. But here you were, basically breaking Rule 10 but not of your own choice. You decided to brush off the rules. 

Rule 9. Don’t interfere with the story significantly

You weren’t changing the story. No, this was just a small snippet. You needed to stop the attack to save yourself of course! If Surta acts out, it will be you who ends up on the receiving end. 

You needed to save those nobles. 

“You’re not allergic to anything right?” You are broken out your thoughts when Weishi comes over. He’s holding several plates of food. 

“I’m not. But… is this all for me?” The dread for the oncoming future was still weighing heavily on you. You weren’t in a mood to eat so much. 

“Yes. You’re too skinny and unhealthy-looking. I cannot present you in such a state to his highness” the boy says as he places the food on the table. It was a wide range of food like steamed buns, congee, even wontons! The food choice was mostly Chinese Cuisine but to imagine cooked food in this world. You truly were living luxury right now! 

Growl

Your eyes grow wide and your face burns. It seems like your stomach forgot all about your problems. You were hungry. You were definitely hungry. 

Weishi simply takes a seat next to you and watches. Did he eat already? Well you didn’t want to leave a poor kid to starve. 

“You’re skinny too you know.” You said as you pick up a bun and hold it out to the boy. He seemed shocked by the gesture. 

“Kids like you should eat a lot. Won’t you eat with me? I don’t think I can finish all of this food by myself anyway” you said. Weishi looked to be conflicted as he looked back at you and the bun. 

The young boy licks his lips and puffs his cheeks. “Only because you insist. I cannot disappoint his highness by disobeying an order.” he said as he snatches the steamed bun from your hand and takes small bites. 

You can’t help but chuckle at the cute kid. He looked adorable pouting while eating. Your heart felt much lighter as you looked at his averted gaze. Seeing the happiness spill from the boy’s eyes was enough. 

“I hope we get along for the next month Weishi” 

“Me too… I hope we get along” 

You smile as you help yourself to a bowl of Congee. Whatever happens now, you’ll just have to deal with it when it comes. For now, you just wanted to enjoy a nice warm meal.

Chapter Text

“Again” 

“Are you sure you want to try again?” 

“I won’t say it twice. Play again.” You couldn’t help but smile at the boy. The two of you had finished the food and you decided to introduce Wei to some games. The current game you were playing was called “Chopsticks”. 

You found it cute how he took the games so seriously. His slightly chubby face would scrunch up when he would think of his next move. Wei lightly hits your hand and you end up closing it into a fist. 

“I won!” Wei jumped from his seat with a triumphant grin on his face. “That game wasn’t difficult at all. It was simple for a great servant like me!” the boy put his hands on his waist and puffed his chest out in pride. 

For someone who would constantly tell you not to make a scene, Weishi wasn’t listening to his own words. Maybe it was because the nobles left, leaving the servants to clean up after. The only occupied table left was yours. You chuckle as you place your hands on your lap. 

“I’m glad you had fun, Wei. Maybe next time we can play more children’s games?” you said. Weishi scrunched his nose at the nickname. The boy’s face was warm in embarrassment. 

“I only played because you asked.” he huffed. You didn’t argue. He was still a child after all. You wanted to let him have fun and play while he was still young. Even you got the chance to— 

When was the last time you got to play outside?... 

You started to frown as a throbbing in the back of your head appeared. Why was it difficult to remember your childhood? They were memories that didn’t matter much anyway. Survival comes first above all things. Why would you need to remember your past life when the only necessary parts were in the game you played? 

“Hurry up and get back to your room. I will clean up along with the other servants.” You look up at Weishi who already had stacks of plates in his hands. 

“You sure you don’t want me to help?” Wei simply shook his head. 

“No. If I allow his highness’ guest to work, then what kind of servant will I be?” Weishi’s childish face was stern and stoic. Despite being a child, he was professional about his work. It was still unfair, you thought. But Weishi enjoyed his work. Who were you to dictate what a child wishes to do in his life? 

You simply nod and get up from your seat. “I will head straight for my room then. I promise I won’t do anything that will worry you, Wei.” 

Wei stares at you for a moment with a frown on his face. “You better. If you offend any of the nobles, I will not help you. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if they are offended by your face alone.” The boy left without another word. 

Wait, was Weishi implying that you were ugly? You frown slightly. Moxie would tell you that you looked handsome. But that might just be blind affection from her mother-like personality. 

Does that mean Surta thinks you're ugly? Well, he doesn’t really have high standards of who is considered fuckable in his eyes. You decided to walk back to your room while thinking. 

I mean you couldn’t ACTUALLY be UGLY, right? You glanced at your reflection from the window. You had a pretty average face. You didn’t look very masculine though. Your features were softer. You didn’t have clear skin like all the perfect people in this world. There was the occasional spot of acne on your face from the lack of proper skincare and stress. 

Your thick and puffy clothes did nothing but prove how weak you looked. Though no one pointed it out to you, were your eyes always that big? You were starting to feel insecure about yourself. But that was to be expected. This was a fantasy world after all. Everyone naturally looks beautiful in a fantasy world. 

Like that noble for example. You couldn’t help but notice how beautiful She(?) looked. You assumed they were female. The noble had long thick braided blue hair and pink eyes. They were wearing a long sleeve light purple cheongsam with its slip up to their pelvis. The slit is loosely tied together with thick string. Over the outfit was a black bustle corset with long ruffles that reached towards the floor. She had thigh-high leather heeled boots. She has clear slightly tanned ivory skin and long limbs. You were pretty sure that this noble lady was taller than you. She had a long but strange blue animal fur scarf draped over her shoulders. 

The scarf was very strange with Vibrant shiny blue fur. It looked like a really long ferret with small bird wings on its hind legs. You could see the scarf’s black beady eyes; was it staring at you? 

You gulp and look away from the noble when you realize you were staring at her. 

“Ah come now, don’t be shy all of sudden. You were staring at me for quite a while.” 

Huh? That voice was… masculine. And very deep. It wasn’t husky like Surta’s or gruff like your old man back in autumn. It was a smooth and honeyed male voice. You flinch when long fingers grip your chin, forcing you to look up at the noble lady(?). At this point, you weren’t even sure it was a woman anymore. 

Upon closer look, the face was more angular and you could clearly see his Adam's apple bob from his low chuckle. Ok, maybe they were a man. 

“I’m— I’m sorry. I just thought that—” you gulp when the noble hums in thought. He lets go of your chin and crosses his arms. 

“Thought what, hmm? I’m well aware that I am quite the beauty. But for you… Ah. You’re the little alchemist everyone was talking about, correct?” 

Huh? Were you famous? No wait that definitely could be true. 

“I’m still not an alchemist. But… I guess that’s me?” 

“You caused quite the stir during our meeting. To be honest, I found it quite entertaining.” The noble covers his mouth, hiding his expression. 

“I’m sorry I caused a lot of trouble for everyone. I didn’t expect to be… made a hostage.” 

“You shouldn’t apologize for something out of your control. But on the other hand…” The noble looked away for a moment and hummed. 

“I would like to hear about it. Only if you’re comfortable, of course.” 

“Ah no I…” Actually, would it be a good idea to tell more people about it? Maybe not. Lies beget more lies. You had no idea how long you could keep up a lie about you being a hostage. But at the same time… 

“I can say some things…” The noble smiles and pats your head. 

“That’s more than enough for me. We can talk later today during lunch.” You whine at his touch. This fantasy world truly was unfair, this noble looked so beautiful with that gentle smile. You were almost convinced he actually cared about your health.

“Thank you. But ah… I don’t know your name, Sir?...” The noble chuckles and the hand that patted your head was now stroking his scarf. 

“Of course, where are my manners? I am Huan Kang, the first son of the Landlord Kang. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“Ah. It’s nice to meet you Huan. I’m (Y/n) (L/n).” Huan… why did that name sound so familiar? Maybe you should check the archive when you go to your room. You quickly say goodbye to Huan and go into the room. 

You sit on your bed and open up the archive. Landlord Kang was… 

You gasp in shock. Landlord Kang was the owner of Felshutz! What luck! Maybe God decided to be merciful with you and gave you a fateful encounter. But something still didn’t sit right with you. The landlord was one thing but the other was… He looked familiar. 

You decided to go through the chaotic notes you wrote in the past. Aha! You found it! 

Huan Kang, The Unofficial 3rd Main Character  

• His story was restricted to minigames done between the true ending.
• Amogus memes. (Man was a spy) 
• Pathfinder: Jacques - Truth Seeking Weasel 
• Letting him live leads to the true ending 
• Fan-favorite among fans. 
• Apparently had daddy issues before he became Landlord

Shit. You really agreed to just lie in front of someone who has a Lie detector as a pathfinder. That weasel was different from Yue’s skill. If you were strong enough, you could probably lie in front of Yue and get away with it. But this was like comparing a Dungeon boss to a final boss. Yue was much easier to lie to (even though you didn’t have much of a chance to beat Oppressive Aura anyway) but as luck would have it, you agreed to fight against the ACTUAL lie detector before the other one. 

But still… Huan was a character you had mixed feelings about in the game. You would remember how forums would thirst over him. Huan was the only person who benefitted in the end. He manipulated both Yue and Surta to get what he wanted. 

Huan watched the world fall into ruin and did nothing but save himself. Sure he saved his people but still… He had every chance to end the war but chose not to. 

But weren’t you a hypocrite? Were you not doing the same thing? You’re choosing to let the world burn so that you can survive. 

Rule 9: Don’t interfere with the story significantly

Right those rules you made in the beginning. You weren’t forced to follow them. But you wanted to live. Of all things. 

Surviving comes first

Maybe you and Huan will see each other eye to eye. Should you… 

Rule 10: Avoid contact with the main characters

Huan wasn’t exactly a main character. You’re sure that building a relationship won’t violate your rules. That future landlord will definitely be useful to you in the future. Yes, you’re concluded. You will make Huan your ally. 

Click. Creeeeaaaaakk. 

You lift your head up to look at the figure standing at the door. Surta didn’t say anything as he sat next to you on the bed. You weren’t used to his silence. He was the more chatty one of the two main characters. You didn’t know what else to do other than to awkwardly pat his shoulder. 

“Were you out the whole time? No one caught you?” you asked. Surta looks at you and frowns. You were slightly worried. Usually, Surta doesn’t frown unless something makes him angry. Or if something was bothering him… 

“No.” Surta suddenly smirks and leans against you. “It was easy, you know. All I had to do was wear a wig and I blended right in with the servants.” 

“Ah. So I didn’t even need to be your accomplice in the first place. You’re the reason I’m going to be naked in front of the crown prince…” You said. You were still bothered that you only had three days worth of clothes. Surta clicks his tongue in response as an annoyed look creeps onto his face. 

“I doubt they’ll force you to go naked in front of the crown prince. The wannabe dictator will probably make you wear a more “formal” outfit in front of him anyway.” Surta adjusts himself so that he’s laying his head on your lap. When he says the word formal, he raises his hand to do the air quote motion before letting his hand rest on his chest. 

“Won’t they still find it odd I only have three pairs of clothing?” 

“Nope!” Surta says as a matter of fact. He turns to his side with his face towards your abdomen. “They might think you trusted that they would clean your clothes. Actually, you were dumb to stuff so many clothes in there in the first place.” 

Your face burned at the thought. You did overpack now that you thought about it… Admittedly you were embarrassed but you had to prepare for the worst! 

“I did keep your extra pairs of underwear though,” Surta says as he presses his face against your abdomen with a chuckle. “You might need a new pair after we’re done” 

“EXCUSE ME?!” you screamed as your face turned bright red. You couldn’t imagine it, or rather you didn’t want to. It didn’t help that his face was so close to your… No way! 

“E-Enough with the sex talk. I’m not… interested in that sort of thing.” You stammered out. 

Surta doesn’t seem convinced as he looks up at you with a teasing smirk. “Ya sure?” 

You slowly and GENTLY shove his head off your lap and you get up from the bed. “Definitely. I just wanted to study for a little bit before I head out for lunch.” 

Surta still lays on the bed and props his chin up with his hand as he watches you. “Gonna hang out with the kid again? He’s a bit annoying. That crown prince fanboy…” 

You frown at the implication. Surta really just hates anything related to the crown prince, even his servants. But still, most of the servants were from Summer… Would Surta really be heartless enough to kill off other Summer folks just to ruin Yue’s birthday?... 

You thought back to that news article you read. It focused mostly on the nobles who died but there were servants that died in that fire as well. You can think about that later. Maybe if he bonded with Wei he might reconsider ruining the birthday? 

No. That was too risky. If Wei doesn’t get along with Surta, then he’ll tell Yue the truth. That would only implicate you even more. 

“You’re thinking too much again.” you blink and look back at Surta. He had a bored look on his face now as his red eyes stared at you. “You have a habit of getting stuck in your own head.” 

“Is that supposed to mean anything? Thinking is good. It lets me plan ahead.” 

“Well thinking too much will get you killed too. I doubt your cute little head will save you from a burning building.” 

You shivered at the implication. It was almost like Surta was threatening you. That’s right. You two were just acquaintances? Or maybe Surta saw you as an untrustworthy ally? Either way, the pyromaniac didn’t fully trust you. It didn’t help that his eyes looked so… Vicious. You felt like a mouse under the gaze of a lion. 

“R… Right. Who knows when you’ll…” 

“Hmmm… I just don’t get you.” You scrunch your eyebrows together at Surta’s words.

“You’re afraid of me aren’t you? You’re not that good at hiding it when you are. But here you are. You were brave enough to shove me off your lap. You’re brave enough to slap me. You’re even brave enough to let your guard down around me.” 

You gulp and hide your clammy hands behind your back. You didn’t like where this was going at all. The room felt hot from the pressure. Surta’s burning gaze didn’t leave your frame for a second. 

“I simply just got used to you being around me.” 

“That’s dangerous, isn’t it? Prey shouldn’t get comfortable around Predators.” Surta chuckles for a moment. Unlike your tensed-up body, Surta was leisurely laying on the bed. Your eyes were wide with fear as you stared at the cape clasp on Surta’s cape. 

Did he plan to kill you here? He called you prey, didn’t he? No, Surta wouldn’t kill you here. You were maybe 100 meters off the ground. If he burned down the Zeppelin, everyone (including himself) would die. 

“If prey get comfortable with one predator. They’ll get comfortable with other predators as well” you frown at the implication. This is exactly why you have rules. All the main characters were predators in your eyes. You wanted to avoid interacting with them as much as possible. 

“Trust me, I wouldn’t want to interact with any predators. You’re already a handful for me…” You couldn’t bear to meet Surta’s eyes. 

“Good. Keep that in mind when you go out for lunch.” Surta said before turning his body away from you. The atmosphere instantly lets up as you deeply exhale. You didn't even realize you were holding your breath. 

But all of this just left a bitter taste in your mouth. Did Surta know something you didn’t? You suddenly didn’t want to have lunch anymore.

Chapter Text

“May I ask how you met the young master?” Wei asked. Unlike during breakfast, Huan beckoned us over to his table. His table was mostly empty apart from the older man at the table. He looked like a much older and gruff version of Huan. His pink eyes were much darker than Huan’s and they were definitely glaring at you right now. Actually, apart from Huan, you could feel everyone glaring at you. The nobles from all around the room, the servants standing close to the walls, and most of all, Weishi. The boy clearly wasn’t happy you attracted so much attention. 

Why does God hate you? You couldn’t even find it in yourself to Wei’s question. Huan seemed to notice and answer for you.

“We simply met by chance and bonded. Ah, of course, This is my Father, the landlord of Felshutz, De Kang.  Father, this is my new acquaintance, (Y/N) (L/N), I assume you have already heard of this poor victim?” You gulped when the old man narrowed his eyes at you. 

“So you’re the one that caused the ruckus during the meeting. No one could sit still after what you did.” You didn’t say anything. You had no clue what sort of trouble you caused from Surta’s… “Heist”. 

“Now Father, the boy was a victim. He had no control over what happened to him.” 

Except you did. 

“We must be more strict with ourselves as Autumn Nobles for allowing such a thing to happen. We were too careless.” Huan covered his mouth with his sleeve as the older noble clicked his tongue. 

“If we were to run the Autumn Capital, it would have been different. The lousy Kahlers don’t even bother to have proper security during the most important time in Autumn.” The older noble mumbled something. Was it Chinese?... it was Lao… something, you couldn’t hear the whole thing. At the mention of the capital, Huan narrowed his eyes but said nothing. 

Weird… Did Huan not like Eisenstadt? You tried to recall a moment in the game that mentioned anything like that. You furrowed your brows in frustration. You couldn’t remember. Compared to Surta or Yue, you weren’t one of the people who loved Huan. You would often speedrun his minigames just so that you can get on with the story. 

You were starting to regret not paying attention to his part of the game. The worst part was aside from your notes, even the archive only gave a sentence or two for each minigame segment. You had barely any information about Huan. How were you supposed to make this person your ally? 

“You don’t need to worry so much, (Y/N). Come, Have a seat.” Huan says as he gestures to the empty seat next to him. You cautiously take a seat and Weishi huffs. 

“I’ll go get your meal,” the boy says and leaves. 

So now you were just left with the father and son duo. Uhh… How are you supposed to interact with them? You basically lived as a shut-in all your life. You had no idea how to interact with people. The most interaction you had was with your online friends but you doubt they would understand if you suddenly started saying “Pog” and “Kappa”. 

“Forgive me for attracting some unwarranted attention to you. As  you can see… some of the nobles already have a slight grudge against you.” Huan said as his eyes drifted towards the nobles who were still staring at you. The nobles would look away as you looked at them. You frown. 

“They can think whatever they like. I don’t really care.” The old noble chuffs as he takes a sip of alcohol. 

“You should care about what they think. If it weren’t for the Crown Prince’s intervention, you would have been silenced.” 

Oh, so you would have died anyway. Isn’t that fun? You place your hands on your lap, hands tightly gripping your knees to hold your temper. You were getting annoyed. It was like everyone wanted to kill you now. 

“Why should a victim be silenced from the gross negligence of the Autumn leaders? I haven’t said anything since that incident.” You could feel the nobles staring at you with burning and hardened gazes. Should you hold back? 

“If anything, the gossip around the incident is what’s ruining your reputation. So who would you choose to silence? The victim or the people? Either way, you risk a protest.” De Kang didn’t say anything. None of the nobles could say anything. But you could feel their seething rage practically stabbing your back. Only Huan chose to break the silence as his soft laughter echoed in the dining hall. 

“Well said, little alchemist. It’s good that there are still well-opinionated youth within our branch. Don’t you agree, Father?” Huan said as he gestured to De Kang. The old noble said nothing and just called for the servant to speed up their service. 

You find yourself walking behind Huan towards the open balcony of the Zeppelin. You glance out the window to notice that it was nearly sunrise. Though you didn’t like getting dragged to wherever the noble wanted, you didn’t want to aggravate him. Huan was your ticket to survive after all! It’s only smart to make him an ally. 

But you didn’t expect to get dragged around by him all day, after lunch, he dragged you everywhere. He made you make small talk with other nobles and interact with them in the rec room. Honestly, his high social life was intimidating to you. No one dared to challenge you in his presence. There was also the fact that Huan was very touchy. You would always feel his firm grip on your shoulder, your arm, even on your waist! 

You would have chosen to melt in a puddle since a beautiful man was touching you so much. Sadly, Covid has made you paranoid and the feeling of another man’s hand on your waist just wasn’t helping. Did you say anything to make him stop? No. Not really. Because. It’s a beautiful man with his hand on your waist. How can you not simp? 

“I hope you don’t mind being in the sun. I just find this place to be the most appropriate place for us to chat alone.” Huan said as he opened the balcony door. 

WOOSH!! 

The wind blew through the opened door, almost making your hat fly away. You take it off your head and hold it tightly to your chest. Oddly enough, the animal scarf on Huan’s neck remained in place. Huan lets you walk through the door as he follows and closes it behind him. 

The wind was beginning to warm as the sun rose. You close your eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. 

“The summer winds are much warmer than Autumn, don’t you think?” You opened your eyes to see Huan with his back leaning against the railing. 

"Both places are hot…" you responded. It may just be you sweat easily or the fact there was no ventilation in your room, but you would always find yourself to be a bit sweaty. Even now, sweat was starting to form on your brow as the summer winds blew. "Especially with the sun rising" 

Huan nods as his eyes flit eastward. "Yes. The warm sun… tell me. Do you find the sun bothersome or comforting?" 

You thought for a moment. In your past life, the sun was bothersome. You disliked the heat during the rare occasion you decided to go outside. It would beat down on you, leaving you to be a sweaty puddle. In fact, it was hot the day you died. It was hot, you were sweating, it didn’t help that your cold was making you feel like you were freezing. Terrible, right? "It's bothersome…" you start off. 

As troublesome as the sun is… You took it for granted. Unlike the residents of this world, your eyes haven't adjusted to this world. Sure after a year of living within the night, your eyes can see slightly better now. But it doesn't compare to how others can see it. You took for granted how much the sun played a role even in your closeted life. "But it's also comforting". 

You missed this warm feeling of the breeze. The way it would gently embrace you. The sun was the same. You missed being able to see properly. You missed being able to see properly. You also missed… your home. It was natural to feel homesick. But what could you do right? You died. And as Isekai rules state, you cannot go back once you've been Isekai'd. Maybe you just attached any feeling of home you had with the sun. Like Surta… You’re choosing to latch onto the last few things that remind you of your old home. 

"I cannot help but agree, little alchemist. I'm sure that the people of summer feel this way too. " Huan says. You lift up to stare at his soft and somber eyes. Was he also recalling something? 

"Are… Are you from summer as well?" The corners of Huan's eyes curled upwards as he smirks. 

"And what gave it away?" The noble said in a teasing tone. 

"Your hair." You found it odd. Most autumn nobles were a mix of Autumn and Spring blood. They would usually have black, brown, reds, and orange hair. But Huan was different, he had dark blue hair, it was similar to the neon blue hair common to Summer folk. 

"You are correct in your guess. I am half of course. Shame isn’t it? The heir to the Kang territory is a half-blood. I'm only half the man they expect me to be." Though Huan was speaking in an honestly convincing joking tone, his eyes said otherwise. Huan’s pink eyes lacked light and were seething with rage and envy. 

"Pureblood isn't a thing that exists." You start off. Huan's eyes look at you and it makes you squeak. Despite knowing the anger wasn't directed at you, you still were scared of the face he was making. His eyes were distrustful but his expression was soft and playful. If it weren't for his eyes, you would have thought he just wanted to tease you and play around with you. 

"Do continue." 

You gulp. "Pureblood doesn't exist in genetics." You start off. Silently praying this random bullshit you learned while studying doesn't suddenly leave your tiny smooth brain. "In genetics, the more "pure" your blood is, the more imperfect you become. You maintain the defects in your genetics when you… you know." Your face felt hot but you couldn’t tell if it was from the embarrassment of having to explain to a noble that incest is not good or if it was because your brain was struggling too much to remember shit. 

"Impurity means you fill out the defects you would have otherwise. It makes you stronger and more genetically diverse. So in other words…" you trail off as you try to find the right word to say. None of them really sounded right to you. 

'In other words, being mixed breed is actually really cool' You did not want to say that. It made you sound like you were comparing Huan to a dog. 

'In other words, you're better than most of the inbred nobles.' You had no idea if Huan would take offense to that or if he would like that. Offending him would mean losing your chance to survive, you couldn't take that risk. 

So what was the right thing to say?

"I-In other words—" 

"In other words, I'm a lot stronger than what most people think." You blink as you blankly stare at Huan. 

"Well. You worded that better than I ever could" you say making the noble chuckle. 

"It's the thought that counts, little alchemist," Huan says with a smile. The rage in his eyes had subsided and become playful again. 

"And what of you, little alchemist?" 

"Me?" 

"You have no records past becoming an apprentice. Not even registered at any temple for a ceremony. Care to explain what happened there?" Huan closed his eyes and tilted his head. Despite there being no eyes staring at you, it still felt like someone was watching you, trying to read your soul. 

It was an unnerving feeling as if cold ice was rubbing against your back. You could feel the hairs on your arm stand up from the chilling feeling. Was Huan using his power on you right now? Should you tell the truth or tell the same lie you told Alven and Moxie? 

"My parents never believed in such a thing. I was mostly neglected by them until I decided to leave." The best lies are made when part of it is true. 

"Ah. I see. Such a pity for this generation to be so neglected in this world. They all have so much potential." You frown for a moment at Huan's words. 

"That makes you sound like you're old." You said. And he couldn't be, right? He looks to be around your age. 20? 21? It can't be that far off. Huan simply laughs whilst his eyes are still closed. You couldn’t help but notice how his fur scarf bounced from his rising shoulders. Its black beady eyes were staring right at you. Wait is that scarf actually—

"I'm flattered that you believe I'm young. But I'm closer to the age of 30 compared to you." He says once he calms down. You only gasp. 

"No way! You're practically dust at that point!" You exclaimed. At this point, you couldn’t even regret that you insulted him when the noble bursts into laughter once again. 

"I suppose you're right. I am quite old and as you say 'dusty'." He says, wiping a tear from his eye. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you." You quickly apologize but the noble waves it off. 

"It's alright. As I said, I'm flattered you believe I'm younger than I am. So you believe that I am a young beaut?" You deadpan at his question. Was he also narcissistic? You hoped he wasn't too up his own ass. He didn't seem like that in the game but maybe he dropped it when he was older. 

"Well, you look nicer than most people I've met." You said. This was true, before you got transported into the strange fantasy world, people did not look as beautiful as the people in this world. Most especially protagonist-level beauty like Surta, Yue, or Huan. They were all uniquely beautiful people. 

"Only nicer than most? If you think I'm one of the most beautiful people you've met, you could just say so. There’s no need to lie about such a tiny thing." Huan says as he uses his hand to cover the smirk in his mouth. 

"I wasn't really lying there. You do look nicer than most." You said. 

“And who are the other people you find particularly beautiful?” Huan asks. You could answer all the celebrities or even fictional people you found to be hot. But wouldn't that imply that you were… 

Rule 5. Don’t tell anyone about your past or where you’re from

Saying any name he isn’t familiar with might expose you. Would it be better to just… 

“Surta is beautiful. If it weren’t for the fact he was a murderer and a pyromaniac, he could probably find himself, someone.”

“Oh? So you still find him attractive?”

“Objectively he’s handsome. Other than that, he’s a complete psychopath.” 

“You think I’m what?” 

“I think you’re a complete— huh?” You turn towards the door and find Surta leaning against the door. He had a scowl on his face with a hint of annoyance in his twitching brow. His muscular arm held the door open and his cape fluttered in the wind like an angered flame. 

Well Shit. How were you going to explain this?

Meme:

Huan: What do you think Surta will do for a distraction?

MC: Arson. I guarantee you,  he will do Arson. 100% no cap. 

Huan: I doubt that---

*Building explodes and several car alarms go off*

Huan: ... 

MC: Told you he's a maniac.

Omg, I'm not dead. Hahaha. I'm so sorry I took so long for this update. I got held up by college and streaming. I was preparing for something related to this story for stream actually. If you guys wanna see that, check my twitch to find out!

Aside from that, for the 400 follower special, I plan to do a Q&A for the series. You can ask questions to any of the characters and they'll answer them. Please take care everyone, I'll try to update more often and do your best to survive. 

Chapter Text

You opened your mouth to ready yourself to explain whatever hellfire you created. But—

“We agreed not to get (Y/N) involved with our plan.” Surta spat out. 

Huh? Your brain needed a few minutes to process everything. 

“Yes of course. We made an agreement for our plan. But I have something else I intend to do with the both of you.” Huan said, the sly tone of his voice was enough to get on Surta’s nerves. 

“Sly bitch thinks he can make a fool of me, hm?” Surta’s hand rested on the gold brooch of his cape. 

“Well, this ‘sly bitch’ has no intention of doing such a thing. No, I just feel it necessary to have you both here. You should have been clearer with what you wanted.” Huan waved it off with a chuckle. Surta clicked his tongue as he moved closer to you, his hand ghosting over your waist. 

Ah. It suddenly clicked to you. 

[CRAZED TERRORIST STRIKES AGAIN! 10 NOBLES DIE DURING THE CROWN PRINCE’S BIRTHDAY]

“Crazy. You’re both crazy.” You blurted out. Both men looked at you, Surta with a confused look whilst Huan’s sly smile grew wider. 

“Look at this one. Have you already figured out my first plan?” Huan leaned forward as if coaxing you to continue. 

You didn’t like the way they were looking at you. The build-up of stress was making you sweat. Your eyes were as big as saucers just at the thought. 

“You’re gonna burn it down.” 

“Mhmm. Well, that wasn’t my idea little alchemist. You can thank your dear friend for that idea.” Huan nods his head towards Surta who simply clicks his tongue. 

“You say that as if I’m predictable,” Surta says. You look at the man as if he grew a second head. 

“Are you actually dumb?” You couldn’t help but ask. You thanked whatever God watching for being merciful today. Surta could have easily thrown you off the Zeppelin and killed you. No instead the man decided to play along with you. 

“If I’m dumb then you’re dumber. I told you not to get involved with anyone.” 

Oh, this man. He had the audacity. THE AUDACITY. 

“Ah yes. Who’s more dangerous to me, hm? The crazy terrorist pyromaniac or the beautiful rich noble?” You crossed your arms as you glared at the man. 

“You are dumb. At least I’m honest if I won’t kill you or not. That noble will lie through his teeth and still kill you.” Surta narrowed his eyes back at you. This man’s glare was enough to make you flinch. 

“As adorable as your lover’s banter is, I would like to ask one thing.” You both turn your attention to Huan. 

‘We’re not lovers.’ You wanted to say. Surta wouldn’t fall in love with you. He was already destined to love someone else. Saying it would just make things more awkward, so you just let Huan continue. 

“Now why do you think I want to burn That place?” He asks. 

You furrow your brows as you think. There should’ve been a reason right? Could it… 

Huan wanted to kill someone. 

But whom it was, you didn’t really understand. Most of the day you spent with Huan interacting with other nobles. Could it have been any of the Autumn nobles? 

[The ensuing fire and collapse of Shi tu palace and the deaths of 10 nobles. 5 from Autumn, 3 from Summer, and 2 from Spring. The terrorist escaped amidst the chaos and is still at large!] 

The Palace Incident Article rang in your head. It could’ve been any of those that died in the event. It didn’t need to just be someone from Autumn. But there is a possibility… 

“How many?” You ask. There is a moment of silence before Huan bursts into laughter. It unnerved you and it seemed to affect Surta as well. The man stepped in front of you to hide your frame behind himself. 

“Oh my. How many? What a thought. Ahaha… It seems you’ve figured out most of it already. I didn’t make a mistake choosing you. I’m glad. Haha…” Huan said before clearing his throat. 

“Alright. I’ll indulge you then since you’ve gotten this far little alchemist.” All of a sudden the scarf around Huan’s neck moves. The blue weasel blinks as it lifts its body up to stand on the noble’s shoulders. 

“Jaques, be a dear and make sure no one hears us,” Huan says. The weasel trills before laying back down on Huan’s shoulders and closing it’s eyes. 

“There we go. Now then, How many…” Huan taps his chin. 

“Let’s see… It all started when my mother—” 

“I’m not interested in your fucking sob story.” Surta interrupted. “Just say you want to kill your old man and his folks and be done with it.” 

Huan sighs. “That “sob story” wasn’t meant for you but for our dear little alchemist. Also, it’s rude to interrupt someone when they’re trying to be open. How else are we supposed to bond?” 

Surta and Huan began to banter over what was polite or not but that was all just noise for you. What was it that your notes said? 

[ ● Apparently had daddy issues before he became Landlord] 

The pieces started to fit together in your head. Your eyes drifted to Huan’s pretty blue hair. It was different from Autumn hair. It was more like hair from… 

[“It all started with my mother”] 

Ah, that explained it then. Huan was a bastard child then. Still… To you, it made no sense. Killing your family just to keep your title… You see it often in royal dramas but to see someone attempt it in real life in such a flourish. It didn’t sit right with you. After all, this didn’t seem like something the “unofficial 3rd main character” would do. This man survived with his cunning and ability to manipulate others. 

Huan is not a ruthless killer. That title better fits Surta. Could it be that if it were just these two then they couldn’t come up with a better solution? No, if you were in Huan’s shoes… if you acted like the Huan who existed in the game… 

“I would crush them into submission without mercy.” You said. The men stop their banter and look at you. 

You’ve really done it now but there was no turning back. 

“You aren’t the type to kill. No, that’s not how it works in Politics. Killing just brings more trouble than necessary.” Huan chuckles at your words. 

“Is that right? Little Alchemist, it seems like you’ve already figured out my plan for you.” 

You simply nod as you tilt your head upwards to the sky. The sun was now high in the sky. The sky was as clear as your mind. Not a single cloud in sight. All of it was lining up. It made sense to you… Afterall… 

How convenient is it that you of all people get to meet the Crown Prince in person? 

“You want me to put in a good word for you,” you said. Huan simply smiles. 

“Our Little Alchemist is smart, isn’t he?” 

“No, he’s fucking not.” Surta said. You flinched when you could feel the burning rage radiating off the man. 

“That Wannabe Dictator won’t listen to anything you fucking say. If he believes one thing, then it’s all he’ll think. I doubt that (Y/N) would even be able to hold a conversation without striking the bastard’s nerves.” Surta said. 

You gulped at the thought as your rules crossed your mind. 

Rule 9. Don’t interfere with the story significantly

Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters

Following this plan would surely break any of those two rules.  Would you get any power from them like before… 

“That’s why I’m here of course.” Huan steps up and holds your chin. He leans close, the two of you just a breath apart.  “I’ll make sure that tongue of yours is well trained.” 

You gulped as you took a step back. “Train me?” 

“Well, what else are we supposed to do for the next two days, hm?” Huan frowns when Surta steps between the both of you. 

“You’re asking him to risk himself for you. For what? Keeping our secret? We already made OUR deal. You don’t need to involve him.” Surta said, glaring at the noble. 

“Ah of course. Thank you for reminding me. Now Little Alchemist. Listen here, I’ll give you a choice.” Huan says as he pets the weasel around his shoulders. 

“The first choice is to keep quiet of course. That would mean Surta and I would proceed with our plan. You won’t be involved and you can worry for yourself.” Huan says as he covers his mouth. Though you couldn’t see his mouth, the edges of his eyes were curled upwards as the noble leered at you. 

“The second choice is of course you agree to my plan. And as for the benefits…” Huan taps his chin as he hums. You couldn’t tell if the man was actually thinking or was just stalling. Either way, you didn’t like the silence. It seemed to get Surta agitated too. 

Surta was about to speak up when Huan suddenly claps his hands. 

“Oh! Of course. I’ll give you two benefits for this. Well the first if you succeed, Surta and I won’t pull through with our plan. Sounds good doesn’t it?” Huan said as he tilted his head. 

That first benefit did sound good actually. But that was only if you succeeded in convincing Yue to meet with Huan. Still… It might be worth it… 

“But for the second benefit, I would do this for you regardless if you succeed or not, I would become your sponsor.” 

Nevermind. 

THIS WAS DEFINITELY WORTH IT. 

In the world of Alchemy, having a sponsor was the next step for your studies. You could study all you wanted without worrying about money. Sponsors were similar to real-life sponsors. They would get benefits over things the alchemist would discover in exchange for funding them. But that would mean that Huan’s name would be tied to you. If you did anything reckless, Huan’s name would also be at risk.

Wow. Huan is really planning to risk his name for you. That… That alone would make it worth it. However, it’s not just that. Especially since you know the future. So how else could you benefit? 

You had the opportunity to get closer to Huan. You being the beneficiary would mean that you might have to even move from Eisenstadt to Felshutz. Wasn’t that what you wanted? Accepting this plan would just make surviving much easier. 

Plus, you had the advantage. You know Yue like the back of your hand. You played him of course through the game. That would just make things easier right? You could make this work. You could definitely make this work. All you had to do was get past ‘Oppressive Aura’. You’ll be fine. You’ll definitely be fine. 

“That sounds good to me,” you said. You held out your hand to Huan. 

“I’m glad that you agree. I look forward to working with you Little Alchemist.” Huan said as he shook your hand. 

Yeah, you’ll be fine. 

What could possibly go wrong?

Huan: You two fight like an old couple. 

MC: We're not lovers

Surta: I'm not old 

MC: WHY IS THAT WHAT CONCERNS YOU? 

Surta: Of course, I'm concerned about that. Aren't I just brimming with youth? 

MC: And then what am I? Ugly and Old? 

Surta and Huan: ... 

MC: Even a Yes would be better than silence... 

Ahaha! Hello everyone. This is a short update compared to most but still, Thank you so much everyone for reading this chapter of Guide to Not Survive regardless. I haven't had the opportunity to update since I've been ill for the past week. But I'm mostly ok now so I hope to continue updating. 

I'm excited about the next update though. It seems like we'll be meeting the long-awaited Crown Prince soon! Sure some of you have seen some of his personality in the Valentine Special but I'm curious if you guys have any other theories about him. Or maybe theories for any of the characters. Regardless! Take care everyone and do your best to survive!

Chapter Text

Needless to say, you were put through the wringer. For an introvert, you didn’t like how much you were forced to do social interaction. The past 2 days of “training” had you learning social things like how to properly smile and how to speak respectfully. Of course… None of it goes well for you. 

“It’s his eyes,” Surta says as he sat on the bed. You sat on the floor sitting on your knees. “There’s no way the wannabe dictator would believe him.” 

Huan simply hummed as he scanned your shaking form. “No, if we can just make him look scared without anything else, then it should be fine. His highness would think that such a scared person would never dream of lying. It can work in our favor.” 

Ah to quickly recap what is happening— You were currently training to withstand “Oppressive Aura”. Jaques, whom you found out to be Huan’s pathfinder, was sitting in front of you. The weasel’s black beady eyes stared at you as the weight of the room was all directed at you. Despite how small the weasel was, its unique ability to change the atmosphere of the room was quite helpful in your training. 

Despite all that, it wasn’t enough. That’s why Surta was glaring at you so intensely. These two bastards were working hard to make you suffer. Not only were you subjected to the atmospheric changing effects from the weasel that left you breathless. You were forced to sit through the aura of Surta’s bloodlust. Though you knew the man had no intention of killing you(For now), the stabbing feeling in your gut the pyromaniac’s bloodlust implied otherwise. 

You could barely even get a word out of you with the combined atmosphere. If it was bad now, you couldn’t imagine how you would survive Yue’s Oppressive Aura. “We just have to teach him how to speak through the fear.” Huan said. The noble clapped his hands as the atmosphere finally changes. You lean back and gasp for air. Jaques simply shrugs his body, stretching his body as the tiny wings on his hind legs unfurl. Huan picks up the long animal and places the weasel over his shoulders. 

Surta closes his eyes and the feeling of bloodlust dissipates as well. “We won’t make it in time. The zeppelin will be landing at 5 Odd. That’s just 3 hours from now.” 

“I believe that we could make it,” Huan says. You however were doubtful. Sure your ability to socialize with nobles was better than before. But Huan was asking for a lot. Even you didn’t have a clue how to defeat Yue’s Oppressive Aura. 

“Isn’t it better to just avoid a situation where the crown prince could use it?” you ask. Huan shakes his head. 

“As much as I would like that little alchemist, I’m sure we all know why His Highness wouldn’t hesitate to use such an ability on you.” 

You slump over in disappointment. It was too good to be true. “But” Huan starts. He pats your head, making you look up from where you kneeled. “If you can survive it just once, then I’m sure…” Huan trails off as he pulls his hand away, a small smile could be seen on his face. 

“I’m sure his highness would have no interest in you if you can survive,” Huan says. 

Oh, how you wish it was true. No instead you were forced to acknowledge the sudden pop-up that appeared in front of you. 

[System Update! Quests have been added into the Archive! Would you like to view it?]

[(Yes) or (No)]

You get up and quickly excuse yourself to the bathroom. You ignore whatever Surta’s comment was as you rush into the bathroom. You sigh as you direct your attention to the pop-up in front of you. You click yes and a new pop-up appears. 

[Quest unlocked: Fear is needed to survive. 

Quest Requirements: Survive the effects of Oppressive Aura.

Quest Reward: Unlock new Title] 

You sigh in annoyance. You didn’t think that this game system would give you quests. It bothered you. Would this be how you would gain more titles? Do quests just come naturally or would you be forced to do actions? 

Rule 9: Don’t interfere with the story significantly

It would be cruel if your new quest system violated any of your rules. Still… This system was inconsistent. You hummed as you stared at the screen. Maybe you unlock parts of the Archive naturally without breaking a rule. And the main parts of the menu…

They were all locked, right? You exited the archive section and immediately pressed each tab that was available to you. 

Party Status: No response

Equipment: No response 

Inventory: No response

You even had an options section which was surprising to you. However, that as well did not respond as you tapped the icon. But unlike most RPG games, and unlike the game that you played. There was no save function. There was only a load function. Though, predictably, you couldn’t access it either. 

Biting your lip, you stare at the semi-transparent screen in front of you. The way the screen worked reminded you of the VR games you used to play. But the UI seemed to move along with you. Sure you could grab it and move it closer or farther from you, but the UI never left your vision. It would move relative to where you were looking, always remaining in the same spot you left it in. 

You couldn’t really understand why the system acted in such a way. Maybe it was more of an ARG rather than VR. Closing the menu, you inhale deeply. As soon as you leave the bathroom, you would be suffering the hellish training for the last three hours. 

“You better not fall asleep in front of his highness.” Wei said. 

You yawn as you stare out the window of the carriage. The sun rays hitting your face. “Will I actually have to meet this prince this late?” 

“Well no. You’ll be meeting his highness tomorrow. Around 11 Even.” You perked up at Wei’s words. 

“11 even? Doesn’t that mean I’ll be eating with his highness?...” Wei furrows his brows, crossing his arms as he huffs. 

“Of course not.” 

You sag your shoulders as you look out the window. It really was different. Yuan Central City looked like it was straight from a Murim world. The buildings were beautiful. The Chinese structures were large and tall with cream-colored walls. The amber resin tiled roof glittered in the sun. The soft pink petals that rained from the sky came from the tall cherry blossom trees that neared the height of the buildings around it. Since it was odd hours, most people were in their homes, the windows were shut and blocked by thick curtains. The sun that shined through the tall blossom trees lit up the white stone pavement. 

You ogle at the beautiful wooden bridge that divided the city from the palace. The center of this world, the palace, was surrounded with thick honey-like liquid that flowed out from the center of the palace. You looked up to see the large tree with pink blossoms looming over the palace grounds. This would be the first time you’ve seen one. A main branch of the world tree. 

The large tree was known as the Spring Tree. It was one of the only four fruit bearing trees that grew straight from the world tree. There were four of these trees, one from each season. The Spring Tree was the most famous of them, being the biggest one and it’s position in the world. The literal center of this world. As you entered the palace, you could see the sweet sap that came from the Spring Tree flow outwards towards the moat you passed earlier. 

The Grand Spring Palace was a location you were quite familiar with. It was the first location you encountered in the game and it was the last dungeon in one of the game’s endings. It looked nearly identical to the game’s depiction with its massive buildings and beautiful gardens all interconnected with each other. The main building that was placed in front of the Spring Tree was raised up with a stone foundation. It was three stories tall with a green tiled roof that was barely under the lowest branch of the Spring Tree. The massive green pillars were connected to the tiled roofing around the first floor. The silver. The entire palace was massive with interconnected roofing of the same green tiles. 

The palace grounds were divided into several parts with rivers of sweet sap separating each area. The gardens had pearly sand(which was a rarity in this world) that had elegant and delicate designs raked onto it. The shrubs and trees were equally as beautiful with blue leaves and luminescent flowering. 

Even at this time of the day late into the odd hours, you could see groups of servants going through their daily motions making sure the ground was free of any stray petals. The servants were dressed modestly with a similar style to Wei’s clothes. You blink in surprise as you spotted even pathfinders roaming around the palace. The strange mythical beings helping their summoners with daily chores. You spotted one close by your carriage, a unicorn helping a servant carry piles of laundry. Noticing that the servant was looking at you, you quickly smile and wave at them. The servant waved back before turning away as the unicorn they rode on trotted away. 

“This place is beautiful.” You couldn’t help but say. 

“Of course it is. This palace is the pride of Yuan and a gift granted by our goddess.” Wei said, his chest puffed up in pride. 

That’s right… There was a legend saying the palace was the beginning of this world. It was a gift from the Moon Goddess, Celemine, to her descendants. You weren’t exactly sure how much of it was true considering the additions to the palace that were added later on. Maybe the center palace, where the emperor resided, was the only thing the goddess had made. But the other buildings were for the other royal family members. 

“You will be staying in the Guest building in the 4th sector.” Wei continued. You straighten up and look back at the boy. 

“4th sector? You mean where the 4th prince resides?” The 4th sector was often called the forbidden sector and was one of the few places you couldn’t freely explore in the game. Players often attributed it to the Chinese belief that the number 4 was considered to be bad luck. Other more skeptical players simply thought the game developers were just too lazy to develop the area. After all, sectors 6 and 7 were also blocked off for players. They were all sectors that were behind the Spring Tree meant for the younger princes. The fourth sector was the farthest from the main building, being the smallest area at the right-most corner of the entire palace grounds. 

“You would cause the least amount of trouble there. It would be troublesome if you interacted with any of the other nobles in the other guest houses in the other sectors.” Wei said. 

“So I would be all alone in that sector?” 

“No. There are ‘some’ servants there.” Wei had placed emphasis on the word some. You frown. Huh… maybe they were right about the devs thinking 4 is bad luck. Why else would the 4th sector be so far away from everything else? The lack of servants and the smallest amount of land compared to the other princes. You felt somewhat sad for this 4th prince, he was probably the most neglected royal. Even the game barely mentioned him, it was as if everything about his existence was bad luck. 

You hated being proven right as you noticed how small the sector was. The space was about as big as one of the smaller palaces you passed by. There were two small buildings connected with a tiled terracotta roof with a garden at the center. The size of the buildings wasn’t impressive. They were both one story and were as wide as the average house. You assumed the slightly bigger building to be the 4th prince’s home. The garden though not unruly and overgrown was clearly unkempt. The fallen pink petals littered the grey gravel garden. The 4th sector was still impressive but it was clear to you just how different it was being treated. Heck. The 5th prince’s building which you passed by earlier was 3 times larger than the entire 4th sector alone! 

The carriage finally stops and Weishi gets up to open the door. You get off and quickly notice the slightly raised floor with wooden tiles that creaked slightly under your weight. Wei's pathfinder hands over the carriage to a nearby servant and takes your luggage. 

"Follow me. I'll lead you to your guest room." Weishi said as began to walk towards the smaller building. You and the masked lady follow him. When Weishi opens the door, you notice the fairly simple layout. From the front door, there was a living room area with two bedrooms at the opposite ends. The back room being the shared bathroom. The decor was rather simple with basic wooden furniture. 

"You'll be sleeping in the left bedroom." Wei said as he led you both to the left side. He moved the sliding door to reveal the simple bedroom. There was a small table at the center of the room with two stools opposite each other. There was a single large window with a thick curtain that allowed light to enter. The small lamp above provided some extra lighting for when it gets dark at even hours. The bed was in a corner of the room, the simple wooden bed frame elevated the thin mattress by a few centimeters off the ground. The covers were made of cotton and there was a singular small pillow. 

"How quaint" was all you could say. 

The masked woman placed your luggage next to the large wooden dresser that was opposite your bed. "Ah about clothes…" you start off. 

"I only have one more pair of fresh clothes left. Could you…" you were rather embarrassed to ask Wei to wash your clothes. You weren’t used to having a servant or anyone for that matter wash your clothes aside from your mother. 

"Yes, I'll wash them. Tomorrow his highness also wants you measured for a new, more appropriate, set of clothes." Wei says as he snaps his fingers. 

In an instant, the masked woman disappeared and reappeared with a basket. You quickly open your large suitcase and grab all your dirty clothes. As soon as you dropped your clothes into the basket, the lady disappeared again. 

"By more appropriate…" 

“His highness is so benevolent,” Wei said with a distant look of admiration. “He is kind enough to provide a commoner like you such ‘luxurious’ and ‘high quality’ clothing” 

You deadpan as the boy put heavy emphasis on two very distinct words. “Alright, Crown Prince Fanboy,” you say with a flat tone. 

Wei huffs at the nickname but doesn’t say anything as he makes his way to the door. “Rest for now. You’ll be meeting his highness later into the even hours. Sleep while daylight is still out.” The boy says before closing the door behind him. 

Yawn 

The day’s events have finally taken their toll on you. You were beyond tired so much so that you collapsed onto the bed without bothering to change out of your clothes. 

It was a strange feeling. You weren’t comfortable with having ten servants (Not including Weishi) escorting you to the Crown Prince’s palace. Wei was in front of the two rows of servants, leading the way with his chin up high. The way to the Yue’s palace was… long. It was to the left of the main palace meaning you had to walk from one end to the other. 

Needless to say, your lack of exercise has proved to make walking that distance a challenge. You felt out of breath by the time you reached the Shi tu palace. It was nearly as large and grand as the main palace building. You didn’t have the time to ogle sadly as the servants wasted no time leading you inside. 

You were lead into a large hall. A single pillow was placed in the middle of the hall. Wei gives you one last look before leading you inside. 

“Your highness” Wei faced the end of the hall and bowed towards the paper wall that only showed the silhouette a male figure on a throne. “I brought the commoner perfectly unharmed as you requested.” 

You didn’t even get the opportunity to react when Wei quickly made you sit on the small pillow on the ground. Wei turns towards the figure, bowing again before taking his leave. So now it was just you and the crown prince… 

“Y-Your highness it is an honor to meet you!” You quickly bow from your seat, your head practically touching the ground. 

Groooowwwwlll 

The hairs on your arm rose as you suddenly felt an overwhelming presence over you. You couldn’t bring yourself to lift up your head. You flinch as something large and scaled nudged the side of your body. You couldn’t move until the large… thing nudged you again. 

Breathe… In…. and… Out…. 

You finally lift up your head and see the massive Dragon with a long massive body that barely fits into the large hall. The serpent-like dragon had shimmering jade scales and white tufts of fur along its back. Its massive head was raised up hovering above where the crown prince sat. The dragon looked down at you with its narrowed glowing jade eyes. 

“Now tell me” You bit your lip at the cold voice and firm masculine voice sounded throughout the hall. It was almost as if the dragon’s body was amplifying the Crown Prince’s voice. 

“Tell me why I shouldn’t just ask Dilong to kill you right here and now”

I'm not dead!!! Hello everyone!! I can't believe we are finally going to meet the crown prince. Right now is just build-up for the interaction. I hope everything goes well for our MC. Also, I can't believe 600 hearts on Quotev already?! That's amazing. Thank you guys so much for the patience and support. I'm a slow writer so thank you all so much for the patience. Oh by the way, for my older readers, Zhongli was the original name of Yue's dragon but I changed it to Dilong since I didn't want to reference Genshin too much with that dragon's character. Thank you tho for understanding and do your best to survive! 

Chapter Text

“I… Ugh!!” You couldn’t say anything as a sudden weight pushed down on you. 

Oppressive Aura

The pain from your training was nothing compared to this. Fear. There was so much fear. The hairs on your arm stood on edge. The tips of your fingers were cold as you pressed them against the wood flooring. A tightness gripped your heart. It was hard to breathe. 

Deep Breaths…

In…

Out…

It hurt to breathe. As if your saliva had completely evaporated, your throat was so dry. The cold air hurt as it went down your lungs. You almost didn’t want to breathe at all. The Crown Prince was wasting no time using the full force of Oppressive Aura on you. 

“Remember this before you speak again. I do not tolerate liars. If you so much as attempt to lie to me, I will cut off your tongue.” Yue said. The voice was so cold, vicious, and heartless. Usually, he wouldn’t be like this. Not unless Surta was involved of course. Yue was a cruel prince. 

‘I want to live’ you thought as you clenched your hands into fists. The slight ache from your nails digging into your palms helped calm the painful fear that wracked your body. 

Lift your head. 

You forced yourself to lift up your head. It was as if you were fighting against a large boulder that weighed on your head. The weight was unbearable, but you had to do it. Using your arms as an anchor, you push yourself off the ground. 

Pant

Pant

Pant

Your arms shook as they remained glued to the floor. If you so much as moved your arms, you were sure you would collapse from the heavy atmosphere. Sweat began to drip from your brow as you forced yourself to look up. 

Growlll…. 

You exhale as you meet the eyes of Dilong. The large dragon had his head tilted downwards, glaring at you with contempt. 

“I…” You gulped as you tried to form words. This was the worst. You didn’t want to lie. But. You didn’t want to die either. 

“You need me your highness.” you said. The silhouette shifted at your words. 

“I need you? Explain.” Yue said. You wracked your brain to figure out what was the right thing to say. The best lies are ones where you stretch the truth. 

“The person you hate the most is in love with me.” Your stupid brain. What the fuck did you just tell the crown prince? Surta was in love with you?! What kind of bullshit did you pull out of your ass? 

“In love?...” Oh fuck. Why does he sound like he’s interested? It suddenly hit you. Yue was a hopeless romantic, wasn’t he? Didn’t he love reading romance novels? Wait. You could totally use this. 

“Start from the beginning,” Yue said. Sure. You could do that… You could easily make a 10k word fanfic version of your fucked up life. What tags does Yue like on AO3? Is he a Wattpad kind of guy? 

For some reason imagining Yue as some incel reading fanfictions all day as bed time stories could make you laugh. Oddly enough, you felt like you could laugh right now. Was Yue lessening his Oppressive Aura so that you could talk? 

“It started a year ago. I had a fateful encounter at the market.” You blink for a moment when Dilong moved. The dragon was focused on his summoner, his head leaned backward to watch the Crown Prince. 

“I was looking for my master when I met a hooded figure. He refused to show his face but we shared a moment together there while we searched for my master. I didn’t realize it at the time but… that hooded figure was Surta.” That was not what actually happened. The order was all wrong but this didn’t seem like that bad of a lie. The weight in your heart was getting lighter and lighter. 

“Since then I always felt as if someone was watching me. For a year, at the back of my head was someone who was relentlessly staring at me. I’m not particularly attractive or anything like that… so I wondered why anyone would think of stalking me.” you said as your face pulled down in a frown. 

“And you believed this stalker was Surta?” Yue said; the coldness in his voice was no longer present. It’s working! Holy shit he’s falling for it. Maybe he was the type of guy that liked the Yandere tag… I mean… He did have a toxic relationship with Surta in the game. Maybe he actually was into the fighting… Sure Yue dies at the end of the game but still!--- 

“I still didn’t know he was Surta at the time but yes. I was sure that it had to be the hooded person I met then who was stalking me. I thought he would lose interest if I just ignored it.” you flinched as you heard a scoff. 

“No that would never work. Characters like that would only continue. You’re stupid to think that ignoring him would work.” Yue said. The crown prince really just called you stupid like some clueless main character. Was he actually seeing this as a romance novel right now? The fact he was invested in the romance scenario you pulled out of your ass is saying something. But you had to agree with him, you can’t argue with him in this state. 

“You’re right… I was stupid at the time. I didn’t realize how terrible my mistake was until Surta decided to confront me the day before the license exam.” 

“I see… He threatened you to cooperate is that it? He wanted to make you a criminal so that you could only rely on him.” Yue said with pity(?) in his voice. Now he was just filling in the blanks for you. 

“Y-Yes. I apologize your highness. I knew how dangerous Surta was. I didn’t want to be the cause my master dies.” you said. You mentally slapped yourself for stuttering. Though maybe the stutter worked in your favor. You hear a shuffle behind the paper screen. 

“Then when you said that I needed you…” You quickly pull your head down when you noticed Yue walking towards the end of the paper screen. You chose to say nothing as you heard footsteps move closer and closer to you. 

“You’re offering to make yourself bait, aren’t you? You want to take advantage of his love for you so that I can kill him.” 

“Well, I don’t want to kill him.” You said. You already made the decision when you chose to save Surta. There was no way in this life you would allow anyone to die… Not anyone you liked that is. 

“Hmm? Is this for the same reason you chose to help him then? Could you perhaps… Have feelings for him?” Yue asked. You could see the Crown Prince’s boots in front of you. Pristine black with silver embroidery. 

Ugh! You felt it again. The weight of the oppressive aura. Did Yue not like the idea of Surta having a romantic partner? Or did he just hate that you chose to help a terrorist escape? Either way, you had to say something to calm Yue’s nerves.

“He… He has a pretty face.” You wanted to slap yourself. 

“Hmm? A… pretty face?” 

“He’s disgustingly handsome. His clothes leave little to the imagination. You should see his body. It’s so fit and well-built. I saw a view of his ass you know when he grabbed me. A well-defined ass if you ask me.” 

“I have no interest in—”

“I didn’t like it one bit when he manhandled me. But you could feel his muscles. He’s strong. Strong enough to jump from roof to roof while carrying my fat ass. Yes, watching him made my heart swoon a bit. It’s hard to hate anyone with good looks.” What have you done?! Not only did you swear in front of the crown prince but you also cut off! You were so dead. Curse your stupid brain for letting yourself get into a tangent. 

“Tch. Good-looking people can get away with anything it seems.” Yue sounded annoyed. But not at you??? You made a silent thank you to whatever god existed that Yue chose to focus on another detail. 

“If I just capture that terrorist, then what would you do?” 

“What would I do?” 

“Well yes. If I can’t kill him, and if you let him escape again. He will just break the law again. He’ll hurt more people. What could you possibly do to stop it? Hmm?” 

You didn’t know how to answer that. Just locking up Surta wouldn’t be enough right? No. Yue wanted him dead. Usually, Yue would just ignore people if he’s made up his mind. So why was he asking for a suggestion from you? 

“I’m not sure your highness. As I am right now… there is nothing I can do.” you had to be honest. The one thing Surta hated the most was having his freedom be taken from him. You couldn’t give Yue and Surta what they wanted. You were just an NPC after all. You were like a shrimp between fighting whales. If you took any step closer to any side, you were sure to get crushed. 

“Not bad of an answer. Fine then. We can think about it again tomorrow.” 

“T… Tomorrow?”

“Of course. I intend to hear more about your relationship with that terrorist. It’ll be interesting to figure this out.” Yue said. Suddenly the atmosphere in the room changes to a lighter one. You gasp and lift up your head. With the oppressive aura finally gone, you could finally breathe. 

“But remember this, commoner.” Looking up, you could see how beautiful he was. How unfair. Yue’s silver hair was long enough to brush your head. His piercing jade eyes were cold. As Dilong moved, Yue’s green and silver hanfu fluttered. 

“If I catch you lying to me. I will kill you.” Yue gives you a closed-eye smile as he walks back towards the front of the hall. 

You didn’t say anything as you got up and ran out of the room. You sigh and close your eyes for a moment. Recalling your encounter with the crown prince, you cover your face and scream into your hands. 

“That’s unfortunate. You’re still alive.” You look up to find Wei standing in front of you. 

“Ah is it…” before you could say anything more, your stomach suddenly grumbles. 

“Right on time. Let’s hurry back to the 4th sector.” Wei said before turning away to lead you and the servants. You were about to follow them when a familiar screen pops up in your view. 

[Quest Complete! Congratulations! 

Earned the Title: Master at Bullshit

Description: Nothing phases those who can talk out of their ass! The level of eloquence and persuasiveness are incomparable! You can fool even the best of lie detectors. 

Would you like to equip? 

(Yes) or (No)]

Seriously? Did you risk your life for a title with such a stupid name? Still… If you were going to meet Yue again tomorrow… and if he asks to meet you again and again. This title will definitely be useful. You tap the yes on the screen and push it aside so that you can follow Wei back to the guest house. 

[Equiped “Title”: Master at Bullshit

“Title”: Mixologist will automatically be unequipped] 

Meme time!

MC: What are your favorite fiction tags?

Surta: Superheroes. Anarchy. Apocalypse

Huan: Historical. Political. Mystery.

Yue: Romance. Drama. Angst. Angst with a Happy Ending. Enemies to Friends to Lovers. Slow Burn. Married Couple. Married life. Kissing.

MC: Ok I think we get it---

Yue: Yandere. Overstimulation. Gore. Kidnapping. Humiliation. Depression. Somnophilia. Large---

MC: THAT'S ENOUGH PLEASE STOP. 

Wow look at that! We finally get to meet Yue. This guy is quite the romance addict isn't he? Seems like we'll be getting a good amount of chapters with him. Also yes this update is shorter than it usually is but I hope ya'll understand. Take care everyone and do your best to survive! 

PS. At 690 hearts I have something special planned. But since not everyone can view it (ie. those under 18), there will be an SFW chapter that will take its place in celebration. Only those who wanna see the NSFW, you're gonna need to wait for that celebration release before you find out more details. 

Chapter Text

Lunch was lonely. You sat on your knees staring at the wide range of food presented in front of you. The low wooden table could barely hold all the food. The scent of warm spices and the sizzling of oil from the roasted meat. The fresh vegetables are placed at the side. There were an array of fluffy buns farthest from you at the table. 

 But to be honest… You couldn’t eat this much. Despite the warm and inviting food, the coldness in the room made you feel otherwise. But this was normal wasn’t it? You lived as a shut-in for as long as you could remember. You ate most of your meals alone anyways. So why was this different? 

You shifted so that you sat cross-legged rather than on your knees. Taking a pair of chopsticks, you dig into the roasted meat. It had a thick brown sauce that instantly clung to your chopsticks and the meat was so soft and tender that it broke down so easily. 

Foo…

Cautiously, you gently blow on the meat before putting it in your mouth. The meat melted on your tongue and the brown sauce had a sweetness to it! The faint taste of star anise danced around as you take a spoonful of rice. The sauce coated the rice grains and mellowed out the otherwise strong and flavorful sauce. 

Ah, this was unfair wasn’t it? No wonder Wei told you not to waste any food. If the meat tasted this good, then what would the other food taste like? You were about to reach for a side dish when you paused for a second. You frowned as you patted your stomach. 

There it was again. That sense of unease and dread. Your built-up feelings were beginning to make you feel queasy. Suddenly after one bite of food, you didn’t want to eat anymore. As if there was a lump in your throat, you felt as if you were at the stage between vomiting and not.

You placed down your chopsticks and sighed. The stress from meeting Yue had sunk in. The suffocating feeling of fear… Your hand unconsciously went to your cravat as you loosened it. The large room suddenly felt as if it was closing in on you. 

Breathe… 

In…

And Out…

You held your hands together as you pulled yourself together. Suddenly, the wave of fear you had built up washed away. You blink for a moment as a familiar semi-transparent screen popped up in front of you. 

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! All mental status effects have been nullified ] 

Hmm? Status effects? You tapped your chin as you stared at the screen. Mental status effects… In the game, there were several mental status effects which were an annoying addition to the battles. Did the system identify your fear as a status effect? 

And that word… 

Nullified. 

If that was the case, you were basically immune to these effects. How convenient. But this title ability didn’t include suddenly regaining an appetite. It might be better to just share the food so that it wouldn’t go to waste… 

You sighed as you took the plate of buns and exit the guest house. Cold air brushed against your face as you look to your left and right. No one… There was no one to be found. You frown. 

‘Is this really the residence of a prince?’ There was far more going on with servants in Yue’s palace than in the 4th sector. With how close the guest house was to the 4th prince’s “palace”, there should have at least been a servant or two nearby. But there wasn’t a single person, not even Wei was present. 

There was only you and the ghost in the garden in the 4th— 

Huh? 

Your breath hitches as you finally moved your eyes to the garden. Ethereal is the proper way to put it. A beautiful man stood in the center of the garden, his hand held out as if trying to catch the pink petals that fell from The Spring Tree. He had long black hair that shimmered in the moonlight that gently swayed from the cool air. His hair was mostly black except for the white hair from his side bangs. The man’s light pink lips pressed into a thin line as nothing landed on his pale hand. His clouded white eyes flicked towards his hand as he flexed his long slender fingers. 

His clothes almost didn’t match how beautiful the stranger was. The cotton hanfu was a pale blue and white that didn’t nearly shine as much as the man did. He had a pale blue robe with a simple design of a wolf looking up into a moon that rested on his shoulders. You’ve never encountered a character like him in the game before. If you had, then you would have punched your past self for never remembering such a beautiful man. 

Unlike Surta’s hot body, Huan’s near domineering feminine elegance, and Yue’s regal beauty, this man reminded you of an alluring ghost. It was as if the moonlight was the only reason for his existence. You blink several times as if waiting for the moment the man disappears from your eyes. 

But he didn’t. He just stood there in the middle of the garden. You don’t know what in your monke brain thought as you found yourself walking up to the ethereal figure. 

Crunch

Crunch

Crunch

The man turned his head in your general direction as the sound of the sand crunching under your shoes. His movements were slow as if the gods in this world deemed it necessary that the man looks as beautiful as possible. You didn’t want to feel bitter at the thought. This world was just unfair when it came to beautiful people. Instead of saying anything to express your mild jealousy, you placed a bun on his still open palm. 

“Hmm? What is this?” 

Goodness. Even his voice was nice, it was soft and gentle. Though it may have been a bit too soft, you needed to strain your ears to hear him properly. A loud gust of wind could muffle the man’s voice. You watched for a moment as he felt the bun in his hand. You would see a slight indent on the bun as he gently pushed his thumb against it. 

“There… There was too much food. I wanted to share it with the servants but you’re the only one here.” You said. The man stared at you for a moment. He didn’t seem to really be looking at you, his eyes weren’t focused on you actually. His eyes simply just drifted in your general direction. 

“Is that so? So this thing you put in my hand…” the man’s white eyes drifted towards the bun in his hand, his brows furrowed as if he was trying to put a name to it. Did he not know what a bun is? 

“It’s a steamed bun though I’m not sure what’s inside it. If the servants hated me enough, they could have put in poison and I would have never known,” you say with a morbidly joking tone. The man didn’t seem to enjoy the joke as he looked at the bun in his hands with a grimace. 

“Please don’t joke about such a thing.” 

“Ah… Yeah sorry…” you bite your lip at the sudden awkward air. You shake your head and straighten up. 

“I still have too much food anyways so… do you?...” you left the thought to hang in the air. The man smiles in your direction. 

“Yes. I would like to join you.” 

“Oh great! Uhhh— it’s this way!” You walk towards the guest house and the man follows. His movements were slow and unlike your heavy footsteps crunching against the sand, you almost heard nothing from him. You really would have thought he was a ghost if not for the footprints he left behind. 

You left the door open for the man to enter the living room when all of a sudden—

Thunk! 

You jump at the sound and turn towards it. The man was nowhere to be found until he leaned to the side. He had a light bruise on his forehead as his head peeked from the side. 

“I apologize, I misjudged the location of the door.” You blink as the man chuckles to himself. That’s weird… Maybe the man thought he was a ghost himself and could phase through walls? You sigh at the fantasy your brain came up with. Though you notice another odd thing, the man didn’t even bother to look around. In fact he was walking even slower and more cautiously. The man’s leg lightly bumps into the table of food and he lowers himself down. His hand runs on the edge of the table before taking a seat. 

“That’s ok. But umm… may I ask a personal question?” The gears in your brain were taking a while to put the pieces together. 

“Feel free.” 

“Are you blind?” the man simply smiles. His clouded white eyes seemed to make more sense now. 

“Yes. I apologize if that causes you any trouble.” you frown as you take a sit next to him. The man’s breath hitches as he feels your shoulder bump into him. 

“Why would you apologize for that? No one should apologize for a disability. Here, I’ll help you eat.” You pick up an empty plate and a new pair of chopsticks. The man’s eyes widen a fraction and he shakes his head in disbelief. 

“I should apologize for the inconvenience.” You didn’t like it. From what you could tell, this man was probably neglected for his disability. The nerve of some people! You huff and pick up a few pieces of meat and pick up your partially uneaten bowl of rice. No wonder he looked so thin and ghostly! He probably doesn’t eat well because no one bothered to help him. 

“It’s not an inconvenience if I chose to do this. Open your mouth please.” You hold up a piece of meat for him. As he opened his mouth, you noticed his nearly shining pearly white teeth. Ugh, curse this fantasy world and their unnaturally attractive inhabitants. You gently place the meat in his mouth. He closes his mouth and slowly chews on the tender meat. 

“Tastes good,” the man mutters. 

“Yeah. But that’s to be expected from the palace… The meat is better with rice though…” You say as you get a spoonful of rice and place the meat on top. You ask him to open his mouth again but the man stops you for a moment.

“Before we continue, may I ask for your name?” the man asks. 

“Oh right, I’m sorry. My name is (Y/N) (L/N)” The man smiles as he mutters your name under his breath. 

“That’s a wonderful name.” 

“It’s a pretty average—” you stop yourself for a moment. Oh no… Was this man’s parent’s assholes too? Would they be heartless enough to give their son a terrible name?

“Sir, may I ask what your name is?” the man’s smile turns into a sad one. All of sudden you felt the need to punch whomever would make this man upset. Oh wait— Does that mean you need to punch yourself? 

“My name is Shen Zheng” the man said. Hmmm… Shen in Chinese meant dark, right? You couldn’t tell if the name was done in bad faith or… wait a minute— 

“Zheng?...” You ask. Suddenly the pieces click in your head. 

The neglect…

The small sector… 

Holy shit… 

Your jaw drops as you stare at the man next to you. 

THIS MAN IS THE 4th PRINCE

Meme Time! 

Shen: *bumps into the wall* I apologize

Shen: *bumps into the table of food* I apologize 

Shen: *bumps into MC making himself fall on top* ... 

MC: No apology? 

Shen: No I like this position. 

I'm not dead everyone! Hello! I apologize for the short chapter and the delay but... We get to meet a character I have been waiting on for so long. I hope everyone will like the blind softie Shen. I can't wait to see more of him. It seems like our poor Shen is the neglected the 4th prince. I wonder what you all think of him, please comment bellow! Anyways take care everyone and do your best to survive!

Chapter Text

[Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters] 

You were so fucked. Ugh! You should never trust beautiful people! More likely than not, they’re probably someone important. Still… 

If Shen is an important character, then why wasn’t he included in the game? Even Alven’s shop appeared in the game even if it was just a shop located in the game. 

The Devs had locked out players from entering the 4th sector. Your grip on the spoon tightened as your lips pressed into a thin line. 

Why was Shen considered unimportant to the Game Devs? 

By the looks of it, they must’ve had him in development… He had a tragic backstory and everything! A DLC maybe? 

“You don’t need to be formal with me” Shen suddenly said. You look at him perplexed. Did he take your silence as a sign of formality? You move up the spoon to his lips; Shen obediently eats the spoonful you gave him. 

“Really? That’s a relief. But I apologize for not recognizing you sooner, 4th prince” you said. 

“Don’t apologize… Unlike my brothers, I’m not as positively well known” Shen muttered. That’s weird. The way he worded it… 

Wasn’t the number 4 considered to be bad luck? 

In a way, it’s just like Surta being cursed— Omg. Shen is definitely a DLC main character!! What shit luck. 

You picked up another dish to feed Shen and stirred the bowl of noodles in deep thought. The gods were definitely taking the piss out of you now. 

“But please don’t let that change your opinion of me! I’m… I’m not as bad as people think!” Shen exclaimed. Did he not like it when you were silent? You looked at him to notice the raised brows, the way he tightly held his hands together, and his raised shoulders. 

Fuck it. DLC or not, shit that didn’t release when you were still alive doesn’t count. You lean slightly to bump against his shoulders. 

“Rumors mean nothing without evidence to back it up. We’ll see if my opinion changes or not” Shen’s shoulders slump in relief at your words. 

“Thank you (Y/N)...” 

“Don’t thank me yet. Who knows if my opinion will change…” 

“It won’t,” Shen said with an assured tone. That was the first time he spoke clearly. Not that it was a bad thing, but something about it rubbed you the wrong way. 

“I hope it won’t as well.” Shen shuffled closer to you until your arms were touching. You didn’t mind, maybe he just felt comfortable with you. 

“Thank you for giving me a chance (Y/N). Most nobles would have just turned me away…” 

“I’m not a noble…” 

“Not a noble?... Oh…” Shen drooped his head a bit. “But still… wouldn’t father have placed you somewhere else?... Maybe with 5th brother or even 7th brother… in their sectors…” You scoff at Shen’s words. You knew EXACTLY why you were here.

“You can blame the crown prince for that.” 

“First brother?” 

“He doesn’t like me very much” Shen turned his body to face you and tried to find your hands. He couldn’t at first with his hands resting on your arms, he moved them up until he realized you were still holding a bowl of food. The 4th prince leaned forward so that his hands rested on your shoulders. 

“Why would anyone not like you? I… I know we just met but you’ve treated me with so much kindness—” 

“Well, the crown prince doesn’t actually hate ME. Rather he hates the person I’m Unfortunately affiliated with…” you cut off Shen before he could bombard you with praises. What you’re doing is nothing praiseworthy. It’s called Common Decency! 

“You don’t seem like the type to be involved with the mafia…” Shen said with scrunched brows and narrowed eyes. 

“You know the Mafia seems like a mercy compared to the person I’m actually connected to,” you say as you lick your lips. The Blonde pyromaniac’s face popped into your head. It’s his fault you’re in this predicament in the first place! 

“He kind of reminds me of you actually” Not really. Surta was way worse than Shen. The 4th prince looks like the type of person who would apologize if someone hit him. To be honest, there was really only one similarity between them… 

“I do?” You nod at the prince’s question and tilt your head. You place the food down on the table and lean forward to cup Shen’s face. The prince leans into your touch and closes his eyes. His large hands rest on yours as if wanting to keep them in place. 

“Maybe it's an eye thing. Though he has scars over his eyes and you’re blind… Ah, there’s also the fact that people think he’s cursed. But it’s an entirely different reason from you…” You say. It was an educated guess. If you were right about the number four… 

Your guess was confirmed when Shen hums in response. The prince’s thumb rubs circles on the back of your hand. 

“That’s unfortunate… Is… Is this Other cursed person your lo… heum… your friend?” Shen asked. Weird. Did he want to say lover? He couldn’t be a hopeless romantic like Yue, right? Right? 

“No. We’re not. Fortunately. I was actually his hostage” Shen’s eyes shot wide open as he gripped your hands tightly. His grip wasn’t tight enough to hurt you but his sudden yelling was enough to make you wince. 

“A hostage?! And my brother put you here?! That’s too cruel! You should be receiving heavy protection or— or—” Shen’s eyes were wide and you could even see the worry laced in his clouded eyes. The prince’s eyes shifted as he tried to think. 

“The palace itself is enough protection. In fact, putting me here was the most logical thing to do for everyone else…” You said in a neutral tone. That’s why so few people were here. It was a logical choice for Yue to make. If Surta ever decided to come in for you… This would cause the least amount of casualties…

Drip

You blink when Shen’s hands lessen their grip as you feel wetness on your hands. 

“Everyone else? Do they think you’re worthless too? Nothing but a nuisance?” Shen unknowingly cried into your hands. His eyes were half-lidden and filled with sadness. The prince didn’t even appear to be present as he continued to mutter to himself. 

As much as you wanted to console Shen, there were a few words from his nonstop muttering that put you in deep thought. Three words to be exact: Curse, Wolf, Apocalypse. That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Surta didn’t have a pathfinder… Shen might not have one either. 

You cursed yourself silently as you couldn’t recall the Norse reference from the top of your head. Was there any wolf there that caused the end of the world? Your eyes drifted towards the wolf embroidery on the robe that slipped from the 4th prince’s shoulders. You bit your lip as your mind drifted even further. 

Wolves were a common theme in the game. They represented the Winter Branch and were connected to the obligatory evil organization of the game. An organization that seemingly disappeared when the second act kicked in. 

Haah…

Without thinking, you sigh in exasperation. If Shen really was a DLC character, then it could mean one thing: The DLC is connected to the Secret Organization. Dammit, did you really have to suffer through more plot to a DLC you never even played?! What kind of cruel and sadistic god would—

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to bother you” You blink when you realize Shen was apologizing to you. His face was slightly puffy from crying. Shen was focused on you. Ah, did he think the anger coming from you was because— 

“No, please don’t apologize. I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at—” You stopped yourself as your rules rang in your head. 

[Rule 5. Don’t tell anyone about your past or where you’re from]

If you told him the actual reason why you’re mad that would just violate your rules. You couldn’t just expose yourself like that. But you couldn’t lie either—

“I was just mad at how everyone has been treating you. Look at you, did you even realize that you were crying?” you unwillingly said with a confident tone. Where the hell did that come from? A sudden pop-up appeared in your vision as Shen leaned against you, your foreheads touching. 

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! ]

You stare at the pop-up dumbfounded. Was this title just able to make you lie at will? Well, you weren’t technically lying. Just stretching the truth— Ah. You were almost thankful that Shen was blind. Would he have been able to tell if you were lying or would the title have hidden your guilt too?... 

“(Y/N)” you flinch when Shen mutters your name. “You’re too kind but please… don’t get angry for me.” he continues as his arms move to wrap around you. 

“I’m not a curse. I won’t hurt anyone unlike that— that monster that hurt you.” The prince exhaled deeply and sniffled. He sounded like he was ready to cry again. “I know we just met but… I already like you. You’re the first person to look at me without—” 

You quickly cover his mouth to stop him from talking. You didn’t want to hear the rest. Knowing the almighty rules of BL, you were not ready for a confession. You had to shut it down before it escalated. “Don’t get me wrong, your highness. You also seem like a kind person too. It would be an honor to become friends with you. But…” 

Shen slumped against you. He seemingly got heavier with each sentence until your feeble body couldn’t hold his weight. You ended up leaning back with your body to the floor. The prince was unwilling to let go of you as he lay on top of you. 

“But I’m not sure how long I will stay here. We may not even—” 

“Then I could just make you my personal servant. If I could just convince my father— He’ll— No, I’ll make sure he’ll agree. If you leave, then won’t that cursed person just come after you again?” Shen started to grow desperate as he cried again. 

“Please. If you get hurt— then no one would—” Shen’s breathing started to quicken as he held you even more tightly. “Please”; it was a soft plea. A soft and heartfelt plea from the 4th prince. You could feel the desperation and the loneliness behind that word. 

“Your highness I—” 

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! ]

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. After all, I’m working with the crown prince to capture Surta. And if I have to leave, then you could just call me back to stay here, right? We’ll be together after it’s all over.” No!--- that’s not what you wanted to say. That was just a blatant lie at this point. You had no intention of EVER coming back. Even if you were to leave Shen, you wanted to live. 

Surviving meant leaving this entire world. 

You wanted to curse at the system that made you say those words. The guilt grew even more when Shen relaxed at your words. You hated the system all the more when you saw the glimmer of hope in the prince’s eyes. 

“Yes, I could just call you back here,” Shen said with a raspy voice. His crying finally took a toll on his throat. 

Oh if only Shen could see. He would have borne witness to the pure horror on your face. The way the system suddenly acted on its own. The words that came out of your mouth implied the exact opposite of how you felt. 

What is wrong with this system? Why is it implying that you couldn’t leave? And more importantly…

What the hell does this system want from you?

Meme Time!

Author: *shows pictures to MC* I would like you to tell the difference between these two pictures

Surta: *is cursed* *has scars on his eyes* *Is main character*

Shen: *is cursed* *blind* *potential DLC main character* 

MC: They're the same picture 

OMG, AN EARLY UPDATE??!!! I couldn't help myself after seeing everyone's comments about Shen. As the author who knows the truth behind our beloved soft boy, I can't help but smirk. I'm not evil! I promise! But still, this is the first time the system has acted against the MC. Something fishy is definitely afoot! Give me your best theories over this lore dump of a chapter! Anyways take care everyone and do your best to survive! 

P.S. We just passed 800 hearts on Quotev which is insane but I was thinking about either doing a Q&A segment or a special chapter featuring a modern AU of the story (where the characters are reverse isekai'd into the modern world). Lemme know what ya'll think about this too in the comments below! 

Chapter Text

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! All mental status effects have been nullified ] 

You glared at the semi-transparent glowing panel that hovered just next to Shen’s head. You didn’t even have the luxury to feel fear as the system just wiped it all away and in its place was annoyance. Shen on the other hand didn’t seem to care. He had long stopped crying and chose to cling to you. You grunted as his weight progressively made it difficult to breathe. At least you were in no rush to—

“So they kept my little alchemist in the 4th sector?” 

“His highness didn’t want his presence to bother the nobles who are guests at the other sectors.” 

You lifted your head slightly at the sound of footsteps. A growing sense of dread bubbled at the familiar voices. If they found you in such a compromising position— what a scandal!! 

“Shen, you need to let go” you whispered. The 4th prince in turn made no motion to get off you. In fact, he seemed to fight against your growing struggles as he pressed you down. 

“I don’t want to,” Shen said in an equally soft tone. For someone who looked like a ghost, he sure did have some strength to him. At least your hands had squirmed free from his hold, now you could at least push his shoulders away. 

“Shen— please. People are coming.” 

“What does that have to do with us? Can’t we just hug?” 

You almost wanted to yell and scold him. Maybe he also lacked knowledge on social cues. It would have been cute any other time but not like this! Oh, you could see it now. 

“You seduced my brother into falling for you. Off with your head!” the imaginary evil crown prince exclaimed to your imaginary self. 

“No. No. No. Please. I’m not even half as sexy as people think.” Your imaginary self cried as it was whisked away by imaginary guards. 

You groaned as your face heated up. Your mind does like to imagine ridiculous— 

“Oh my. What’s this?” 

You looked towards the voice and to your dismay, Huan and Wei were staring at you. One with a teasing expression whilst the other was horrified. 

“It’s not—” 

“How dare you attempt to seduce the 4th prince!!” and— it's too late. Wei pointed at you with a horrified tone. 

“Seduced?” You could hear Shen mutter next to you. Even now, the man showed no signs of wanting to get up. 

“Now now little servant. Let’s not act too hasty. 4th prince Shen, if you may. Please allow (Y/N) to stand up. Neither of you should be laying on the floor, it is unsuitable behavior for either of you.” Huan chided as if he were a parent scolding a child. 

Shen was still for a moment before eventually getting up. He moved to hold your hand but Huan took the opportunity to pull you away. Huan patted your sides and smoothed your hair. “There we are. Much more dignified. Now, care to explain what happened before we entered?” 

You really wanted to tell the truth. How the 4th prince started to show… concerning… behavior around you. But you didn’t even get a chance to consider the option when the annoying pop-up decided to ruin your life. 

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! ]

“The 4th prince had fallen on me by accident while I tried to share some of the extra food I had with him. I was surprised how clumsy we both were” your body involuntarily laughed and made you smile. This cursed title—  Shen didn’t even say anything to disagree or even agree. He simply turned to where he thought Wei might be. 

“Is it possible if I share all my meals with (Y/N) whilst he is here?” Shen asked. Wei looked at the man as if he grew a second head. 

“It can be arranged 4th prince Shen, but why?” Wei felt uncomfortable as a blissful smile grew on the 4th prince’s face. 

“It’s rare that I receive company. Shouldn’t I be more welcoming to a guest of the 4th sector?” That question seemed to be challenging the young boy to disagree. Wei frowned and picked at the ends of his sleeve. 

“Th-That is very thoughtful of you 4th prince Shen.” 

“Could you not include dinners? I would like to spend that time with my little alchemist.” You glared at Huan as he made that request. Shen didn’t like the request either. 

“Dinner? You have no reason to” Shen said 

“No reason? Oh, that’s where you’re mistaken 4th prince Shen.” Huan chuckled softly and moved in front of you slightly. The noble’s smile was wicked as the room grew colder slightly. Jaques, who was mostly asleep on Huan’s shoulders, had woken up with his black beady eyes staring at Shen. “I am (Y/N)’s sponsor. I wanted to discuss our Exclusive partnership in more detail.” 

Shen didn’t seem to like the emphasis on that word. The room grew even colder as Shen’s white eyes had become more clouded like a brewing storm. “Exclusive? Can’t anyone become a sponsor?” 

“Hmm. And that is what I wanted to discuss with My little alchemist. I wanted to properly discuss our contract. Why not give dinner time to me?” 

“You could discuss the matters without needing to take up dinner.” 

“Now, 4th prince Shen, let’s not be selfish. I am a busy man, it's difficult to make time for such simple matters. It’s simply more efficient to dine whilst discussing.” 

“Then why take up all dinners? Isn’t it more efficient to just get it done all at once?” 

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! All mental status effects have been nullified ] 

Both men were unwilling to give up. If it weren’t for your title, you were sure to have died in fear from the pressure the men exuded. Wei wasn’t so lucky, however. The child looked like he wanted to cry. Though you didn’t want to become a shrimp between whales, you didn’t want Wei to suffer either. He was too young to watch adults fight. Still… Before you could say anything, that stupid pop-up appeared again. 

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! ]

“Shen, there is always breakfast and lunch. Dinner is just a small part of the night. Since the guest house is so close, I could always come to see you when I can. You’ll be spending much more time with me compared to my sponsor.” Shen’s stormy eyes grew calmer at your words. 

“Do you promise?” Shen’s voice was soft. His demeanor returned to a more serene one as you replied. 

“Yes, 4th prince. I promise. Please allow the dinners. This sponsorship is important to me.”  

“I… I’ll allow it.” In an instant, the weighing pressure disappeared. You and Wei breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Perfect since that is settled then, I suggest we all go our separate ways. If the other servants saw this, it would cause a scandal.” At Huan’s words, Wei had straightened his back. 

“Y-Yes! I’ll distract the servants and give you all time to leave! Please excuse me 4th prince Shen, young master Huan!” Wei quickly bowed toward them and scrambled out of the room. 

“I will take that as our cue to leave. Please don’t make a mess as you leave.” Huan didn’t even give either of you a chance to reply as he looped his arm around yours and leads you away. 

Huan led you to the border between the 6th and 5th sectors. It was like a secluded alley with walls that divided the sectors. There was not a person in sight. The only thing that could be heard was the soft stream as nectar flowed out from the small trenches built between the sidewalk edge and walls. 

“Before we begin, I believe a congratulation is in order,” Huan said as he put his hands together. 

“What?” 

“You survived meeting the crown prince. How was it?” 

You grimaced at the memory of the weird romantic neet of a crown prince. “He thinks that— That bird is in love with me.” You didn’t want to say Surta’s name outright at least not when people could be listening. 

Huan chuckled at your words as he stroked his pathfinder’s head. “In love with you? My my, I’m rather impressed you made up a story so quickly. Have you perhaps regained a new power?” 

Hm? Huan seemed to imply something here. Did he know about your abilities? Even stranger was the way he phrased it. ‘Regained a new power’ That phrase made no sense to you, it was contradictory. You’ve never had—

“It seems our training hasn’t gone to waste. Your well-oiled tongue has gotten even slicker.” Huan added. Oh, was that what he meant? You’ve never really scammed anyone before… Did he just think you were a natural liar?

“I… I suppose so…” Huan simply hummed in response. 

Ah, but since you mentioned that bird earlier. I would like to inform you that I caught him flying around the castle,” Huan said. 

You frown. “You let him fly around here?”

Huan sighed as he closed his eyes. “If it were that simple, that bird would have stayed in its cage. No, he was too curious and wanted to explore on his own. I don’t have the capacity to restrain a bird that wants to fly.” 

You sigh at his words. Of course, Surta would refuse to stay put. He hated being in one place for too long. “I hope that bird doesn’t cause any trouble.” 

[CRAZED TERRORIST STRIKES AGAIN! 10 NOBLES DIE DURING THE CROWN PRINCE’S BIRTHDAY]

Knowing the future fucking sucks. You know he will cause trouble later on.  But you couldn’t tell if your words were meant to comfort Huan or yourself. Probably yourself. No… Definitely yourself. 

“I doubt that bird will cause much trouble. I find that the puppy will cause more problems for you.” Huan said as he covered his mouth. 

Puppy?... Does he mean Shen? 

“He’s just… clingy? I didn’t expect him to become fond of me so quickly.” Huan chuckled as he shook his head. 

“He would latch on to anyone who shows him kindness. I suggest you do the opposite, Little Alchemist.” Huan’s words sounded more like an order than a suggestion. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Wonderful. Now then, Shall we discuss our contract in more detail?” 

You sighed as you rubbed your shoulder. You stood infront of the guest house as slivers of sunlight began to show through. That dinner was unbelievably boring and took a ridiculous amount of time. The contents of the contract were so one-sided, in your favor. It was like you were Huan’s sugar baby. The entire time all he did was talk at length about what he was willing to pay for… 

Which was basically everything. 

From your equipment to your supplies, everything you could think of he’ll pay for. He even mentioned providing you with an allowance. But you supposed he wants to save a discussion about that for next dinner. You opened the door to find Shen standing in your room. 

Shen heard the sliding door as he moved towards you. He was shining brightly with closed eyes. “(Y/N) I have great news!” 

“Huh?”

Shen moved slowly as he searched for you. He flinched for a second before moving to hug your small form. “We get to spend the day together! The servants let me share the guest house with you!” 

He sounded so happy that you didn’t want to ruin it. So… What did Huan say about avoiding him? It seems like you have no choice when that stupid pop-up—

[ {Title: Master at Bullshit} is in effect! ]

“That’s wonderful 4th prince Shen! Let’s get along!” 

This. Stupid. Fucking System.

Meme Time

Huan: Avoid interacting with Shen

MC: Got it

Shen: Love of my life!! I got our wedding outfits ready! Shall we consummate our marriage? 

MC: ... 

OMG!! We're so close to 1K hearts on Quotev guys!! that's so amazing!!! Seems like the system is going haywire!!! Oh yes it seems like Huan, Shen, and Yue are going to be fighting for your attention now. What a stressful first day in the palace. I wonder how the MC is gonna be able to balance it all. Also... It seems like Huan is acting suspiciously. Perhaps you should look into what he says in the next few chapters... Anyways take care everyone and do your best to survive!!

Chapter Text

Hello everyone! I apologize that this is not an update but I had been mulling this over for a while. If you're wondering what has happened well it's as the name implies. A Guide to Not Survive is becoming a Webnovel! Please check it out here if you're curious. Yes, the story is only at 5 chapters compared to here with 16 but imagine it like its first draft vs final draft with information both new and taken out in both versions. I had always wanted to turn this story into a light novel so I finally got to chase that dream. But still, it feels somewhat rude to leave ya'll hanging with this story. So I wanna know, do you want me to continue this fanfic version or should I focus on the Webnovel version? And if you want me to focus on the Webnovel version, what should I do with this version of the story?

Either choice I understand just please be forgiving if the writing isn't as good as it used to be or if there are discrepancies between both versions. Also, I beg you not to spoil the story in the Webnovel version for new readers who come up on my story on the site. Thank you all so much for reading this notice and please do your best to survive! 

(( Also Trash is a Fan will still be ongoing regardless if this version or webnovel version continues.