Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

During the expedition to the Pleiades Watchtower, the black-haired boy named Subaru targeted the barrage of deadly light as they struggled to retreat away from the tower’s vicinity. However, as the constant attacks are getting faster, Subaru and his contracted great spirit, Beatrice, were forced to use one of his trump cards, a magic spell that can invalidate and negate the incoming attacks.

The combined efforts of Subaru and Beatrice's magic created a spherical field capable of stopping the incoming attacks, freezing them mid-air, and escaping the danger’s grasp.  As they tried to retreat away from the tower, they all saw that the world around them was broken apart due to the magic the duo created.

Subaru: “Not good… Emilia!?”

Emilia: “Subaru”

Subaru screamed as he was flung into the blackness, and gravity's grip was broken.

While in the air, Subaru desperately looked over the floating members, their current position was shown in his eyes. In a stroke of luck, the group gathered in one place, and they were all swallowed by the space distortion.

Before losing consciousness, his remaining thoughts played out in a flash, an act of desperation to piece out the solution to the current problem. But as he tried to gather every last detail in his memory, he didn’t find any, as he accepted the results of his misjudgment.

Subaru: "Shit, this is not good... There is a chance we will all die from where it would take all of us.”

This magic was familiar to him as he encountered it with Beatrice many times during his failed loops. He didn’t know what would happen afterwards because it was the first time he had been swallowed by the space distortion.

Subaru: “I wouldn’t like that to happen…If it happens, I have no choice but to forcefully return from my previous checkpoint if it happens damn it!"

The checkpoint was only minutes from danger, and he would have to deal with the Courtesan Bears and the light attacks all over again. Subaru inwardly cursed himself for his carelessness, for that matter. He will just have to do better next time and make countermeasures as soon as possible.

This was the last thought that was recalled as he accepted his death into the hands of this cruel world.

Little did he know, his fate would be decided by the other world that changed the verdict of what the cruel world had judged.

As the entirety of the group was simultaneously sucked into the broken space, a sudden voice rang out across the vast lands of sands.

???: "Master, please come back.... don't leave me again like last time, Masterrrrr!"

The tone of a grieving lady echoed her feelings towards the unfairness of the circumstances given by the world.  As the silence was returned to its normal state, the lives who challenged the tower have written its conclusion.

========

As his consciousness drifted into nothingness, he heard various voices from the black mist.

???: "Hahahahahaha, your lack of diligence along with your mistakes paid the price with the expense of the lives you carry. You didn't account for the possible dangers that caused harm to your friends and allies with your negligence. AHHHHHH, you are truly a SLOTHFUL person."

The maniacal voice he hated to hear was full of mockery toward him. He tried to find the source of the voice, but it was interrupted by the other voice that stung him the same as the first owner of the voice.

???: "Your greed has no bounds, have you not learned from your previous mistakes from that greed that will continue to hide its true nature from others. That sense of selfishness violated my rights to continue to live peacefully! That swine doesn't deserve to have such sweet indulgences and special treatment from the witch. Such a fraud and nasty person should not exist and should not be allowed the right to live.

He cannot recall half of the words the man has said, and yet his soul is filled with annoyance as he cannot remember the owner of the voice in his mind. He continued to look out amidst the looming darkness, longing for someone, until he heard a voice that granted joy to his poor soul.

???: "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."

He heard her voice that filled his mind with immense happiness, yet the tone of the voice was full of sadness and sorrow. He wondered why the voice felt immense pain and sadness.

He wanted to comfort the person, and he tried to reach his hand to the voice in an act of consolation, and the owner of the voice extended her hands to intertwine them with each other. As both of their hands approached, he only needed a little push to be able to interlock their hands. He tried his hardest to reach it and immense effort to get closer but then he realized that he was slowly drifting away as both of them were unable to lock their hands tightly.

???: "Wait, p-please don't go."

As he heard her voice tinged with sadness and grief, he despaired and cursed the one who made her feel like this. The distance between the two gradually increased, the shadowy hands stretched out to forcefully take the person she desired, but it was already too late.

???: "No matter what, I will always find you and hold your hands again."

He didn't know whether that was his or her voice, but the tone was full of determination that would shake the world apart if physically manifested. As he knew that this was not the last time they would meet again, he would await their next reunion in this void full of darkness as it slowly broke apart, making his thoughts go completely blank, snatching away the light he couldn't grasp.

========

Natsuki Subaru joined the game.

Emilia joined the game.

Beatrice joined the game.

Rem joined the game.

Ram joined the game.

Julius Euclius joined the game

Anastasia Hoshin joined the game 

Eridna joined the game.

He hoped that all of them were transported somewhere safe away from danger, and he was remembering the past events as they played in his head. He blamed himself for dragging all of his group into more danger due to his mistake. He speculated that his mistake was using one of his trump cards, which had caused a malfunction or a glitch in the Sand Time. 

He could’ve seen it coming and expected it with the use of the Return by Death ability, but it was not the time to blame himself, as all of his loved ones' lives are on the line. He cleared out his thoughts and focused on ensuring the lives of others.

He didn't want to die, nor did he want all of his companions to die. He preferred to die first because he never wanted to see them hurt by his mistakes, and not let their deaths set in stone.

Would someone hear his dear wish? The only way to know is to open his eyes and prepare for the sight that he would see.

He opened his eyes as the sudden light blinded his sight. He took a closer look at the view in front of him. He saw a vast sea of clouds and bright blue sky, but something was different.

The clouds he was seeing were not as he expected. The cloud was made up of the shape of cubes, like blocks from a Lego set, as these cubes piled up on each other to form a cloud-like figure. The hue of the sky was different from what he saw in Lugunica or even in his hometown, Japan. The sun that shone brightly in his eyes had a different shape than he knew. The shape it pertained to is a square, which is very strange.

As he was looking directly at the sky, his hands touched the ground, feeling its distinct texture, and as his palm came in contact with the land, he noticed something strange.

The texture he was lying down feels different from the texture he would expect if he were to fall asleep in the grass, truly a very strange sensation, and the sound of the grass and the air were very different from what he used to hear.

He remembered what happened before he lost consciousness. The last thing he remembered was getting sucked along with all of his party members.

This strangeness harbored bad feelings inside Subaru's chest as he quickly stood up and saw something disturbing and unbelievable. He saw his allies and his friends lying on the ground, which in itself was reassuring for him because no single person was missing from their group and only suffered minor injuries, except that his attention was mostly focused on the ground itself.

As he looked closely with his two eyes, he noticed its intricate details. It has a blocky architecture and pixelated texture that is reminiscent of the game he played in the past. It shouldn't have existed in his eyes, yet he had seen it in his eyes. 

He rubbed his eyes to check if he was dreaming or not, but it was still there. As he checked out his surroundings, he saw that the ground was a floating island in the middle of the empty void, a lone tree was standing, and a cube-shaped chest was there. 

He saw that everything was made out of blocks, aside from their body structure. It was an undeniable proof that...

Subaru: "WE HAVE BEEN SUMMONED FROM LUGUNICA INTO A MINECRAFT WORLDDDDDD"

He shouted, tinged with mixed emotions that overwhelmed his thoughts and mental capacity. He needs to survive and escape this floating island to ensure everyone is safe. How hard can it be?

========

Subaru was currently making the cobblestone generator with the materials he found in the chest. This reminds him of one time when his friends played Skyblock as this type of minigame in Minecraft. He messed up the cobblestone generator many times, like accidentally making obsidian or wasting the only water source, which many of his old friends were enranged by his actions. He kept messing up the run and start another in another world several times to the point they are annoyed with him and sometimes even kicked out in the server.

His former friends constantly complain to Subaru's clumsiness so he practiced making the generator many times until he managed to master it in fast speeds.

It was the great times when his old friends were there playing games with him. As nostalgia hits him, he remembered his main goal and shifting his focus on making the generator.

It was even more challenging to make it in real life, as he wasn't able to use his keyboard or mouse and relied on his hands and feet for the work. It was very tiring for Subaru, who even trained hard for 1 year in another world. Maybe the effects of death are starting to manifest in his body yet he still need to push himself hard for the sake of others.

The cobblestone generator was almost complete; the only thing missing was the ice block and lava bucket. He might accidentally dropped it somewhere on the tree so he went to Meili where currently she is breaking the tree while he was trying to find the lava bucket and ice block, he might dropped them somewhere.

He heard a sound that was familiar when he messed up the cobblestone generator. He quickly rushed to look to the unfinished generator he made and saw something horrifying.

Subaru: "N-No, it can't be"

He mumbled these words as his face contorted with a horrified expression as the shocking scene was shown that made his eyes welled up with tears threatening to spill into his cheeks.

Julius: "Peculiar, it instantly turned into a solid object."

The sound reminds him of his past failures when he failed to create the cobblestone generator over and over again. When he saw it, his heart stopped as the only lava bucket was wasted and turned into an obsidian block by Julius's stupidity. A wave of despair crushed Subaru's soul as he screamed into the skies above, cursing the person who ruined everything.

Subaru: "JULIUS YOU HAVE DOOMED US ALL!!!!"

The curious Emilia and Julius still didn't know the big mistake they made that would make Subaru suffer in this peaceful world.

Chapter Text

Turning back to the time before Julius messed up, the skies heard Subaru's yell, and two people who were lying on the ground rose up.

???: “Subaru, you are so noisy... *yawn* I suppose”

???: “ *yawn* Are you fine, Subaru? Is there something wrong?”

The owners of these voices are Beatrice and Emilia, who were recently awakened from their unconscious state. Their minds were processing what the words Subaru had meant in a confused state. As they slowly opened their struggling eyes to see as they were shined with the sudden brightness of the light.

They all looked for the source of the sound, where they found Subaru, who was spinning around in circles with a look of desperation as his eyes darted all over the place. Both girls knew there was something wrong based on what his expression was conveying, so they took a closer look at the environment they were in.

Emilia: “Huh…?”

Beatrice: “Just w-what is this, I suppose?”

Both girls were stunned to see the place they were currently in. The butterfly-shaped pupils were shaking, and confusion was reflected in the amethyst eyes as something unexpected that they were not ready to accept.

The first thing they saw was the vast emptiness of the view, the clear sky, and the square-shaped sun. They saw the peculiarities of the structure of the sky, and they looked around to find that they were standing on a flat ground with a similar structure to the strange clouds that were seen, with a lone tree standing.

They finally realized the gravity of their current situation. They were in an unknown location, and stranded on a small land in the middle of nothingness with no way of knowing where to escape and a way to flee.

After looking around carefully, the two girls widened their eyes in shock at the strangeness looming around them. Both of their shoulders reflexively tensed up, and their thoughts accelerated to assess the situation.

Beatrice, standing next to Subaru, was the first to speak up. She stuttered her words in disbelief.

Beatrice: “H-how is this possible?... T-there is no place in our world like this, in fact! This piece of land defies all known physics and concepts in our world, I suppose.”

Her breathing was heavy and full of agitation as she expressed her words with a hint of fear.

In her 400 years of existence, no knowledge or book indicates the existence of this land. The natural creation of land forms different shapes that are far from perfect. It is physically impossible to create a perfect cube in any material. However, seeing the cube-shaped soil, trees, and leaves that have a perfect structure makes her mind go wild.

Beatrice: How are these natural elements compiled together in one exact amount?... Is there an unknown force that holds it together, or is it just that these materials are frozen in time, I suppose?

She thought to herself as she inspected the materials of the unknown land. Dirt particles, dust, leaves, and pieces of grass should be expected to be seen since dirt would erode and leaves are blown by air and but the properties of the materials are compacted together to the point that not even a single dust particle or a leaf can be manifested. Everything on this land doesn't make sense, and it is beyond comprehension.

She looked at the edge of the land, then was stunned to see it floating by an unknown force as she saw the endless abyss. There was no mana used in this place, yet the land is still standing in the sky. While Beatrice wanted to know more about how this place works, Subaru interrupted her by grabbing her shoulders.

Subaru: “H-hey Beako, be careful, don't get too close to the edge… If you fall there, you actually die in this world, you know.”

Beatrice: “Subaru, w-what is this place?... and what is down there in fact!?”

She wanted answers, so Subaru is most likely to have one based on his vast knowledge of different kinds of things that are bizarre.

Subaru: “Beako, this is a place made from a game in my hometown…Down there is a void, there is nothing down there but instant death.”

She was confused that this place was a game for Subaru, which is absurd considering that they are all part of a game made in his hometown. For now, she has to confirm if the location of her contractor’s hometown was beyond the Great Waterfalls, since that is the closest thing she knows based on his descriptions about it.

Beatrice: “Subaru, is this on the edge of the Great Waterfalls, I suppose?”

Subaru: “Well, maybe, but I don’t really know because I haven’t been to the great waterfalls… I have known this since it was common knowledge in my hometown.”

Beatrice: “Didn’t you just say you're from beyond the Great Waterfalls, I suppose?”

She had thought that her contractor was beyond the Great Waterfalls, but it was denied that he was beyond the Great Waterfalls. She becomes very confused about where to pinpoint Subaru’s origin.

Subaru: “I have no idea how to explain it, but I will further present everything later once everyone is awake and we can hold a meeting.”

Beatrice: “You should’ve told me now, in fact!”

Her contractor's insistence on waiting shot down her curiosity, and she was gritting her teeth in frustration because she wanted to know more about this world, Subaru’s origin, and get to know him more.

Subaru saw her impatience, and he would state his explanation for eagerly waiting for the right time to talk so she could understand his reason.

Subaru: “Beako, just wait a little… It would be too tedious to explain everything one by one for everyone, and the topic would be very confusing to cover…I want everyone to piece out their ideas and understand the information they're about to hear.”

Beatrice: “Hmph, just as my interest was high, you always find a way to kill it in fact!... It is better if I am the only one to know about all of this, I suppose.”

Subaru: “No Beako, don’t be greedy with the knowledge. Everyone deserves to know, so we can all survive and be informed.”

Subaru, who had now restored composure, warned her contracted spirit to be careful and successfully calmed his spirit down, which was cutely pouting at his antics. He managed to piece his thoughts and calm his mind down; right now, he will have to find something important.

Subaru: “Beako, can you look over to Emilia-tan and Rem?...... I need to spend some time alone thinking and remembering some stuff about this land.”

Beatrice: “Hmph, it’s better if you share your thoughts with me, I suppose…… But it would take some time recalling details from your memory, so I should go now, and you should focus.”

Subaru: “Thank you, Beako.”

Beatrice was heading towards the tree where Emilia, Ram, Rem, and Meili reside.

========

Emilia, who recently woke up, was very confused about everything that was currently happening.

After she woke up, she was looking for Subaru and others who had been transported by some weird magic. Fortunately, everyone was safe and had minor injuries from the earlier battle.

She looked closely at the environment, and she was a little shaken by what she saw.

The strangeness harbored in this land is very disturbing because she wasn't used to seeing nature being objectified as a cube, but she kept it in, and she will take a closer look later at the new environment they are in.

Emilia: “Maybe something like this existed in Lugunica or any other nation.”

She muttered in a whisper as she thought maybe there was part of their world located somewhere in Lugunica or in any country, but no matter how much she tried to remember, there were no known records about this land.

Emilia: “*sighs* It can’t be helped if I can’t remember… After all, my memory is unreliable, and I don’t think someone would encounter this flying little land soooo easily.”

Finding the chance of people finding this small land is very low, she wasn’t expecting someone to help them get out of this land. Speaking of someone who can help, her first thought that came to her mind was Subaru.

She looked over where Subaru was currently, and she was very happy that he was there with her, safe and sound. Emilia wanted to approach and check Subaru’s condition, but she was currently talking to Beatrice, so she didn’t want to disturb their private conversation and had to wait for the right time. While waiting, she was looking for clues that might help them have an idea of where they are.

Emilia: “I should start looking at this tree.”

She whispered as she tried to find something on the tree, but all she saw was the weird-shaped wood and leaves. There is a possibility that breaking something without knowing would be very dangerous if something unexpected were to happen, so she resisted her urge to chop the wood and looked over the people around the tree.

She saw Ram and Rem sleeping peacefully next to each other. She thought it was quite heartwarming since she had never seen the two sisters be quite close, even after losing the blue-haired girl’s name and memories.

Emilia: “I almost forgot, I should put these two properly next to the tree… I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable while they are dozing.”

Lifting two people is an easy task for Emilia since she is a half-elf. She crouched down and gently carried the two sisters, making them lean their backs against the tree. Rem was sitting and facing Subaru in the front, while Ram was facing the back of Emilia, where if she glanced to the right, she would find Beatrice and her contractor.

After Emilia fixed their position, she is currently heading towards the edge of the land to find more clues.

Emilia: “Maybe there is a way down that could be used as a way to escape.”

She took a peek underneath the land, but she was surprised to see that there was nothing she could see aside from the fact that the land was floating with no support.

Emilia: “H-huh, shouldn’t the land have fallen already because there was nothing to hold onto?... Just how is this possible?”

She was flabbergasted to see that the land was miraculously floating by it’s own and she was worried that the land would fall apart because there is no support, it was first time seeing a floating land, which is very unbelievable after taking a closer look, the soil didn't even erode or fall over, so she was grateful that it held together firmly by some miracle.

Looking at the edge, she felt dizzy because the void and the sky were similar; she was a little scared that if she fell into the void, she would die, and this land is very small, so falling over would be a nightmare.

It also means that they can’t get out by going down or waiting for others to rescue them. While she continued to engage with her thoughts, she suddenly thought of a solution to this problem.

Emilia: “Wait, I can use my magic to make a way down with everyone. Though the ice is slippery, I would make ice shoes that would make them not slip.”

The idea was brilliant, and she had massive mana reserves that were enough for them to be able to go down. As she started to consider the plan and execute it, a girl’s voice interrupted, and she looked to the side where the voice was located.

???: “You half-elf, are you alright?”

The owner of the voice was Beatrice, who currently checking her condition, and she was startled a bit and looked behind the Great Spirit, where Subaru was currently watching the skies or the horizon. She will have to ask Beatrice later about her plan, and maybe she could help make this plan work. She smiled at the girl for her heartwarming kindness, and she answered.

Emilia: “I am fine, though I lied a little bit. I was quite aghast at the land we are in… How about you, Beatrice?”

Beatrice: “Hmph, as long as Subaru was here with me, I would be fine, I suppose.”

The spirit quickly answered Emilia’s question in a dignified tone, and she noticed that the spirit was not next to her contractor. She was concerned that something must be going on between them, so she asked another question to find out the reason.

Emilia: “Why are you here?... You should talk more to Subaru, he might be in a worse condition than I, you know.”

Beatrice: “Don’t worry half-elf, he said he was fine and we already talked about things, in fact!”

Beatrice reassured Emilia that Subaru was in good condition. She sighed in relief that he was fine and nothing bad had happened to her knight. She was curious to hear more about the conversation between the two, so she asked Beatrice for more information.

Emilia: “That's good to hear. I wonder what you talked to him about?”

She boldly asked the question as the spirit huffed in annoyance and answered Emilia’s question.

Beatrice: “Subaru said to look over you and others while he is thinking, I suppose.”

Emilia: “That’s reeeallly thoughtful of him, though I wonder if he knows about this weird place.”

She wanted to know more if that was all that Subaru had talked about, and maybe he shared ideas with the spirit.

Beatice: “He would only tell if everyone was awake, it’s infuriating to wait, in fact!”

Beatrice angrily replied and gritted her teeth to show her frustration and indignation, and Emilia accepted his choice to wait because he was being considerate to other people present, so everyone could hear his words, and she was grateful for his decision.

Emilia: “I would love to hear that from Subaru once he is finished thinking… I feel bad for him because he was carrying this burden alone, though.”

Beatrice: “In that case, we are going to help him shoulder his burden and that's our role in fact!... We are going to support him no matter what obstacles he faces and not let him take all the roles.”

The spirit was full of energy and proclaimed her words to the half-elf, she was at awe to the spirit’s declaration and inclined to agree.

Emilia: ”Yes, you are right, Beatrice. He was a big dum dum for always taking all the burden all by himself…He should learn to share it with others, but then he will not listen to my words, which makes me really angry.”

As she stated her words, she remembered her main priority to try out her plan and tell Beatrice. She pondered it a little and finally decided to discuss her idea to the great spirit.

Emilia: “Beatrice, is it possible to use my magic to escape down here?”

Beatrice: “I suppose you would ask that question, but the answer is no”

The straightforward answer given by Beatrice to Emilia was incomprehensible; she thought that her magic was capable of doing that feat, although there is a possibility that they are kilometers high, she could take a little break and do it over and over again. She wants to hear the reason for Beatrice's reply, so she wants to confirm.

Emilia: “But why?... Is my mana reserve not enough to be able to go to the ground?”

Beatrice: “It’s nothing like that, in fact!, There is an entirely different reason why it wouldn’t work, I suppose.”

The reason was completely different from what Emilia had expected. There must be different factors besides magic behind Beatrice's reasoning. Her interest was piqued, so she listened closely to the next words Bearice was about to say.

Beatrice: “It wouldn’t work because Subaru said that there is only nothingness down there, I suppose.”

Emilia: “W-wait, only nothingness?”

Beatrice: “You can call it the void in Subaru’s terms.”

She couldn’t fully comprehend the concept that there was nothing below and only this land existed.

Emilia: “Huh, should there be a ground if we are reaaallly high up, right?”

Beatrice: “If what Subaru said is true, then there isn’t a ground and we are in a completely different place outside the nations, I suppose.”

As Beatrice speculated about the specifics of their location, Emilia couldn’t hide her shock as her eyes faltered to the terrifying concept that they don’t have a way to escape until Beatrice reassures the half-elf with her ideas and own explanation.

Beatrice: “I suspect it involves Subaru’s hometown as he claimed it was part of a game created, I suppose.”

Emilia: “Weirdly, all of this is just a game for Subaru, but I didn’t know that these are games Subaru played in his childhood.”

After she woke up in ice, she played games with Puck in the Ellior Forrest but it was nothing compared to what common games Subaru played.

She was quite terrified that these things were only games for Subaru, being stranded in a place like this with barely any resources. You can call this game “deadly,” and she thought that children shouldn’t play this type of game of risking their lives and escaping this land.

Emilia: “It’s pretty impressive he was able to escape this and get back to his home.”

Beatrice: “I was thinking that this might be the edge of the Great Waterfalls, where Subaru’s hometown is near or beyond this land, I suppose.”

Emilia: “That would explain how he can escape… If we find the route where the Great Waterfall is located, then we can bridge towards a certain direction… Oh, Subaru knows the way since he was from beyond the waterfalls, right? ”

Beatrice: “That would be very desirable, I suppose… However, he said that he wasn’t even sure if he was beyond the waterfall, and he claims he didn’t cross the waterfall,.”

Emilia: “Then, why did Subaru say he was beyond the waterfall?”

Her knight sometimes talks about his hometown and his hometown was located beyond the great waterfalls. Others treat it jokingly as a way to hide his past origin, but she truly believed that he belonged.

Beatrice: “It would be explained later by him, I suppose.”

Emilia: “We can’t ask him right now because he was too engaged in his own thoughts, we should wait until he manages to calm his mind down and sort his thoughts out.”

At times like these, they do not disturb him because he is finding a way to escape this bizarre land. It would be better if Otto were here because he is usually the most composed, no matter what situation they are in, and he would create a plan in no time.

It was necessary to find more clues so she would be able to help Subaru even a little. She is currently racking her brains for more ideas, after a while she figured one out .

Emilia: “I should try to cast my magic to find out what happens when it interacts with the void.”

Beatrice: “Hmmm, Subaru said that you would die if you fall there, but I don’t know how one could die by falling there, I suppose... In fact, it would be interesting to know what happens if magic or objects touch this void.”

Emilia: “Alright, Beatrice. I would try to cast my magic now… Make sure you watch my back so I don’t accidentally fall.”

Beatrice: “Hmph, I am not letting you fall, I suppose.”

The half-elf was approaching the edge of the land and looked down. She raised her hand to cast her magic, and she breathed deeply to calm her nerves while looking down. After a while, she chanted her chosen magic spell and spoke.

Emilia: “El Huma.”

Her magic spell lets her create multiple ice spears to shoot down the void. There is a possibility that this is a barrier where all of them are currently sealed in a small space. As she spoke out her words, there was a blue light indicating that her magic was forming. As the magic tried to materialize to create the ice spear, it suddenly stopped, or rather it had vanished.

Emilia:” H-huh”

She was utterly confused about how her spell had failed. Her way of incantation was correct, and she controlled her mana perfectly. She knew something was wrong, and there was something that obstructed her from fully chanting her spell.

Her mind was looking at something that made her unable to cast the spell until she saw something that randomly popped into her eyes, and she looked to the left of her view.

She saw a text written in I-script and she read it as it says.

This feature is currently inaccessible. Sufficient level and a certain achievement are required.

Emilia: “W-wait, what do these words mean?... This doesn’t make sense.”

Beatrice: “It seems that there is something wrong here, I suppose.”

Emilia wanted to confirm whether she was the only one having this problem or if everyone had the same issue.

Emilia: “Beatrice, can you try to cast a spell or let out some mana… For some reason, I can’t use my magic or expel my mana.”

Beatrice: “I am currently trying to expel mana, but there is an unknown force that is blocking- no, it is reverting our actions in a reset, I suppose.”

Beatrice received the same message that was indicated in Emilia’s eyes. The absurdity of the situation massively skyrocketed as they both are unable to use their magic or release their mana.

Emilia: “H-how is that possible? I have not heard of something like this absurd”

Beatrice: “There is someone or something who is observing our actions, powerful enough to stop our magic. It was asking us to fulfill a certain condition to be able to use our magic again, I suppose.”

Emilia: “If that is the case, then we need to tell this to Subaru right now and inform him about this.”

Beatrice: “We might be in a more precarious situation, Subaru.”

As they are prepared to tell Subaru this newfound information, they suddenly hear someone rising and rushing in the direction where Subaru was quietly pondering.

???: “BARUSU, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?”

Emilia and Beatrice halted their movements to the familiar voice they had heard, before realizing that they needed to stop the one who was quickly approaching Subaru. Ram, the red-haired oni who was now filled with fury that they had never seen before.

Chapter Text

It was nighttime in the Augria Sand Dunes, where the cold breeze of air and uncanny silence were present. While Subaru’s group engaged in combat against the tower’s defenses, a sudden crack through space mercilessly swallowed them, leaving only the dead silence. This unnatural phenomenon quickly disappeared, and the group that dared to challenge the tower was gone.

Normally, Sand Time is restored to its original state, but something had gone terribly wrong. The world or the sky around that area was instantly shattered once again. Instead of grabbing more objects surrounding that area, it released large amounts of black mass overflowing through the newly made cracks. As the cracks opened widely, the amount of this unknown substance continued to pile up even more.

After a while, the cracks slowly closed, and the only thing that remained in the middle of the sand was the black mass that was forming into a shadowy disk, where its surface was spinning rapidly. This disk appeared to be alive as it rippled through its surface, and it continued to speed up faster and faster until, without warning, it quickly expanded all around its vicinity.

The ground and the sky are both conquered by the black disk, and the air shook in intensity as it surged in every direction. The object itself was frightened by the massive surge of power as the black mass covered it as it travelled through towards the Pleiades Watchtower and the entirety of the Augria Sand Dunes.

With a terrifying speed, it rushed towards the neighboring nation, the Kingdom of Lugunica, overshadowing all of its cities as it continued to race, reaching and crossing the borders of the newly covered nation. Gusteko and Vollachia were both shrouded by this black mass, and right after that, even the distant Kararagi disappeared into this darkness.

This all happened in the blink of an eye, and all four nations got consumed in the overwhelming darkness of the shadowy mist. The black mist began to dissipate, evaporating into nothingness as the scene unfolded its new view.

There are no signs of destruction all over the lands, the cities remain untouched, and the mountains still stand. Despite that there is no damage occurred that happened during this strange phenomenon, there is not a single person who can be heard screaming, running, or shouting, but rather there was only eerie silence. The reason for this is that the black mist had taken all the humans and demi-humans in an instant and simply vanished.

Most of the people didn’t sense the shadow that suddenly approached and swallowed them whole. Some of them were able to sense it like all the demi-humans instinctively got goosebumps, feeling the immediate change, but it was far too late. Even if they sensed it right on time and tried to stop the advances of the shadow, it wouldn’t work because the black mist is designed to separate the concepts of the attacks or defense. If historians and scholars could look back at this massive event, it would be called the Mass Teleportation Incident.

The identity of the black mass is the accumulation of Yin Magic, and there is only one person who is capable of this level of feat. Its purpose is to transport specific living beings to a desired location. All of them are unaware that they are going to be taken by the hands of the new world. After all, whether it’s a named star or nameless, they always follow where the Pleiades go; that fact is marked by fate.

====.._.====

Garfiel Tinsel joined the game.

Otto Suwen joined the game.

Otto: “Let’s head towards the forest… maybe we can find others along the way.”

Garfiel: “Okay, Ottobro, I’ll help ya out…My amazing self’s hopin that Cap’n and others are safe…We might find them somewhere here.”

When they arrived here, the two stood on stone ground, facing a forest full of dark trees and short grass in the ground. They didn’t know it yet, but this place was called a taiga biome where pine and spruce trees generated in this biome. Behind them stretched a vast sea, so wide they couldn’t see the horizon.

Both of them raised their guard and tensed up their body anticipating an incoming attack. A moment of silence and stillness is present while they carefully check the enemies surrounding the area, ensuring their security. After securing their safety, the two of them relaxed slightly and started to explore, noticing the strange differences in this new world.

They were amazed by what they saw. Their jaws dropped at the blocky terrain, and even though everything looked simple, it was clearly structured. With Garfiel’s instincts and Otto’s sharp mind, they started to figure things out. They learned that blocks could be broken and collected, that tools had specific uses, and that a HUD (which they saw floating in front of them) gave useful info. They also discovered crafting, which is something they would come to rely on.

They started to believe this might be the mysterious place Subaru often joked about, his hometown being beyond the Great Waterfall. At the time, they shrugged it off and thought he was just making up stories to avoid talking about his hometown. Naturally, they didn’t press him further, considering that it might trigger bad memories regarding his origin, which is something Garfiel and Otto can relate to. They should've believed in his words, which they regret for not taking them seriously early on, as the two of them are convinced that his words aren’t far-fetched.

If only Subaru were with them, they could’ve asked him everything about this place. But he wasn’t here, so they had to rely on themselves and anything they could remember from his wild tales. They pushed deeper into the forest, searching for answers or others.

Before they decided to traverse deep in the forest, Otto broke some logs and saw that they were called “spruce wood.” He decided to call this place the spruce forest since most of the trees here have only one type of wood, which is spruce. He also remembered when Garfiel accidentally crafted ten wooden buttons and three hoes instead of anything useful. Otto nearly burst out laughing but held it back with all his might.

While walking, they stumbled upon berries that could serve them as food. Otto tried to pick it up, but after his body came in contact with the plant, a shock of pain struck Otto as he backed off away from it. Garfiel was laughing his ass off while Otto frowned to his reaction. They finally picked up the stupid berry and went straight deeper into the forest.

Otto looked up and saw that the sun was about to set, and both of them were very confused that they had only spent here for nearly seven minutes. Otto just accepted that the time was different here compared to Lugunica, and it was accelerating faster than he expected.

Focusing again, Otto took mental notes of everything, even the way footsteps sounded differently on different blocks. As he planned their next steps, Garfiel suddenly pointed something out. He had observed the different sounds of their actions, such as breaking the blocks, walking, and the sounds surrounding them in the forest. While planning their future course of action, Garfiel suddenly spoke up in a concerning tone.

Garfiel: “Ottobro, I saw somethin’ over there.”

Otto: “Where and what is it?”

Garfiel: “My amazing self has no idea what it is, but two black pillars are standin’ apart and the top of it’s missin’, the ground there is composed of those red stones to my right.”

Roaming around the place, they found something different from the forest they were in. Garfiel pointed to his right, and Otto looked in that direction. He found that there was an odd structure placed between the trees. Curiosity got to him as the two decided to look at it very closely. With caution, Otto and Garfiel slowly approached the structure.

They moved in the direction Garfiel pointed. Between the trees was a strange structure. As they got closer, they could see it more clearly. Two black pillars stood upright like a doorway, surrounded by slabs and red blocks. Orange liquid or lava filled some of the gaps.

Otto: “It looks more ominous if you look very closely…It feels out of place.

He was trying to find matching descriptions in his memory, and there was a place that was similar to the structure. Coincidentally, Garfiel arrived at the same conclusion as Otto had.

Garfiel: “It reminds me of a certain place in Kararagi…I heard stories about the Jimuna Volcano.”

The duo had heard stories about the Jimuna Volcano, where there is a flowing red lava that could burn objects with its intense heat, which this particular place had resemblance to it. It is very peculiar that a city was living in those harsh conditions, but this was strange, seeing this in a forest where there are no volcanoes present. It didn’t make sense.

Near the structure was a single chest and a shiny yellow block. Otto was cautious, this could be a trap, or someone’s territory. He didn’t rush in to go loot the chest, and the two of them decided to discuss their thoughts with each other.

Otto: “Maybe someone deliberately placed it here as their property or a trap set up by others to lure people.”

Garfiel: “There ain’t any traps I know applied in this place… Traps shouldn’t be obvious like these. Besides, this thing ain’t even blendin’ well with the forest… I don’t know why someone would leave their stuff in that chest or make this thing.”

Otto: “It could still be a trap despite its unassuming looks… It’s important to be cautious, after all, we still don’t know much about this place.”

Otto spoke out about his suspicion about the structure he was seeing in front of him. After inspecting for a while, the placement of the blocks is too natural, and he believed that everyone was somehow transported to this place, so they don’t have time to gather these materials and make this trap. Almost as if this is part of the forest or naturally generated.

There is a slim chance that someone who is living in this forest placed their valuables there, but he couldn’t find any indication of other people present from this place. There is a chance that something important is inside the chest, so Otto furrowed his eyebrows to consider his decision.

To take the risk of falling into a trap or to get the necessary resources were the options he had at the moment, as he was carefully considering the best course of action.

Otto: “If this structure is a key to return from Lugunica, then it would be worth the risk.”

Otto thought in his head and began to count his past experiences. He remembered that there is a magic called Door Crossing which lets them transport from one place or another. This reminds him of an incomplete door frame. The black stone is forming into a rectangular frame, where there are some blocks missing to form its right shape.

He stared at the stone slab, it is some kind of staircase towards the hollow part of the black stone, which further supports his theory that it is some sort of a doorway.

Otto: “There has to be a purpose in this structure.”

Muttering in a whisper, he believed that everything in this place had a reason, even if it was nonsensical, like when he could craft different tools without prior experience, which was a very useful feature that helped them a lot.

He speculated that the structure appeared here for a reason, and Otto will find that reason, and maybe it is a key back home, or at least one of the steps to be able to return. Maybe this strange place had rules, and if they could learn them, they could escape.

Otto: “Even if that is not the case, if there is something inside that chest that would still help us a lot.”

Resources are very important, which they currently lack, so obtaining them is an absolute necessity. Otto breathed deeply, and he finally made a decision.

Otto: “Garf, could you look for what’s inside the chest and be careful, I should look at this structure more closely.. If there is something wrong, immediately approach me as soon as possible or call me.”

Garfiel: “Okay, Ottobro, don't overwork yourself.”

They split up as Garfiel and Otto went on to investigate the area, and upon stepping foot in the red stone, the sounds of the footsteps changed, but it wasn’t much of a deal, and Otto went to his right, where he could hear the sounds of the lava.

While Garfiel went to the chest, Otto went near the yellow block, and he pulled something on his hat, where there were several gold coins he kept hidden. Comparing it to the gold he had to block, he was seeing, after many tests, that he had arrived at his conclusion.

Otto: “It really is gold, I expected to be the fool’s gold, but it isn’t.”

As he suspected, the block was made out of gold. He was astonished at the massive size of the gold, it was the first time he had seen this size, as the only gold he had usually seen was in the form of coins. He could get his hands on this gold, and they could use it during their journey.

Otto wanted to obtain this block, so he opened his hot bar using his thought, and he pulled out his stone pickaxe and tried to mine it, but he had a sudden realization that there was a chance that it needed the right tool to get it.

He remembered earlier that Garfiel tried to obtain the stone block by breaking it with his fist, but to his shock, it vanished, unlike the dirt they had broken. Learning from their mistake, he used the wooden pickaxe, and they managed to get the cobblestone.

Otto: “Would the stone pickaxe let me have this gold?”

He muttered, thinking whether he should risk losing the block or not. After pondering it a little, Otto decided not to mine it right now, and if they had the right tool, he would get it later. He had a slight interest in the properties of the ground, which consists of red stone, so his gaze looked downward, aiming his stone pickaxe towards it, and he started to break the blocks in the ground.

The rock was easily broken, dropping its block, and his body picked up automatically. He checked the rock he picked up, and the name appeared, indicating it was a “Netherrack”.

Otto: “What a weird name… it doesn’t fit for a name from volcanoes after all.”

Questioning the identity of the stone, he tried to look for more details about it, but it wasn’t special. He placed the netherack back to its original place, and right after that, Garfiel’s voice was heard, and he looked towards his left, where the voice was present.

Garfiel: “Ottobro, my amazin self got some interestin stuff I got from the chest.”

Otto: “Garfiel, what did you find?

Garfiel was standing on the stone slab where Otto looked upward to talk to his friend. He straightforwardly questioned Garfiel as he was curious to know the contents of the chest he had found. Garfiel went ahead to equip the things he had found.

Garfiel: “Some of them are pretty useless, like these fire charges and flint. I have no idea how these things work.”

Otto: “Just keep them, we can still use them later on.”

Garfiel: “Aight, Ottobro.”

Otto: “What else is there?”

Garfiel: “I have some gold nuggets, a golden sword, and a golden armored chest plate…these are the important things I found, I didn't expect gold to be used as a tool or something.”

Hearing that they have found something valuable made his lips turn into a smile of satisfaction. Their decision paid off as they had found something valuable in the chest. They got a piece of armor that can serve as protection for Otto and a sword for attacking possible enemies. There is one concern, as the materials used in the armor and sword were very strange.

Otto: “This is the first time I've heard of a golden piece of armor and a golden sword.”

He whispered as he questioned the implications of gold tools and armor. Usually, swords and armor are crafted in iron or steel, but in this case, it was pure gold. He didn’t question its weight because in his inventory, he had ten spruce logs, which he could carry even without sufficient strength.

Otto was worried about the durability of the material. Gold was an impractical material to use as a protection, so it was only a matter of time until the armor wore down into bits. It would be a waste of gold for crafting those into armory, but it’s still better to have these than nothing for temporary protection.

While deeply thinking, Garfiel interrupted his line of thought as he had another crucial information to share. It made Otto immediately set aside his thoughts and focus on Garfiel’s words.

Garfiel: “There is somethin weird with these things… It said that the armor had Protection 3 and the sword had Sharpness 2 and Fire Aspect 1… I don’t know what that means, Ottobro.”

Otto: “Protection, Sharpness, and Fire Aspect, hmmm…Maybe those things are imbued with magic or something similar to adding Divine Protections on the armory.”

Otto had a stone sword in his inventory, but it didn’t have the things that Garfiel described in his makeshift sword. In Lugunica, he knew that some armor is imbued with the Divine Protection to enhance its durability.

Assuming it had the same idea, these features give extra effect to the tools. Protection 3 could indicate that the armor enhanced its protection for the user, while Sharpness 2 could potentially give greater damage to the weapon, and Fire Aspect… that was a mystery, but Otto assumed it added some burning effect.

He wanted to test its effects and the difference between the stone sword to the gold sword, he asked Garfiel to borrow the gold sword he was holding.

Otto: “Garf, could I borrow that sword for a while? I need to test something.”

Garfiel: “Aight, Otto-bro, Here, I’ll pass it on to ya.”

Garfiel raised his hand to throw the sword toward Otto. It was an annoying feature of this world that required tossing items instead of handing them directly. He was about to throw out the sword, but Otto suddenly yelled out to stop Garfiel.

Otto: “Wait, wait, wait… Garfiel, don’t pass it to me yet…not HERE!”

His yells are far too late as Garfiel dropped the sword. He didn’t notice that he was about to make a mistake, as one block in front of him, there was a one-block lava pool that Garfiel didn’t notice because of the angle he was positioned in. As a result of this blind spot, the sword is plunging through towards the lava, where Otto was three blocks away from it.

Otto lunged for it, trying to grab it before it hit the pool. But it was no use. The golden sword made contact with the lava and began to sink. The two of them heard something being burned, as the sword was nowhere to be seen. Garfiel let out his confusion as the sword he was about to give to Otto was suddenly burned to a crisp.

Garfiel: “Huh, what just happened?”

Otto: “NOOOO!!!, the sword.”

Seeing this, Otto’s eyes widened in horror that they had completely lost the golden sword they once had. After this incident, they both covered all the spots of lava as their first night started and their tumultuous first day ended.

Chapter Text

Kiritaka Muse joined the game.

After being sent here instead of analyzing the situation, Kiritaka was panicking as he tried to find Liliana. His eyes scanned around for any signs of her, but he didn’t find any.

While Kiritaka continued to look, he saw a single person who might know her location. He rushed to that person and grabbed their shoulders very tightly, he asked the person if they had information on Liliana’s location.

Kiritaka: “Haaah, WHERE IS LILIANA, WHERE IS SHE?”

Villager: “Hmm.”

The identity of that person was a villager, and its head shook left and right in disagreement with Kiritaka’s question. An unintelligible sound was the only reply he heard as he tried to pry more for answers. Instead, the villager promptly ignored the panicking Kiritaka and went to work on the farm.

Bending his knees in despair, he shouted on top of his lungs to try and call the person he was yearning for.

Kiritaka: “LILIANA, PLEASE COME HERE AND BE SAFE.”

He screamed towards the sky, and it echoed across the village, where he could see it had grass plains around the area. The Songtress Fanatic can only wish for the safety of the bard. His scream wasn’t heard by anyone, but only silence was the reply.

====._..====

Liliana Masquerade joined the game.

A series of misfortunes that continuously made the poor girl suffer alone in this world. After almost dying from falling from the mountain, getting chased by bees, and being stuck in a stone pit, she managed to arrive in an oak forest where she felt a little safe from this chaos.

Liliana still hasn't eaten her dinner and she felt her body was full of exhaustion, which made her very tired. As the sun was about to set, she took a seat under a nearby oak tree and leaned her back against it.

A sharp pain was coursing in her head, which forced her to immediately wake up in response, and her mind went on alert. Looking to her left, she saw a green-skinned creature that looked down upon her with its black eyes. The terror in her heart made her scream very loudly towards the creature, so she quickly took off and sprinted to get away.

Liliana: “AAHHHHHHH!!! RUUUUUUN!!!”

While running, the poor girl shrieked, echoing throughout the oak forest as her eyes roamed around to find a safe place, but the only things she saw were the trees and the different hostile mobs pursuing her.

She was running for her life, and a mob of zombies and skeletons was chasing her down, intending to kill the target. The skeletons rained down a barrage of arrows towards its target as the girl miraculously dodged all of its attacks.

Liliana: “Haaah, Haaah. Someone….. please HELP MEEEE..”

The pathetic girl was panting heavily, and her legs were wobbling furiously like it was about to give up. She desperately shouted with all her might, hoping someone could hear her voice, but it was only met by a hissing sound of a creeper that was about to blow up in front of her.

Liliana: “Hiiih, g-get away.”

Creeper: “Psk”

Using her musical instrument, she swung it with her right hand in full force and a loud clang echoed through her makeshift weapon as the creeper was knocked off towards the zombies. The creeper’s skin continued to get larger and brighter as the loud explosion was heard, killing off the zombies who tried to get her.

After the monsters were killed, she relaxed a little bit and had a big smile on her face. She puffed her chest with pride after getting rid of her monster followers.

Liliana: “Hahah, don’t underestimate the one and only Liliana… I already experience this many times in my life, between you guys and me, I alone the survived one–- OUCH OUCH, Aghhh, DAMN IT, that hurts.”

Her cocky attitude got to her as the skeletons continued to shoot her torso and piercing the area of her chest.

Liliana: “If only I had a bigger chest, my heart wouldn’t be pierced by this stupid creature.”

While complaining about her chest size, the arrows are stuck in that area. She would be dead by now if it hadn’t been a miracle where, for some reason, she couldn’t bleed but only pain. The only thing she could feel was the burning pain in the chest, as her health was very low, on 3 hearts.

Liliana: “Please miss, please miss, please miss…KIRITAKA, I NEED YOU.”

She repeatedly uttered her words in the hope of missing the arrow shots. Liliana continued to run pathetically away from the monsters that were vying for her life. The bright moonlight just laughed at the girls pathetic circumstance.

====.._====

Lachins Hoffman joined the game.

Camberley joined the game.

Gaston joined the game.

Three people have been suddenly transported them in a new place where it seemed unfamiliar to them. They didn’t know that the name of this place is the Pale Garden, nor did they know how everything worked. At first, the trio is confused about what happened, but they immediately decide to get out of here as soon as possible, as they feel a sense of dread in this area.

After ten minutes, the sky turned to night, and this sudden change made them more tense, and their cold sweats appeared on their faces. They slowly marched in the middle of this place while Lachins was the one who led them in their way after losing the game they made.

Lachins: “Grrrrrr… those fuckers even have nerve to team up against me.”

Gritting his teeth in anger, Lachins cursed at his loss after overthinking too much in that stupid game, their face after winning were smug which made him pissed off even more. He looked behind his back to see the condition of his other two friends, who are currently talking to each other to distract themselves in this darkness.

His eyes suddenly noticed something behind Gaston’s back, and he quickly sharpened it to observe very closely. A dark figure is approaching them at a fast pace. He gasped in shock as he noticed that it had a strange shape, in its size is bigger than Gaston's body. His mind immediately raced, and Lachins shouted with his voice to warn the incoming ambush of a creature on their backs.

Lachins: “Gaston, LOOK OUT!”

Gaston halted his conversation with Camberley. He immediately picked up the warning, and he gazed at the eyes of Lachins. The direction he was looking was at his back, so he assumed that the enemy was behind him. After Lachins call, Gaston immediately turned around and gathered up all his strength to throw a devastating punch.

After training with Reinhard, his physical strength alone is higher than most fighters, which would make most of them unconscious with a single punch. Utilizing his position, he twisted his hips towards the left and clenched his right fist as it quickly approached the creature.

Gaston: “ORAA!.”

The creature didn’t even dodge or move as the attack managed to hit it in full force, landing on its torso. Gaston assumed that his counterattack would receive massive damage enough to neutralize the enemy, but to his surprise, the attack only made the creature flinch a little bit as it was rendered ineffective.

Gaston: “WHAT!”

Gaston unconsciously shouted his disbelief, seeing that the creature was unharmed. He had given his all in his right punch, but the attack simply didn’t work against this monster, received no damage. As he was about to try to hit it again, Camberley’s loud voice echoed in his ears.

Camberley: “Get your ass over here Gaston!... That thing is dangerous.”

He immediately obeyed and quickly dashed back towards the two. The trio is currently glaring at the creature, who is only standing still, and they observe its appearance very closely. The features of the creature they can describe are that it has three glowing eyes, it has a tree-like skin, and a distorted humanoid form..

Camberley’s hands were shaking in fear, Gaston continued to glare towards the monster, and Lachins grinding his molars. To fight or to flee, fleeing isn’t an option as they have no idea where to go, and they would be even more lost, and fighting would be too reckless to try.
They unanimously decided to play defense as they continued to look at the creature closely, waiting for it to move. While they are guarding, Camberley asks Gaston a question.

Camberely: “What the hell is THAT thing?”

Gaston: “I-I don’t know, this thing is tough…somehow my punch won’t work on this thing.”

Lachins: “Tsk… Is there any way to beat that thing?”

Lachins clicked his tongue in annoyance as he continued to look for clues that could break their standoff. They still didn’t know that the creature was named Creaking nor had any idea of defeating it.

====__.====

Omega joined the game.

Echidna: “It seems there was an unknown error that is not supposed to happen.”

The pink-haired elf girl muttered as she scanned her surroundings. She looked down and saw that she is currently standing on a a clay patch where she was surrounded by brown murky water and the trees have vines all around it. Identifying the place is an easy task for Echidna since the clues are already laid out in her eyes which she figured that she was in a world of Minecraft specifically in the swamp biome.

Echidna: “I suppose, my journey in my world would be postponed for a while.”

While she frowned knowing that her plans are being delayed, she touched her neck where the blue crystal attached on her neck and the crystal omitted light as it flickered continuously. This flickering light is constantly glowing indicating that there are people talking in the crystal.

The voices can be heard in her mind and a loud voice echoed through her ears as the voice is originated from a certain person trapped in the crystal which she identified as Minerva. Simultaneously her body continued to walk around the area and

Minerva: “Echidna, why are we here back in this place!? Stupid Flugel he always forgot to properly seal this stupid world, I should have destroyed this when I had the chance...DAMN IT.”

Echidna: “Looks like you have found a new source of your anger stemming from this world. I wonder why?...Oh I remember now you have several bad memories in this game did you?… I remember that you keep falling on Flugel’s pranks and becoming a laughing stock…It was very interesting and entertaining to see at least”

Common traps that Flugel always set up were making a pitfall trap where he fill the pit with various things ranging from zombies, tnt, and much more. The witches aren’t gullible enough to fall in an obvious trap except one. The ones who mostly fall on these silly traps were Minerva and she was very furious at Flugel for his tomfoolery.

One time Flugel lured her inside a house promising to show a room full of “cute” things and upon entering the door she immediately fell into a hole where a trap was set. Upon falling, she was in a pit where there were a bunch of black spiders crammed inside. Minerva is scared of insects which is one of her biggest fears, let's just say that the Witch didn’t have a good time getting stuck in that pit as she screamed at the terrifying sight of spiders. She teared up all day after that incident which Echidna liked to see.

Minerva: “Grrrrr… SHUT UP, I don’t want to remember it…Hey stop chuckling!”

Minerva growled in anger while Echidna chuckled softly remembering the reaction of Minerva falling various traps where she was traumatized on even going inside a house anticipating that a trap was set. A witch that is more terrified of pranks is a funny sight to see showing Minerva’s pathetic nature. A child-like voice suddenly spoke up in an excited tone, which they ignored and Echidna continued to make fun of the teary-eyed Minerva.

Typhon: “Oh~, we're back in this world, Yeheeey, I wanna play with Tella and Flu-Flu here.”

The little girl remembered the days where she played with the Sage and Satella together. Sehkmet was always too tired to play with her so she opted to have fun with the others. Maybe Flugel and Satella could play with her again she mused expecting them to come but Sekhmet sighed seeing the child’s naivety.

Sehkmet: “Haaaaah, you can’t Typhon, they are not here I guess…Haaah.”

Typhon: “Awwhhhh, what should we do here then?”

Sehkmet: “The only thing we can do is to wait for Echidna’s decision Haaaah”

Typhon cutely pouted in anger who was very impatient and Sekhmet sighed tiredly. Another voice spoke up in a concerning tone as Echidna stopped her teasing and decided to listen to the other witch’s words.

Carmilla: “Uhm…E-Echidna, D-did you know what h-happened?

Stuttering her words showing her shy nature, Carmilla asked Echidna a question to know the details on how they got here. Echidna’s face changed into a frown as she answered in a monotone voice with a hint of condemnation.

Echidna: “Looks like the whore can’t stand a minute without her prized possession.”

The person Echidna was refering to was the infamous Witch of Envy named Satella. Unable to hide her shock, she voiced out her confusion and she spoke out another question to get more info.

Carmilla: “Huh, did S-satella do this thing or was it the Witch of Envy? How d-does she have that much p-power to do this?”

While Carmilla knew that half of the world was consumed by Satella so she assumed that she was slightly weakened but the sudden surge of power disproves her assumptions. The only one who had an idea was Echidna but she only gave a few details.

Echidna: “It’s better to not tell the contents of their contract…Let’s just say that bitch got a buff after him getting whisked away here.”

After getting Echidna’s answer, Carmilla went dead silent realizing that Satella was angry and desperate to get her loved one back. Minerva suddenly raised her voice, calling Echidna’s name.

Minerva: “Echidna you're pissing me off!...just tell me how are we going back out of this damn place!?”

She wanted answers immediately as she cannot stand staying with her any longer, Echidna gave her the answer even if it displeases Minerva and she faced Minerva with a evil smirk in her lips.

Echidna: “Just do nothing and wait, if it’s him then he would do everything to get out of this game…We can’t get too involved with him you know.”

Minerva: “Goddamn all of this!”

Minerva stomps the ground in the Castle of Dreams in frustration while gritting her teeth in anger. Echidna sighed exasperatedly and she gave another response for Minerva to hear.

Echidna: “On the other hand at least we have another new adventure and it seems he secretly changed the version of this game though for what purpose he changed it.”

Echidna questioned herself and she noticed some of the subtle changes like the texture of the environment, the sounds, and so much more. She was trying to figure out Flugel’s motive on updating the game he created but she could only speculate many theories. Her thoughts changed realizing that her travelling companions were not present, she wasn’t worried about their condition but rather their location.

Echidna: “Though my other party members are also gone, they could just easily survive here since this world is easier to survive…I’ll let them search for me and not bother searching for them.”

She muttered while walking through various trees in the swamp, sometimes she accidentally stumble in the vines and climb up unintentionally. On the other hand, while Minerva was throwing a tantrum to the misfortune that befalls upon them, other witches seem nonchalant until Echidna suddenly stopped her tracks and she saw a wooden hut with a mob that was approaching them.

Echidna: “Well, well, well it seems that Flugel’s old pranks doesn’t stop here in the present.”

Carmilla: “Uhmm, w-what is that?”

Seeing the perspective of Echidna, the witches all watched what she saw and they had various reactions upon seeing what lies in front of them..

Daphne: “ Is this a “mob” that he secretly requested to make…Chidna and Nerva what do you think?”

Echidna: “Flugel always hides something and makes fun of others though this is going too far.”

Minerva: “That ungrateful idiot! He’s making a fool of the witches. Witches are not petty creatures that throw these stupid potions and wear it with that obnoxious attire…HEY! STOP CACKLING LIKE AN IDIOT.”

Minerva pointed out the design of the witch they are seeing, it has a purple coat with a tall pointy black hat and a villager face while it let out a cackle which made Minerva annoyed with anger.

Daphne: “I think the design is pretty cute, it clearly shows their wickedness and naughtiness…I have never tasted that mob before, I wanna eat it so bad. ”

Sehkmet: “Haaah, Daphne, that's not how most of the Witches truly act…You should restrain yourself a little or you may end up eating all of us.”

Camilla: "Uhmm, I-I think we should leave that alone, Echidna couldn’t use her magic and s-she doesn’t have enough strength to take it on.”

Mineva: “No we should kill it immediately, let me have that thing!”

Typhon: “Does killing hostile mob count as murder? If so, are you my enemy, Minerva?”

Echidna: “This becomes very troublesome, at least give me some slack.”

The mob they are currently seeing was a Witch who was attacking the pink-haired elf girl. Echidna couldn’t use her magic so she only had two choices, to fight or to escape. The sounds of the crystals reverberated in her mind as they continued to debate to each other.

====.====

Tivey Pearlbaton joined the game.

Hetaro Pearlbaton joined the game.

Mimi Pearlbaton joined the game.

Ricardo Welkin joined the game

Mimi: “Huh, what is this? Tivey, Hetaro can you please slap me for a second Mimi ate too much fish and Mimi’s eyes is seeing the waters.”

Hetaro: “You are not the only one seeing the water, though this is not a dream. It looks like we are in quite a predicament, I guess.”

Tivey: “Predicament!? This is clearly not a small problem, this is a crisis…Even our Divine Protection is not working and somehow I can’t use my magic.”

Ricardo: “Kids, can you lower your voice down a little bit. I am trying to process here.”

Ricardo rubbed his temples as the sudden change give him a strong headache and he muttered as the group was stuck in a small sandy island with only few trees. The triplets decided to roam around the island and they observed few differences that is very peculiar such as the unnatural structure of the island and the structure of the ground. Tivey and Hetaro are near the waters looking for other islands but only an endless ocean is the thing they see.

Tivey: “This island looked pretty unnatural, almost as if it was handmade by a professional sculptor.”

Hetaro: “Everything is made out of blocks, it gives me chills seeing it.”

Hetaro reflexively shivered in disgust seeing the texture of the blocks. The texture looked unreal and disturbing for some reason. Ricardo shrugged his shoulders and looked over towards the twins.

Ricardo: “Looks like we are stuck in this small island, The waters seem too deep and we can’t even swim.”

Hetaro: “Tivey, do you have any idea how we can get out of here?

Tivey: “Nii-chan, I have several ideas but the most effective would be to make a wooden raft for each one of us so we can sail across the waters and find a mainland.”

Hetaro: “I see were in a desperate situation, It’s better than nothing, I guess. We should start getting the wood using Ricardo-san’s sword..”

Ricardo: “Hey kids! my sword is for cutting people not trees.”

The three of them continued to discuss their plans for a while but suddenly a girl’s voice can be heard in the back. They turned their backs to see the source of the voice and their eyes widened in surprise after seeing something shocking.

A small tree was cut in half where the middle was missing and it was replaced by the lone cat girl who somehow lifted the upper part of the tree with her bare hands. The identity of the cat girl was Mimi who had a pained expression where she is about to get crushed by it’s heavy weight, her body shook intensely and she is sweating profusely as she yelled with a pleading tone towards them.

Mimi: “HELP! HELP!...Tivey, Hetaro, Mimi is stuck in the tree, I can’t get out...Mimi can’t hold the tree much longer.”

Mimi wailed desperately as she was stuck in the middle of a standing tree and the poor girl is about to get crushed by the weight of the tree. Ricardo, Hetaro and Tivey all rushed immediately towards the tree where Mimi is struggling.

Ricardo: “Oi oi oi, Mimi, hold it a little longer…we’ll get you out of there… Tivey, Hetaro assist her lifting the tree, I’ll cut down the tree she was holding."

Hetaro: “Alright Ricardo-san, Mimi we are here to support you!”

Mimi: “Quickly! quickly!, Mimi’s hands are very tired now.”

They can see the poor girl’s hand shaking violently as if she was about to let go. The brothers quickly supported the sister and they used all their strength to help their sister. As the triplets simultaneously lifted the tree, Hetaro was about to call Ricardo to chop the tree they are holding to lose it’s weight but suddenly the brothers stumbled backwards with Mimi hugging them off.

Tivey: “Wha-”

Hetaro: “Wait the tree, it’s going to fall!”

Hetaro and Tivey protected themselves expecting the tree will fall on their side but fortunately it never fell on their side. The brothers expected the tree to go down but they still didn’t hear the sound of the tree crashing down. Maybe Ricardo grabbed it, they are about to look but it was interrupted by Mimi’s laugh.

Mimi: “Hahahaha, Hik~, Hahahaha.”

Hetaro: “Heh, Mimi what’s the matter?”

The brothers were stunned and confused on what just happened as Mimi laughed for some reason. Tivey and Hetaro looked towards their sister as they saw the cat girl holding her hand on the belly and the other was covering her face as she opened her mouth echoing her laughter across the island. (Her laughter was similar on how Luffy laughed after getting gear 5). After a while, Mimi finally spoken up after finishing laughing.

Mimi: “Hahaahahah, y-you guys hik~ got PRANKED hahahaha, I got all of you, hehehe.”

Hetaro: “What did you mean, Mimi?”

Mimi: “My body is not getting splattered by the tree, I was pretending to be crushed. Your expression seeing me is very funny, hahahha.”

Hetaro: “You tricked us!..We are seriously worried about you.”

Mimi: “Hahaha, get tricked by Mimi’s acting…don’t worry Mimi is healthy and fine.”

She puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips showing her pride and confidence. Hetaro sighed in relief seeing her sister in good condition.

Hetaro: “I almost had a heart attack when you are stuck in the tree.. I’m glad your safe and well, Mimi.”

Mimi: “Mimi will always be fine no matter what!... Look look the tree Mimi hold’s is a magical tree, it’s amazing”

Mimi pointed to the tree where Tivey was silent for some reason as his eyes looked towards the tree. Looking at Tivey’s face he saw that his pupils are shaking and his mouth was wide open as if he was speechless.

It prompted to make Hetaro look to their direction and he gaze at the tree expecting it to see only the tree stump but instead he saw something unbelievable. The tree Mimi was holding was somehow floating by it’s own and he was astonished to the point Hetaro let out a gasp. He wondered why Tivey was silent after they fall but he knew why, Tivey was stunned after seeing the floating tree and after getting out of that state he voiced out his various questions.

Tivey: WAIT WAIT WAIT, How is that tree floating? It should’ve fallen yet it isn’t, is there an unknown force making it fly? Did Mimi do this? It didn’t abide to the laws of nature which shouldn’t be possible yet this tree overruled that fact but how? Can we fly outside here? Am I in a Lucid Dream?

Ricardo: “What the hell is going on?”

Tivey voiced out many questions that he couldn’t contain and Ricardo was aghast to the sight of the tree floating. Ricardo knew that his headache would worsen the more he spent time staying here. Their chaotic adventures and discovery will not end in the island.

====._..====

Wilhelm van Astrea joined the game.

Crusch Karsten joined the game

Felix Argyle joined the game.

They arrived in a plains biome near to a wooden tower as a group of pillagers are busy attacking to the three people present in their area. With their cooperation, they managed to corner the group and began reloading their crossbows.

Wilhelm was blocking the incoming arrows from the pillagers as Felix was carrying Crusch in his arms.

Felix: “Wilhelm, we need to get away right now!”

Crusch: “Don’t worry… about me Felix, I a-am …f-fine…Wilhelm, y-your chest-”

Crusch who was cursed by the Dragon Blood is not in the right condition to properly talk. Voicing out her worry to Wilhelm seeing the arrow lodged in his chest, he needs to be treated immediately by Felix but the old man reassures her as he slightly tilted his head towards the back.

Wilhelm: “Do not worry Crusch-sama, this is a mere scratch and nothing else…Felix-dono, ensure her safety and protection…I intend to finish the enemies as soon as possible.”

Holding his sword on his right hand, Wilhelm aggressively dashed towards the pillagers as the sword continued to slice through on the attackers. He had long realized that the combat system was far different than what he anticipated.

They are unable to bleed but the pain is still present, that presents several advantages but the enemies have the same ability so piercing through their organs isn’t feasible. He had developed a straegy where he would give them as much damage until all the enemies are annhialated and engage them in close quarter combats not giving them time to reload their bows. The Crusch camp’s first impression to this world was very troublesome.

Chapter Text

Felt joined the game.

Reinhard van Astrea joined the game.

The two of them are inside a structure they had found in the middle of the sea of sand. The structure was called the Dessert Temple, which was built using sandstone. As they entered it, they could see the middle where there were four pillars standing in the middle. The floor around the pillars has intricate designs with two colored terracottas, such as orange, the most dominant color, and a lone purple terracotta placed in the center.

Felt decided to break the purple terracotta since she wanted to try what blocks she could collect. Earlier, Reinhard obtained the sand placed in his hotbar, but he wasn’t able to collect the orange terracotta and the sandstone they saw outside. She crouched down and she pounded the purple block with her right fist.

The girl punched the block repeatedly, not because of anger, but because of necessity. The block is slowly breaking as cracks are showing all over the terracotta, like a broken vase that is been forcefully glued together.

She had broken countless things back things where she was living in the slums, so she knew how different things were destroyed, like the wood chips over time, gold coins have small dents, and glass shatters when a sudden force is applied.

Most materials don’t break in a similar way, but seeing here where the sand, sandstones, and teracotta can be destroyed in the same manner completely threw off her common sense and surprised her a little. She managed to recover her shock, as she faced worse things in her camp almost every day because of Reinhard, who bends common sense with his abilities.

After she broke different blocks, she realized that this mechanic wasn’t a problem, but rather it was convenient for her because the sand wouldn’t stick in her fingernails, and she wouldn’t need a tool for breaking the stones. Another advantage to this feature the block would still break regardless of how much force is applied, so she used only a small force to break the blocks, saving her energy.

The purple terracotta finally broke down, and the block didn’t drop anything. She sighed in disappointment, thinking her efforts had been wasted, but after the block was gone, a hole led to a secret room that had been hidden beneath the surface. The secret room is ten to fifteen blocks tall, and it was made of sandstone, and it had four chests surrounding it on its sides.

The girl’s lips smirked in triumph as she was rewarded with an opportunity to loot the hidden treasure lying beneath the surface. Her head tilted towards her left, where Reinhard was looking around the place, who had a curious expression etched in his face, as this was the first time Reinhard felt very interested in his heart, seeing something new for the first time.

Felt just rolled her eyes towards Reinhard’s reaction as he was still not getting over his feelings. She called Reinhard with her loud voice, and the knight turned his face to look over his lady, and Felt pointed towards the hole she had dug through.

Felt: “Oi, Rein!... Looks like there are a few chests down here, we should loot them out and collect a bunch of stuff...Rein, let's jump.”

Reinhard: “W-wait, Felt-sama… We should avoid being reckless.”

Felt: “Stop being a pussy! I want to know what's inside the chest…Don’t try to land in the middle.”

Felt immediately jumped into the hole, and her eyes looked straight down, where she saw a stone pressure plate on the floor. She remembered that there were traps set up inside someone's home, sensing that something bad would happen if she stepped on one, her body instinctively swayed to the sandstone beside her.

There would be minor damage if she fell from her height, so she needed to do something. While falling, she quickly opened up her inventory and pulled the sand block she had collected earlier. Her body was approaching the ground, then she quickly placed it to the side, and the newly placed sand was also falling.

Felt anticipated that the sand would fall through, placing her toes and positioning herself, she immediately stepped on it and timed it to land in her foot while she exerted some force to jump across the wall. Jumping to the other side while falling, she did the same trick again, this time she managed to land on the ground without taking damage.

After pulling off her trick, she smiled widely in satisfaction that she landed perfectly without taking damage, she looked up to see what Reinhard was about to do, then the red-haired knight was falling straightly with no plans of breaking the fall, then he was able to land in the side while not taking fall damage. He smiled widely, seeing Felt’s amazing display of skill.

Reinhard: “Amazing, Felt-sama, you landed here perfectly without getting hurt… I’m genuinely impressed.”

Felt: “Shut up, Rein, we don’t have time for your praises… We need to quickly get all the things we can see in the chest… It’s already getting nighttime, and we still haven’t found Rom-jii.”

Reinhard: “I apologize for wasting your time, Felt-sama… I should help out by collecting the things inside the chest.”

Reinhard and Felt began their search inside the chests they found. Opening the chest, she saw a pop-up in front of her view, which made her spook a little after seeing the sudden change in her vision. The popup is like the inventory she saw earlier, it had various items stored inside it, which she had no idea what it is, but she grabbed them all with no hesitation. After she looted two chests, Felt checked the items she had gotten, and mostly were trash until she found something that caught her eye.

Felt: “I found some rare gems named 'diamonds', Rein, how much is this thing worth?

She called her knight, who is busy getting the items in the chest, and the red-haired knight abruptly looked towards her lady, who is showing blue items in her hands. He quickly replies to Felts' question with his own opinion.

Reinhard: “I am not an expert at appraising items, but these diamonds can be priced very high due to their origin, which can only be obtained in this place.”

Felt: ”If you say it like that, then the sand in my inventory would be worth the same as diamonds. Wait…this thing isn’t usually common around here, so these diamonds can be priced higher than the sand…I could always find a sucker to buy it.”

There are a few collectors who are very interested in collecting these things. Their passion for obtaining the rarest things possible is akin to their obsession with possessing things that ordinary people can't. Not that she despised them, because she kept making money from those people in the past.

Felt kept the diamonds she arranged her inventory for a while, and she had put the rotten flesh and the bones back in the chest. She didn’t expect that there would be remnants of the dead, and she unconsciously grabbed it without thinking, which she immediately regretted her decision. Fortunately, her hands were clean as the rotten flesh she holds doesn’t contain any signs of blood or dirt.

Felt: “Who would even put dead bodies in the chest? Is the purpose of this place to hide evidence of someone’s crime? That's gross, they should've buried it beneath the sand.”

She angrily muttered as she closed the chest immediately, and was barely holding her disgust from the other contents of the chest. It’s a miracle that there is no bad odor emitted from those things and, luckily, there aren’t zodda bugs placed inside the chest, otherwise she would quickly skedaddle out of here.

Felt: “Rein, what did you find?”

She asked Reinhard to tell her what he got from the other chest he was looking at. Both people turned their heads to each other, and their eyes gazed at the same time. Reinhard answered immediately upon his master's call.

Reinhard: “Felt-sama, I found our food for today.”

Felt: “Wait, food, can you pass it to me right now? I skipped eating dinner.”

It was very unfortunate that she wasn’t able to eat her dinner because of this circumstance. Felt waited for Reinhard to give the food Reinhard collected, he obeyed and pulled off a glowing golden-colored appa, which made her face immediately frown, seeing the strange item Reinhard was holding.

Felt: “What the hell is that, Reinhard?”

Reinhard: “It’s an enchanted golden apple, though the name of the appa is changed to apple, do you want to eat?”

He handed over the item he was holding to Felt while she pouted in anger for not realizing the problem with the food he was holding.

Felt: “Don't act like it was a normal appa! My teeth would break if I ate that thing.”

How can she even eat that thing? It’s pure gold for Od’s sake, she asked this question internally as she stared at the shiny, bizarre appa he was holding.

Reinhard: “I tried taking a bite of it, but fortunately my teeth are still intact and it tastes like a normal appa.”

Felt: “Ughh, What the fuck Reinhard! You even ate it, and now you are giving it to me.”

Reinhard: “Felt-sama, it’s important to ensure that the foods you eat don’t have poison… I wiped away my saliva on the appa, no need to worry…If you don’t want this, I have another food for you.”

The appa in his hand disappeared, and another item showed up in his palms. It was the rotten flesh that he got from the chest earlier, Felt stick out her tongue showing her disgust to Reinhard.

Felt: “Ewww, That's even worse than the appa! Are you insane that thing isn’t even edible to begin with!”

Reinhard: “Felt-sama, I confirmed that this flesh was edible, but I don’t recommend it because it had a side effect.”

Reinhard demonstrated eating the rotten flesh in front of her lady and the unsightly scene made Felt shiver and have a sour look on her face. It was a blessing that she doesn’t have to see him munching the flesh as the way they eat in this place was very different. Right after he ate it, he started to have a green effect around his body signaling that something was happening to him.

Reinhard: “When eating this you get an effect called “hunger” which makes your hunger bar go down a little.”

Felt: “What is even the point of eating that thing… that nasty food is even worthless than your sorry ass.”

Reinhard: “I’ll take that as a compliment Felt-sama, it can temporarily increase your-”

Felt: “I have heard enough No thank you, I will just eat late-”

A loud sound originated from Felt’s belly as it growled wildly in hunger. Felt’s face was flushed red in embarrassment as she gritted her teeth in anger.

Felt: “Fine, just give me the appa already…Its better than nothing.”

Reinhard quickly gave the appa to Felt but he missed his throw and she was unable to receive his item which she was starting to lose her patience. Seeing her lady's emotion, he hurriedly tried to fix his mistake.

Reinhard: “I’m sorry Felt-sama, I should get the appa.”

He quickly approach towards the appa which was floating in the ground for some reason, he was a bit curious on why it floats but right now that was not his priority. While walking he accidentally stepped on the stone pressure plate and it creaked after reacting to someone’s weighted step. Right after that, a hissing sound was heard underneath the floor triggering the trap they tried to avoid.

Felt: “SHIT REINHARD! off all the places to step on, you just fell right on the trap dammit!, we need to climb out of here, quickly!”

Upon noticing her knights clumsines, she commanded Reinhard to get out here as soon as possible as something bad was about to happen. Opening the inventory she quickly looked for blocks to place on but there are only sand present in her hotbar. Desperation grew in Felt’s heart as she had no choice but to find a way to get out in this room. The tnt beneath them started to glow brightly until explosions can be heard inside the structure. After the loud explosion stopped, it was immediately replaced by the eerie silence inhabited in the Desert Temple.  One thing's for sure is that she believed this will not be her end, because the stars would always align on her side no matter what happens.