"Wake up..."
"..."
"Wake up, Melisa..." an unknown male voice pierces my ears. I slowly open my eyes, trying to regain consciousness. Rein, Samael, and Cyril are looking at me. They are waiting for me to wake up.
I stand on my feet and stares at them. This is weird, the voice I heard just now is neither the three of them. Who woke me up...? I am confused...
"Rein...Samael...Cyril...what happened...? Where are we...?" I take a look at our surroundings. We are at a storage room...? This room is exactly like the one where we found the weird portal thing!
"This room...is the same...maybe we were just dreaming...probably too tired..." Samael shakes his head, still feeling dizzy. He then walks off to the door, wanting to head outside to search for Ivan and Flan.
Rein and Cyril are standing beside Melisa. Suddenly, they heard Samael's scream outside. The three of them regains full consciousness and quickly heads outside the storage room to see what happened.
Their steps are frozen as they see the surroundings outside. Beautifully decorated walls and statues are the first two things they see. They are not in Rose Garden mansion. They are in somewhere else, much more big and luxurious.
"What the hell happened...?" Cyril squints his eyes, feeling very confused. Rein swallows, slightly afraid of their situation. Samael tries to calm down by taking a few breaths. Suddenly, footsteps can be heard from behind.
"Welcome, destined ones. Please, don't get yourselves really shocked." a tuneful female voice echo throughout the hallway. She turns out to be a graceful woman, dressed like a noble. Melisa is amazed by her effulgent looks that she is not scared anymore.
"Who are you...? Where are we...?" Rein asks the fair lady. Samael and Cyril gaze at her, mesmerized by her charms.
"I am Queen Valeria, the ruler of this world. You guys are at Sun Empire secluded hallway. The thing is, I call you guys here to help me. After this, someone else wants to meet you." Queen Valeria smiles lightly. The Rose Garden members tilt their head, still confused about what happened.
"I am actually imprisoned by the third invader in the third continent. The king of Sun Empire should be the one explaining the details. My saviors, confused or not, please help me. I will return after a while since my holographic image magic is not strong enough to last longer." Queen Valeria vanishes from sight, and it made everyone surprised.
"Holy moly, that woman is a holographic image? Her real body is being imprisoned?" Cyril questions about it.
"I still don't get what happened to us....this all is just a dream, maybe...or not..." Rein does not know what to feel about their situation.
Melisa is still astounded by Queen Valeria's dress. Samael keeps taking deep breaths, trying to see if he can wake up in reality. Unfortunately, after a few tries, he gives up.
"Hey, over here! You guys, can you hear me?" another unknown voice echo throughout the hallway, but it is a male voice this time. Everyone turns around to see the source of the deep voice.
"Whaaaaaa...?" Samael drops his jaws. A man wearing steel, caped cuirass and a large crown is calling out to them. He slowly approaches them to have a talk. The Rose Garden members wait for him to finish his steps.
"A...king?" Cyril tries to state a possibility. The man halts his movements and smiles widely, looking hyped up. He then flips his cape, trying to be cool. Only Melisa finds him awesome by doing that. The rest shows no response.
"The name is Lord Weigner, the king of Sun Empire, the sole kingdom in the sixth continent of Astral World. Welcome, destined ones. Queen Valeria summoned you all for a reason, but before that let me explain your current situation." Lord Weigner shows a wide, confident smile. Fortunately, the Rose Garden members are not too confused anymore.
"This small, secluded place is not a good area to have a talk. Come, follow me to the main hall, where your adventure begins, well, barely." He laughs happily as he tells the Rose Garden members to follow him. Since the whole twist of fate seem interesting and exciting to the four of them, they do not hesitate to follow Lord Weigner, even though they should not be too passionate about it.
After a few minutes walk around the hallway, Lord Weigner halts and quickly greets a few, nearby people at the main hall. Melisa and Rein look at each other as they wait for him.
"Whatever we are experiencing right now, it might be just a dream..." Rein pinches his left cheek, feeling slightly painful. He then sweats himself, knowing this is not a dream. Melisa giggles after seeing his small actions.
"Well, this is not a bad experience for us. Why don't we enjoy ourselves here? I worry about our real world, but we have yet to see what lies outside this castle, so I'm in for some small adventure with you!" Melisa's voice always sounds cute to Rein. He got slightly embarrassed when Melisa mentioned about going for a small adventure together with him.
"Sorry for the wait, let me introduce you to a few people." Lord Weigner brings three people with him. They smile and nod when they see the Rose Garden members. One of them approaches closer to Samael and examines him.
"You're a potential mage. Do you like flashy things that will blow your enemies from afar? By your spiritual presence, you're an elemental sorcerer who have special link towards four elements." He pats Samael's right shoulder. Samael blinks many times, probably confused about what the guy said. Somehow, he feels cool that his details are awesome.
"This man is Council Freud. He has the ability to identify your spiritual presence. In Astral world, you are fighters, came from reality world, special forces that can extend your powers, unlike normal people who live here. Don't feel confused now, since the only thing you need to know is that you are now living a free life in this world, only fulfilling your given quests as you explore your new world. Worry not, for the Elite Forces of Sun Empire will join you in your journeys most of the time. We will introduce them later, when your minds are at ease." Lord Weigner introduced and briefly explains useful information.
"What about our real world?" Samael questions about it, so as everyone else. Another person approaches them and smiles. He fixes his glasses and takes out his pen and notepad.
"The special portal between Astral World and Reality World has a very complex mechanics. Please listen carefully. Once you are teleported into Astral World, your existence vanishes from the Reality World. However, once you return back there, your existence spawns again, so don't get so shocked when your friends only remember you from before you teleported into this world. While you are in Astral World, their memories of you will be swooped away, until you come back to reality again. Is it too complicated to understand? I'm using the simplest words, you know..." The second man smiles lightly as he sees Cyril's jumbled face.
"To put it simply, Instructor Wilson here is telling you that it is safe to stay here for as long as you like. Before letting you guys out with Council Freud, I would like you to meet this person." Lord Weigner bows lightly, respecting the familiar, beautiful woman. Melisa is shocked as she sees her approaching them.
"Hello again, destined ones." It appears to be Queen Valeria. The Rose Garden members are not too surprised anymore, which is a good thing.
"Hello, Queen Valeria. Very good to see you again, are you doing fine in the prison?" Melisa tries to ask her. She is not sure if she asked that correctly. Rein chuckles after hearing her question.
"Who the hell is going to be fine being locked in a prison? You're funny..." His words made the others smile lightly, humored by Melisa's question.
"I-I know that! ...er, er, just asking since she mentioned that the third invader takes good care of her..." Melisa finds a reason to cover her embarrassment. Queen Valeria giggles lightly, feeling relieved that they are not confused and afraid anymore.
"So, what exactly happened? This is not a bad thing at all, I guess..." Samael flips his blonde hair. He is not scared like he was before anymore. Maybe he wants to know more after Council Freud said he is a potential magician who can use magics.
"I think an adventure that involves fighting for justice is nice." Cyril is interested in this whole fantasy thing. He then takes a glimpse at Melisa.
"...although I actually finds it great to be with you from now on..." he whispers to himself as he gazes at Melisa's cute face. She then notices and looks at him. He quickly turns away to avoid eye contact, but his face is slightly red due to blushes.
"Once again, welcome to Astral World, destined ones. By destined ones, I mean, you guys who live in Rose Garden mansion just now are potential ones that should be summoned here to extend your powers and get yourselves indulged in this world and its history. How do I know about Rose Garden? Well, I am actually able to shift between the two worlds, so I know about your world a bit. Rose Garden mansion used to be my favorite place with my lover, but now it is just a memory. Back into topic, you guys will be trained here in Sun Empire to become strong fighters. Council Freud will analyze your potential ability and talents, so you don't have to be confused on choosing a fighting job or class." Queen Valeria talks a lot about the important basic things they need to know. Melisa and the others are not asking anything, which means they understood what she said. A good beginning for her to explain the next few things.
"Now, you are summoned for a reason. Your main quest is to save me from the third invader, and defeat all the other invaders. To complete this quest, you need to find four jewel shards that can unseal my prison. The shards are scattered at different places throughout the world. I will explain about it later, after you are all set to travel for your first journey. For now, Lord Weigner will be guiding you guys to learn the fundamentals of heroic fighters. I will return for now and come back later after I recovered my energy." Her holographic body vanishes once again, leaving them astounded by her image magic.
"Wow, interesting, very interesting to the fact that I actually understand what she said. Somehow, I am intrigued now that we are experiencing this weird yet awesome, once in a lifetime moment." Samael is hyped up.
"Well, let us start learning the fundamentals of heroic fighters, then!" Cyril looks at Lord Weigner, expecting him to teach them. Everyone else looks at him afterwards.
"Woah, woah, slow down, you guys. Alright, we will go to Council Freud's office now. Council Freud, are you ready? Let us examine our new potential heroes and their hidden talents. Damn, I miss when I was analyzed. Good moments..." Lord Weigner nods at Council Freud, who is reading a small grimoire.
Council Freud leads them to his office, leaving Lord Weigner and Instructor Wilson alone in the main hall. In his office, the Rose Garden members are amazed to see various new machines and technologies they have not seen in reality world.
"Each of you will stand on the class analyzer one after another. It is the huge machine over there." Council Freud points at a large machine. The Rose Garden members see it and decide who will go first.
"Since I'm the first one to be told about this magic stuff, I'll go first for full detail analysis." Samael walks to the class analyzer and stands confidently on it. The class analyzer emits glowing elemental lights afterwards. Council Freud looks at his personal laptop thing. Everyone gazes at him, expecting good results.
"Interesting. You have spiritual powers that connect with elemental sorceries. You can extend your talents in four different elements. The elements are fire, water, wind, and earth. Your pros are being able to deal area magic damage to a mass number of enemies, as well as implying different kinds of negative status to them such as burn, amplify, slow, freeze, stun, knock back, and knock down. However, your cons are being extremely vulnerable to physical melee and ranged attacks, having slow movements, and requires time to cast spells. You'll be meeting your advisor in the magic room after this. That's all, thank you..." Council Freud kindly asks him to go down, letting the next person stands on the class analyzer.
"Awesome!" Samael happily steps down and walks towards the others. Cyril will be the one standing on the class analyzer this time.
"My turn." He slowly walks off and steps on the class analyzer. Council Freud is slightly shocked as he sees a combination of red and green lights surrounding Cyril. The others are also shocked to see a different result.
"You are a brawler that can channel winds to aid you in battle. The red light resembles your brute strength and power knuckles. The green light means you can use slight magic, which is channeling winds to improve your speed and agility. Your pros are being able to dish out severe damage at close range and perform various kinds of offensive and defensive combos. Your cons are being unable to resist negative status applied and being slightly vulnerable to magic attacks. You will meet General Madior in the brawler room to learn more about your class." Council Freud nods, asking him to step down.
"Perfect. I will train myself to be an excellent fighter." Cyril steps down and heads off to the Rose Garden members. Rein walks off and steps on the class analyzer. Melisa will be the last one.
Dark green and azure lights surround his presence. The class analyzer keeps making everyone shocked with the different results. Council Freud looks at Rein with a smile on his face.
"The good old ranger of the woods, but for you, you are an astral ranger, being able to dish out various kinds of arrows to swarm your enemies. Normal rangers cannot use magics, but you are an exception. You can use specific spells that can aid you. Overall an excellent ranged damage dealer. All those are your pros, but for your cons, you are weak against magical assaults, as well as negative status such as sleep, paralyze, slow, immobilize, imprison, and charm. You are quick to recover from stun, knock back, and knock down though due to your agility and quick movements. Go and see Marksman Johnson in the hunters room later." Council Freud nods. Rein bows slightly to thank him for his research. He then steps down and looks at Melisa. Everyone else is looking forward to her result.
Melisa takes a deep breath and walks off slowly to the class analyzer. As she steps onto it, Council Freud notices something strange within her, but does not mind about it. The class analyzer emits radiant turquoise and aqua lights. Everyone finds it beautiful. Two colors that blend well together is very interesting. Council Freud widens his eyes and smiles widely.
"Finally, a supporter..." he murmurs to himself. Melisa is stoned by her result. Council Freud analyzes her result in the laptop. She is the only one who is taking a while to finish.
"Um, why is mine taking so long...?" she questions Council Freud about it. She worries if something bad may happen if she stands on the class analyzer for too long.
"An alchemist." Council Freud spouts her result. Everyone looks at him, expecting good description about Melisa's class.
"Alchemist is a versatile job or class. They mainly provide essential potions and items to support the party and protect them from dangerous assaults. Turquoise lights resemble your ability to cast healing spells, but as an alchemist, your healing spells are limited to only basic ones, which cannot heal fatal injuries. On the contrary, aqua lights resemble your talent in making various kinds of potions, from offensive, defensive, debuff, and healing category. If you wish to learn more about your basic job and its evolution, go and see Knight Sigrun in the Sacred Altar." Council Freud finishes his analysis. Melisa smiles happily knowing that she is a supporter, rendering her safe from being a vicious fighter. As the only woman in the party, it does makes sense to be the only supporting fighter.
"Phew, I'm glad an alchemist is not dangerous. Well, let me guess, I will gather some herbs and materials to make potions, am I right? I played many online games and know that alchemists do that sort of thing." She giggles cutely. Cyril finds it very captivating as he stares at her.
"Yes, you're good. Knight Sigrun will tell you the details about it. Step down now, wouldn't want to waste the class analyzer's energy." Council Freud smiles at her. Melisa quickly steps down and returns to the party.
"Someone is waiting for you just outside the door. You are dismissed now, destined ones. Feel free to ask her anything you like, since she is your acquaintance." Council Freud closes his laptop and repairs other machines in the room. The Rose Garden members leave his office after thanking him for the analyzing session.
"...there's also a vague, violet aura around her...could it be...?" Council Freud murmurs to himself. He then opens a few pages inside his grimoire, trying to identify the unusual, rare aura.
Melisa and the guys are standing still outside, still do not know which way to go.
"Hi, everyone. You make me wait long, and that's not nice." a familiar female voice pierces their ears. Everyone looks at the young woman.
"Elina...!?!?" Melisa shouts.
"Little sister...!?!?" Samael shouts.
"Elina...!?!?" Rein shouts.
"Who the hell are you...!?!?" Cyril shouts.
Elina is surprised with all the consecutive shouts. She kindly asks them to lower their tone. After a huge sigh of relief, she looks at everyone.
"As you can see, I am already working as an envoy. Things got complicated, I understand, but I just love my new job right now. I feel so alive and different from the reality world. Can you believe it? An envoy is a messenger sent to different continents and kingdoms to deliver documents, messages, and emergency calls. Since I am quite the talented one, and the fact that now is school holiday, this is like a dream come true!" Elina is truly excited about her new job. Samael is relieved that his little sister is fine. Elina looks at Cyril, who is still confused.
"I'm Elina, this douche's little sister. Welcome to the Rose Garden family, tough guy. What's your name?" Elina greets Cyril. Samael is suddenly enraged when she called him a douche. Melisa and Rein laughs at him.
"I'm...Cyril...Melisa's friend...um, I don't know if I am considered a part of your family..." He answered sheepishly, feeling nervous about it. Rein, Samael, and Elina walk close to him.
"Cyril, again, welcome to the family. You aren't an outsider, although you are literally, but for me, once you are chosen to be a part of us in the upcoming adventures, you are already one of us, a member of Rose Garden. Never feel bad about not knowing us, instead you should feel free to experience wonderful moments together. Call me anytime if you need me, okay? I will not be joining most of your adventures, but if you need help in negotiations, formal conference, and exchange visits with other kingdoms, I'm always available." Elina winks at Cyril after she is done explaining things.
"Ignorance and isolation are not in my dictionary, tough guy. We are glad to have you with us. Feel free to visit Rose Garden mansion anytime. I believe Ivan and Flan will be happy to have a new member, am I right, Rein the ranger?" Samael chuckles lightly at the end of his words. Rein somehow feels insulted by it.
"Yeah, Samael the Elemental Maestro. Cyril, we are looking forward to have an adventure with you. Let us retrieve all those shards, alright? We have Melisa to support us, don't worry." Rein slaps Cyril's back softly, trying to cheer him up. Cyril takes a glimpse at Melisa. She notices him but turns away after making eye contact. Both of them blush at the same time.
"Alright, let me take you all to the Elite Forces of Sun Empire before you start learning about your job and do some beginner training. They are honorable top fighters, so mind your manners. Don't feel scared though, since they are very nice and friendly...I guess." Elina leads the way. The Elite Forces are waiting at the main hall.
"I guess...? You are not sure about it...aren't you..." Samael questions about Elina's last words, but he is only whispering to himself, so she does not hear it.
A few minutes walk around the fancy corridor, and already they arrived at the main hall. Silence fills the atmosphere as they see five geared fighters standing not too far from them. Elina approaches them to let them know that the Rose Garden members have arrived.
After a few seconds, one of them, probably the leader, notices their presence and walks slowly to them.
"Why, hello there, potential heroes from the other world. Welcome to Sun Empire, or more likely, welcome to our world. I am Knight Sigrun, the leader of Elite Forces of Sun Empire. Fear not, for we are honored to have you guys joining our upcoming journeys." A man wearing silver plate armor introduces himself. He then calls out the other members to have an ice breaking session with the Rose Garden members.
"Knight Sigrun...you're my advisor for my job and training later!" Melisa assures it. Knight Sigrun widens his eyes and smiles lightly looking at her.
"Yes, you will follow me to the Sacred Altar soon. We will learn a few basic things of a non vicious fighters. For now, let us introduce ourselves so you guys won't be confused later. Again, I am Knight Sigrun, a royal knight. My combat duty is to be a front line for my party. I absorb all the incoming damage, whilst my party will finish our enemies off with their deadly assaults. You could say that I am a tanker in a party." Knight Sigrun winks as he finishes his brief introduction. The Rose Garden members are surprised and amazed by his dangerous role.
The four other members of Elite Forces step closely to them and introduce themselves, starting from a man who wields a gigantic greatsword. Everyone looks at him. Their first impression is obvious, which is stoned to see his fierce gears and huge weapon. He must be a very strong melee fighter.
"Pijanes is my name. I am a warrior who can deal mass amount of damage to our enemies, that is, if Knight Sigrun managed to taunt them all beforehand. If you seek single one on one training, feel free to see me anytime in the Warrior's dorm. That's all for now, since I am not yet confident about you guys. No offence, though." He stops his words. Warrior Pijanes left eye is bandaged, probably an injury from past battle.
"What's up, young ones? Marksman Johnson here. I am well known for my hunting proficiency and rapid shots. My rifle is my best buddy, but new friends are always welcomed. Let us hunt our enemies down, shall we?" An older man dances with his rifle in front of the Rose Garden members. Melisa giggles lightly as she sees his weird dance moves.
"Pardon for his wild behaviors. An old man like him should not be here." A female fighter approaches them after she pushed Marksman Johnson aside. Samael is slightly surprised to see her fin-ears, fangs, and reptile eyes. What kind of creature is she?
"My name is Hilia. As you can see it clearly, I am a siren, though this is not my full form. I came from Aqua Sovereignty in the fourth continent, but I doubt you guys even know where you are right now. That's okay, your journey will surely lead you to places around this world. I hope we can get along just fine." Siren Hilia smiles looking at Melisa. They are the only female members of their group, so she expects to know her more.
"Last but not least, I am Von Sozou, a paladin from Von Clan Kingdom in the fifth continent. It is a great honor to have meet such beautiful woman." The last member of Elite Forces, Paladin Von Sozou, quickly grabs Melisa's hands and flirts with her. Melisa blushes as she gazes at his handsome face and charming smile. The male members of Rose Garden are shocked to see the sudden action.
"Well, now that you know who we are, let us go to the meeting room, shall we? Lord Weigner will talk about what is happening in this world. We already know who you guys are and your talents, so don't worry." Knight Sigrun walks and leads the way. Melisa and the guys understand and follow him from behind. They are heading to the meeting room, where Lord Weigner, Council Freud, and Instructor Wilson are waiting for them.
Minutes later, they have arrived at the meeting room. Lord Weigner bids them to enter and take a seat. There is a large, round table in the middle of the room.
"Well, not to waste any time, let me get started with the briefing. Rose Garden members, please listen carefully. Astral World is the world we live in, ruled by a sole queen, Valeria. Recently, seven invaders from unknown origin manage to immobilize her and spread their powers all over the world. There are seven continents in Astral World, with each being unique. Sun Empire lies in the sixth continent, and it is the only kingdom. Other continents are filled with many kingdoms, so generally we aren't that strong compared to them. For some reason, the invaders do not intend to invade us, probably they are underestimating our powers. We use this chance to take them down one by one, starting from the weakest one." Lord Weigner halts for a moment. Council Freud continues his words.
"As mentioned, there are a total of seven invaders. Let me introduce them to you, starting from the seventh invader, Fiora. According to our analysis, she isn't that strong compared to the rest, but she is able to wipe down a large part of the seventh continent with her strange pollen mists, which heavily weaken human army troops. Her resting place is in the Memorial Park, an abandoned flower garden located far east of the seventh continent. You all will be fighting her for your first quest, so be prepared." Council Freud warns them.
"Yeah, hopefully we will be able to take the annoying floral woman down to the dirt. I hate her miasma..." Marksman Johnson felt the pollen mist when he was hunting in the seventh continent and could not resist it.
"She's a narcissist too, thinking that she is the most beautiful..." claims Lord Weigner.
"Next, the sixth invader is known as Vizrock. He is able to move quickly with his cunning body reflexes and great move speed. His swift claws are a nuisance to slow fighters. Ultimately, he can summon legions of beasts of his kind to swarm the battlefield. You could say he is a fast paced enemy who fights with his kin. We do not know about his hideout, but some says he is close to our kingdom." Council Freud states out the dangerous possibility.
"Would be a problem to the slow ones..." Knight Sigrun is slightly worried.
"The fifth invader is-"
"Solaris..." Paladin Von Sozou interrupts Council Freud's words. The look on his eyes is rather angered and pissed. Lord Weigner feels sorry for him.
"Yes, Solaris is the fifth invader. She destroyed the entire kingdoms in the fifth continent. Even though she is slightly injured during her last fight with Paladin Von Sozou, she was able to make him flee from Von Clan kingdom. Solaris is a supreme fire wizard who is able to roast an entire army with her flaming spells and fire magics. The hard thing about her is that she can fly while casting her devastating spells without getting tired at all. It is easy to spot her, since she has chromatic eyes."
"Chromatic eyes?" Cyril questions about it.
"Her left eye is vermilion in colour, whereas her right eye is blue in colour." Paladin Von Sozou answers him. Melisa feels sorrowed after hearing what happened to Paladin Von Sozou's kingdom. Council Freud nods at Lord Weigner, wanting him to continue his elaboration. Lord Weigner takes a deep breath before letting his voice out.
"Fourth invader is Asherah. Based on latest analysis, explorers found her wandering around in Centuria, a very dangerous dungeon at the end of fourth continent. Possessed by a spectral nemesis, she can summon warriors from ages ago to fight in the battlefield. A dangerous history master, combined with her servant, the Stone Revenant, none would dare to enter Centuria."
"Interesting...but scary..." Rein gives his comment.
"Fourth continent is my home, so hopefully she stays inside that restricted place." Siren Hilia hopes for the best.
"Time for my introduction." A familiar male voice appears in Melisa's mind. It is the same voice as the one who woke her up in this world. She shakes her head, trying to let go of the wild thought.
"Third invader is Haze. We don't know about his mystical powers, but he was the one who immobilized Queen Valeria when she tried to defend herself. He lives in Dreambreaker's Mansion in the small, third continent, The Phantasmal Realm. Queen Valeria is imprisoned inside the mansion. Do not go to the third continent unprepared, as it is another world. All I know about him is that, he is immune to female fighters, and his two temptress servants, are immune to male fighters. Overall, he is one tough opponent with unknown motives."
"How the hell can they be immune to opposite gender attacks? And I have yet to see a powerful spell that can put even Queen Valeria into deep sleep like the one he used at her." Warrior Pijanes is the one voicing out his thoughts this time.
"Who knows? He is one hell of a mystical woman magnet, so I don't really mind." Siren Hilia actually likes Haze, since she heard from her friends that Haze can melt any woman he wishes.
"Ugh, women..." Warrior Pijanes lets out a sigh. Lord Weigner decides to continue.
"Second invader, Raphael, is a master of wisdom and intelligence. He lives in Transcendental Palace far above the skies of the second continent. I don't know what powers he have, but I heard his servant is an angel who brings destruction just by singing. For now there is no need to worry about him, since he has not been doing any noticeable actions. Transcendental Palace is a neutral zone, so we cannot really fight him there." Lord Weigner squints his eyes, remembering something he had thought before.
"Legend says that whoever faces his servant, he or she will either be blessed by her powers or suffer from beautiful death." Lord Weigner sweats lightly on the forehead. Everyone is slightly frightened after hearing the legend.
"Never mind that for now. The first and final invader is Rozen, a corrupted royal knight who destroyed the first continent with his legions of armies. He brings chaos, spreading menace throughout the poor kingdoms. Now, he dictates the continent, changing the land status from neutral to red zone. He is undefeated in death battles, as he is the wielder of the most powerful sword in Astral World. However, he is not good in team battles, so you should be able to defeat him once you are strong enough. We don't know about his servant though, since she never appear outside of their sanctuary." Lord Weigner finishes his words. Warrior Pijanes is not pleased with Rozen for a personal reason.
"Interesting, but we will be able to withstand the obstacles, right guys?" Knight Sigrun motivates them all. The Rose Garden members are terrified after hearing the description of the invaders, but calm down afterwards.
"As promised, the Rose Garden members will start learning and training the fundamentals of heroic fighters and they will be separated into their class place to meet their advisor and trainer. The rest of the Elite Forces will be dismissed, and rest yourselves for the next, big journey. You may go after a five minutes break." Lord Weigner drinks a plain water. Melisa stares at Rein, trying to ask him something.
"Psst, Rein...are you good in archery?" she initiates the conversation.
"I was in the archery club at school, just so you know. You will be supporting me with your healing spells and stuffs, so let's do our best, all right?" Rein takes Melisa's left hand and holds it tight. Melisa blushes lightly and gazes him in the eyes. Rein smiles charmingly at her, feeling way too happy to be by her side.
After five minutes break, the Rose Garden members take their leave and head off to their respective place.
In the magic room, Samael is astonished by the beautifully carved walls and flying orbs everywhere. An unknown man wearing a brown hood comes to greet him.
"Greetings, heroic mage. You shall learn valuable arts of magic to become a force to be reckoned with. You can call me Vesta, your advisor and temporary master. For now, try casting a spell." Vesta asked Samael to cast a spell. Samael is confused.
"Um, how?" He does not know how to cast a spell.
"Since you're in Astral World, where magics are blessed to heroic fighters, you are capable to cast spells without learning spiritual bonds like normal humans here do. All you need is an incantation." said Vesta.
"What is an incantation?" asked Samael.
"Incantations are recites for the spell. If you manage to say it completely, the spell will work. It will be interrupted if you do not finish the incantation. Incantations are mostly poetic recites from the ancient books, and they can be either short or long incantations, depending on the spell power. Try and cast fireball like this. Look at that dummy over there." Vesta points at a provided dummy at the walls.
"Burn it away, Fireball!" A vermilion magic circle is formed on Vesta's right palm. He fires a single fireball. The fireball crashes into the dummy and explodes.
"Holy cow, what the hell was that?!?!" Samael drops his jaws. Vesta smiles lightly after seeing his funny face.
"That is your class, a mage. You can learn hundreds of spells in the ancient grimoire. Take a look at the dummy next to the burnt one." Vesta points at a nearby dummy. Samael is currently hyped up.
"Frozen blade, strike it down, Ice Bolt!" A blue magic circle is formed on Vesta's left palm. He fires a single ice bolt. It thrusts into the dummy and freezes it for a few seconds.
"I'm so going to rock my class!" Samael is truly excited to learn and train the basic spells.
"Hey, master Vesta. Why don't you show me one of your advanced spells? I just want to see how good they are." He wants see an advanced spell from Vesta. With a smirk and a nod, Vesta focuses on another dummy.
"Elemental spirits, dance around the battlefield with your strong powers, destroy all the enemies with spiritual torment, for you are my eternal embodiment." Vesta finishes his long incantation. Samael swallows, expecting epic outcome.
"Chain attacks, Elemental Destruction!" Vermilion, blue, green, and yellow magic circles are formed around Vesta.
The ground tremors as a number of earth spikes rise from beneath the dummy. Then, spiral winds are summoned at it, dealing rapid damage. Afterwards, blue magic circle is formed below it, turning the earth spikes into ice shards, completely freezing it in place. Finally, Vesta fires a fireball. The fireball shatters the ice shards and explodes upon hitting the dummy.
"Damn, this is madness!" Samael shouts out aloud.
"Well, we seem strong, but beware that we are vulnerable to physical attacks. Normal punches still can hurt you badly. Just keep your distance, and you will be able to defeat your enemies. So, what do you say? Try and cast fireball!" Vesta encourages Samael to cast the most basic spell, the fireball. Samael focuses on his inner strength and energy.
"Burn it away, Fireball!" A vermilion magic circle is formed on his right palm. Then, a large fireball is summoned and fired at the nearby dummy. His right palm is still on fire, but he does not feel hot. Vesta squints his eyes.
The fireball crashes at the dummy, burning it up to ashes, but the vermilion magic circle is still on his right palm. Normally, the magic circle vanishes after a single spell is cast but Samael is an exception.
"Another, and another!" Samael fires another two fireballs instantly afterwards. Vesta widens his eyes, shocked to see the majestic outcome. After the two fireballs explode on the other dummies, Samael looks at Vesta.
"How was my performance?" He questions about his progress.
"My young lad, you have a special talent I don't have, and neither have the other mages. You are blessed with the multiply effect, a special talent. Try and cast Ice Bolt, and say 'times three' right after you fire the first bolt." Vesta teaches him his special talent. Samael is excited to know more about his magical powers. The damaged dummies are instantly replaced with new ones. The room is indeed magical that it frightens Samael a bit.
"Frozen blade, strike it down, Ice Bolt!" A single ice bolt is fired at one dummy.
"Times three!" Suddenly, two more ice bolts are summoned and fired at two other dummies. Both Samael and Vesta are satisfied with the results.
"Damn, this is tiring..." Samael pants and sits down, feeling exhausted. Vesta smirks as he open a few pages of his grimoire.
"Well, we are not invincible, all right. Casting spells cost a lot of energy, so choose your spells wisely in real battles. About your special talent, you are blessed with the multiply effect, which affects several projectile-type spells. It is an unknown and legendary talent possessed only by mages long ago, or shifters from the other world, your world."
"I see, so I need to minimize my spell casting, only using it in crucial situations. This multiply effect seems great for a heroic mage. I will surely train hard and defeat all those invaders." Samael is passionate about mastering the basic spells for his first adventure.
"Yes, and do limit your multiply effect, as the extra projectiles cost the same energy as the first one fired, which means, you cannot mulitply it more than ten, five, or even three, if you're already tired. It fails to activate if you multiply it more than your energy consumption." Vesta closes his grimoire and stares at his apprentice.
"Young lad, I will train you to be the best mage in the future. Please use your powers to save Astral World from any evil being that corrupts it." Vesta is ready to train Samael and teach him all the basic spells for a mage.
"I will, master Vesta." Samael nods, showing that he will not let Vesta down.
Meanwhile in the hunters room, Marksman Johnson is firing some bullets at the provided target. He then fires a few more bullets at the air.
"Um, why are you wasting your bullets at the air?" Rein questions about it.
"For fun, of course! That makes you look extremely cool, you know that!" Marksman Johnson laughs very loudly that it annoys nearby hunters who are training.
"Oh...let me fire an arrow to the target..." Rein takes out an arrow from his quiver and arms it in his bow. He then aims it to the target, but it seems a little too far. He finds it hard to fire, since he is not sure whether the arrow will his the center of the target. He squints his eyes to aim it better.
"Boy, you'll miss that one if you squint your eyes like that." Marksman Johnson points out his mistakes. Rein fires the arrow off anyway, not minding his words. The arrow fails to hit the center, which disappoints him.
"Told you..." Marksman Johnson aims his rifle to the target. Rein stares at him, trying to see what he can do.
"Rangers, Marksmen, Gunners, Crossbows, Pirates, all of them are hunters. Hunters need deadly precision to fire a perfect shot. Empty your heart, focus on the center, feel the winds' direction, and imagine that Melisa girl will kiss you if you hit the jackpot." Marksman Johnson fires a single bullet. The bullet hits the center of the target. Rein surprised as he sees the perfect shot. He then blushes afterwards.
"What do you mean by Melisa will kiss me? Uh, damn it..." He covers his red face. Marksman Johnson laughs again.
"Boy, you like her, don't you? Why embarrassed? She's a hottie, alright. Fire those damn arrows, will you? I don't have all day to train you, young man." Marksman Johnson urges Rein to fire the next arrow.
"I need to focus...and have an empty mind...also the winds..." Rein is focusing at the center of the target, trying to see if he can fire a perfect shot this time.
"There are no winds here...for god sake..." Marksman Johnson murmurs to himself. After gathering all the focus he needed, Rein fires off the arrow. The arrow thrusts into the center of the target. He then smiles widely.
"Yes, I did it!" He seems rather happy.
"Kya, Rein! I, Melisa, want to kiss you so bad right now! Yippee!" Marksman Johnson mimics Melisa's voice. He teases Rein and laughs afterwards. Rein blushes hard. He is mad at the same time.
"Well, you can actually cast a few spells that affects your arrows and your body, so listen carefully to what I have to say. As a hunter, you must keep your enemies at bay, and rain them down with arrows or bullets, and since you're an astral ranger, you are more flashier than us." Marksman Johnson praises Rein for his unique class.
He starts his lectures about hunting proficiency and spells for rangers.
Meanwhile, Melisa sneezed a lot of times before. She thought someone must be talking about her in a bad way. Knight Sigrun approaches her after gathering some herbs at the Sacred Altar.
"So, Melisa. Welcome to your soon-to-be-usual place, the sacred altar. Here, you will be gathering herbs and waters to make potions. Before letting you off for a while, let me ask you something. As a support and healer of your party, what is your task?" Knight Sigrun kindly asks her to sit beside him. Melisa sits down and smiles.
"Well, I want to make sure my friends are all safe from harm, and that I want to support all of them at once." She looks at Knight Sigrun in the eyes.
"Not a bad answer, Melisa. Yes, as a support you should be focusing on our safety, and never let anyone suffer from serious injury. As a front line, it is my job too. I protect everyone from harm and I will defend against all kinds of attacks. Until my defense is broken, my party will stay behind my back and do what they can while I handle the danger. We should protect everyone." Knight Sigrun pats Melisa's right shoulder. His steel glove is cold, but Melisa finds it comfortable.
"I guess I'll be healing you most of the time, then." She giggles cutely. Knight Sigrun smiles and pokes her left cheek, physically teasing her.
"Okay, our first lesson will be about status. Status comes in many forms, both in a positive and a negative way. Positive ones include healing, buffing, empowering, strengthening, curing, recovering, and blessing. Negative ones include debuffing effects such as sleep, paralyze, imprison, immobilize, poison, charm, and weakening." Knight Sigrun stares at the herbs.
"Oh, that's a lot of statuses...but hopefully, I will be able to make potions that can cleanse the negative debuffs. Knight Sigrun, please teach me how to make the potions." Melisa is eager to learn about potion making.
"Come, let us gather some herbs and waters first. I will name the herbs one by one so listen carefully, apprentice." He chuckles a little at the end.
"Sure, master!" her sweet, cute tone manage to make Knight Sigrun blush.
Knight Sigrun explains each herbs and helps Melisa gather some waters from a nearby well. After their herbs introduction session, he takes her into the alchemy laboratory, just near the sacred altar. There, both of them put the gathered herbs and waters on a large table. In the laboratory, there are a lot of utensils and items needed to make potions such as casks, spoons, cauldron heater, and empty bottles.
"Woah, is that what I have in mind? There are lots of those in games!" Melisa points at a huge bowl.
"Yes, that is a cauldron. Alchemists use that to make new materials and potions. Now, that cauldron is yours. Use it to create new items that you like and items that benefit the others!" Knight Sigrun pats her right shoulder. Melisa smiles widely as she stares at the room with her shiny eyes.
They spend lovely time making various basic potions such as healing potions, energy potions, and antidotes.
Loud, crashing sound reverberate throughout the entire brawler's room as Cyril is putting a great fight against General Madior.
"Jabs and punches, knees and kicks!" Cyril performs a nice combo by punching with his mighty fists, followed by attacks from his legs. General Madior blocks all his attacks and knocks him back with his palms.
"Dodge this, sudden slam!" General Madior slams the ground, generating a slight quake. Cyril loses his balance and falls to the ground. General Madior uses this advantage to deliver a finishing blow.
"Diving assault!" He jumps to the air and prepares to deliver a deadly punch upon landing on Cyril.
"Winds, channel inside me and grant me excess speed!" Cyril barely manage to dodge the crashing attack. General Madior smiles confidently.
"Now that's how you dodge an attack. This way, you will get stronger faster than ever!" He runs off to deliver a rising uppercut. Cyril also runs off to him to deliver the same kind of attack. As they reach close together, both of them punch each others' chin from below. Both of them are sent flying to the air and passes out after they have landed.
A few hours later, Melisa, Rein, and Samael come to get him.
"Cyril, wake up..." Melisa's voice pierces his ears. Cyril opens his eyes.
"Meli-" Melisa's face is so close to his face! Both of them blush really hard. Melisa moves her face away and looks down, still flustered by her clumsiness. Cyril stands up, lending Melisa his right hand. Even though her face is still covered with red blushes, she takes his hand and stands up.
"Let us hang around the town before heading out for our first journey." Elina invites them to wander around town and have an exciting tour.
"Sure, I've been waiting to go to the town with you guys." Samael summons relaxing winds that cover their presence. Everyone feels a sense of serenity and peacefulness as they enjoy the soothing winds.
"Kya!" Suddenly, a scream breaks the relaxing atmosphere.
"Kya?" Samael wonders what it is about.
"Samael...stop that..." Melisa and Elina are covering their skirts from getting flipped by the winds, which suddenly turns stronger and stronger from below.
"Gak!" The three males are jaw-dropping themselves as they see the embarrassing scene. Samael tries his best to cancel the spell, but it seems like the spell will last for another few seconds until it fades away. Cyril and Rein are struggling not to look at what is under Melisa's skirt. Their uncontrollable eyeballs are attracted to look under the skirt, but they keep trying to look away, as a result of their eyes are shaking.
"Rein...Cyril...get a hold of yourselves! Stop that shaking eyes for the love of Rose Garden!!!" Samael screams out aloud. The winds finally faded out a few seconds later. Melisa and Elina let out a sigh of relief.
"Stupid, idiot, perverted brother!" Elina slaps Samael's left cheek hard. Melisa looks down, refusing to look at the guys in the eyes. She is totally embarrassed.
"Well, let us move out from here and head off to the castle's gate!" Rein tries to act cheerful. The others snap out from their embarrassing thoughts and quickly run off to leave the brawlers room.
As they reach the castle's gate, Instructor Wilson is standing not too far from them. He is chatting with a merchant. After a few seconds, he notices their presence and quickly walks to them.
"Ah, I almost forgot. Here."
He hands each and everyone of them a pretty, glowing stone.
"These are portal stones, which you can use to return to the world of reality. Do not use it now though, as it has a very long cooldown of seven days. Lord Weigner will assemble you all tomorrow, so you don't want to use it first. You may use it anytime you wish during free time." Instructor Wilson smiles lightly.
"Why, thank you Instructor Wilson!" Melisa is very happy that he is concerned about their world. The guys let out a sigh of relief, as well as a thankful smile. Instructor Wilson nods and walks off to the castle, leaving them alone.
"Instructor Wilson is so nice. He must have bought these from the merchant before..." Melisa looks at her portal stone and smiles.
"...and handsome as hell...heee..." Elina is drooling. Melisa is shocked to see her weird face.
"What a perverted young sister." Samael smirks.
"What was that?" Elina throws her portal stone at Samael. The portal stone landed on his face, which makes him falls to the ground. Rein laughs at him.
"Should we go? The door is not going to open by itself, you know..." Cyril is already ahead of them. After they are all gathered together, the royal guard nods and opens the huge door.
Slowly, they are seeing a fantasy, dreams, and unbelievable miracles! The town is so huge that they think it is more like a city, much larger than Dawn Mirage. There are a lot of people, buildings, and merchants. All this time they thought the castle is the only place filled with people.
"Wonderful...this is like an ancient, fantasy town. Where in the world are we...?" Rein swallows, mesmerized by the beautiful surroundings.
"The skies are bright, and I am not sure whether the sun and the moonlights are blended together. It is amazing..." Elina looks above to the skies.
"An arcade!!!" Cyril spots an arcade building not too far from the castle. He then runs off to play some games. Fortunately, the games are almost the same as in the reality world. He even socialize well with the other rowdy people in the arcade.
"Might as well enjoy ourselves in this miraculous place! I'll meet you guys here at early night." Rein wanders off to a big fountain located at the center of the town.
"I have to meet a few officers and councils at the parliament building, so I'll catch with you later, Melisa." Elina hugs Melisa tight before leaving her alone with Samael. She has a few appointments to attend, since she is quite busy now that she is an envoy.
Melisa is still enjoying the beautiful scenery of the town. She then sneaks a glimpse at Samael. He is gazing at her! Her heart skips a beat. She wonders why is she feeling self-conscious whenever she is alone with a good-looking guy.
"Say, Melisa. Want to walk around town together?" Samael initiates the conversation.
"Um, okay..." Melisa looks down, still cannot look Samael in the eyes.
"Well then, let us run to the cafe!" Samael grabs Melisa's right hand and runs off to search for a cafe. Melisa is shocked as she stares at Samael's broad shoulders from behind. Somehow, she feels warmth being held by him. They finally reach an old cafe after a few minutes run. Melisa did not pant that much since she is slightly fit now. Samael gazes at her once again. Melisa have to look down to avoid eye contact or else she will get embarrassed.
"Hey..." Samael faces closer at her. Melisa looks him in the eyes, unable to resist his charming stare. Her cheeks start showing red blushes!
"No money..." A huge, growling sound can be heard. Samael is starving! Melisa is surprised that she is not embarrassed anymore. She also notices that they are stone broke at the moment!
"Yeah, we forgot that our currency is not applicable and accepted in this world..." Melisa lets out a sigh. Samael leans on a pole. He holds his grumbling stomach. Melisa remembers something.
"Ah, I made a few cookies in the laboratory. Do you want to eat together with me?" She opens her small bag and takes out a packet of handmade cookies. Samael smiles widely and quickly approaches her. He then grabs her left hand and runs off to find a good spot to have a snack. Again, Melisa is quite shocked to see his sudden action, but does not get mad about it.
They reach an empty park. There are lots of pretty flowerbeds around the park. Samael sits on a wooden bench. Melisa is embarrassed to sit beside him, since the bench is not long, therefore she will sit very close to him.
"No need to be shy, Melisa." Samael pulls her to him. Melisa screams for a moment and is silenced when she landed safely on top of Samael. The look on her face is very red now. Samael feels embarrassed too, but he is gentle enough to kindly push her aside and let her sit beside of him.
"S-sorry..." Samael is the one looking down this time.
"E-erm, it's okay..." Melisa keeps stealing glimpses at him.
"Melisa..." His tuneful, manly voice pierces her soft ears.
"Yes...?" she responded, slightly hoping for something to happen. Samael faces her and gently holds her hands. Melisa is only able to give him cute blushes. Is Samael going to...?
"Cookies..." His stomach lets out a huge growling sound.
"..." Melisa's face turns blank. What was she expecting?
She giggles after hearing the funny noise. Samael blushes lightly and pinches her cheeks, feeling mad about it.
"Hurry up and feed me already!" He keeps pinching Melisa's cheeks. She is continuously laughing out of ticklish pinches. Samael likes what he is doing.
"Okay, okay! Stop that, Samael!" She finally stops laughing after Samael lets go of her red cheeks. She opens the packet of cookies and takes one for herself. Samael notices that she is taking a bite, and uses the chance to get close to her.
"Umff-" Melisa blushes really hard when Samael suddenly steals a bite at her cookie, almost mouth to mouth. They are close to kissing! He then lets go after taking a bite. Melisa is left flustered by his flirty action.
"Now that's the best cookie I've ever tasted." He licks his lips, trying to seduce her. Melisa quickly finishes the cookie they shared. Samael widens his eyes.
"Wow, that's an indirect kiss." claims him. Melisa drops her jaws and is very shocked yet embarrassed to hear that! Samael chuckles and lets out a sincere, honest smile.
"Thank you, Melisa. You're a good woman." He pats her on the head. Melisa is out of words. Her face could explode with all the hot blushes covering her cheeks and ears. She struggles to find her voice.
"I-I-I'm glad you like it..." her voice is trembling.
"The indirect kiss?" Samael questions about it.
"The cookie!!!" She shouts that out aloud. Samael laughs after hearing her response. He sure loves to tease her.
They spend some memorable time having snacks, wandering around the park, telling stories, and share their thoughts about Astral World. Melisa does not feel that embarrassed anymore after some time. In her heart, she admits that she enjoys being together with Samael. If only she could thank him for his time with her, that would be great.
"Hey, Samael..." she decides to express her gratitude.
"Yes?" Samael responds.
"Thank you for spending time with me today. It's not everyday we get to be alone like this, so I am actually very happy..." she said that while showing her honest, sincere smile. Samael is mesmerized by her pure smile. His heart skips a beat after gazing at her beautiful face.
"Y-yeah...let us go back now. It is getting late already." He invites her to go back to the castle.
"Ah, yeah! The others are probably waiting!" Melisa quickly approaches him to walk back home together. This time, Samael is the one who is embarrassed . Melisa notices that he does not grab her hand like before, but does not mind about it. Radiant moonlights cover the lunar skies, providing wonderful scenery for them
After a few minutes walk, they finally arrive at the castle. Lord Weigner shows them their rooms. It looks like Melisa will sleep with Elina and Siren Hilia. The other guys hoped that they will get to sleep with her, but that will remain a perverted fantasy.
"Hmmm, what a tiring day." Elina stretches her body.
"Yeah, I hope for the best tomorrow." Melisa prays for their safety before going to sleep.
"We can do it, girls..." Siren Hilia smiles looking at them. It makes her happy that both Melisa and Elina are not afraid of her appearance.
The three of them giggles and finally decide to take a sleep.
Meanwhile in the first males room, a quarrel strikes out between two enraged fighters.
"Why the hell should I sleep on the floor, you dimwit mage?" Rein shouts that out aloud.
"Because you belong on the ground." Samael laughs at him while laying on the bed.
"You guys are damn noisy. Shut the hell up, will you?!?!" Warrior Pijanes is rather mad at them for fighting over a bed, since the room has only three beds, and two are already taken by him and Knight Sigrun.
"Just share the bed. Settle down now, I'm trying to sleep here..." Knight Sigrun cannot sleep due to the noises.
Meanwhile, on the second males room, Cyril is feeling great that he has his own bed. He should be able to sleep soundly.
"Hey, want to peek at the females room? That Melisa woman drives me crazy." Paladin Von Sozou asks everyone. Cyril is suddenly embarrassed and excited at the same time, but decides to act like he is sleeping.
"Damn right. I think a girl her age loves to wear appealing lingerie dress during bedtime. Perhaps, maybe she does not even wear anything right now?" Marksman Johnson is also interested.
"Waaaaaaaaarhhhh!!!" Cyril screams out of excitement. He grabs a pair of tissue to wipe his bleeding nose. His mind is currently filled with perverted thoughts.
"Too bad Hilia has sharp senses. She will instantly wake up if she hear footsteps. The last time we tried to peek her pretty friends, she smacked us with her trident. Ugh, that trident hurts badly..." Paladin Von Sozou lets out a sigh of despair.
"Darn, to think that they might be sleeping in a sexy pose right now..." Marksman Johnson is sorrowed too. Cyril buries his face on the pillow, feeling sad that he cannot peek Melisa in her room. The three of them can only cry during the luminous night.
End of Chapter 7