Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 1: Lands of Rodenius:

Chapter 7: Prelude to First Contact

Moonlight Sonata

It was the heat of the wood fire that kept them from the cold night's presence.

For the first time, a night without the moon had taken over the lands of Rodenius as many depended on their own creations of light to brush away the stains of darkness surrounding them.

The forests of the Alnus region were no exception to that.

Just after a long journey, a band of soldiers had set up their camp on a small open area they stumbled upon while traversing the forest. Truthfully, most of them considered this area in the forest as their solitude in these recent times.

A place where they hide away from the recent horrors they have encountered during the prior massacre that happened at the fields near Alnus hill, where their former general was slaughtered along with the majority of his army that made an attempt to invade the hill. This band of rebel soldiers, or now turned back to rogue mercenaries were one of the surviving groups that had managed to retreat before being engulfed by the mysterious magical explosions that came from the hill.

Sensing that the movement was already over, these soldiers decided to cut their ties and continued on with their own ambitions. So to say that those said ambitions were all but similar.

They were never different, to begin with.

Not too long after the massacre, the surviving men left the hill and never went back to the Volga territories and instead formed their own groups of banditry, thus establishing their own hostile presence across the region which made things more worst than before.

Though, for this specific group, they were on the first phase of their own rise.

There were about a dozen men that sat before the bonfire in a circular formation, while some of their horses were stationed nearby.

The mood was very much positive for these men, they were the only ones that created a livelier scene in the dead of night. It felt like a small party happening around their turf as these men were apparently in the midst of getting themselves drunk and jolly.

"Ahh, after hard days work, we could finally celebrate what we've got ay boys!?" One of man in his early 30s said as he chugs his mug of ale.

"Don't be gullible! We got nothing from that village! If you want to achieve something, Go invade a kingdom and you'll see what glory means."

"Heh! With us only twelve? Come on a kingdom will be easy for us to conquer! "Burp"

"You're fookin drunk, my friend!"

This was just one of the men's conversations as they went about their small talk. Most of them were trying to brag about what they'd accomplished over the previous weeks, sharing their thoughts on how their campaign will become successful in the near future.

They were men that had managed to retain their pride after what happened prior. Moreover, it was their one shared goal that acted as their motivation to keep on doing their own missions and tasks. These men were once part of that great army revered by many as saviors of this land.

To the eyes of one young soldier by the name of Von, these men were the fiercest ones he had ever met. Though Deep down inside, he felt that there was something more to them, something that made them special.

Truth to be told, He could envision these men achieving something far greater than what their own General could ever accomplish. It may sound too ambitious but nothing was ever impossible for them.

Having that same philosophy as the fallen General Ruga.

By the time he joined their group, They were already closed as brothers. A kind of bond he had not seen since in many bands of mercenaries or rebel armies. A kind of kinship that remained well and strong until now.

It was ironic that most of his older comrades survived the slaughter that took place a couple of months ago, but according to their own beliefs, is as if fate had something to do with it and had to change the course of their destinies and now they found themselves on a path much bigger.

"You know, raiding that village before had brought us into something more glorious and valuable!" One of the men had said.

"Glorious ey? Whatever happened to that "Start a new life in a different place" of yours? You always kept bragging about that even before the charge." One of the men chuckled." Don't tell me you've gone coward of your goals." He added, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Haha, seems to me he fell in love with all those crates of booze when we ransacked that village!"

Laughter radiated amongst the men as they clung to their mugs and started drinking together.

Adon, as much as he wanted to join the celebration, chose to keep quiet. glancing at his mug, he let out a small smile as he brought it towards his mouth as he began to take a drink of the booze.

Although, before he could let the sparkling liquid into his tongue, he felt something in his stomach as it began to growl for no reason.

It wasn't because of hunger or anything, but something else, as it felt more like a warning than him craving food or a drink.

He then recalled the eerie premonitions that had been bothering after the battle.

Premonitions of these men's deaths by mysterious circumstances.

He slowly drifted away into his thoughts as his mind began to show him more about the premonitions.

Each of the men meeting their own ends either being sliced in half, their heads chopped off, or getting their guts eviscerated. Moreover, the image of a crow would often appear right after the end of those visions.

"Say, do you think we can recruit more men in the next days ahead?" One of the men asked.

"Yeah, every village we raided keeps getting bigger and bigger, we might need an army the next time we're gonna take an entire kingdom." Another mercenary added.

"Hehe, an entire kingdom? are you out of your mind? We barely even have proper armor and our weapons are all but rusty!" Another man had argued.

"Nothing is impossible for us! If we continued this all the way, we might be the lords of many towns now."

"Perhaps we could summon the Apostle of Emroy to help us."

Silence befell the group for the first time, everyone looked up to an older man, who had long brown hair, and a beard.

"T-That's a challenging task boss, I mean it's just an urban legend isn't it?"

By the mention of that being, have sent shivers down to the rest of their spines.

The story of the Dark Apostle, who rose from the ashes of the dead in vengeance and became Emroy's main disciple, was a very sensitive subject and a somewhat forbidden tale to discuss. Locals believed that anyone who spoke about the legend would suffer the consequences and meet their own demise soon. However, this group of men remained the skeptics that they would become.

Although, according to their leader, those who summoned or prayed to the mysterious being were considered to be a great blessing and a bestowing of power, and because of that, one would survive countless battles while achieving victory and glory.

"Yeah, all that Dark Apostle crap is bullshit! It's just made up by those religious freaks up there Eden, to hell with their ideologies."

"But many people, even the Imperial Soldiers themselves have seen it in person, it even had a conversation with them!"

"Shut your trap! It's just the figment of their imaginations, often to keep their wits intact before they go to war! and don't even let yourself get carried away from superstitions!"

"Alright, men! Quit your fighting as it was nothing but a joke." The main leader finally interrupted their arguments and assured them." As you all know there are hundreds of villages waiting for us, and in turn also a hundred of our kind doing the same actions as we do." He explained, amidst the silence of the rest.

"It's simple, we recruit more of them, convince them that we do it for the same cause and you'll finally our numbers growing larger," He gave a smirk." Don't be concerned about time, we'll all be Generals and Lords of our own kingdoms soon enough."

Cheers and Laughter erupted once again.

"Not bad boss" One of the men agreed as soon all of their minds were motivated and reinvigorated due to their leader's words.

"With you leading us to glory, I can finally see it coming into fruition." Another member shared his opinion.

"To glory and victory to us!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

After that, the topic would shift as they debated which village to attack and raid next. Their blood was once again boiling with excitement.

"I heard there is a village nearby, was it Coda or something?" One of them wondered.

"Oh yes! Coda Village! I've heard the village is rich in food and grain, enough for us to continue our journey towards the north." Their comrade said.

Their leader smirked after hearing his statement." Well, men! I guess we finally have our village to raid tomorrow morning."

As plans for another raid were put in place, the atmosphere slowly began to change without their knowledge. Von, the young soldier, was distracted by a lone crow on a branch from a nearby tree, and it had been there, watching them for some time now.

It was at that moment when sobs could be heard from a distance.

"Oi! shut your mouths there!"

Everybody's attention had shifted towards a certain spot where three individuals were located. There were revealed to be what was left of the village that they have recently raided.

Three female villagers, two young girls about the age of 10 and a woman, who was apparently their mother remained on that spot with their hands tied in ropes. They all had terrified looks on their eyes as every moment the two girls would burst into silent sobs.

However, the men paid no heed to their cries until one of them had finally spoken up.

"Alright fellas! What do you say we have some fun for awhile tonight?" It was the Main Leader that had announced his intentions to the group, bad intentions filled his eyes.

"Why not boss?"

I'll take that girl over there hehe."

In response, almost all of them released their own perverted smiles as most of them began to cheer in unison.

Von's thoughts were disrupted by their own commotion, and he soon found himself staring at the main leader who was dragging the poor woman to them.

"Mama! Please don't go!"

"Let go of her!"

He could hear the two girls crying out for their mother. He could feel a sympathetic feeling within him as if a part of him was urging him to save the woman and the two girls.

Though, judging by the situation right now, He was one against eleven of them, which was a big disadvantage.

By this point in time, some of the men also grabbed the two young girls and separated them from each other.

"Please don't hurt them, they are just children. "

The mother pleaded and cried for her two daughters.

The men paid no attention to their cries and anguish, which had now filled the entire area.

It was a pitiful and tragic scene as three villagers were going to be placed in a situation that they didn't deserve. Violated and left to their own demise.

Von couldn't contain himself any longer. The young man's memories interfered as he remembered how his own mother died while protecting him from Bandits as well.

Oh, what kind of an abomination he has become.

Von could feel a little bit of rage rising within him. His hands clutching the grass as tightly as he can and moments passed, he instinctively reached for his rusty sword as he finally decided to take matters into his own hands.

However, as he was about to stand up. he felt a strong gush of wind that passed by him and a powerful presence had now entered the area.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the rest of the men were excitedly cheering and anticipating playing with their prize possessions, they soon saw a black mass that had suddenly appeared behind their main leader.

As for the older man, he was about to take off the poor woman's clothes when he immediately felt a presence behind him. A moment passed something heavy and large went straight towards both of his hands.

It was so quick that he had not felt anything, but by the time he looked down again, he saw both of his hands smoothly chopped and now on the grassy ground. Not long after, blood started to burst out from it.

He did not scream but instead stared in shock as he tried to make sense of what has happened. By the time, he had realized, it was already too late.

He soon left this world, when his head was chopped off by the mysterious presence behind him and his now decapitated body fell to the ground like a leaf.

The rest of the men were overcome in fear as they saw the black mass materializing into a human figure, then they were now seeing what appears to be a short individual wearing a hooded black robe, and on its hands, it wielded some kind of halberd-like weapon that emitted some kind of dark aura.

"Good evening boys, I see you're all having quite the time is it?"

The hooded figure spoke in a very distorted and twisted voice, which made it tough for the men to distinguished the latter's gender. They couldn't comprehend if this was a highly skilled mage or a demonic specter itself, though in the back of their minds, they asked themselves if this has something to do with the local folklore itself.

"Who are you!?" One of the men demanded as he could feel his whole body trembling in fear.

Simultaneously, all of them drew out their swords as they now find themselves in the face of danger.

"You killed our boss! You will pay for what you've done!" One of them exclaimed a man, who was brave enough to challenge the specter and made his charge.

The cloaked figure only stood there as it waited for the man to make his first strike. Though, in the blink of an eye, the brave man was diagonally sliced in half, killing him instantly and adding more blood on the floor.

It didn't take too long enough for the rest of them to charge at her at the same time, which turned out to be the worst decision of their entire lives. According to their own strategy, their strength in numbers could overpower just one person, and they were all confident about that.

However, as the remaining brave ones charged at the figure, they would soon suffer the same fate as each of them got chopped into pieces in just mere seconds like meat on the market.

Half-sliced bodies flew everywhere.

One bandit got a portion of his head cut off, sending his skull cap-covered brain towards a fellow bandit, hitting him directly on the face, adding more trauma to his mind. Another one got his head mash into bits turning it into ground beef with blood filling it like sauce.

And the rest of the men died in different variations. Two of them got impaled together like a barbecue on sticks and then smashed towards the ground.

With that finally taken care of, the hooded specter slowly walked towards the men as it began to speak once again.

Gentlemen, Thank you for the charity of your lives tonight, I hereby express my gratitude in the place of my master."

The hooded figure announced before giving slight devious laughter.

"W-What the fuck are you talking about!?" One of the men asked, now hesitant to attack.

"The hooded figure continued as it raised its weapon towards them.

"God has laid eyes upon you and sent an invitation to join him in his world."

"May you all be so fortunate."

Von could sense the terror emanating from the specter. He knew it wasn't human and described the presence as sinister and evil. Was it a vengeful spirit who escaped from the underworld?

Though, as the rest of his fellow comrades were in deep doubt and fear, he took notice of the woman and her daughters, who were just recovering from the trauma they had endured. Instead of engaging in a fight with the figure, he ran towards the three villagers in order to help them, much to his comrades' shock and disappointment.

"Von, you coward! Get back here!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Most of the men's courage and bravery had quickly drifted away and were now replaced with fear.

"Dammit, I'm not gonna spend my time risking my life for this!" One of the men exclaimed, dropping his sword as he ran away from the scene.

The rest of his comrades follow in the suit as their only option remaining was to outrun the enemy, though their efforts were mostly useless.

"Run as fast as you can."

Those words were the last that he heard from a fellow comrade before he was engulfed by the darkness from behind.

One by one, the fleeing bandits were dragged into the darkness that was chasing them from behind.

The last bandit ran and immediately begged the Gods in desperation, he would soon feel regret for the things that he has done in the past. The innocent people that he has killed, the number of women he had raped, he would give everything just for himself to be forgiven.

But to last his only redemption was death.

Though there was a part of him that wanted to fight back.

Soon, his path was suddenly blocked by the specter, who appeared in a blink of an eye.

The bandit came to a halt as he gripped his sword once more and made an attempt to engage it in one more fight. His determination and confidence had surely blinded him and when he made the first strike, the specter easily evaded it and quickly used its weapon to execute the finishing blow.

The man's body stopped as he felt something sharp go through his stomach; the realization came soon after as the weapon had impaled him. Furthermore, He found himself near it and his eyes staring at the black void that covered the specter's face.

Even so, he was able to summon the last of his strength as he attempted to reach out to his adversary. In his mind, he wished to see the face of his own adversary before his life expired. It was an inner promise to himself as a former warrior who lost all his honor. Not a moment too soon, his hand was able to reach the hood itself and then removed it revealing his enemy's true face which utterly shocked and amazed him.

Those hypnotic crimson red eyes were imprinted on his mind forever as his life force dwindled. Amongst the long smooth black hair, and the expression, overall, he had never seen the hauntingly beautiful face of death in his life, and but now he was at least thankful that he had a chance.

"You're beautiful."

He muttered aloud as that was his last words, his lips then formed into a small smile.

Soon after he lost his consciousness as his soul finally departed from his body.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Awhile Later

"Are you three alright?"

It was the first thing that Von said when he reached the mother and her two daughters, who had finally reunited with each other.

He did not anticipate the reaction coming from the mother, who went all defensive for his two girls as she hid them behind her back. The fear and anxiety in her eyes were still there, though she promised herself that she would risk her life just to keep her two daughters safe.

"Please don't hurt us!" The mother pleaded to him.

"No, I'm not going to hurt you." Von tried his best to explain in the most calmest way possible. He knew it was going to be a tough time convincing them that he had changed sides.

"I'm not like the rest of them."

There was guilt visibly emerging from him, He didn't know how he will exactly redeem himself from bad things he had participated, but there was one thing that he stayed true to and that he didn't dare to kill the innocents who were left defenseless.

So by helping these three, it was the only way that he could make amends. He just had to show that his intentions were really genuine so he removed all his weapons and threw them away.

"This may be an offer that is unbelievable to you but, I'm going to get you and your daughters out of here." He explained." There is a nearby village from here, and I could take you three there."

By then, his hard work paid off as the woman slowly nodded in agreement, though she had not let her guard down.

A small smile crept across the young man's lips, though as he was about to move, he then felt the same presence that had appeared from behind. Soon after he could feel the sharp tip of the weapon barely touching his skin.

The tension returned once more as his body became stiff as a rock as the cloaked specter stood behind him.

One wrong move then it would be the end of his life.

Not a moment too soon the young man heard it spoke again.

"Is He forcing against your will?" The hooded figure asked, its voice slowly changing.

At first, he felt confused about whom the question was directed to but eventually realize that it was speaking to the mother and her two daughters.

His attention then shifted towards them.

A sense of fear and desperation overwhelmed the young man even though he was able to remain as calm as possible. The situation felt like something of trial and sentencing. His life was on the line once more, which was in the hands of the three villagers.

There was a moment when he brought his eyes towards the mother. Ironic, that he was now in the position of pleading for a second chance in life.

There were small tears forming in his eyes.

Although, at the same time, a sense of peace also took over. In the back of his mind, he thought that there was nothing much to do at this point. Truthfully, He had no permanent home to go to. His original home was gone, and if he wanted to have a peaceful life, then death was the only answer.

He would accept whatever decision the woman would give. He then closed his eyes shut as he prepared for his fate.

"No your holiness, This man helped us."

"Your Holiness?" He thought at that moment.

In an unexpected turn, the mother simply shook her head as she made her decision. She had a feeling the young man was different from the other bandits from the start. He was the only one who treated them fairly and with respect when they were captured during a raid in their village.

As for Von, he was overwhelmed with this feeling of relief that washed over him but was more shocked when he heard the woman addressed the hooded figure as "Your Holiness."

He also noticed that the woman and her two daughters were bowing their heads slightly as a sign of respect for the figure.

He widened his eyes as he finally decided to turn around to face the latter.

He was greeted by the crimson red eyes that illuminated beneath the hood. He could still feel the powerful aura that resonates over it, though he could not sense any more threat looming.

At that moment, he finally mustered the strength to speak.

"Y-You're the Apostle of Emroy."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The wind grew stronger for the first time, instantly eliminating the wood fire that kept the place lit. Instead of the clouds began to disappear as the moon finally emerged bringing light once more across the land.

Silence befell the whole area.

The rays of the moonlight shining over the cloaked specter as Von was given a brief chance of seeing through its identity. He saw a glimpse of its beautiful face and blood-red eyes with a faint smile that he could not comprehend.

The smile looked more benevolent from what he had seen.

His instincts kicked in as he gave a slight bow towards the Apostle as a sign of his own respect.

Never in his life would he meet the holiness in person, and from what he saw, there was this mystic hidden beneath that cloaked and hood.

The once Urban Legend and myth he perceived to be since he was a child, had become now a reality.

Then at that moment, he never felt thankful for what he has in his life.

It did not spoke but instead slightly raised a hand pointing towards a certain direction.

At the same time, Von recognized the certain pathway which will lead him and the three villages to the nearby village ahead. He then realized that the being was telling him to lead these three to safety and where they would recover.

He then looked back towards the Apostle and gave the being a slow nod.

Satisfied with what it had seen, the same darkness from before returned to envelop the hooded specter, and it finally vanished from the scene in the blink of an eye. But not before warning the man through a certain poke in the chest, that if he did anything stupid or malicious, he would suffer the same fate as his comrades before.

The whole area was engulfed in another silence.

Sensing that the conflict was finally over, Von wasted no time in assisting the mother and daughters and led them to the nearest civilization ahead. Prior to that, he took a quick glance at the location where his former comrades were now laid to rest.

All of them meeting their own violent deaths as per what those visions had told him prior.

How lucky he was to reconsider his decision and immediately break ties with them, but at the same time, he could hear most of them branding him a coward for not showing the courage to fight alongside them. That was his only guilt and regret. These men had helped him throughout the journey, taught him how to defend himself, and many more. However, He did not agree with their own intentions of violating innocent people.

His thoughts finally ended as he turned around and led the mother and her young daughters away from this place towards their destination.

Despite his knowledge of what happened after he left, the remains of his slain comrade began to slowly disintegrate into a blue-greenish ethereal-like substance that evaporated to the air like waves or threads.

Not long after, peace and quietness had returned to the area, no one ever knowing what had transpired under the moonlight.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Coda Village

There was always this sense of calmness whenever he tried to gaze at the night sky.

The old man never expected to see the beauty of the moon at this hour. Prior to this, the entire Coda village had to endure hours of darkness, including an hour where it felt like a storm had passed through as when it rained all over the settlement.

It did give a fresh ambiance and coolness to the air after a whole day of hot and humid weather.

Cato could finally sigh in relief as the old sage sat down by the nearby window of his workstation. It was a view he was looking forward to seeing to rather than stare at a crammed-up room full of furniture and bookshelves.

The old man felt the exhaustion all over his body as he had just got back home after a small meeting with the village chief not too long ago. Apparently, another set of refugees in the form of two forest elves, specifically a father and daughter from the nearby Koan village and forest had turned up in the farm areas where Lelei, his student had found them, injured and bloodied.

A day had already passed and still, they weren't able to find any insight or information regarding what happened to their home or what attacked them. The father was still unconscious while the daughter was unable to focus properly due to the exhaustion she had acquired and was still recovering from whatever trauma she had gone through.

Another issue that was brought up during the meeting was that of sightings involving cavalrymen from the Imperial Army, roaming the nearby lands. Many had thought that the conquest of the Empire had finally reached their lands, meaning the villagers were put into a situation where they have to move out again in order to avoid being raided and killed.

The village did not have soldiers to defend its home.

Even he in this old age cannot entirely defend the settlement from an army that can recruit even the most of the powerful arch-mages in this generation. He can't speak for his friend, Mimosa either, but for sure she was the type of woman never to be underestimated.

His concern mostly went for his own student and even in his twilight, he would not waste time and teach her everything that is to learn, even though the girl hated so much of his own antics, which often gets in the way.

He sighed once more.

So far the talks were still in place, but the final decision wasn't coming to fruition soon unless some miracle would intervene.

The old man sighed as he grabbed his tea from the table and started drinking to relieve more of his tiredness.

He sat there on his chair and took the time to enjoy the view.

Though as he was in the middle of finally finding the relaxation he long for and deserved when he suddenly felt a presence approaching.

Cato slightly jolted from his seat as he narrowed his eyes towards the large bushes in search of that presence. At that very moment, his heartbeat started to go fast.

He grabbed his staff which was just right beside him just in case it was malevolent.

The presence that he felt was so heavy and overwhelming, though there was a slight hint of familiarity to it.

Then in the next moment, he caught a glimpse of a black figure that went and passed by the area, but before that, it halted and took a quick glance at the old man. Showing the familiar blood-red eyes that illuminated from the black void.

It gave him a small eerie smile before continuing on towards its destination.

Cato sighed after what he had just witnessed. His suspicions were correct as he then let his guard down permanently.

The thought of a powerful beast suddenly attacking his home from nowhere came up to his mind. It definitely gave him shivers down his spine. Although, he was able to brush it off quickly.

His old friend was even more powerful than any beast he fought against in his lifetime. He would even tell people how generations of demons feared it. The actions that it has taken made a huge impact for hundreds of years.

It was so unfortunate that he had the chance to meet her.

He returns back to his chair and took another deep breath. While trying to clear his thoughts, He asked a certain question to himself, wondering what new situation will he be dragged into tomorrow.

"What did she do this time?"

CHAPTER END

AN: Hello again! So I really wasn't expecting to create a chapter based on the intro of a planned major chapter in the future. Prior, to writing this chapter, I've rewatched the scene in Episode 3 involving Rory's first introduction and chapter 4 of the Manga, and I thought it kinda happen so quick, so something came up in my mind, and decided to eventually write a chapter dedicated to that certain scene.

As for the perspectives in this chapter, It will still remain small and personal and through the eyes of another character named Von.

For the mysterious figure (Rory of course) in this chapter, I wanted to change it up a little bit and made her presence more ambiguous, mysterious, and calm. Her original introduction in the manga and anime series was kind of a bit grand or bombastic, along with straight-up telling her name and revealing her identity.

I wanted to make the impression that not all New World natives believe in Apostles or Gods, hence why the bandits think it was just a myth or legend.

As for old man Sage Cato, I originally plan on introducing him for the next chapter, but a reader had suggested that I should make a connection or ties between him and of course her. According to the original novel, He was great friends with Mimoza and sometimes getting his butt kick due to his perverted antics, something of a Jiraiya/Tsunade type of friendship and during that time, Rory was still a teacher at Rondel, so it might be possible that he had met her once.

Also, I apologized for any grammar and spelling mistakes since English Is not my main mother tongue. With that said, Thank you very much for reading the chapter and your support! I really appreciate it!