I opened my eyes and started coughing as water hit my face, waking me up. Once I managed to stop my coughing fit I looked around. With me was Rachel and Nine, both of them looking at me. Their hands were bound behind their backs, and so were their legs. I didn’t have to look to know I was tied the same way as they were.

Instead of us being in some kind of dungeon or even a building, we were sitting outside in what looks like a massive camp. Surrounding us were the soldiers that attacked us. Their grey and black armor, massive katana-like swords, and clawed gauntlets told me so. And, to make matters worse, the more I looked around the more I realized how hopeless escaping was. There were well over a hundred of them around us and I could hear a whole lot more in the background out of my sight. The walls of the camp had spotlights on them and, yes, I swear I am seeing a fifty-cal machine gun seen in those shooter games mounted on the four lookout towers I can see. 

In front of me was the anti-material rifle that Owen gave me. It didn’t actually disintegrate people but it might as well with how powerful it is. He gave it to me and Rachel for a field test. When we were on our way there we met up with Nine and agreed to let her go with us. Then, when we were arriving at the testing field, we saw that it had been overrun with these unknown soldiers. Upon spotting us they did nothing at first. 

 

….Then I had to take out the rifle.

 

I wasn’t trying to kill them. I knew we had no chance. I just wanted to see if what I heard was true. While I didn’t see the guns these soldiers apparently used I definitely heard all about them. Yet the moment they saw the glint of the scope the entire legion that was there seemed to pause before they all rushed at me and my friends. I only managed to fire the rifle once and, much to my surprise, the bullet was deflected by one of their swords. It was a total slap to the face.

‘I guess we just have to wait till something happens.’ I concluded, realizing that no one was paying us any attention besides simply guarding us. 

With a sigh I tried my best to get comfortable. It seemed that, before they tied us up, they made sure there were no rocks or anything uncomfortable underneath them so they wouldn’t hurt me and my friends’ shins and knees. It was a surprising thing to do but it gave me hope. Hope that whoever leads this army is reasonable. That we can explain the simple misunderstanding.

Though, chances are they are going to remain prisoners for a while. If I was in whoever runs this army’s position, I wouldn’t fully believe someone who came with a sniper rifle and aimed it at my soldiers. 

Yet, it didn’t take long for something to happen. The soldiers around them suddenly stiffened and turned to face forward. It didn’t take long for a familiar man to come into view. His short dark blue hair, dark tan skin, and brown eyes mixed in with his well-defined cheeks and hard chin. He looked like a standard nice knight seen in Fantasy novels, one that is tough yet friendly. Skilled yet he can be goofy.

Yet, behind him was someone else who instantly took my attention. She was small, smaller than me, yet was cute. Her skin was white, almost like snow, and her hair was the opposite, being blacker than a raven. Her eyes were large and red and, albeit a little creepy with her pupils shaped like a diamond, though the red of her eyes were a little like a pool of water with blood spreading through on the top, or blood-red oil. Her nose looked to be small but I couldn’t really get much of a look at it. Her mouth and nose was covered by a cartoonish smiling skeleton mask completed with a skeleton nose.

She was wearing a red and black bright dress, being somewhat gothic in design. It looked a bit like an edgy gothic red-riding hood dress, something someone would wear on Halloween or in a party and they want to stand out.

Completing the outfit were knee-high black socks and black boots that had a slight heel to them. Well, there was actually quite a bit more to her outfit, it’s just that those parts made her look like she somewhat belonged here.

Wrapped around her waist was a red rope or string…or a ribbon? I knew it obviously came with the dress but I had no idea what it was called. The girl was using the ribbon to hold up a black katana and its sheath on her left hip and a much shorter red katana on her right hip, the right katana resembling some kind of toy. For some reason it felt familiar. I had a feeling I probably saw it back on Earth in the store before.

That’s the final thing about this girl that I noticed right away. She was, by no means, from Fantarsia, She was, without a doubt, a reincarnater.

‘Did the Goddess reincarnate more people or was there more than sixty?’ I thought, trying to wrap my head around what I was seeing.

The girl had a somewhat nervous yet determined and uncaring look in her eyes as she walked towards us. Yet, upon spotting us she halted in her tracks, her eyes scanning us up and down. When her eyes reached me they stopped. Whatever emotion that was in her eyes disappeared, leaving only the faintest amount of shock.

Then her eyes went down to the rifle in front of me. Her eyes, upon seeing it, narrowed and disgust shone in them…as well as some hate. Then her eyes looked back at me and the others. In them I swear I saw disappointment.

After a brief glare at us the girl started walking again, stopping directly in front of us where she crouched down and picked up the rifle. On her fingers were decorative claw rings, though the rings didn’t hide the actual black claws that replaced her fingernails. The rings were shiny and bright light grey, like steel, in color, and on top of the rings was an area representing the colored part of the fingernails. Only, instead of being like the colors of fingernails, the rings were black with tiny black gems. Once again it screamed gothic.

She studied the sniper rifle for a bit, her eyes prying it apart, before she gently set it back down on the ground, though she didn’t let go of it. Now her attention was on us. Up close it was hard not to blush at how pretty she was, and her eyes seemed to be bright and cheery despite having no real emotion that I can grasp in them.

Then, she tilted her head and I felt the presence of magic. I was confused at first until I saw Nine and Rachel were looking up. So, I did too and saw glowing shaded red letters floating in the sky slightly above the girl’s head.

“Hello! I see you guys have seen better days.”

For some reason, reading that sentence, I can imagine they were being said by an energetic, young, and teasing  yet slightly shy voice.

The words quickly shifted once I read them, changing to something else.

“You know, aiming something like this in front of people who are well-aware that it is a weapon, and what it does, is kinda a stupid idea, wouldn’t you agree?”

The girl held the rifle in the air with one hand and shook it gently, as if she was portraying what the words were saying which, now that I think about it, is probably exactly what the girl was doing.

I also noticed that she is quite strong. I didn’t see it before but when she picked up the large and heavy rifle, she did it with one hand without any problem. Now that she is much closer I can see that her arms hide some serious muscles. She may not be showing them off like bodybuilders but, if she flexes her arm or moves them in a certain way one could clearly see that she was not someone that can easily be beaten in an arm wrestle.

“W-we were j-just trying to see what y-you guys were doing,” Rachel suddenly spoke out, causing the girl’s eyes to flicker to her.

“I figured as much but, don’t you know that such a weapon shouldn’t exist here?” The words said as the girl tilted her head yet again.

“W-why not?” I asked, willing myself to try and dissolve this situation, “You guys use guns, do you not?”

The words disappeared after I said that and the girl turned to look at me, her eyes narrowed.

“...And whose fault is that?” The words came back once again, this time the tone being one of barely-restrained hatred.

“Who knew that this world could create so many advanced weapons within the short amount of time I was sleeping. If I had known I most definitely wouldn’t have just stood still while my army was torn apart.”

Even if the words were just words I could hear the sarcasm in them. It was then that I briefly remembered that the City of Furlin was massacred, everyone in the city assumed to be dead. Going by the looks of it they fought either against each other or some other army that had guns.

I now know who was responsible, though I kinda knew when I heard the reports of an unknown army that carries guns with them. 

“You killed them all!” I shouted, my anger taking over, “If you don’t like the fact that they used guns to defend themselves then oh well!”

The girl’s eyes seemed to shrink and glow even brighter. All looks of shyness in her was gone, replaced by a clear look of disgust and hate.

“Do you really think I wanted to kill them? Hah! How stupid are you?”

The girl leaned forward, using her free hand to lift my chin up to meet her eyes.

“Honestly, I mean you no harm.”

I flinched upon hearing a voice. The voice seemed to come from a device, at least the quality of it was, yet the voice itself was small and rather timid, though in a way that made it feel like it wasn’t meant to be. Like there was some problem with the voice itself.

When the girl leaned back I saw that the voice indeed had come from a device. It looked like one of those old cell phones though it resembled a voice recorder at the head of the phone. There were many small buttons on the side and front of the voice recorder, and the girl had pressed one of them. 

This all but confirmed that this girl cannot speak. The fact that she had trained how to use such a complicated-looking device with ease just to talk said it all, no pun intended.

“Yet I see you intend to destroy this world with your own dreams of grandeur, is that it?”

Rachel and Nine quickly shook their heads but the girl paid them no attention. Her eyes were focused solely on me.

I opened my mouth to answer her. I had no idea what I was going to say but I had a feeling it was something I was going to regret. Luckily, a voice cut me off. Unluckily, I recognized the voice.

“Cherry! There’s a problem with-” The voice began, walking out of a nearby tent, but cut off as the person speaking saw me.

I recognized her dirty blonde hair, her glowing green eyes, and the hybrid weapon sheathed on her hip. 

“Oh. Nightmare, do you recognize these people?” The words asked, coming back as the girl stood up and turned to look at Nightmare.

I saw Rachel start shivering from the corner of my eye and I myself nearly did, though it was going to be out of anger rather than fear. I fully expected Nightmare to throw on her cocky insane toothy grin and start to taunt us about our situation. Instead, Nightmare took a step back before she shook her head, gaining the shy yet neutral expression she had before. If I didn’t know any better I would think she looks somewhat broken.

“Yeah, I do. I just never thought I would see them again. It has been years since we first met and I…uh, kinda just don’t want anything to do with them,” Nightmare responded, scratching the back of her head.

The girl was silent for a bit, her eyes showing nothing, until she let out a sigh that quickly turned into a flinch. I was confused but more confused by Nightmare. Just what game is she playing?

“Well, let me finish up here then we can talk. By the way, did you find out what happened to the Samurai Clan?”

The air grew cold without the girl realizing it. Nightmare casted us each a sideways glance before she took in a breath and answered.

“Nay. All I know is that they got severely weakened. I tried to find out why but never could.”

“I see,” The girl said, speaking with her voice recorder, “Then I’ll see ya soon.”

“Yeah, see you soon,” Nightmare said with a quick wave before she disappeared back into the tent she came from.

After a couple seconds of silence the girl turned back to us, her eyes tired rather than hateful.

“Listen. I don’t want to be your enemy. I’ve been in this situation before. It doesn’t end well for either of us. Just give up and live a pleasant life. You don’t want or know the horrors of fighting against the world.”

I didn’t finish reading what she said, I was too outraged.

“You don’t know anything about us! We’ve been through wars too. Much more than you have ever been through as well! Don’t act all so high and mighty.”

The girl gave me a look that I couldn’t read, but I knew it had some disbelief in it. I knew what I just said was rash yet, for some reason this girl got on my nerves. I also can’t stand what she said. She knows war and we don’t!? I lost friends to war! Yet she dares to say that I don’t know war!?

If I was free I would, without a doubt, hit her in the face as hard as I can. That’s how angry I am. 

The girl leaned down again and picked up the rifle with her right hand. She studied it some more then looked back at me.

“Liar. You know nothing about what war truly is.”

With that, her hand crushed the rifle, snapping it into two broken pieces that started to disintegrate with red ash. I was too angry to realize that she probably used magic to destroy the rifle, though I had a feeling she didn’t use magic to crush it.

“The ignorant only know of the downsides. To truly understand and be in war, you must understand everything about it. Unlike you who say you have, you haven’t, and I hate you for saying otherwise.”

The girl shook her head and turned around. Before she started walking away, her head turned back and met my glare.

“Ignorance is a bliss…and isn’t bliss either. Sometimes, in order to get things done, one has to be the bad guy. The villain. The evil one. The tyrant.”

With that the girl started walking away, leaving me with too many emotions and questions to count. But, before she could disappear from sight, I asked her a question that I needed to know.

“What’s your name?”

The girl stopped and turned halfway around, her eyes narrowed but more tired than spiteful.

“Cherry K. Maple, but I’m known as The Cherry Tyrant.”

As soon as I read the words my vision flickered as a blue text box appeared in front of me, giving me the worst news possible.

The Cherry Tyrant

 

Congrats! You have found the fourth and final Great Villain Of Fantarsia, Cherry K. Maple, also known as The Cherry Tyrant. Defeat her or get defeated by her. Either way, it is up to you, oh one who calls themself a hero.

 

 

 

. -- .

 

 

 

I woke up with a gasp, sitting upright. In front of me was System, giving me what I can only describe as a “really?” look. I didn’t care, mainly because I was too distracted with the feeling of grass under me. I felt my excitement rising as I started looking around. To my left was a white fence and to my right was the side of a tan-colored house. In front of me was a street that went into a main road and, on the other side of the street were more houses with a red car parked. 

And finally, when I looked up at the sky, I saw how blue it was and the normal bright yellow sun. It wasn’t orange nor was the sun orange too, and there was no large swathes of dust and sand and no dark gloomy clouds in the sky.

 

I was finally back on Earth.

 

My happiness didn’t last long as I remembered the dream I had. It wasn’t really a dream and more of a memory of the very first time I met The Cherry Tyrant. Back then I didn’t understand her words. I still don’t even today but, after what happened at the end of the war, with the refusal of everyone to bring modern technology back, I may have some hint.

Well, if I want to try and stop the future from happening, I am going to see what war Cherry was talking about. But that’s in the future, and may not even happen at all. If I can stop Cherry from going to Fantarsia…which I don’t think I can so scratch that. Instead I shall change Cherry while she is still here. If I can change her while she is on Earth then I can hopefully stop the future from happening.

With that plan in mind I now began the very first step of my plan besides going back to Earth.

How am I going to find Cherry K. Maple?