You woke up to the sound of gunfire, cannons roared as the ship rocked. You found yourself smack center in the middle of a frigate, and a European one at that. Sailors rushed to find their places, as arrows rained from the sky. Their blue uniforms were stained with blood, and bodies were everywhere, above and below deck. You stood up and confidently drew one out of the two stainless steel swords that were situated on your back, unlike your previous stainless steel sword, you personally increased the chromium properties and added a titanium base inside the stainless steel layer that surrounded it. Your versions of the stainless steel sword were bigger, longer, and tougher. Although, only long enough to surpass the length from your waist up to your neck. They could definitely tear any armor and weapon weaker than them.

None of the sailors seemed to have noticed your presence, despite you literally standing right in the middle of their deck. You looked around and they all looked to be calm. But you were not easily fooled by the facade. Or at least that's what you thought.

You came to realize that they were all too focused on their own tasks that a lone rogue such as yourself was of no significant concern to them, you were curious about the thought, but also realized that since you were on a warship, you were definitely within war's reach. "Victorian warship incoming! it's a ship of the line!!!" Shouted a sailor from the starboard side of the ship you were on. You were curious as to what a ship of the line was, only to see that it was a bigger frigate with more guns.

"Abandon ship! all is lost!" Another sailor shouted in despair. it was then you heard a cannonball pass by as you walked toward the starboard side of the ship. Many other ships were destroyed by the behemoth, and as it turned to its side, it performed a volley that made a frigate look like a child's toy. You were directly hit by one of the volley's shots, but it merely bounced off your face as it fell below numerous decks. The ship you were on began to sink slowly, somehow the gunpowder below deck hasn't ignited yet, a stroke of luck as you stood there, but then it came to your mind, that none of these sailors used any form of magic, and they were all mostly human. You began to walk towards the ship of the line, most commonly known as a man of war. By the looks of things, the warship appeared to be manned by royalty, despite the lack of decorations, what caught your attention was the princess guarded by steel-clad knights. You also noticed from previous experiences that these knights emitted no magical energies, but an oppressive aura that matched that of warriors, so you went to investigate. You walked down onto the water, as ice automatically formed platforms below for you to step on, and then you ran towards the behemoth.

You dashed past one ruined warship after another, and as your presence was still unnoticed, you figured that commandeering such a vessel would make sure your travels would be as safe and secure, given the entire crew and passengers would become your hostages. As you neared the massive ship, you were finally noticed by two lucky sailors, one in red, the other in white. "S-Sorcerer!!!" One shouted with a horrified expression as he and his companion ran away from the port side of the ship. With your weapon still drawn, you leaped into the air and landed on the left side of the ship. The ship of course leaned to your side for a moment, before regaining its composure. The hull creaked as you walked to the center of the vessel. Before you knew it, you were surrounded by sailors all armed with muskets, mounted with daggers.

You quickly snapped your fingers, freezing the sailors in place, and walked toward the helm of the ship. You could hear the sound of sailors screaming behind you as you made your way up the stairs, and once you were near the helm, you could hear the whimpers of the princess below you from within the captain's quarters. The sun was up, and the winds were strong, you redirected the ship toward a faraway continent you could somehow see from hundreds of miles away. The crew below started to panic, the warship you now commanded moved slowly, and the winds seemed to favor your destination, as the vessel became much faster than its original speed. But you were not alone. From a few dozen miles behind you, multiple frigates were in pursuit, and they bore red flags with golden eagles at the center. How quaint.

You made haste and used your powers to force even more wind to blow on the sails of the ship of the line, the warship you were on became significantly much faster than even a brig, or a schooner. You wished you could smirk at this very moment, but having no face made it difficult to do so, actually, it made it impossible to do so. You loathed this price.

Yet, despite all the setbacks, your mission remained the same, get a few dozen wishes from a being that could grant them, even if you were forced to convince them somehow. Nevertheless, you were confident you could make it through this painful adventure. Hours passed and the sailors you had frozen were released from their bounds, they were quick to go below deck, however, when you reached the night, they became bold enough to attack you. After a little skirmish, you quickly dispatched them and threw their corpses overboard, this act led to a more fruitful outcome, none dared to attack you in the days that passed. But you were wary of another, thus you kept yourself combat-ready.

After two weeks and three days, you arrived at a nearby port. You let the warship ram multiple smaller warships before leaping into the air and then landing on the stone surface of the road, and, as you once again unsheathed one of your stainless steel swords before walking toward a nearby tavern. Until time froze, and a beautiful woman's voice spoke in your mind. "I'm afraid, Josh will be taking a break for now Administrator... I don't have much time so I'll keep this short. You have been assigned to a different player, named Hailey, this isn't the realm of magic and fantasy anymore... you will help defend the player from the shadows, your alignment is with the Crimson Empire, and you will find Hailey inside the mayor's mansion. Make haste Crest, and assist Hailey in her investigation, this world must not fall into the demon kings' hands. I will inform you of your tasks later on..." You felt the sudden urge to go berserk, but you still had no choice but to obey.

As irritating as it was for you to suddenly follow another contractor, you had no other option but to follow for now. You walked toward a massive mansion at the edge of the port, the warship behind you slowly broke apart as you neared the mansion. But just as you arrived at its base, a kid in a gi uniform blocked your path, and by the black belt that he wore, he was a master. "Approach no further spawn of darkness! for I am Kage! the warrior of light! shall block your path!" You paused there for a moment as the kid announced himself with confidence and charisma, performing a few flashy moves before gesturing for you to come over with a smirk. You and Kage both took your stances, before dashing toward each other in a blur. "Take this! HA!" Kage shouted as he used a stylish jaw kick as his first move. Unfortunately, you were just as fast, if not faster than him. You quickly jabbed Kage's face before performing a spinning back kick in less than two seconds. 

Ouch did it hurt, it left a big mark on the boy's face. Kage leaned back while taking a few steps away from you. You quickly examined Kage as he slowly regained his bearings, judging by the white skin and blue eyes, blond hair, and perfect North American English accent, he was by no means Asian, which meant he probably learned those petty martial arts moves from either a dojo or a television screen. But all that was just speculation. Since the kid merely brushed off your attacks and smiled.

"...That was a good strike, how about we crank up the pace a little?" The kid disappeared from your line of sight, leaving a trail of dust before immediately appearing right in front of you. "Well? how about this then? barrage strike!" Kage eagerly declared.

You dodged every attack that Kage sent you, weaving left and right effortlessly, as to avoid the constant strikes that came by the dozens with each second that passed. Once the action was finished, You and Kage came to exchange blows that kept missing, unbeknownst to both you and the boy, both of you were being watched by a cheery spectator. Kick after kick, jab after jab, miss after miss, and blow after blow, your spectacular fight with Kage drew more attention than it should have, in fact, the once two-way fight turned into a three-way one, as a young woman with white skin, white hair, pink eyes, in a pink and purple dance idol dress interrupted both of you unannounced. "Hey-ya...!" The young woman cheerfully called out as one of her daggers landed between you and Kage. Upon setting your sights on her, she revealed her name to both of you. "Hi, Kage! hi, tall and... intimidating. I'm Miku! your average fighter idol!" Miku announced before she immediately posed herself in a cute position, with her right hand next to her ear, forming a peace sign, winking as she smiled, her left hand placed on her left hip, while her left foot bent as she leaned forward. Although this captivated Kage, charms held no place in your heart and soul.

You quickly leaped into the air and then landed on the rooftop where Miku stood, she took a few steps back in response but did not expect you to fight her immediately, right after. Miku, despite being caught off-guard by your sudden attack, managed to dodge all the fists by only a few inches away. "Woah there! can't you calm down a bit? why don't we talk this out?"

You quickened your pace and moved like lightning. Your punches became mere blurs and silhouettes that appeared and disappeared in and out of existence, somehow though, the cheery idol kept her sweet persona, and dodged your every strike.

At this very moment, your battle with Miku became a battle of endurance, your fluid movements from kicks to punches, swipes to jabs, became one as if it was scripted. Miku dodged every last attack without breaking a sweat, while you moved like lighting. Your blows sounded like thunder and silent cannon fire, some, like violent gusts of wind passing by. You and Miku went rooftop to rooftop, crushing and destroying chimney after chimney. Kage was left baffled by your sudden increase in speed and strength, but nonetheless joined Miku's side. Probably because you were the more intimidating and untrustworthy-looking type. "You won't get past me...!" Kage shouted, joining in the fight to trouble you with a second opponent. But even with the added threat, you kept your calm and continued to fight, only this time, you were forced to dodge as well, but sent your own barrage of attacks in return. You fought the two until you reached the mansion, then it began to rain, and a mysterious fog sets in as everything became grey, dull, and devoid of bright colors. "W-What the? where did he go?" Kage panicked, you disappeared into the fog, and the two fighters were forced to put their backs against each other, facing the fog that surrounded them, even with the rain filling their ears, it was all dead silent, but you watched hidden in the darkness.

"Where did you think he is?" Kage asked, with Miku merely shrugging as she remained alert. "Dunno, but he's out there... probably waiting for an opportunity to strike..." Miku answered calmly and smirked as she continued. "But maybe he's..." Miku paused for a moment before turning toward the mansion behind her, noticing a small silhouette getting farther and farther before disappearing completely. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She pouted while stomping on the ground. "Jerk!!!"

You could hear Miku's insult echo throughout the port, but you paid it no mind as you approached the mansion's gates. Rain poured down heavily on you, the fog did not help either as you slowly pushed the metallic gates and entered the garden. Oh was it devoid of life, death was everywhere, almost looking like an old monastery combined with its own grave site. Dead plants, dead trees, broken fountains, and pots. At least the water still flowed, although, it looked a little cursed at best. 

You walked into an open wooden door, it was battered. Judging by the marks on its handle and body, you were fairly certain that whatever came through this door was definitely humanoid, no level of intelligence below that of an animal could ever know how to open a door, at least with a round door knob. Wasting no time in your search for this Hailey person, you walked inside the mansion and entered some sort of training grounds. "I knew you would be here." A woman spoke from behind you. You turned around to see a young girl about nearly as tall as you, beautiful, but decent. She had black wavy hair, black eyes, slightly lightish brown skin, and a calm but charming demeanor. "I'm Hailey by the way... I don't know much about this whole transported into another world and becoming a hero thing, but I'll try my best to save it." You expected a cheery imbecile like the so-called idol from before, but it appeared that cartoons and real life were far different realms entirely.  She extended her hand, and you gladly accepted it. She smiled at you before releasing her grip. "Nice to meet you... Crest, was it? I'm not entirely well-versed in being a hero... Artemis told me all about you. About how you're... somewhat of a middleman in these sorts of affairs..." She suddenly blushes in shame at your silence and tried to defend herself with meager words. "N-Not that I find it suspicious of course! I-I'm just worried that maybe I'm in over my head..."

"Crest is a man of understanding Hailey." A familiar voice called out, it was Artemis, although he donned a commodore's attire this time, in full blue color, sporting a mustache that rivaled European generals, his skin was also brownish in color, although still a little light. "And may I remind you that he is merely bound by contract to the goddess, he could leave us to die at any time." Artemis glanced at you for a moment and chuckled. "You've grown powerful I see, last time we met, the false goddess was nearly on par with yours." Artemis laughed while Hailey remained silent and confused, not knowing what Artemis meant as he continued. "You must understand Crest, I was like a sheep before I found my powers, the false goddess was a chain that cursed me. And yes... the true goddess... is HER." You immediately knew what Artemis meant, that voice that merely ordered you around was the one in question. "Come now miss Hailey, let us not disturb sir Crest any longer."

Just as Artemis escorted Hailey into a room nearby, your head was filled with the voice of the woman that ordered you before. And this time, she became a little nicer than the first time you met, introductions and full explanations included.

"Hello again, Administrator... I believe that I have not introduced myself yet. My name is Alica, Josh's former assistant if I may. I apologize for the rude behavior prior to this conversation, however, I was in a bit of a rush you see. As far as explanations go, I have informed Hailey of her mission to destroy the demon kings that reside in the center of the island, of course, they are no real threat. But the ratings must rise if this realm were to remain. As for the ratings in question. That is classified information..."

"Knowing your contract with has led the higher-ups to... compensate you for your efforts, although I could grant you your nine desires, you could stay a little more, for three added wishes? what say you, Administrator? I'll make this worth your while. Perhaps you might even find my company rather... enticing..." You pondered for a moment but quickly decided that twelve is greater than nine, basic addition, no subtraction. You nodded your head in agreement, for a second there, you thought you heard an alluring chuckle, before Alica's obvious presence disappears from you entirely. Not before long, Miku and Kage appeared before you. You slowly but surely sheathed one of your stainless steel swords back in its place before slowly turning around. You covered yourself in protective layers of defensive aura as you stood.

"Nice of you to leave us hanging. Administrator." Kage said with his arms crossed. "Well... we might have gotten on the wrong foot, but I think we'll all get along in the end. Nice to meetcha Crest." Miku added with a bright enthusiastic smile. "...Anyways..."

"Miss Alica told us a lot about you! you're one tough nut to crack, no wonder you're so intimidating. If I were just a random nobody I would have been history!" Miku said with a sly smirk before entering the room where Hailey and Artemis were waiting. "Apologies for the rude behavior earlier... sir." Kage apologized while walking towards Miku. But just as Kage entered, Miku paused for a moment and turned towards you. "No hard feelings, alright?" Miku then entered the room, with you following her soon after. You entered a lavish hall, filled with food, wine, and many men in blue uniforms, the same ones that were on the warship that was destroyed by the Victorian ship of the line. All of them guarded the corners and edges of the hall, there were exactly twenty-two of them, veterans by the looks on their faces. "Crest! come! join us for dinner!" Artemis called out to you, the glass chandeliers that hung above shook and rattled, and the fireplace burned with golden flames, you approached the long ten feet wide round table, before seating yourself beside Hailey's left, where Artemis sat on her right. Miku and Kage sat on the last two chairs, while Artemis laid out a map of a labyrinth below the mansion. "Let's eat!" Miku declared, smiling before she stuffed her face full of beef and chicken, somehow not choking in the process of devouring them.

Kage also joined Miku, as he stuffed his mouth with whatever meat could fit in it. Meanwhile, you and Artemis planned the route which you will all follow in the coming days. However, there was one problem. No one knew how to get down there. Yet.

After hours of discussions, you and the small team of fighters, consisting of Artemis, Miku, Kage, and Hailey moved deeper into the mansion, below dozens of floors. After finishing breakfast of course the next morning. You carried a torch that barely lit the surroundings around you, cobwebs were everywhere, and old weapons, armor, and equipment were abandoned, mounted on the walls as decorations for some sort of old monarchy. You, along with your group walked toward a set of double doors made of silver and gold, they looked cleaner than anything you and your group had seen before. "I will handle this..." Said Kage as he cracked his knuckles and prepared to force the doors open while walking forward toward them with a confident smirk. "Now then... How do I..." Before Kage could figure out what it was he was supposed to do, you quickly kick down the set of doors, and as they fell, they hit the ground hard soon after. "Showoff..." Kage begrudgingly muttered under his breath, encouraging Miku, who was behind him to snicker in amusement and some level of awe.

Despite the calm atmosphere of the group, it quickly reverted back to its serious state as shouts and screams came from the other side of the doors. Silver-clad knights charged with blue chrome swords, hundreds of them came from an open green field on the other side. "Hold them off, we can take them." Artemis encouraged the group. You and Kage used fists to quickly dispatch the incoming hordes of knights that came too close, while Miku and Hailey took out bows and rained arrows from afar, meanwhile, Artemis used both his sword and magic to attack offensively. "Drive them back! push forward!!!" Artemis shouted. You and the others followed without question, driving every attacker back.

You and Artemis took the lead in annihilating the silver knights, even stepping on the green grass that looked livelier than your current existence. The sun was also abnormally bright, but you could feel the perfect breeze brush over you. "Ah... sunlight. How long has it been since I felt its warmth?" Artemis commented on the perfect environment that surrounded both you and your party. "...Kya!!! it's been so long! my beauty is finally free from that dull basement!" Miku cheered.

"Hah... it's nice to finally breathe fresh air..." Hailey said with a smile. "Well said, miss! I wanna break some rocks!" Kage replied to Hailey's calm attitude. Green flat lands were everywhere, trees abundant, and small rivers flourished. A typical fantasy setting. But what you all forgot, is that you were all deep below ground. "Wait a minute. Aren't we, underground?" Kage asked.

"Now that I think about it..." Miku continued, but she was cut off by the sound of small armies charging on horseback, and you all forgot to deal with the remaining knights who silently dragged their unconscious comrades back to wherever they came from, and out of sight. It took a moment for you to process what just happened, but when you finally did, you realized that this was all an illusion, at least some form of it. You looked up directly at the sun, but to your surprise, the more you focused on it, the more hidden details started to appear. The fake sun was actually just another form of a lightbulb, the sky was just a painted roof, and the mountainous horizons were just fake hills, which were also cleverly painted and designed, good thing the trees, grass, dirt, and vegetation were all real. But just as you have figured it all out, you noticed a fairly decent-looking white castle from afar. Blue rooftops, gigantic tall towers, and most of all, an even bigger one at the center. Without much warning, you marched towards the castle alone, whilst your allies planned their next move, your missing presence unnoticed.

But by the time they all realized you were missing, you were already at the gates hours ago. Tall, wooden, and iron doors blocked your path, however, they were no match for your strength. With a single kick, you sent them both crashing down to the ground, like the previous doors prior to you coming into the castle. And as you entered, a low hum echoed.

From the dust, you encountered a female knight in silver armor, however, the armor she wore looked fairly similar to that of a familiar cartoon that you watched when you were still on Earth. The design was odd. Yet alien to you.

She stood still, like a statue, but you knew otherwise not to step unprepared. You approached the knight, and she remained still. The more you approached, the more you felt like she was going to attack, but then it came, you passed her and into the castle's main hall. The large wooden doors were already open, and before you were a prince. He was tall, slightly taller than you, he had golden eyes, golden hair, and white skin. You stopped in place, he was kneeling next to a sword, blue in color, but he was bleeding, though it looked like he didn't even feel it. Then it hit you, this was the man you showed Artemis on your first encounter, you never thought that this could be a coincidence, but then you remembered the prince's name, prince James the third. "You there..." The prince spoke in a low tone, almost as if he was worried.

The prince's voice was weak, and when he looked in your direction, you knew he wasn't directly looking right at you, as if he could merely sense your presence. "P-Perhaps I was mistaken..." He muttered before returning to his prior state. But when you took one step forward, he suddenly looked back and focused. "I know you're here... show yourself." The prince demanded weakly, unbeknownst to him, you were already removing the talismans that kept him blind and weak. "I... I feel as if my strength is finally returning...! my sight! I can see!" The prince said in a weak voice that slowly turned strong and filled with life. It was then he turned to look at you, as you removed the last piece of talisman from a wall, and quickly tear it apart. "You... what's your name stranger? I am prince James, and I am the ruler of this noble castle, who might you be... miss?" The prince known as James respectfully, but at the same time, nervously asked. You turned around and simply nodded, with Artemis, Hailey, Miku, and Kage soon arriving with sweat all over them. "Ah... I thought I'd never make it." Kage complained, gasping for air and stretching his neck while Artemis and the rest did the same. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't all fun and games anymore. Before James could extend his hand in gratitude to your team, you were all ambushed by fanatic cultists.

Before you could even notice what was going on, the floor below you cracked, and you fell into a hole that led into a deeper part of the labyrinth. Luckily, you landed on a pool of water that was ten feet deep, you immediately swam your way onto solid ground and got up, at least you got your chance to bathe and clean yourself, even for just a moment.

You finally found yourself at the heart of the labyrinth, you expected that there was going to be some sort of boss battle once you got your bearings, but to your disappointment, there was not. At least, not yet. You were fortunate enough to find cultists in nothing but black cloaks with upside-down red stars on their hoods, during a sacrifice by the looks of it, and to whatever and whoever twisted idea it was, they were all women, all well-armed. Due to certain aspects of your being, you were immune to such temptations, thus you charged at them with fists at the ready. The cultists gasped in surprise as they were knocked down by your quick and heavy blows. There were hundreds of them, no, there were thousands, they all came bearing swords and daggers, prepared to die as they charged headlong into a futile battle.

"Kill her! she must not disturb the ritual!" A cultist shouted. You rushed toward the horde of angry cultists, raining down a storm of fists that knocked down each one with a single blow or two. One of them tried to kill themself, but you were quick enough to knock the fanatic cultist out of reality before she could take her own life. You did this with the rest who followed, you were successful in avoiding a mass suicide until only the leader was left, standing atop an altar prepared to kill the sacrifice, which was also a woman, covered in flowers and animal blood. But like the rest, you stopped the cultist from taking a life.

Usually, fantasy doesn't go this deep, but considering Alica's words, this was no longer a realm of fantasy. Still, your sense of righteousness pulled you together, and you slapped the cultist on the face, somehow forcing her to let go of the dagger in her hand. She paused for a moment and glared at you, then she smirked. "You're not from here are you?" 

You slapped the woman once again, but she did not yield. You removed your grip on her left hand and walked towards the sacrifice on the ground, you took a glance at your stainless steel swords before turning to your mask. She uttered a few words that sounded like praise, but you weren't able to hear them clearly due to your focus on removing the hidden shackles that bound the woman on the ground, from her ankles to her wrists. Once they were removed, you slowly lifted the woman in your arms and walked to the only entrance and exit to where you found yourself in. But as you slowly left the scene, you could hear the cultist say something irritating. "We'll meet again... my dark hero."

You soon left the unfinished sacrificial event, and into a dark hallway of stone and rock, supported by wooden pillars and supports that surrounded the walls. You climbed up the steel stairs that led back into the castle hall, where hundreds of dead male cultists were scattered, below the feet of your allies. Upon seeing you though, James's eyes widened, and ran towards, not you, but the woman you held in your arms. "Aileen..." The prince whispered. "I-Is she still alive?" James asked you nervously, in response, you nodded, sensing that this Aileen that you carried was definitely still in the land of the living. "Ah... what a relief." James sighed, relaxing his body once assured. Now that thought of it, this Aileen looked a lot like James for some reason, from the hair to her skin, but no, it was probably just a coincidence. This woman can't be the prince's sister, not when she lays in your arms, sleeping comfortably in your care. Your aura must be quite soothing.

You moved to hand over Aileen to James, who carefully accepted her in his arms. "I thank you for saving my sister madam..." James thanked you, but just as he was about to continue his sentence, he was interrupted by Miku who quickly tried to correct him. "MADAM!? HE'S CLEARLY A MAN YOU DUMMY." Miku pouted, as she repeatedly stomped her foot on the ground repeatedly. "M-Miss Miku, I am terribly sorry, but she... or he, looked more like a fine woman." James nervously replied as he turned to Miku. "WHAT WOMAN IS TALLER THAN ME!?" Miku instantly retorted. "A warrior???" James slowly replied.

You turned around and walked outside the hall, you could hear and feel the force in Miku's heated response as you left the massacre. The silver knight from before was gone, you breathed in whatever air you could and sighed. It was then you felt a slight tremor that shook the entire castle, from the looks of things, the source was right above you. You suddenly remembered all the unconscious cultists below the castle, you ran back into the area where they conducted their failed sacrifice, and to your surprise, they were no longer there. "Come on! we have to go! the entire place is collapsing!" Kage exclaimed as he grabbed you by the waist and carried you on his shoulder, he ran and ran as rocks fell from above, leaping into and out of large cracks that got wider and wider as he went. Until he made it outside the castle hall.

Kage ran toward the exit in which you all previously came, Miku and James desperately waving their hands towards you to come quickly, before the entire cave itself collapses. But it appeared that luck came in Kage's favor. Unfortunately, he slipped the moment he was about to enter the doors that led back into the hallway that led into the massive otherwordly cave you were once in, but now trapped inside. Debris immediately buried you once Kage was at a safe distance, the last thing you saw, was his face filled with fear and regret, you felt like a mere side character, discarded at the first half of your journey, forgotten, and disposed of. Although, said roles did not apply to you either way.

You woke up to find yourself inside another hall, you quickly got up and checked your surrounding. There was a hole in the roof, and a big one, assuming that you fell from such a height, you were now in an unknown area of the labyrinth, here, the lights were dim, and they all came from candles that littered the wooden floors and walls of a hall that was as empty as a grave.

It was then you realized that this place was a shrine, and a fairly big one too. The shrine had white walls painted walls, smooth, too smooth to be made by mere carpenters. The entire shrine had no doors for you to exit, and it was as large as two football fields side to side. You suddenly felt a chill wind pass you, there was something in here besides you, and it was far from human.

If the failed sacrifice was the heart of the labyrinth, this was the stomach, and something was hungry. You quickly punched the air to your left, you felt like you'd hit something soft, and you could feel a wet substance slowly slip from your fist before dropping to the ground. Then, a loud thud followed not a second too soon. You turned to look at whatever creature you accidentally killed, only to find a skinny humanoid beast, with long sharp claws and a wide massive mouth with hundreds of teeth dead, and eviscerated. You looked around once more, and finally, you found what appeared to be the altar part of a shrine. You slowly walked to the altar, but before you could even move a muscle, multiple faceless humanoid warriors in different sets of armor emerged from the shadows. "Take him!" Said one of the faceless men, ironic. You quickly dispatched the lowly fools with strength and skill they could not hope to rival, within seconds they fell, one by one. You continued to approach the altar, which, as you got closer, revealed more details than before. "So... you must be the hero everyone else is so worried about? I can see why they tremble at your name." Said an ominous voice that growled as it spoke.

But before it could continue whatever grand speech it prepared prior to this encounter, you tore it apart in a blink of an eye, not wanting to waste any more time with whatever it was, you never even bothered to even check. Nonetheless, you arrived right next to the altar. It was wooden, lit only by seven candles, with each bearing its own unique designs.

Old parchments, bronze, and wooden necklaces. Torn but complete scrolls, a bowl of feathers, and ink. Small wooden figurines of seven beasts. A boar, a nine-tailed fox, a rabbit, a two-headed snake, a deer, a turtle, and a dragon. You looked down at the figures and decided to crush one of them, for ruining your time. The boar was the one to be crushed, and it shattered into two pieces, although it still retained most of its natural form, it lost its left back leg as a price. You thought you felt the other figurines shiver for a moment, but then again it could just mean that something was right behind you, and as you turned your head, there was a young boy standing a few hundred feet away from you.

You quickly turned and ignored the boy, and instead focused on the scrolls that were scattered on the altar. You started to read each one without concern but felt the boy's presence creeping closer and closer as you did so, seconds to minutes, the boy now stood right behind you, slowly reaching out his hand to grasp one of your shoulders. You felt the hand near its target, and once it grasped it, you only felt a light touch on your right shoulder. Although, within that second's time, you were in someplace else. A paradise of mystery, beyond the sky, but below the stars. Filled with purple enchanted forests as well as clear light from the moon. Another deception, from inside another realm.