"Welcome, is there anything I can get for you three?"
Sara, the waitress of Good Hunter, asks Naofumi, Amber, and Eula for their orders. The two met Eula on their way to Good Hunter as she had just left the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Eula greeted the two as it seemed she had much to say. So she agreed to talk about it during lunch.
"Hi, Sara! Could we have Sticky Honey Roast along with Chicken-Mushroom Skewer, Cold Cut Platter, and three apple ciders?"
Amber asks Eula, who sighs, while Naofumi is curious about the food choices.
"Coming right up! It's nice to see you both here today. And… Oh hello, is this your first time here?"
Sara greeted Naofumi as he nodded.
"Yes. My name is Naofumi. Amber and Eula showed me around here and got me familiar with Mondstadt, and I joined the Adventurers' Guild. You can say if you make a commission then you could probably see me handling it."
"Oh! Well, it's nice to meet you Naofumi! Actually, I did post a commission up to the guild, it isn't urgent, just needed someone to do food deliveries. But someone already did the commission, but you could help me out tomorrow. Hold on, have you been to Springvale yet?"
Naofumi shook his head as Sara recommended that he visit there to get to know the locals before leaving with their orders listed. Naofumi also noticed something else, Sara didn't mind Eula at her restaurant. Amber noticed this as she explained.
"Sara doesn't mind Eula eating her, she is actually one of the few people who can look past her family name and see her as Eula the Favonius Knight. It is the only place where she can spend her Mora."
"Eh, hem!"
Amber just realized Eula was next to her as she simply looked back at her with a cheerful smile. Not before receiving another oath of vengeance, she looked at Naofumi.
"I have, at least, tried to gain information about anything that is related to the Shield Hero."
This causes both Naofumi and Amber to be surprised, and Eula continues speaking.
"After I gave out my report, I headed to the library where I asked Lisa if there was any history related to a shield that wasn't ordinary, that had the functions that your legendary shield processes. Lisa, unfortunately, hadn't found any, but she did note there was some history of a man wielding only a shield during Vennessa's rebellion against my ancestors."
"Lisa?"
Naofumi asks as Amber quickly explains.
"She is the librarian I told you about, she wields an Electro Vision. She uses… Flirting as a means of communication. I would be surprised if she doesn't flirt with you the first time you meet her."
Naofumi slowly nodded as he turned back to Eula who again continued.
"I thought it would be a dead end until Lisa found a drawing of the legendary shield, the dull shield that you said was the shield's default form. Which meant the Shield Hero did exist nearly 500 years ago. And help the first Grand Master Vennessa, and Lord Barbatos."
Naofumi was shocked that the previous Shield Hero existed in the same year the whole Aristocratic era ended with Vennessa. But if that was the case, why doesn't Amber know about the Shield Hero? Eula makes sense but Amber?
"I wonder why information about this wasn't known, but perhaps the previous Shield Hero and Vennessa knew why, maybe even Barbatos. But, it turns out I did know the Shield Hero."
Naofumi's eyes widen in pure shock as Amber gasps.
"The reason why I'm saying this now is because I recall stories my parents told me as a child to remind me why our clan lost the power it once had. Stories portray a man with a shield who can do anything. A shield that is capable of strengthening anyone just by being near them. He even wielded powers never before seen beyond the seven elements.
He was known as the Accursed Shield. My family cursed him for the reason why the rebellion got so strong to overthrow them. As much as I don't follow my family's example. I didn't believe that a shield was able to do all those things. I thought they were sprouting nonsense from time to time.
At least until yesterday, I met you, Naofumi. You proved me very wrong, a shield like that was able to overthrow my ancestors, which makes me think how powerful you'll become. Maybe enough to make everyone in Mondstadt grow strong just like the previous Shield Hero did centuries ago."
Naofumi was shocked to hear this, that the previous Shield Hero helped the rebellion, to stop the Lawrence clan from further using their power. But why, why was only Eula's clan and little information from the library have information about the Shield Hero?
"If the previous Shield Hero, along with Vennessa and Barbatos was the reason Mondstadt is the nation we know of today, then why didn't we know about him? Eula, did you happen to know the previous Shield Hero's name?"
Amber asks Eula once more as Eula tries to recall before speaking.
"I'm not even sure why it is like that. But there was a name that I found when I was trying to look up more about the Shield Hero years ago. Just a single name. I wasn't sure if it was the first or last name. But the name was Mamoru."
Naofumi suddenly froze. Mamoru is a Japanese name. That means, Mamoru came from Japan! If so then—
"Here you go, everyone! Enjoy! Eat it while it's hot! …Oh, did something happen?"
Sara came back putting plates of food and drink, only to find the atmosphere between the three looked conflicted. She hoped that it didn't have anything to do with Eula.
"Ah! It was nothing too serious Sara, it was just Naofumi here who was worried about his younger brother. He wonders if he is going to be alright without him."
Eula recalls Naofumi mentioning he has a younger brother when she was getting to know him. Sara has a look of understanding on her face. She then gave Naofumi a reassuring smile.
"If you're that worried, then you can send a letter to your brother by having the Adventurers' Guild send it. I'm sure it will calm your brother down just by having a letter from you."
Naofumi only nodded, now remembering his family back home, a family he would never return to. He was even unsure how to respond to that as Sara left to go back to her spot. He could only stare at the food in front of him.
"Naofumi? Are you okay?"
Amber asks out of concern as Eula does the same. Naofumi told them he was alright, he was still processing all of this. But that didn't mean the thought of being away from his family just made his heart sink.
Amber and Eula knew he wasn't alright, but Eula noticed it became like that when she mentioned his brother. As much as Eula wanted to talk to him, seeing his state made her think that right now it wasn't the time to talk. So the three of them ate while neither one said anything.
Naofumi was still thinking about everything, it continued after lunch and possibly the whole day until Eula finally snapped him out of it and helped him to deal with the realization of being away from his family. It was like that the whole day, and Naofumi was thankful for Eula's help.
He now felt like himself again as Eula and Amber helped Naofumi find a place, an apartment that cost little Mora. Soon they found a place for him to stay for the time being as Naofumi thanked them and called it a day.
And in a blink of an eye, a week, including today, has gone by.
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In another world, unknowing how many light years, a world that was about to have another world attempted to fuse with, with the interference of an unknown party. And in one of these worlds, a lone girl with angel wings in a gothic dress stares at the sky, sensing incoming danger.
A few seconds later, the sky began to bleed as dimensional cracks began to appear in the now bloody sky. Monsters from within the cracks began to emerge and made their way to the ground of the world it raided.
"Such a drag to deal with. But it is my duty!"
The girl suddenly glowed as her wings covered her body, her appearance began to change as she started to grow twice her size, soon triple, and kept on growing until she was gigantic. A humongous pure white fluffy chicken.
And with little effort, she easily dealt with the monsters with none managing to get to the ground without being sliced in half by her. But it seems like it was getting endless as if something had caused the wave to be different than the previous one.
But it seems soon a bigger monster emerged from the cracks but sadly for the monster, it didn't get to do much as it was also dealt with.
"Hmm… This is strange. The first wave of this area shouldn't have been this much or this early."
She mutters to herself as the cracks soon fixed themselves, the redness soon vanishing back to the clear sky it was once before. As if there was never a crack in the sky.
"The four heroes, their presence should have weakened the waves, at least until stronger waves appear."
The girl was puzzled as she looked below her to see her flock of bird-like ostriches. Each of them makes noises only she can understand. She heard them say that they felt the wave had felt a bit stronger. Something that shouldn't have been possible… Unless…
"I have a mission for you all. Go to Melromarc and find out information about the current state of the legendary heroes. Something must have happened to one of them if the recent wave had suddenly become a bit stronger."
The reason why she spoke of the nation of human supremacy is that she sensed the summoning of all four heroes in one location. And it was the only language she was able to understand.
Though it confuses her, the heroes were meant to be summoned by the other nations, not in one location. The waves were happening all over the world. She handles the waves in non-populated areas while the heroes handle the populated areas to avoid having too many lives being lost.
Her flocks nodded in understanding as each of them went off to fulfill the task their queen gave them. Once that was done, she teleported to a place that nobody would ever see or ever stumble across. Her old home.
It was in ruins, and any lasting places still standing had nature cover them in grass or leaves. She approached one of the broken floor pieces and sat down. She was thinking of what caused this sudden change.
"...There must have been another fight between the four heroes if it was, then it was faster than I had expected. But what kind of conflict did the heroes cause for the waves to be like this? To even begin this early?"
She mutters with her emotionless expression, the only thing she cared for was for the heroes to work together, even if she asks her kind to find out the reason for this strange occurrence, she doesn't truly care why the heroes were even fighting to begin with. All she wishes to see is their corporations.
"The Shield Hero… They're always against the odds with humans. Could it involve the new Shield Hero?"
She wonders if it has something to do with the Shield Hero. She just hopes she'll be wrong. She promises her hero that she'll protect the world from the waves.
In another location, in a nation that seems advanced, inside a private room in a castle, a woman wearing elegant robes with a crown. She held a hand fan as it was close at the moment. She looked out the window to see people preparing for a wave to strike, it could be any minute now.
Suddenly, a figure appears beside her, disguised as they're not showing whenever they are male or female.
"My queen, I've returned with reports to share."
The queen didn't speak for a moment until she did.
"The situation in Melromarc, how bad is it?"
The individual was hesitant but spoke.
"It is as if you fear my queen. Your husband, the king, summoned the four heroes. As well as ensuring they stay in Melromarc."
The individual suddenly felt the room's temperature go down below zero as the queen tightened her hands, nearly breaking the hand fan she was holding. Clear rage was visible on her face. She could unleash all of her magic she has in the room right now.
"That foolish man! Summoning all four heroes!? Does he have any idea how this could lead to every nation declaring war on us!?"
She barely managed to calm herself down as she reminded herself of where she was. Should anyone have overheard her, then the war would have already happened. She wondered how she could explain this to the other kings who were currently here.
She and other powerful figures of each nation gather in a meeting to decide what should be done to save their nations. A few days ago they had just decided which nation would summon a hero, only for her husband to summon all four.
"What have you gathered about the four heroes?"
She asks hoping that it wouldn't be worse than it already is.
"The Sword Hero, Ren Amaki, even though it hasn't been two days, he prefers to do things on his own and let his own party level up themselves. The Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi, has a strong sense of justice, he already plans on undoing evil around Melromarc.
Possibly in another place should he manage to leave Melromarc. The Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura, has a party of only women, including your first daughter. No doubt he'll be her next target or puppet."
The queen sighs, already imagining what her daughter would do now that she in the Spear Hero's party. As if the lives she already ruined weren't enough.
"What about the Shield Hero? Has my husband's hatred of them caused any trouble so far?"
The individual once again was hesitant, especially about the Shield Hero, but they knew their queen needed to hear this.
"The Shield Hero… My queen, we were unable to find or locate them. We found proof that they were summoned, but it seems they never set foot in Melromarc. But upon further inspection, the priest, along with his followers, made the summoning of the Shield Hero while performing a different ritual through unknown means to exile the Shield Hero from ever setting foot in the world."
This information caused the queen to look at them in pure utter shock. Her voice barely held the high volume.
"The church did what to the Shield Hero!? That damned church has doomed us all!"
The Shield Hero, a holy figure in the nation of demi-humans and beastmen, is a figure that is looked upon by every person there. It was also known that the previous Shield Hero died from that nation, and even the people there still had a hard time believing how their god could die within their borders.
Should they ever find out the Shield Hero was summoned but not to this world, the queen couldn't even imagine the destruction that would fall upon her kingdom.
"How would I explain this to all of them? Or to a certain point, how to avoid getting it out?"
The queen couldn't believe this was all happening. First, the heroes were summoned to her nation, and then the Shield Hero was confirmed as not being in this world but possibly in another world. Why couldn't she have planned more backup plans when she heard her trusted man had died in the first wave in Melromarc?
All she could do now was try to handle the situation the best she could, even getting her second daughter to not get involved in the lashing she would receive once the other nations somehow got wind of this. As much as she… Loves her family, she wanted her second daughter to be safe and protected.
She needs to get her out of the most powerful nation now before it is too late. But before she could do anything a knock was heard from the door.
"Your highness, the meeting begins in 30 minutes, please be on time, especially as our king… Would rather be doing his business than having another meeting."
The queen said she would, as she listened to make sure the footsteps were truly gone. She then turned to the individual.
"Get Melty out of here as fast as you can! Make sure she is safely returned to Melromarc. I'll try to return as soon as I can. But bring more shadows to ensure I will be able to escape and make my way back."
"As you wish my queen!"
The figure then disappears as she looks back at the window, she hopes, praying that everything will be alright and everything can still be fixed once she returns.
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Somewhere, that is infinite, a place of no escape or time that barely exists. A prison of a maze that is tricky over time if you're not careful. A place that none would ever dare to set foot in, knowing that there is no escape of any sort, not one… Expect one.
A lone girl, sitting on a rock, holding a special fishing rod, looking directly into the water, waiting for a catch. She sighs as she thinks to herself, wondering if today will be the same as always.
"I wonder if the fish will be different or the same; then again, it is always both. But hey it's better than doing nothing at all… Just how long will I be stuck here?"
She mutters the last part as she couldn't help but look back at the memories of her time in another world. A wonderful experience of being summoned to a whole different world, tasked with fighting a dragon along with meeting a spirit woman who became her best friend. Then two more, one a king of his nation and the other a jewel woman.
All four of them as one team, traveling as friends, making a home, enjoying life in a different world. It was all enjoyable to her, at least until… She was put in here. It just happened one day, she was out adventuring alone, then suddenly she was captured.
She didn't know who they truly were but she did know they were from the rivaling nation that was always against odds with the nation she grew to love. The next thing she knew was being thrown into this prison. At first, she thought she'd be rescued, until she found out where her captors had thrown her.
A labyrinth that has no escape of any kind, no matter where she looks, where she could reach, there was nothing but her, alone, stranded in a place where time rarely passes. She lost count of how many days, weeks, months, or even years had gone by since she was first thrown here.
The thought of never aging, spending so much time alone, never truly came to mind until that day. She wondered how her friends were doing, were they still looking for her, had they moved on? Or maybe they had died in old age while she stayed the same for eternity.
One day, she was thinking about ending it all, all she needed was a rope, just an action then it would all be over. The loneliness was too much for her to bear until she snapped out of it. She tried to stay positive, but who knows how long it will last. But she knew, one day, she'd be out of this prison.
"Maybe I should go back to that room I found the day before. It didn't look like the other rooms I found during my time here. Maybe… Just maybe it holds the key to my freedom from this place. I just need to catch a fish to get the motivation."
The moment she said that her fishing rod alerted her of a fish on the hook, she pulled her hardest as a fish emerged from the water. She nodded to herself, happy she caught another fish.
"Alright! Time to check on that room!"
She hummed as she carried the fish back to her base before heading somewhere else in this labyrinth. Perhaps the room she mentioned… Will contain the freedom she needs.