Author's Notes
Here I am! ^^
Boy, how much time since I put in some author's notes.
Anyway, even though I'm 99,9% that this will be read by more or less ten persons, since at the moment Log Horizon doesn't have its own section, I think I'd better explain a few things.
"The European Wars" is a story that I began to develop already midway through the first season, but when the second season came out I took my time to watch it, other than reading as much as I could the light novels, to be sure that I would not put in paradoxes or narrative errors, remaining as faithful as I could to the original plot.
Log Horizon is one of the anime that I've liked the most till now, and I've especially liked its union between fantasy andcurrent events, politics and action. All things that will be present in quantity in this fanfic.
Here, I've said everything.
I thank those who will read it and, if they want to, I'd like to hear what they think of it.
See you soon! ^_^
Carlos Olivera
...
PROLOGUE
Akatsuki stared at the sky above her head, turning it from time to time to glare towards the boundless woods that extended just across the walls of Akihibara, floodlit despite the fact that almost all those within it were sound asleep.
Another month had passed.
A month trapped in that sort of world halfway between reality and fiction, where everything was the negation of everything, and where nothing was certain.
In the end, as everyone, he had grown accostumed to live out with that body, those abilities, as much as she had grown accostumed to the laws, as simple as they were absurd, that regulated her new life.
Nevertheless, she felt that something was amiss, if not completely wrong, in what was happening.
It was no use trying to deny it: the guys, the Adventurers, were growing too accostumed. It was no secret that nowadays many had begun to adapt to that new reality, herself amongst others. Besides, it was the only thing to do if one wished to survive, or to avoid losing his or her mind.
However, it was the very memory of the existence prior to the Apocalypse that was seemingly disappearing from the minds of several Adventurers, and in her mind this was just plain wrong.
They were earthlings, and that was not their world.
She knew it, or in the least she didn't wish to forget it, as much as she didn't want to forget her determination to find a way to get home.
The Moon Observers had promised a solution, but since that the repairs to the communication system was taking quite a long time there was no telling on how long that situation would drag on.
In some way, she too had changed, but even if in public she tried to fake a confidence and a simplicity in getting things done that she hadn't known she was capable of, away from prying eyes she became once again the same old Akatsuki, gloomy, sad and very much alone.
She didn't want to bother Shiroe or her companions, but the truth was that thinking about the future, with its unknowns and the meager perspective, scared the heck out of her.
Sometimes, as in that very moment, she felt empty.
As if she lacked an objective.
Sleeping, eating, hunting some monster, taking care of Akiba and, seldomly, put a way too eager adventures in his own place.
Her life was just that-
It wasn't as if her life in the real world had been more surprising or exciting; however, ironically, she missed it a bit.
She was about to go to bed, hoping that the new day would help, as always, to put those unpleasant thoughts away, when suddenly, like an energy explosion, a strange glow appeared out of nowhere in the thickest part of the woods, turning into a shockwave that quickly reached the city, shooking it with the power of a small earthquake.
The shock, not exceptional for the standards of Japan, was nonetheless strong enough to jolt most of the inhabitants awake, forcing them in the streets like disturbed ants, looking for answers.
Even Shiroe, who had fallen asleep at his desk reading some paperwork, was rudely awoken, finding himself on the floor.
"What the heck is going on?" he mumbled when, finally, the shaking stopped, leaving behind a few cracks in the wall and in the windows' glass.
Out of the room, he met Naotsugu, Nyanta and all the others, worried as well.
"Are you guys alright?"
"More or less" answered Minori, rubbing her head. "But what was that? An earthquake?"
"Maybe some Nydus Worm passed under the city." Naotsugu suggested. "Those beasts shake even the mountains when they dig their tunnels."
But that earthquake was little or even not natural at all, and Akatsuki ran in to confirm it.
"My lord, come here right now and look!2
Everyone reached the balcony, and they were greatly surprised when, on the horizon, they saw some kind of enormous, shaky column of violet light appear out of nowhere, towering over anything in the middle of the woods, barely a few kilometers out of the city walls.
"And what the heck is that thing?" Tohya said.
...
At sunrise, and with that strange light still looming over the city, an extraordinaty meeting of the Round Table was held, although, given the exceptional and unpredictable happenings, not every member had been able to participate.
"Was there any damage?" was Marielle's first question.
"Nothing serious." Roderick reassured her. "Just some cracks in a few buildings and lots of fear, but no wounded. My carpenters are already proceeding with the repairs."
"The real issue is getting what has happened." Said Michitaka. "Do you think that the weird light we saw just before the quake was correlated somehow?"
"In my opinion, there is little doubt." Shiroe answered. "The witnesses, amongst which Akatsuki, told of some kind of shockwave that originated from that very point, followed by the appearance of that column."
"Then, it was not a proper earthquake, but some kind of blast." Concluded Eins.
"It could be that it's some sort of quest." Said Soujiro. "Although I've never heard of a quest beginning in such a way."
"Perhaps it was part of the last patch." Answered Michitaka.
"One thing is certain, this is serious." Commented Isaac. "Some of the strongest members of my guild were around that place this night, and this morning reappeared in the cathedral. They told of particularly powerful monsters that showed up after the earthquake, and they must have been very strong, otherwise they wouldn't have killed them off so easily.
"In any case, it seems that the light has diminished somewhat compared to earlier." Said Roderick. "Perhaps, if we give it some time it'll go away."
"Even in that case" said Shiroe "before it happens, we should try and understand as well as we can its nature. We cannot be sure that what happened this night won't happen in the future, nor that future happenings won't be even more powerful than this one.
In light of all of this, I think it's necessary to at least investigate the source of that light, to determine if it's a quest, or if it's something to be wary of."
"I agree." Said Michitaka "After all, we went through this night well enough, but if the next time we get an even stronger quake it's going to be trouble."
"Not to mention that if after that light appeared those strong monsters popped up" replied Soujiro "we need to keep this in mind as well."
"But, if those monsters are so dangerous, getting there will be a problem." Said Marielle. "Who will be in charge of this task?"