Chapter the first, in which Hitomi finds out that magic is indeed real, and accepts her quest.

May 18, 10:34 AM

Hitomi yawned tremendously, shaking her head and covering her mouth almost immediately. She looked around briefly, and was relieved to note that none of the other students seemed to be paying her much mind. She hurriedly turned back to her notes, her eyes flitting momentarily to the board to make sure that she had copied correctly. She was a good student, really; she was just very tired today for some reason, and had been fighting her way through the thin haze in her eyes for most of her morning classes. She found herself about to yawn again, but fought it down. She had to keep herself on track in school; it was the key to a successful future. Every class was important, and every day was vital, assuming she didn't run herself completely into the ground.

The sound of the classroom dropped off suddenly. Hitomi looked up. The teacher was still speaking, but the sound seemed muffled, and much, much quieter than normal. She looked around, her vision brightening slightly and becoming sharper. A flurry of quiet panic rose in her chest for a moment, but she calmed herself quickly. Whatever was happening to her, it would be best faced with as clear and level thought as she could manage.

She wondered briefly if she should ask to see the nurse. It was fairly clear that she was unwell at this point. She really didn't want to be excused for sickness, but she supposed that a dramatic and unprecedented sensory change on the scale which she was currently experiencing was something which should be taken care of, preferably before it became an issue which required serious medical attention.

"Don't worry, you're fine!"

Hitomi swiveled her head sharply, looking around for the source of the disturbance.

"You won't find me like that, you know." The voice sounded close, female, and kind, but Hitomi struggled to place its direction.

"Who..." Hitomi started.

"No, no, that won't do." The voice chided. "Think it, don't say it. I can hear you like that, sure, but everyone around you will think you've gone crazy."

Think it? Hitomi reflected on the situation. A voice was talking to her, apparently in her head. She should definitely see the nurse.

"Yes, exactly like that!" The voice said. "Just do what you did and it'll work. Telepathy is the simplest thing in the worlds, really, once you get used to it at any rate."

"Used... to it?" Hitomi asked, then chided herself. Do not talk to the voice in your head. See the nurse. Simple.

"I wouldn't advise that. You're not crazy, and you're not sick. All going to the nurse will do is make it harder for us to talk for a while and pump you full of whatever anti-insanity magic or science you people use for these things. A huge waste of time, effort, and money." The voice informed her. "Look, just listen to me. Give me a chance. If I haven't convinced you in five minutes to join me, I'll leave you alone forever and never bother you again, alright?"

"Join... you?" Hitomi thought, her eyes looking to the clock. Just five minutes. Then, the nurse.

"Fifty-six days, thirteen hours, twenty-four minutes, twenty-four seconds." The voice said simply.

"Until what?" Hitomi said.

"Until the world ends." The voice said. "Well, my world in particular." There was a distinct shift in the voice's tone. It wasn't dramatic, but Hitomi could tell very clearly that it was serious. "It sounds like plenty of time, I'm sure, but it's not really that much when it's all you have left."

"Your world?" Hitomi had to give it credit. For a voice in her head, it sure had a complex back-story. "What do you mean, your world?"

"Have you ever heard stories where people travel to a magical world? With fairies and elves and dragons, princesses and knights, the whole deal?"

Hitomi hesitantly responded affirmatively.

"Those worlds are real. We're not too far from a world gate right now, actually. Less than sixty meters." The voice said.

Hitomi couldn't help but stifle a laugh. At least this was entertaining. She looked back to the clock. Only four minutes left.

"This isn't funny!" The voice said, then paused. "Wait. Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. This world doesn't have any magic, does it?" There was another pause. "No... it looks like it has a little... but very, very little. Great. No wonder you've been so cold to me!" The voice trailed off. "Okay, let's try this again. What's your name?"

Hitomi blinked twice. "Shizuki Hitomi."

"Well, Shizuki, my name is Eve, and I'm here to inform you that magic is very, very much real. I suppose I should prove that first, before we go any farther."

Hitomi looked around at the classroom. No one was paying her any attention still, luckily. "How do you plan on doing that?"

"Hold up, will you? I told you, you're only sixty meters from a world gate. I'll be with you shortly." Eve said.

There was a thirty second pause, and the classroom door slid open silently. A young woman, perhaps eighteen, with long green hair and blue eyes, stepped in to the room. She was wearing what appeared to be a combination of fantasy armor and twenty-first century American day clothes. Around her neck lay a red pendant, glowing softly with its own light. Her arm was adorned with what looked like a full chrome ringlet, what appeared to be a holographic screen projecting from a dot in the center. She had a meter long short sword in a scabbard on a belt, its hilt adorned with gemstones. Next to it, two .45 pistols hung. Of course, Hitomi didn't see any of this, because she was far too focused on the meter and a half angelic wings folded onto her back.

They were a light pink color, she guessed, but very close to white. They arched up slightly over her shoulder height, though lower than her head, and came down slightly below her hips. The fold they took was reminiscent of an eagle, from what she could see. The girl saw her staring at them, and smiled, flexing them slowly open and closed. Hitomi looked around the classroom. No one else seemed to notice the girl there, though the teacher was looking at the open door confusedly.

Eve, if it was her, snapped her fingers. A collection of red sparks emitted from the contact point, and she leaned in and blew them over the classroom. There was a brief pause, and every pencil in the classroom snapped simultaneously. The students looked about, shocked, not a single one giving Eve a second glance. Hitomi swallowed hard. Either she was so deep in a hallucination that there wasn't any real point fighting it anyway, or...

"I'll be in the courtyard." Eve said telepathically. "See you in five." She smiled at Hitomi, turned, and left the room.

Hitomi's senses returned to normal almost instantly. The teacher was yelling at them, asking what had driven them all to disrupt class so suddenly. Hitomi looked at the clock again for a moment. Given the situation, she supposed missing one day of class wouldn't be too bad.

"Um, Teacher..." Hitomi said. "I'm feeling very ill. Can I see the nurse?"

The teacher paused. Her eyes narrowed, then softened. "Of course. You wouldn't say that unless it was serious. Unlike some of the other students here..." She looked angrily at the remainder of the class.

"Thank you." Hitomi said, and exited the room as quickly and quietly as she could.

With only a very slight hesitation, she headed for the courtyard.

Eve was waiting there for her, a slightly amused expression on her face. "I take it you're convinced now?" she said cheekily.

"I shouldn't be." Hitomi said, looking at her. "It makes much more sense that I've just had some kind of psychic break. Magic is impossible. The world works according to the physical laws – it always has. But... yes. Somehow, impossible or not, magic exists." She paused, took a deep breath, and looked up at Eve. "I do believe you."

"Of course you do. You're, what, thirteen? Just the perfect mix of logical skepticism and childlike wonder to take full advantage of magic. Young enough to believe in it, old enough to use it responsibly." Eve looked down at her. "I'm open to questions, of course. Though, I will ask you to come to a decision by, say, noon today? I don't want to rush you, but, uh, I do have a limited time schedule. I need to get to the next candidate."

"One hour twenty minutes." Hitomi said. "Alright. I'll have an answer by then, sure. I guess, then, my first question should be what you actually want me for. You never really said."

"Oh, right to the point." Eve said, grinning. "Usually it's the wings in these non-magical worlds, for whatever reason." Her smile faded. "So, what do I want you for? Well, I didn't just rattle off those numbers for fun. My world really ends in fifty-six and a half days. Naturally, I'm trying to stop that."

"So, what am I, then?" Hitomi said. "Child of prophecy? Hidden magical potential? A princess from another world? Friends with a god for some reason? Born on some lay lines? At this point, I'm not going to question anything."

"Eh, he, he! One of those, one of those!" Another voice said. "Though it's still forty-three days off. And that's not the important part, anyway."

Hitomi blinked, and Eve sighed. "Stop being creepy, Jaxx."

There was a shimmer, and black cat stepped out from behind Eve's left leg. It grinned up at Hitomi. "I'm not creepy, am I, Hitomi? The cat swished its tail. "Or are we not close enough for first names yet? I suppose it's a bit soon, I suppose, I suppose." The cat rubbed against Hitomi's leg, purring.

"..." Hitomi said not a word.

"Don't mind him." Eve said. "He's a familiar. Not mine, I'm glad to say. But he does have his uses." she paused. "To answer your question in a less cryptic fashion, I have no idea. Jaxx led me to this portal, and I just popped in and reached out to the first mind willing to talk. The cat might be a bit loose in the head, but that's because he's got one paw in the present, one paw in the past, one in the future, and one out of time altogether, as he'll no doubt tell you on more than one occasion. He might not be able to tell us why you're important, but if he led me to you, you are exactly the person I need to meet." Eve said. "Somehow, you can help save the world. Which, again, comes back to what I need you for, Shizuki. I want you to join us. I'm gathering a group of adventurers together from as many far flung worlds as I can reach. You'd be the last person I need, to bring our total to eight." she sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you, Shizuki. It's going to be dangerous. Deadly, maybe. As I've said, you're not the only contestant I have for this position, either. Sure, you're at the top of the list for whatever reason, but I don't want you to feel that if you say no you've doomed my quest. There is a reason I was drawn to you first, I'm sure, but if you're the only one in the multiverse who can fill this position successfully, then the tolerance for failure is so small that we pretty much don't have a chance anyway. So, please, consider this carefully."

"Why are you trying to convince me out of it?" Hitomi asked. "After you went through all this trouble to find me, why not portray things in a better light?"

"..." Eve paused. "Shizuki ... you're thirteen. Yes, as I said, that's old enough to use magic. But... you're thirteen. Just a kid. Too young to have the weight of a world on you. I just want you to really think before deciding, that's all. Because when you get hurt, and you will get hurt, I don't want you blaming me for it. If you say yes, it's for the long haul. Well, at least a month and a half."

Hitomi was lost in thought. Her life, while full enough, was rather boring. Nothing really happened to her. She supposed there were plenty of people who would have jumped at the opportunity to get such a normal life, but she couldn't help but be just a tiny bit bored with it. And, to save a world... it was such a romantic concept.

"What's the chance I'll die?" Hitomi said. "Just from what you've seen."

Eve looked at her. "No training, no known skills, no magic... eighty-five percent. From what I've seen, assuming that there's a fifty percent chance of a TPK at some point, you have about a fifteen percent chance of survival."

Hitomi blinked. "Really? I'm surprised it's that high."

"Well, we'll have your back at all times." she said. "So, actually, saying that I think you have a seventy percent chance of being killed when you have backup is about reasonable."

"Right..." Hitomi said. Fifteen percent wasn't really all that good, to be honest, even if it was higher than she had expected. Still, this was a once in a million lifetimes opportunity. She looked at the clock across the courtyard. It was just about to strike 11:00. She still had an hour. An hour to think.

"He, he, the golden girl looks a bit mean, doesn't she?" Jaxx said, laughing. "Guns ready to go already! What a professional." Eve drew her blade.

"I knew it." she said. "We've been followed. I thought I felt some eyes on us."

Hitomi looked around. She couldn't see anyone, but the air was filled with a sense of foreboding.

"Oh, I'm sure she's fine." Jaxx said. "You really aught to talk to her more, Hitomi. She doesn't have that many friends." he laughed again. "You four would make quite the team, I'm sure!"

Eve looked around again, then sheathed her blade. "You better be right, Jaxx. If I get shot because of this..."

"Four..." Hitomi started, then shook her head. "Never mind." she paused. "So, what do I get out of this? This is a myth and magic adventure, right? There are always rewards."

"Well, magic, for one. You'll probably get some kind of magical power at some point, almost everyone does. This world does have magic, if weakly, so anything you learn will probably be usable here. There will be treasure on the way, obviously. I don't know your financial situation, but more gold can't hurt. We'll most likely come across at least a few magic items, and you'll be able to get your hands on some high technology, too. Then, assuming we do manage to save the world, we'll probably be rewarded in some way by an array of magical beings. But, in all likelihood, we won't be getting much in the way of loot until we either win or lose. Maybe a few things here and there, but, well, this isn't a role-playing game. The real reward is saving the world. I'm not saying there won't be cool stuff along the way, but I wouldn't expect too much of it." Eve said.

"Understood." Hitomi looked around. She sighed. This was a one in a million lifetimes opportunity, but she only had one. She wasn't anything special. Yes, this was her chance to become special, but it might cost her life. And even if it didn't, being simply gone for fifty-six days would be a death sentence for her education. She wouldn't have much of a life left to return to after a disappearance that large, at least not for a few years. Even if she was willing to consider the risk, she couldn't force her friends and family through an absence like that.

"Oh... I'm sorry, Eve." Hitomi said. "You've changed my whole world in twenty minutes, but... I can't leave. I have a life here, and just disappearing for a month and a half..."

"You wouldn't need to." Jaxx said. "Just your nights. We can't be fighting constantly anyway. You might miss a day or two, but most times it should be fine."

"My... nights?" Hitomi said. "When would I sleep?"

"Magic, my dear!" the cat cackled. "We can rest you right up with a simple spell. You won't have to sleep at all for two months. Literally!"

Eve shot the cat a dirty look. "She said no. We respect that choice, Jaxx." She leaned down, giving Hitomi a smile. "I'm glad, really. Hey, once I save the world, I'll come back and show you around a bit, how about that? See, now you don't even have to really miss out." She ruffled her hair. "You're such a cute kid, you know? I'm sure you get all the boys. Go back to school. Have a normal, good day. Study hard. Do whatever you do here."

Hitomi hesitated again, then sighed. It wasn't worth it. She wasn't a hero. She was a middle-school girl. She wasn't ready or qualified to save the world.

"I will." Hitomi said, bowing lightly to Eve. "Thank you for contacting me. I'm so sorry I can't help you."

"Don't sweat it. Really." Eve said. "It was a bit of a long shot anyway, but I figured I might as well-"

There was a sharp report, a distinct noise easily recognizable as gunfire to Hitomi. She gasped, looking around wildly for the source. There was a glitter in the distance, and a second blast sounded. She saw a bolt of golden energy erupt from a nearby balcony, though the figure shooting was too far off to make out clearly.

"Damn it, Jaxx!" Eve drew her blade again. "I thought you said that we didn't have to worry about her!"

"It's not her you need to worry about." Jaxx said. "It's what she's firing at that is the problem."

A rapid array of reports filled the air, and Hitomi saw the figure drop to the street level. Her gaze was drawn from there to a collection of strange shadowy forms filling the street. Eve said what might have been a curse under her breath.

"They must have followed me here." she said. "I'm sorry about this, Shizuki. I was sure I had closed the gate behind me. You stay right here." she snapped again, and Hitomi was surrounded in a swarm of red sparks. "This should serve as a barrier for about ten seconds if one reaches you. If that happens, run. Just run. Okay?" she looked deeply into Hitomi's eyes. "I won't let them hurt you."

The gunfire intensified. "What's that idiot doing?" Eve extended her wings. "Creatures of shadow don't care how many times you hit them. It's all cross-sectional area with them." her sword began to emit spectral red flame. "She's going to get herself killed at this rate." with a smirk and a flourish, she lifted off the ground, spun, and dived at them, gracefully arcing into battle.

Hitomi watched her sweep down on them. When she touched the ground, a blast of magical energy threw the first line of creatures backwards. They screeched, but by that time she was already in action. Slicing deeply through them with each swing of her blade, Eve made quick progress through the crowd. Soon the creatures began to swarm her. Hitomi noticed them missing her by mere centimeters with bolts of dark energy, Eve athletically dodging their attacks while dealing her own with ease. She looked in her element. Still, she wasn't killing them very fast, and Hitomi noted some breaking out from the pack and beginning to approach the nearby buildings. Though it seemed unlikely that Eve would suffer much damage from them, it seemed equally unlikely that she would manage to regain control of the situation before whatever these things were attacked the school. Hitomi felt fear rise in her chest again. Almost fifteen hundred students attended class here, and they all were in danger. Her eyes flicked to the nearest shadow. It had left the pack completely and was nearly at the doors by now. She felt herself freeze. What could she do?

There was a furious scream from inside the swarm, and the gunfire intensified suddenly and dramatically. With a burst of golden light, the swarm was torn to shreds in a flurry of a thousand bullets. The figure in the center seemed unharmed. Hitomi was sure she recognized the person, but couldn't place them. They seemed young. The figure exchanged a few words with Eve, and the two attacked the remaining creatures quickly and efficiently. Ten more seconds, and none of the shadows remained.

The figure turned to Eve, and even from this distance Hitomi could see the look of shock cross her face as Eve hit her with a sharp red bolt. The girl collapsed into the street. Eve looked at her for a second, then flew back to the rooftop courtyard and landed next to Hitomi.

"A bit of a false alarm. They were much weaker than I expected." she said nonchalantly.

"You..." Hitomi said. "What did you do?"

"Huh?" Eve cocked her head at Hitomi. "Oh, you mean the girl there? I just hit her with a memory wipe, that's all. She'll be absolutely fine. Heck, she'll even remember fighting the things. I only removed you and myself from the picture."

"Why? I mean, she was obviously able to hold her own. I think she got more of them then you did." Hitomi said. "She might have been useful."

"Yeah, but I'm trying to keep as low of a profile here as I can." Eve said. "I'm not really supposed to be here at all, so any trace I can erase, I will. The less of a trail I leave, the lower the chance something will attack here when trying to find me. And because it's magic, that includes memories. Just talking to you has increased your chance of being attacked... ten fold? One hundred fold? Significantly, to be sure. Two in the same school? Seems like asking for trouble."

"Well, why not recruit her instead?" Hitomi asked. "She seemed like she could handle it." meanwhile, her mind raced to identify the person. Same school? She was sure she would recognize them the second she saw them in class again, but she still couldn't place it for some reason.

"Yeah, but she wasn't on my list." Eve said. "I'm not looking for the greatest warriors. I'm looking for the set of people that I need for this quest. I have no idea why these people are the ones I need, but Jaxx is never wrong."

Hitomi paused. "Those things, they can attack us here?"

"Yes, ostensibly." Eve said. "I can't imagine they'll make a habit of visiting, but they could, sure. But they could have at any time before hand, too." she looked at Hitomi. "Don't let that scare you into feeling you need to learn how to fight them."

"You said that they're one hundred times more likely to attack now that you've contacted me." Hitomi said. "I think it's reasonable-"

"That was hyperbole! How do you think I'd be able to calculate something like that?" Eve shook her head. "Yes, it's more likely that they'll attack now. But even if it's one hundred, heck, one thousand times as likely, there's still almost no chance of it happening. If it was one in a million before, it's still one in ten thousand now!"

Hitomi looked at Eve. "That's not a risk I'm willing to take with my friends and family. I saw those things break apart, saw you lose control of the situation, saw them preparing to attack, and I froze. I was the only one who could see to do anything, and yet there was nothing I could do. When it was a matter of giving myself up to some quest, I found it to be not worth it. But now it's my fight too, whether I want it or not. I don't want to be helpless to protect those I care about. And if you're right, if there's really something special about me, don't I have an obligation to find and use that skill?"

"That other girl will-" Eve started.

"Not know what she's doing and fail at some point." Hitomi said. "You said it yourself, she had no idea what she was doing. Whatever her skills are, they don't overlap with this threat. This was luck and you know it."

"Shizuki, look, please-" Eve started again, but Hitomi cut her off abruptly.

"You wanted me to join you just half an hour ago. I'm the top of your list. And now I have a good reason to do this. Yes, I'm young. Yes, this is probably foolish. But someone has to do it, and if it can help me protect myself, my friends, and my way of life, shouldn't I?" she looked at Eve seriously. "You've explained the danger clearly, given me every chance to turn away. I even did. I'm not taken in by the adventure, by the magic, by the power, or by the loot. I'm doing this to protect myself and my friends. If that's not something worth fighting for, what are you doing? After all, you obviously have the mobility to escape the disaster if you've managed to come to this world, right? Mine might be a little smaller scale, only a small city in a single country, but I'll never be much more than a small scale hero, anyway. I've made up my mind, Eve. I won't stand by and let my world fall apart, even if it means I have to change myself. I accept. I will join you. And I will succeed."

Eve paused, giving Hitomi a long, long look. Her mouth curled into a smile. "You know, you remind me of myself, when I was young and impulsive and rash. Before I realized exactly what being a warrior actually took. Before I knew what changing myself really meant."

"Do you regret it?" Hitomi asked.

Eve laughed. It started small, growing and growing as she shook her head at Hitomi. "Oh, every second. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Any of the worlds." She sighed. "Are you absolutely sure about this, Shizuki? There's no going back after you say yes. We'll be expecting you, and planing around your presence. You not showing could get us killed. So this is it; this is your last chance. If it'll make you feel better, I can even wipe this from your mind, protect you as much as you were before. Your life will be literally unchanged. You can still return to normal. But this is it, your final choice."

Hitomi nodded tersely. "I accept. I will take the quest."

"Well then, Shizuki, welcome to the party." Eve said, bowing to her briefly.

"Please, call me Hitomi." Hitomi said, smiling.

"You called sick, right?" Eve said, looking at her. "I don't see why we shouldn't start right away. Get you introduced to the gang and whatnot. You should grab any weapons and armor you might have, though given the looks of this world, I can't imagine there will be too much of that. Can you be back here in half an hour?"

Hitomi shook her head. "No need, really. I don't have anything useful at all. I'm about as ready as I'll be."

"Fine by me, then." Eve said. "Well, Hitomi, the world gate awaits us."

Hitomi looked at the clock. 11:04 AM, Friday May 18. Thirty minutes ago, her world had made sense. Thirty minutes from now, she would be in a storybook adventure world, filled with magic and fantastic happenings. A day from now, a week, a month, and she would almost certainly be a completely different person than the one who stood here now, about to begin the first real adventure of her life.

And in fifty-six days, twelve hours, fifty-six minutes, the world would end.

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End Chapter Report:

Shizuki Hitomi is now level 1.

Shizuki Hitomi has joined Eve's party.

Shizuki Hitomi has unlocked the achievement 'What First Threshold?' for beginning their adventure within one hour of receiving the call to action.

Shizuki Hitomi has unlocked the achievement 'Hero of Their Own Story' for progressing from secondary supporting character to main character.