Episode 1: The Land of Dragons

[Input Ready]

You are not human.

"I am not human."

You are a warrior.

"I am a warrior."

You are a killer.

"I am a killer."

And your name?

"And my name… is Argenta."

Opening: Innocence by Eir Aoi

The hallowed halls of Toshin International High School greeted me as warmly as it could. The wind was picking up as I walked down the hallway with a cold bottle of soda in my right hand. Everyone was in their uniforms, as was I. For some reason, it was a weird feeling. What was weirder was the number of people who were staring at me, they were now almost non-existent. Despite the small glances they gave me, no one really bothered to notice my presence. I started to think that they actually forgot about what I did three years ago.

"I still can't believe he actually transferred schools."

My feet suddenly stopped moving as I glanced behind me to find two boys talking beside the bulletin board. On said board, our class assignments were on full display. Rei's name was nowhere to be found as expected. He had left a long time ago, after all.

"Hey. If I was bullied like that, I'd transfer too."

"Then why doesn't Takam-" The one with scruffy hair stopped as soon as he met my gaze. I stared blankly at him for a second before sighing and walking down the hall again. Of course, I was saddened to hear that Rei had transferred to Tokyo. Shimpei had assured me that the main reason was for him to spend more time with his dad but we all knew it was to forget about me. I couldn't blame him but I wish I was able to apologize to him before he left. God knows he deserved at least that.

'It doesn't matter now. I don't need their approval.' Gently, I opened the sliding door of a room at the end of the hallway. Inside, a single window let the sunlight touch the dusty boxes that littered the sides. Although this did not seem to bother the four boys who were sprawled out across the floor. We had learned that this was an old club-room that was unused so we decided to make it our new base, beats sitting around on the rooftop under the sun.

"Hey, Hiro." Genji greeted me with a smile as the others looked at my direction.

"Yo." Shimpei saluted with two fingers as I put my back against wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Yo…" Quickly, I opened the bottle which fizzed nicely and took a refreshing sip. My eyes fell on Aki who was knocked out cold, leaning against the wall too. Oh wait, he had his AuraSphere on. "He at it again?"

"He's been at it since lunch started." Michi answered, never taking his eyes off the book he was reading. Curiously, it has a Dragon emblem on the back of it.

"Jeez, he's been taking this admin business seriously ever since they started giving out paychecks." Since the job of an Administrator was quite a taxing one, Aki and all the other admins started getting virtual money that translated into actual cash.

"Speaking of which…" Shimpei adjusted his glasses with a stern look on his face. "Did Minabuchi-san get back to you yet?"

"He said he found a way to get us unbanned but we'd have to make completely new characters. Apparently, we're well known around AKO already." I replied with a sigh. Minabuchi mentioned that if we were to return with our normal characters, it would show that there was no actual tension during the Sky Tower raid last summer. He also said it would be too boring but that was his opinion anyway.

"That sucks." Shimpei clicked his tongue while ruffling his neat hair in frustration before combing it back to place again.

"That means we would have to grind from the start, right?" Genji asked with a sad face.

"Unfortunately, yes." I really wanted to get back into AKO after almost two weeks of school but I also didn't want to grind again, not after everything we've been through.

"Or you could try a new game." Michi suddenly closed the book he was reading, startling us all the same.

"I don't think we're full on cash now, Michi. Not after we just bought a next gen console…" Shimpei groaned. It seemed like the only game we could play right now had us on its blacklist.

"Actually, it's free-to-play." The three most beautiful words I've ever heard. Although, I was sure there had to be a catch. Usually, it was loot boxes or something. "Plus, it boasts some of the most advanced AI in games so far."

"Wait, there's a game such as that?" Genji sounded like he couldn't believe his ears.

"Seems sketchy." Shimpei pouted.

"It sounded alright to me." Michi showed us the cover of the book he was reading. Looking at it closely, it was a golden dragon shaped too look like a 'D' with red and blue gems across its curved body. The wings and the mouth had this slight tint of white to them while the eyes were a dark purple. "It's called Dragon Nest Online. My little brother has been playing it for the past week or so."

"Your little brother… you mean Jin-kun?" Genji asked. Jinsei Rokkaku was Michi's younger brother who was about four years younger than us.

"Yeah. Our parents could only afford one AuraSphere so we had to share it." By the dead look on his eyes, I could see that Michi wasn't too thrilled about that… or it might have just been because his eyes are always like that.

"Dragon Nest Online…" Pulling out my orange AuraSphere, I brushed my fingers over its exterior. It certainly would be nice to play a VR game again. However, my thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sliding of the club-room door. In came a girl with a look of annoyance on her face. Her drooping black hair and long skirt waved as she took a step into our lair. Aki always complained about how the girls at our school had to wear long skirts instead of short ones.

"How many times to I have to tell you guys? You're not supposed to be in here!" She scolded us as she crossed her arms.

"Oh! We uh-" Shimpei waved at Genji to stop stuttering as he cleared his throat and stood up.

"School Secretary, it is my understanding that this room is vacant and unused so if you could-"

"Don't pull that one on me again, Matsuo-kun. I told you, even if no clubs are using this room, students still aren't allowed to loiter around." Her eyes then turned to Aki who was still in full-dive and on the floor. "Besides, diving within school premises is only allowed in the Divers' room."

"Like hell we'd share a space with them." Crossing my arms, I did my best to look mad.

"I'm sorry guys but I'm going to have to ask you to leave… again."

Accepting defeat, we exited the room but not before shaking Aki to the point where his AuraSphere automatically logged him off to his frustration. As we stood outside in the hallway, the student secretary gave us her final words of wisdom.

"If I catch you five in there again, I'll have no choice but to report you. I've been lenient so far but this time, I really have to set my foot down." She told us as we all rolled our eyes except for Genji who was nodding along.

"I'm sorry, student secretary. It won't happen again…" The nervous boy said before the girl in front of us sighed.

"Also don't call me student secretary. Yamada is fine." She smiled gently.

"Right, sorry Yamada-san." Genji corrected himself as she chuckled a bit.

"It's alright Sotomura-kun, you don't have to be so formal with me. I just don't like being put up on a pedestal, that's all." As she waved goodbye, she gave us one last glare that told us to follow her orders or face the consequences. It sucked but that's how it was.

"How can she be so cute yet so terrifying at the same time…?" Aki yawned out loud as he stretched his arms to their full length. "I was in the middle of a dungeon too."

"Aren't you supposed to moderate the game?" Shimpei asked as he tilted his head.

"Hey, I've got to patrol too." He answered as the bell rang, signifying that we had to go back to the real world.

"We should get to class… see you guys after school?" Genji asked. He was the odd one out this time, being in a different class as the rest of us but I wasn't worried. Despite how soft he may seem to be, he was still our tank.

"Definitely." Shimpei waved as Genji disappeared into the hallway while Michi and Aki went downstairs for their classes. As I stared at the half empty bottle of soda in my hand, I somehow didn't feel thirsty anymore. "Hey, Hiro? You coming?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"I'm home." I called out as my mother greeted me all the way from the kitchen. It looked like she was already beginning preparations for our dinner.

"Welcome home, Hiro! Home early again?"

"Yeah." I answered as I placed my shoes on our rack. Dusting my pants off, I headed into the dining area where my mom was preparing vegetables. She suddenly glanced at me as I passed her. A small television sat in the corner of the counter. The news was playing on the screen with the heading 'Missing High School Student'.

"Police at this time could not find any clues regarding the whereabouts of Himiko Sakurajima." The news anchor was wearing an elegant business suit with his hands folded together. "After suspicions of a kidnapping, schools around the province of Osaka are required to cease operations during these times…"

"Poor girl, she doesn't live that far from us. The neighbours say that she ran away. Apparently, she has a rough relationship with her parents." My mother sighed as she turned back towards me. " I don't want you staying out too late too, Hiro."

"Of course." Since none of the guys bothered to sign up for any clubs, I didn't bother either so the curfew they were enforcing now really didn't affect us at all. We go home early anyways. Turning around, I made my way to the living room.

"Oh, don't forget…" Mom's voice was soft this time.

"I know, mom." Walking across the room, I knelt down at the small shrine we had next to our couch. Its wooden doors open for me to see all the decorations and flowers my parents put on it. Closing my eyes, I said a few words.

"Please watch over us, Uncle RJ." My eyes opened and gazed upon the picture frame at the center. His gruffly look and eye-bags were not the best features he had but they're what made him who he was. I'll never forget them. As I stood up, I made my way upstairs and found the one thing I didn't want to find lurking in my room. Unfortunately, the little gremlin was on my bed again reading the comic books from my closet.

"Rin! What did I tell you about my room?" I could feel a blood vessel pop in my head as she tilted her's up to face me.

"Mommy said I could practice reading English using your books!"

"You could have just asked for them… now get out!" My finger pointed towards the door as I narrowed my brows.

"You're mean, big brother!" Her face contorted into a pout as she stormed out with my comics. Sighing, I scratched my head.

"Look, sorry but I told you I dont-"

"Did big brother just apologize?!" As I turned around, I found my little sister in a state of shock with her finger pointed straight at me.

"Fine, forget I said anything!" Shutting the door, I realized how embarrassing it was to be nice. I didn't know how other people could do it. Placing my bag down, I immediately took my AuraSphere and placed it on my head. A few messages popped up.

Mariko Amari: "Math's the worst one, I feel like my brain's going to explode."

Smiling I started typing.

Hiroyuki Takamura: "Sad. I hate math too."

Mariko Amari: "So enough about school, what are you going to do for the weekend?"

'What am I going to do?'

Hiroyuki Takamura: "Maybe I'll try out a new game. You?"

Mariko Amari: "Possibly go out with some girls. Making new friends is tough. :("

"Yeah it is." I accidentally said out loud. Everything was much easier online since everyone was hiding behind a mask. It didn't matter if you were yourself or not, you were free.

Mariko Amari: "Sooooo, what game are you planning to buy?"

Hiroyuki Takamura: "It's free actually. Dragon Nest Online."

Mariko Amari: "I see… have fun then! I gotta do some boring homework."

Hiroyuki Takamura: "Best of luck to you then! Don't die!"

Quickly swiping away before I start missing her again, I switched over to Megumi. Still no reply since we parted ways, more of died, in AKO. I wondered if she was still playing games at all since her status hadn't switched to online since.

'Should I invite her to DNO?' In the end, I decided not to be so hasty. I didn't know what kind of game it was so it's probably best if I scouted it first before inviting her along. I didn't know if she'd like the game itself, after all. From out of nowhere, another message popped up.

Daize: "You get the game yet? Everyone's going tonight after dinner."

Wairuzu: "Not yet. You seem excited."

Daize: "Dude, it's a new game! A whole new world, aren't you excited?"

I was, to be fair. From what I gathered, Dragon Nest was a fantasy game that centred on the titular fantasy monster. Add to the fact that many people have praised the way they handled the in-game world of Lagendia. The NPC's were so intelligent to the point where you couldn't tell if they were real players or not. All of that for free? Now, that was a deal.

Wairuzu: "Of course I am. Who else is coming with us?"

Daize: "Just Genji. Aki's busy with AKO and well, Michi can't exactly use the AuraSphere at the same time as his brother."

'So it'll just be the three of us?' I was actually okay with that. Despite how close I've gotten to Michi and Aki over the summer, I still felt uncomfortable around them. I wanted to be a better friend for sure but I didn't know how to. Being with Shimpei and Genji made me feel more at ease than those two.

Wairuzu: "Alright then. See you after dinner."

Closing the display, I placed my device onto the charging dock. I didn't know what awaited me in that game but I was excited to finally go back to a virtual world again.

"Link start!" Dinner had passed by at a snail's pace but thankfully it was over. After downloading Dragon Nest Online, I immediately logged into it. As a bright orange tunnel enveloped me, I found myself in a white room filled to my knee with mist. A menu popped up as I finally realized what it was.

Choose your class

"Finally... I can create my own character for once." It was refreshing to be able to make my first character in VR after being stuck with my Uncle's for so long. The classes themselves we're pretty generic save for the Kali class but I didn't feel like bladed fans were my thing.

'Comes down to Warrior or Sorcerer then…' I wanted to choose my default MMO class for once but at the same time, I missed the feeling of swinging around a sword. My time as Wairuzu had made me accustomed to that good old tachi. 'Screw it.'

Warrior class chosen

Next up were looks. The system this game had randomly generated your character model but you could choose certain aspects like hair and eye colors. I didn't particularly have anything in mind so I went for what Wairuzu looked like: orange hair, red eyes. With my selections done, I was met with the dreaded naming screen.

Input name: _

This was my chance to finally choose a new name for myself. However, my finger hesitated during the process. It felt wrong to choose anything else so I decided that I wouldn't change anything.

Input name: Wairuzu

It may have been my uncle's character but it felt like he was my own now like a torch that was passed on. He's the one who gave me the AuraSphere, he's the one who gave me Wairuzu.

'Wairuzu, the warrior. Sounds nice.'

As my eyes adjusted to the scenery, I found myself in a small town bustling with players, most of whom looked a lot shorter and more 'artistic' than what I've seen in Aura Kingdom. As I glanced at my hands, I noticed they had brown gauntlets on with the right one being slightly puffier than the left.

Looking around, I found a stray mirror to examine myself with. Stretching my legs, I chuckled at how puffy the blue and red patterned pants were. My entire outfit connected like some sort of one piece with the top being white and sleeveless. My hair and eyes were the appropriate colors but my hair was a bit shorter than what I had in mind… as well as my height. In fact, I looked like a kid.

"Right, let's see the wea-" I heaved as my weight shifted with the sword I grabbed from my back. The blade was not what I was used to. Having a much wider width, it was definitely different from a tachi. For some reason, it felt heavier too. "How am I supposed to slash rapidly with this?"

"You don't." Behind me stood a taller guy shrouded in black Shinobi armor. Around his neck, a red ribbon flowed out along with his long ponytail. His eyes were stern and his brows were straight. There was only one person with a look as dead as that.

"Orha…" I trailed off as I saw his username float above his head. It read 'Pyonn'.

"I'm not my brother if that's what you're wondering." He said as his eyes scanned my face like a hawk. "Orange hair, red eyes. Big brother was right. You didn't change your appearance from AKO."

"Well..."

"Why? Were you expecting my brother? Is there something wrong with me?" His silver eyes glared at me as I realized that he was much scarier than Orha.

"N-no, no problem..." Scratching my head, I looked around and found other players of different classes walking around the square. It was then that I realized that I hadn't received any quests yet. "Hey, Pyonn?"

"Hm?" He raised his head a little as he accessed the menu for the party system.

"Where's the main quest?"

"Oh, there are no main quests." His head went back to the menu before a notification popped up on my end.

"Wait, what?! An MMO without main quests?" I asked as I pressed accept.

"Come, I'll explain while we find the others." He waved his hand as I followed him down the town street. I could identify the basic parts of the place like the market, training area, and the town hall. It was your run of the mill starting town alright.

"Dragon Nest runs on a different system as standard VRMMORPG's. The world itself is self-sustaining and quests are made either by the players or the NPC's. The NPC's themselves are intelligent enough to give out quests should the need for an adventurer arise. It works like an actual fantasy world really."

"So it's like a simulation?" I tried to simplify his long explanation.

"Yes. One big simulation." He answered as we stopped at the market place.

"All this work and it's free? How do they even make enough money to support the servers?"

"How else would they make money?" Our eyes looked towards the countless players surrounding some stalls that were showing displays of what looked like slot machines. Every time they spun, they had to insert gold coins which was apparently the in-game currency. If they didn't have enough, they could always use real money. All that effort just to get rare items.

"Isn't that technically gambling?" I felt my brow twitch a bit.

"That's still up for debate."

"Yes!" We heard a yell of victory to our left. The player in question had familiar blonde hair as a pair of black short-rimmed glasses appeared on his face. What really stood out, however, were his two pointy ears.

"Blonde hair, glasses. You must be Daize." Pyonn walked up to the green light-armored archer who had a golden bow on his back.

"Hey! It's the little brother!" He greeted as I realized he was the about the same height as Pyonn. "Who's the kid?"

"You really want me to beat you up this early?" Crossing my arms, I puffed my face unwillingly.

"Oh, Wairuzu! Of course. You're a lot shorter than I expecte-" He grunted as I drove my right fist into his stomach.

"Shut up, Daize."

"It's alright, Wairuzu. Elves are usually taller in comparison to humans." Pyonn explained.

"Speaking of which, what class are you?" I asked him as he pulled a short blade out of seemingly nowhere.

"I am an Assassin class. I specialize in stealth and high crit chances." He stated before spinning his blade around and sheathing it behind his waist. "Now, let's go ahead and stock up on supplies before we take on any quests. Yes, Daize?"

"We still need to look for Soran." He answered with a raised arm.

"Soran? Oh, long white hair, feminine posture."

"Did you memorize what we looked like beforehand?!" I asked, only to be ignored.

"What class did he choose?" Pyonn asked curiously.

"Well, he's our tank so something with a shield, I guess."

"The only class with a shield would be a Cleric which means he must be in Mana Ridge." The Assassin started walking away from us.

"Wait, hold up! Where?" I moved fast to catch up to him as Daize trailed behind me.

Sighing, Pyonn talked as we walked to different stalls. "Mana Ridge is where Clerics, Sorcerers, Tinkerers, and Lanceas start out. Anyone else is here in Praire Town. Don't worry though, we should be able to catch up to him once we hit Calderock Village."

"Dude, is he going to be okay by himself?" Daize whispered to me.

"Soran can take care of himself, dude. Now, what do we need for our first quest?" I turned to Pyonn who was already eyeing a rack of potions underneath one of the stalls. Each of them were different colors and if you tapped them, they would display the necessary information for purchasing.

"I'll take ten health potions." He told the red haired lady behind the stand who was dressed in dark green.

"Thank you, that'll be 30 silvers!" She happily stated with a big smile as Pyonn completed the transactions and received the red bottles.

"Hey, these are the intelligent AI's everyone's talking about, right?" Daize put his hands on the stall and leaned in closer to the merchant who jumped back in reaction. "Hey, what's your name?"

"U-um, Doris…" She answered with her flustered face. It was clear Daize was getting way too close for her.

"Say, do you know you're in a game or is it like the normal world for you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir…"

Before things could escalate further, I managed to grab the Archer by the shoulder and pull him back at full force. "Can we try not to harass the NPC's, Daize?"

"I'm just trying to see if she's self-aware or something." He pouted at us.

"That's useless. Any reference to anything outside of this game is usually ignored or dodged. Trust me, people have tried but no one can get an NPC here to acknowledge their existence as merely artificial." Pyonn told us. Basically, the NPC's actually believed they were living in the world of Lagendia. Honestly, that sounded a bit dark to me. "Anyway, you two should buy your potions before we head off. You should have enough starting money for ten."

Nodding, I noticed Daize nervously laughing to our side while scratching his head.

"About that..."

Shadow Forest Trail

"I cannot believe you spent all of your money on loot boxes." I huffed with each step I took. We had made it into the lush green forest bordering Prarie Town where we were busy scolding the Archer. I knew Daize was lucky but this was just pushing it too far.

"Hey, I saw the glasses on display and I wanted it. At least I got it in the end." The Archer had his arms crossed in defiance as he walked.

"Just know this is the last time I'm buying you stuff." Pyonn didn't seem amused. He had no choice but to buy the potions for the Archer. They were pretty cheap but even then, Daize just wasted too much money.

"Besides, couldn't you just not wear glasses?" I asked him as he replied with an audible gasp.

"I couldn't! How dare you ask that question?!" His reply was immediately met with my attempt to chop his head. However, our difference in height helped him dodge it easily. "Missed me."

"Get over here you little-"

"Can you two please stop horsing around?!" Pyonn turned around and raised his voice. His dead expression made us stop in our tracks immediately. "Jeez, what are you? Children?"

"What are we even doing out here, Pyonn? Why are we wandering around aimlessly?" I asked him since I was already getting bored just walking.

"We're trying to find a quest. Usually there are monsters to kill or people in trouble around these parts."

"Couldn't we just get a quest from NPC's in town or even the quest board?" Daize asked with his arms resting behind his head.

"Those quests aren't for beginners. Usually, you'd have to rely on random encounters and monster grinding as beginners to get the feel of the game."

I almost groaned out loud as I heard the word grind come from his mouth. "So what we're looking for are either monsters or-"

"Help! Someone help us!" A male voice rang out from deeper into the forest.

"That!" Pyonn immediately burst into a Sprint as Daize and I tried to follow as quickly as we could.

The trees past us fast as we weaved in between the trunks. Pyonn, as an Assassin, was faster than I had anticipated. His movements were quick yet precise. It wasn't long before we arrived at a clearing where a man dressed in a simple villager's garb was holding the hand of a woman with long red hair. She was even dressed in what looked like a Sunday dress. Both of them were surrounded by green-skinned creatures with long snouts and razor sharp teeth.

"Wait, I know that guy." Pyonn quickly unsheathed his blade and leaped towards the Goblins. With a flurry of slashes, he managed to make them back off as a bigger monster with large tusks entered the battlefield. "Well? What are you guys waiting for?"

Grinning, I unsheathed my sword. It was finally time for some action. My legs sprung me towards the big Orc as I brought my blade down on it. Stepping back, I was met with the rusted and crude blades of the Goblins which I managed to parry easily. A stray arrow came flying and managed to kill the Goblin who was in the middle of lunging at me, it's body evaporating into black mist. Daize immediately leaped up and landed by our side as we backed up slowly. We were right in between the monsters and the humans who needed our help.

"In the right corner of your eye, you'll see your skills. Just shout out the name and use them." Pyonn told us as I focused on my peripheral vision. Indeed, a skill list was located right where he had said.

"Heavy Slash!" My sword glowed white as I formed a large arc and killed the approaching Goblins in front of us and staggered the big Orc.

"Two Shot!" Daize fired two arrows which burst on contact, killing the remaining the monsters. "Huh, that was easier than I expected."

As he said that, the ground beneath us started sparking as we turned around to find a white Goblin with horns like a goat's holding a staff with electricity coming out of it.

"Shaman!" Pyonn immediately raised his hand and formed a glowing blue ninja star. "Piercing Star!"

The projectile hastily hit the Shaman, knocking him back long enough for the Assassin to close the distance between them. One swipe was all it took to land the finishing blow. As Pyonn sheathed his weapon and approached us, the villager boy spoke up.

"Thank you, all of you." He said as I noticed how pointy his brown hat was.

"You're Timothy, right? I remember you gave me some of my quests in Calderock." Pyonn said, seemingly familiar with this particular NPC.

"R-really? Sorry, so many adventurers come to me for jobs. It's hard for me to keep " He nervously laughed as the girl behind him clung tighter to his hand.

"Timothy…"

His eyes met the girl's as he immediately switched back to us. "Oh, right. If you three don't mind, we need your help."

"What's up?" Daize grinned as he put his bow back on his back.

"Her name is Rose. She…" His eyes wavered as he trailed off. "…she's special. She's the only one who can see into the other world."

"Other world?" Pyonn asked.

"It's your world, isn't it? I know it is." Rose suddenly spoke up to our surprise. "Your world is separated from ours. It is my wish to see it for the first time."

"W-what?" I stepped back along with the others. I thought the NPC's here were supposed to be oblivious that they were in a game.

"Anyway, she's being hunted down by-" Timothy was cut short by a loud screeching noise coming from the sky. All of a sudden, three Harpies rose over the tree line. The middle one was a bright red color while the other two were pure white. They swooped down on us as Daize quickly fired his arrows, only to miss. The three monsters landed on the ground with a shock-wave that knocked us all back.

As Pyonn gazed upon our foes, his eyes widened. "Guys, those enemies are way beyond your levels. We need to get out of here, fast!"

"What about Timothy and the girl?!" I yelled at the Assassin with my sword on my side. In a second, the red Harpy spread her wings and lunged at me with the sharp claws on her feet. Managing to react on time, I held my sword horizontally and blocked the attack which sent me skidding backwards into the dirt while Daize raised his bow and aimed at the other Harpies.

"Multi Shot!" Seven arrows shot out in an arc as the Harpies merely flew through them. Apparently, we couldn't do much damage to them. Luckily, Pyonn managed to rush forward in time to parry them backwards.

"Seriously, I don't even know if I can solo these things!" The Assassin glared at us as the Harpies gathered in the air once more, circling us. We immediately formed around the pair of villagers once more as we prepared for their attack.

"Whatever happens, just promise me you'll protect Rose!" Timothy shouted.

"Don't worry, we got this!" I nodded back in determination.

"We do?" Daize nervously chuckled as he pulled back his bow once more. However, before he could fire, the Harpies sent whirling tornadoes towards us which knocked us into the air. As we landed with a thud, I could feel my life draining from that one attack but I definitely wasn't dead just yet.

"Purge!" The red Harpy fired off a curved red claw which flew towards Timothy and Rose. Without thinking, Timothy pushed her to the side as the claw dug into his back. His body dropped to the ground as I felt my blood boil. The monsters proceeded to swoop down in an attempt to grab Rose.

"No!" My body pushed itself forward as I swung my sword. Immediately, a large beam of orange energy swept out and hit the Harpies.

"What?" Pyonn slowly got up.

"No way..." Daize's eyes widened at the sight before him. "Here too?"

My body was now surrounded by orange Aura which also made my eyes glow. The sword in my hand was glowing the same color as well, the same flame-like glow that I had back in AKO.

"Stay back!"

Ending: Overfly by Luna Haruna

Next Episode: The Mages of Mana Ridge

A/N: Welcome to season 2, ladies and gentlemen! I took a small break in between this and AKO but now I'm back. This was even posted earlier than the original planned release date (April 9) just because I wanted it up already. As always, I will do my best to upload weekly so don't forget to follow and leave some constructive criticism since I write like crap. See ya'll next week!