Chapter 3

"Ugh, is a serious headache normal?" Kirito asked as politely as he could.

When they arrived instantly, their heads hurt very badly. The three of them arrived in a harbor town, on a street, at dawn. People were just starting to come out of their homes and get to their daily routines. There was something odd about the town. Kirito noticed instantly. As they walked through the town, they did not see a single girl.

The town had lots of fruit stands, and sales-stands. When Tomoe went to buy some food, the salesman gave her a fearful look. He gave her everything she wanted free.

"Hey," Kirito intended to ask a question. "Why aren't there any girls here?"

The guy he asked did not look like he wanted to talk. He quickly ran away.

"Kirito." Tomoe was also aware of the weirdness of the town.

"What do you think?" Kirito asked.

"They are afraid of something." Tomoe replied.

"Ya, you're right." Amelia said. "I think I know how find out."

She grabbed a wooden box and cleared her throat.

"Hey, everybody!" She yelled. "We know something is wrong here, and we want you to tell us what it is. If you do, we will owe you a favor, and that can come in handy. The three of us are powerful warriors."

That sent the villagers running. Tomoe scolded her.

"Did you seriously think that would work?!" Tomoe shouted.

"Hey!" Someone signaled them to come to him.

It was a guy in a black cloak, hiding his face. The guy had a rough voice, and dirty hands.

"You wish to know why there are no girls in this village, correct?" The man asked.

"Yes." Kirito replied.

"They have all been kidnapped by the ghosts of Amara." The man said. "It all started one month ago. Suddenly, these black ghosts come to the village and possess the girls. Once possessed, they say, "We must rebuild the kingdom of Amara" and head to the old ruins."

"Why hasn't anyone gone to retrieve them?" Amelia asked.

"They refuse to leave and they even attack those who try to bring them back." The man said.

"Why are you telling us this?" Kirito asked.

"You said you would owe me a favor if I told the problem." He said. "I want you to save the girls, please! My wife is among them!"

Kirito said they would without a second of hesitation.

"Are you sure about this?" Amelia said. "Dealing with ghosts can be a handful."

"I don't care if I have to fight an army of them," Kirito said. "These people need our help."

"I agree." Tomoe said.

The three of them were given horses by the man that gave them the information. He also gave them a lot of water, since they would be traveling across the desert. They rode until sunset. When the moon rose, the three of them made camp. Tomoe made a fire, because at night the desert becomes as cold as it is hot during the day. She also treated them to a special fruit juice with both Kirito and Amelia. After Amelia and Kirito fell asleep, Tomoe had trouble falling asleep. No matter how hard she tried, she could not sleep. That is when she decided to go for a walk.

A cloud of purple smoke appeared and engulfed her before she could even think about reacting. Just as quickly as it appeared, the cloud disappeared. However, Tomoe was no longer in a sandy desert, but in a pyramid-shaped structure with torches on the wall. On one side of the room was a throne on top of some stairs.

"Hello there." The woman sitting in the throne said.

This woman had a crown made to resemble like a snake and wore silk clothes. She wore many necklaces and rings made of rubies, gold, sapphires, emeralds, etc. Her hair was shoulder-length and her eyes were blue. In her hand, she held a short staff that was black with a carving of a cat's head on the top.

"Who are you and what is this place!?" Tomoe demanded.

"You are in the temple of Amara." She replied. "I am Princess Menace."

"Amara!?" Tomoe remembered that the man who sent them said something about saying they would rebuild Amara.

"Are you responsible for the girls disappearing from the village!?" Tomoe asked.

"I enlightened them." Menace said. "Showed them a great purpose. The rebuilding of Amara."

"What gives you the right to decide their purpose!?" Tomoe shouted.

"You dare say I am unfit to rule them!" Menace replied. "I will show the grand purpose I showed them, and then you will obey me."

"Never!" Tomoe replied. "I shall defeat you, and free them from your enslavement."

"We are not slaves!" Voices behind her yelled.

When Tomoe turned around, she saw dozens of girls of different ages. However, none of them were over the age of forty. Some of them wore bronze armor, other wore white silk. The ones with armor carried swords in their hands. All of them had a happy expression on their faces.

"We were awaken to our fate as servants of Amara by Princess Menace." All of the them simultaneously, with smiles on their faces.

"I don't know what you did to them but I will undo it." Tomoe said as she turned back to Menace.

To her surprise, Menace was not sitting on her throne anymore. A hand touched her shoulder. Instinctively, she instantly drew her sword and struck the air behind her.

"You missed." Menace said.

Now, she stood behind Tomoe once again. This time, when Tomoe tried to strike her, she avoided it instead of disappearing. It was as if she moved like lightning. Tomoe continued her attempts to attack her, but she was still able to dodge with ease.

How can she move this fast!? Tomoe thought.

"I am not moving fast at all." Menace spoke as if she heard Tomoe's thoughts. "You are just slow."

Suddenly, Tomoe's arms felt heavy. Her vision started to blur, and her breathing became heavy. It was getting harder and harder to move. There was a sharp pain in her shoulder, but she could not respond to it. On her shoulder, there was a small black-beetle, that glowed with a purple light. That was the same shoulder the Menace had placed her hand on.

"The creature on your shoulder is a Energy Beetle." Menace said. "It feeds on the very energy of another living creature. Have no fear, it will not kill you, just put you to sleep. Upon your awakening, you shall be a servant of Amara."

Unable to stay awake any longer, Tomoe passed out.

That morning, Amelia and Kirito woke to find Tomoe gone. They called out for her, but she did not reply. Amelia saw a structure a few miles away from them when they went looking. In about an hour, they reached this building, which turned out to be a pyramid. At the entrance, stood statues of black cats that were fifteen feet tall. The rest of the structure was made of stone.

"What is this?" Kirito asked.

"Most likely the ruins of an ancient civilization." Amelia replied. "Looks about a few thousand years old."

"You can seriously tell how old it is just by looking at it?" Kirito was surprised.

"Can't you?" She smirked.

"Well, do you think Tomoe is inside?" Kirito asked. "Could she have been taken, like the other girls?"

"I doubt that." Amelia said. "Tomoe has a strong will. Even though I have only known her a short time, that much is clear."

As they walked through the ruins, a questioned formed in Kirito's mind.

"Hey, Amelia, why did you decide to come on this adventure with us?" He asked.

"You're going after Aldra," she replied. "With your help, I may be able to avenge my mother."

"Do you have any regrets about leaving behind your crew?" Kirito asked.

"Not now that I know they will not replace me." Amelia said. "When I was in danger, they risked their lives to save me. So I know I matter to them. That's a fact."

"I envy you." Kirito said. "Having so many friends like that. Wish I had that."

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Amelia asked. "You have friends, right?"

"You and Tomoe." Kirito replied. "Beyond that, I do not know."

Kirito then had to explain his amnesia to Amelia. She was pretty shaken.

"You really can not remember your life before a few days ago?!" Amelia was shocked.

"Ya." He said. "I wonder if I have any friends or family that care about me. Who was I before this?"

"Don't worry." Amelia grabbed Kirito's hand. "I am sure that you have people that love you. Even if you don't, you still have Tomoe and I."

"Thanks," Kirito said as a tear ran down his cheek.

Then, suddenly, a cloud of purple smoke appeared and blinded them for a second. Once they could see again, they were what must have been the heart of the pyramid. They were in the same place Tomoe ended up last night. Menace sat on her throne like before, only now Tomoe stood beside her. At first, they could not tell it was Tomoe. She was not wearing her usual Shrine Priestess outfit. Instead, she wore bronze armor and her expression looked unusually happy.

"Tomoe!" Kirito yelled when he saw her.

Four other girls ran in front of him and blocked his path. Each of them had a spear pointed at him. The weirdest thing was, they were all smiling, just like Tomoe.

"Men are not welcome in my temple!" Menace shouted. "I, Menace, princess of Amara, command you to leave. The girl will stay and become my servant."

"Excuse me!" Amelia said.

"What are you doing, Tomoe?" Kirito asked. "Come down here."

"I only obey Lady Menace." She replied.

The way she spoke made it sound as if she were disgusted by the very sight of Kirito. However, she still maintained her smile. Kirito could easy tell there was something wrong with her.

"What have you done to her!?" Kirito demanded.

No one replied to him this time.

"Hey, he asked a question!" Amelia said.

"I have given her a grand purpose." Menace said when Amelia spoke. "She has become my servant, as you will, Amelia."

"How do you know my name?!" Amelia demanded.

"I told her." Tomoe replied this time. "I told Lady Menace that you probably come here looking for me. She decided to make you her servant, Amelia. You should be overjoyed."

"Jeez, she really messed with your head." Amelia said. "You must be under some sort of powerful spell to betray us."

"I am not under a spell!" Tomoe's voice made it sound like she was genuinely shocked by what Amelia had suggested. "I have merely discovered my true purpose in life. Being Lady Menace's servant and helping to rebuild the great kingdom of Amara."

"Release our friend from your spell!" Kirito commanded.

"I've had enough of your very existence!" Menace said. "My servants, destroy him."