Chapter 1
The Priestess Ramala
"Your Majesty!" cried out Anissina as she rushed out into the courtyard. She had a distraught look upon her face.
"Anissina? What's wrong?" Yuri asked, glancing up at her as she caught her breath.
"The earthquake! It's going to happen any second now!" Anissina exclaimed. Yuri yelled out a large yelp of fright just as the ground beneath them started shaking violently. Conrart struggled to regain his footing and Gunter held onto the pillar that supported the upper floor. Wolfram had fallen back into the fountain and Greta fell to her knees in the open courtyard. Yuri was kneeling by the fountain, holding onto the edge tightly. Anissina fell backwards onto her rear, unable to move. The maids in the castle were screaming from their place in the kitchen, leaving the entire castle in a panic.
"W-What's that!?" Wolfram exclaimed, looking up from the water to see a purple and black shape warp in the air. A black figure suddenly shot out the smog, a beautiful intricate gold sword attached to their back. The smog disappeared almost as soon as it appeared and the black figure landed on the roof. Just as Yuri was about to yell out to the figure, Greta's ear piercing scream caught his attention. Yuri glanced at her quickly to see the ground around her was cracking, splitting. Conrart gasped, trying to make his way to her when the black figure suddenly jumped off the roof, landing on the ground and dashed at an alarming speed, sweeping Greta up in their arms and jumped in one single leap back onto the roof.
"Greta!" Yuri exclaimed, looking up in fear as his daughter was being held in some stranger's arms. Just at that moment, the figure jumped back off the roof, still carrying Greta, and landed beside Yuri. Greta was released from the hands of the stranger and she stumbled into Yuri's arms, being held tightly.
"T-This is one long earthquake!" Yuri stated, still holding onto the edge of the fountain. The figure stood, seeming to be unaffected by the quake and drew the sword from their back. Yuri gasped at just how beautiful the sword was. Before Yuri could ask, the figure jumped up into the air, then pointed the tip of the blade to the ground, stabbing the sword when they landed. In a matter of seconds, the quake ceased and everything remained still.
"T-That was scary…" Greta whimpered from in Yuri's arms as Yuri tightened his grip on her. The figure stood, taking the sword and placing it back on their back. Conrart stepped forward, sword drawn.
"Who are you!?" he asked, frowning. Even though they had saved Greta and everyone, that didn't make them trustworthy instantly.
"Easy there Romeo, don't get your panties in a bunch" stated a voice that almost sounded like silver chime bells. Conrart raised a brow, taken aback by their statement. The figure stepped closer to Conrart, lifting their hands and removing the hood from over their head. Gwendal, Yuri, Wolfram, Gunter, Conrart, Anissina and Greta all gasped in shock at the woman beneath the black cloak in front of them. Her hair was waist length and pure white. Not silver like Gunter's, but more white like Ulrike's. Her hair fringe was styled similar to Gunter's except she had a short and long fringe. The bottom of her white hair curled madly at the tips. A strange red sideways 'eye' symbol was on her forehead and when she opened her eyes they saw her eyes were the same colour as the symbol on her head. Her lips were a blood red colour as well.
"She looks like what would be Gunter and Ulrike's daughter!" Yuri exclaimed, making Gunter gasp at him in disbelief. Greta stared at the woman in amazement.
"Wow… you're so pretty!" Greta stated, stepping forward to the woman.
"Greta! Stay back!" Conrart warned, trying to step between the woman and Greta, but the woman just smiled and turned, walking towards Greta as she did the same.
"Greta!" Wolfram called but gasped when the woman kneeled in front of her, reaching a hand forward and gently ruffled her hair. Greta giggled shyly, then pulled one of the flowers she'd been picking out of her pocket, handing it to the woman. The woman smiled gently, accepting the flower and putting it in the pocket of her leather one piece.
"I'm Greta! What's your name!?" Greta asked cheerfully. The woman giggled at Greta's enthusiastic attitude.
"My, some manners finally" the woman started, smiling at Greta as she continued, "My name is Ramala, I'm a Priestess from another world" Greta gasped loudly along with everyone else in disbelief.
"You're from another world!? What's it like!?" Greta babbled, her eyes sparkling in wonder.
"Well, if you must know. It's a giant floating temple. The temple is huge, but that's all that's there. Nothing else exists. Inside the temple are Priestesses, such as myself, and the Wise One. He watches over all the other worlds and the balance between good and evil. He's even watching us right now" Ramala explained.
"Impossible! A world can be nothing other than a temple! How on earth is it standing if there's no ground!?" Wolfram exclaimed, dragging himself out the fountain. Ramala turned to look at him, standing.
"My world does not follow the laws of other worlds. No two worlds follow the same set of rules. In one world for example, people can breathe in outer space. So it's nothing new for a world to consist of nothing but a temple" Ramala explained, looking at Wolfram with a smug expression. Wolfram gritted his teeth, deciding he didn't like this know-it-all lady.
"So what you're saying is you're here from another world? For what purpose?" Gwendal asked, stepping forward, his frown gaining more wrinkles. Ramala smiled, stepping forward to Gwendal and Conrart.
"I'm here on a mission. I am to entrust this and the sword to the Heart. And my mission was to find you five. Lord Conrart Weller, you are the heart. You will lead the elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. The Divine Sword is also yours" Ramala explained, stopping in front of Conrart and reaching behind her neck to undo the clasp of a necklace. She moved her hands, placing the necklace around his neck instead and did the clasp up. Conrart remained frozen in shock upon her words.
"Divine Sword? What? I'm confused…" Gunter asked, stepping forward to witness the scene. Yuri found himself frowning for some reason when he saw Ramala's hands accidently touch Conrart's shoulders as she lowered her hands. The pendant of the necklace she'd given him was a beautiful stone that seemed to be alive. Lights coursed around in it.
"That is the Heart of Asgre. You must protect it, it must never fall into the enemy's hands… It will give you the power you require to protect the universe. As for the rest of you, Gwendal von Voltaire, you are the guardian of Earth. Gunter von Chryst, you are the guardian of Air. Wolfram von Beilefeld, you are the guardian of Fire and Yuri Shibuya, Maoh of the Demon Kingdom, you are the guardian of water" Ramala explained, pointing at each one individually.
"Wait, how can you be so sure!?" Wolfram exclaimed, stepping between the woman and Yuri. Ramala smirked, pointing at her forehead.
"See this? I was born with it on my head. I'm not only a Priestess, I'm also a Dream Seer. It allows me to see into the future" Ramala explained, smirking smugly at the blonde prince again. Wolfram growled, really not liking her attitude.
"So… wait… we're supposed to protect the universe?" Yuri asked, finally standing up and stepping closer to the white haired priestess.
"Perhaps it would be best if I started from the beginning. There are two sets of guardians. There is you guys, the Guardians of Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Heart. But there's another set. They consist of the Guardians of Electricity, Darkness, Wood, Space and Void. Someone out there has gathered those fellow guardians and is using them to disturb the balance of good and evil. The Wise One and I foresaw this and we decided now was the time to activate you five to your powers" Ramala explained, being interrupted by Conrart when he snapped out of his shocked daze.
"Wait, powers!? I'm a half demon, I have no magical power" Conrart stated, his eyes still wide in shock and sweat trailing down the side. Ramala pointed at the necklace on his neck.
"As long as you have that necklace, the Heart of Asgre, you will. You activate everyone else's powers as well. To give your fellow guardians their powers, you must yell out activate. That will print the symbols on everyone and give them much more power than they already have. For example, Yuri Shibuya, you won't need to go into your Maoh form to activate your power once Lord Weller has released it. It's entirely new powers, ones you will be unfamiliar with, and will not be linked to the powers you already have. While they are indeed strong, these new ones are far beyond them" Ramala finished explaining.
"So, you're saying we're guardians of the universe?" Gunter asked, stepping closer to the woman that resembled him slightly. Ramala nodded.
"That's correct. This sword as well, is yours Conrart Weller. The Divine Sword, it must never fall into the enemy's hands. They are without a sword, but the winning side will be the one with a sword, that much I know for certain. Here, this sword is yours" Ramala stated, grabbing the sword by the hilt and removing it from her back. Just as she went to hand it to Conrart a voice rung out.
"So you've arrived Lady Ramala. I must say, the Divine Sword is as beautiful as she said it would be. I'm sorry, but I must be taking that" called out a loud, emotionless voice. Ramala turned, frowning in the direction to see a boy about Yuri's age standing on the roof. He wore a suit similar to Yuri's but it was pale blue with white pants. He was barefoot and had white, spiky hair, a long tail of hair thinly tied at the back. The symbol for Darkness written into his forehead.
"Oh great… The Guardian of Darkness came to claim the sword? I can't let this happen!" Ramala snapped, keeping her hand on the hilt of the Divine Sword and got ready to fight. The boy jumped from the roof, landing gracefully on the ground nearby her.
"I don't want to hurt you Lady Ramala, but I must request you hand over the sword" the boy requested, his lips turning into a small smile. His eyes were a brilliant silver colour.
"No way Nataku! You return back to your master and tell them that the Divine Sword belongs in Conrart's hands!" Ramala replied, holding the hilt tightly in both hands as she jumped forward quickly at Nataku. Nataku dodged with ease, stepping back and ending up behind her.
"You are not a guardian, therefore you cannot wield the sword correctly. Hand the sword over" Nataku stated, making Ramala turn to look at him quickly. She managed to dodge a swipe from him with the sword he'd drawn quickly, jumping back and away. Nataku dashed forward, swiping his sword again.
"She's trapped! With moves that quick there's no way she can retaliate" Gwendal stated, his eye twitching at the fight that was happening at the moment. Anissina suddenly screamed, catching Ramala's attention as she stopped jumping away from him, turning to see Nataku leaping it to attack Anissina instead. Ramala gasped, managing to dash quicker and a loud clang noise filled the air. Ramala had managed to stop the sword from hitting Anissina as she scrambled away to safety by Gwendal, trembling in fright.
"Why did you protect her? She was insignificant" Nataku asked, his voice still emotionless. Ramala growled, managing to knock Nataku's sword back. Nataku stumbled, but quickly regained his footing.
"No one in this world is insignificant Nataku. And everyone is worth protecting" Ramala explained, dashing forward to attack Nataku again. Nataku blocked the attack and the two continued to exchange slices at each other.
"This is getting difficult to watch. I know there's nothing we can do to help her" Gunter stated, looking down sadly.
"Who'd want to help her anyway? She's a stuck up know-it-all" Wolfram muttered to himself. Yuri frowned at him, as did Gwendal, when Yuri suddenly gasped, feeling another presence. He looked up, seeing a cloaked figure standing on the roof, watching.
"Ramala! Look out!" Yuri exclaimed, dashing forward to Ramala as both she and Nataku stopped fighting, looking at him in shock.
"Yuri! Get back here!" Wolfram called out, reaching a hand out to try and stop him.
"Yuri!" Conrart yelled, drawing his own sword as he tried to run and protect Yuri. Ramala gasped as she saw Nataku get ready to attack Nataku. She dashed forward quickly, blocking the way between Yuri and Nataku, a clang of metal being heard as suddenly thunder boomed in the sky.
"Ramala!" Yuri shouted as he saw a lone strike of electricity shoot down, hitting Ramala head on. Her scream echoed throughout the courtyard and castle as Nataku jumped back in shock. Yuri shook his head in disbelief, grabbing her shoulder to try and pull her out the current and felt a powerful shock run through his body. He cried out in pain, managing to yank Ramala out the current and felt all the strength leave his body. Both of them collapsed on the floor in a heap, their clothes smoking slightly. Nataku stepped forward, grabbing the sword and turning to look at the figure on the roof.
"Yuri!" Wolfram called out, looking at his fiancé in worry.
"Your Majesty!" Both Gwendal and Gunter called out. Conrart grit his teeth, glaring at both Nataku and the figure.
"Soi, was that really necessary?" Nataku asked, looking at the figure as they removed their hood, revealing long, flowing red hair. The woman smirked.
"Come on Nataku, Lady Senka is awaiting the Divine Sword" Soi instructed. Nataku nodded at her, jumping up to where she stood. Ramala managed to lift her head off the ground, her vision hazy as she glared up at them.
"T-The Divine sword…" she muttered, lifting her hand as if reaching up for the sword, but her vision faded to black as she collapsed to a heap on the ground, her hand falling still.
"So much for Lady Ramala… Lady Senka wouldn't have gotten herself in such a predicament. Come along Nataku" Soi stated smugly, jumping away as Nataku jumped after her. Just as they jumped away, Yuri's eyes slowly opened and he glanced around, spotting Ramala collapsed next to him.
"Your Majesty!" Conrart yelled, rushing to his side. He knelt beside him.
"Are you hurt my lord?" Conrart asked, seeing Yuri's eyes trembling. Yuri merely swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat as she shuffled forward, lifting Ramala up by her shoulders, cradling her head a little.
"She risked herself to protect us and that sword… We have to help her!" Yuri finally stated as he gently glowed blue. Conrart, Gunter, Wolfram and Gwendal all watched in amazement as Yuri began to heal Ramala's wounds.
"Yuri! We still have no idea who she is or know anything about her!" Wolfram exclaimed, running to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. Yuri glanced at him, in half Maou mode, glaring at him sharply.
"When I first arrived in this world, I didn't know anything about you all, but you tried to make me trust you. Why must she suffer differently? She has risked herself to protect us from injury, I think that has earned our trust" Yuri stated, his voice sounding more formal than normal. Wolfram jumped back in shock as Conrart looked at him in disbelief. How could he expect them to trust someone they had just met that day, and had told such an unlikely story as well? But then again, they had done the same to Yuri when he had first arrived in this world. Maybe Yuri had a point?
"Your Majesty, you have healed her wounds, all that remains is exhaustion. Please, allow me to take her to her chambers where she can rest" Gunter asked, kneeling in front of the young king, taking the girl from his arms into his own. Yuri settled down, returning to normal and looked up as he watched Gunter smile at him, turning and walking off to put Ramala in a bed. Yuri sighed tiredly.
"That's what you get for healing someone who doesn't need healing" Wolfram muttered, receiving a clip on the back of the head from Gwendal. Anissina had run off to see if she had a magical device that would help speed up Ramala's recovery process.
"I pity poor Ramala…" Gwendal muttered, hearing Anissina giggle as she ran off.
"Why do you pity her brother? Anissina's going to use you as a guinea pig before using it on her" Wolfram asked, making Gwendal freeze in horror and realization.
"We should get you some rest as well Your Majesty… You were struck as well" Conrart suggested, standing and offering him his hand. Yuri looked up, accepting his hand.
"It's Yuri… Remember, you're the one who named me" Yuri reminded Conrart, his lips tugging into a sideways smirk. Conrart smiled, having to always be reminded.
"Sorry, Yuri" Conrart corrected himself, smiling brightly at the young boy that he had just pulled to his feet in front of him. Yuri smiled back.