Chapter 8: New Story

0100hrs January 8th, 2040 AD

The moonlight lit up the night sky yet Ashura's room was cloaked in deep darkness. With closed eyes, periodic breaths, relaxed body, Ashura could be believed to be in a deep sleep. Outside Ashura's room Queen and Hayate were waiting, deep in thought.

"So, how da the hell does he hafta put up with dis?"

"I don't know, Dr. Kilka kept it confidential."

"Dammit Shura, why do ya keep hiding things from us! Are we not friends?!" Slamming his fist on Ashura's door.

Without warning a spasm coursed through his body, causing his chest to jerk uncontrollably. His empty wide eyes opened towards the ceiling, trapping any light that dared enter. Although his lips moved rapidly, all sound was devoid from the room other than movement from his spasms and wild breathing. Rushing into the room Hayate attempted to hold down Ashura's body.

"Don't! You know you shouldn't hold down a casualty undergoing a spasm."

"Tch! Come on Shura, ya can make it through this."

Ashura is put into early retirement release due to darkening by the order of the queen of Vargas.

0730hrs January 9th, 2040 AD

Ashura walked into the office of the Queen.

"We've got a new job for you. You remember the clientele that requested you for the hostage job a few days ago? "

"Yes, what of it?"

"They want to hire you as an onsite bodyguard. "

"Why me of all people?"

"They say they preferred a MERC with a vast pool of reliable skills. Considering your recent promotion to Spada, I say you would be the perfect person for the job."

"How long will this job be?"

"Currently the client requested half a year."

"What's the meaning of this?"

"You aren't at tip top shape right now, I can't send you off to tougher jobs at your current condition right now."

"I believed you've been deceived, I can assure you that I'm fine." Replied Ashura calmly.

"From what I witnessed two nights ago, you need take some time off from this business." Clasping her hands on her table.

"Come on Shura, yove been working hard lately. It's alright to take some time off." Said Hayate as he strolled into the office.

Turning around to face him Ashura responded "This was your idea was it not?" His voice began to rise in volume.

Straightening his expression "You need this, an opportunity came up and I'm going to take it for your own good."

Quickly materializing his sword, Ashura lunged towards Hayate. As if it was magic, Hayate knocked Ashura's sword with his dagger and landed a fist on Ashura's abdomen, knocking him to the floor. A rifle barrel was pointed against his face.

"There. Was it easier to show you?"

"Ungh, I get the idea."

"I would prefer it if you two can take your little quarrels outside my office. Anyways here is the location of the academy. Your new job starts tomorrow, living arrangements will be provided on-site."

Tokushima became a small town surrounded by ruins after the apocalypse and the first great war of New World. The wastelands served as a transition point between the densities of humans to monsters. The MERCS compound was located in the outskirts of the city. Non-player characters or NPCs were found spread evenly unlike the player population which increased in density into the city. NPCs in MMORPGs often served as merchants, weaponsmiths, armorsmiths, quest givers, information holders, event triggers, or the only purpose of keeping the area lively. With his black cloak dancing in the wind, Ashura set his eyes on the city. A large leather sac was carried on his back while his hands held out an open map.

'Where was this place again? I'm sure I passed by this place before.'

Within Neos Academy, Hika was preparing for her morning classes. Combing her long dark red hair, however she was lost in thought over the event of her capture and rescue.

'That's right I was defending a group of noobies (weak players) when they got ambushed by scrappers.'

Out of the blue her room door burst open, a girl with a set of blue twintails and a black Neos Academy uniform called out to Hika.

"Come on Hika, we're going to be late for class."

"Yeah, I'm coming! Just close the door I'm not fully dressed yet! And don't just barge in out of nowhere!" Shouted Eva as she put on her white miniskirt.

'Her name was Eva, a second year at Neos. Also my close friend and classmate within the academy.'

"Ehh? You're not going with your combat boots today?" Asked Eva.

"It's alright, we are not doing combat training today anyways." Said Hika as she tightened the strap on her black heels.

After tying up white ribbons over her own twintails, the two students left the room.

"Hey, hey I heard we are getting a new professor today."

"Really? Because I am getting really tired of Prof. Rito by now. By the way how did you know?"

"I'm not sure myself but it's just a rumor I heard in the staff lounge." Eva pondered with closed eyes.

"Ehhh? So you're not sure yourself? Next thing you know it's all just a rumor." Said Hika with a defeated expression.

*Bump* without noticing Hika had bumped into a stranger turning a corner.

"Heheheh, my, my, did you lose your focus as well?" Chuckled Eva.

"Shut up Eva! Sorry about that."

"No problem, miss." The stranger had said as he continued on his path.

Looking back at the stranger, he seemed to be a visitor judging from his long black coat.

"What's up Hika?"

"Nothing."

Hika faced forwards again and continued down the hall.

'Was it my imagination or have I heard that voice from somewhere?'

'It's that girl again…'

After approaching a wooden door, Ashura entered the doorway and was noticed by a man next to a table. The man was dressed in indigo suit suit and working away on a stack of papers on his desk, answering a phone, and rummaging through a drawer.

"What can I help you with?" The man asked.

"I have an appointment with…the headmaster."

"Your name please…sir?" The man glazed over Ashura with suspicion.

"Ashura."

"I'll be right with you, sir." The man said to Ashura. "Reyna! We have a guest!"

"That's not even my job… Plus I don't know about you but meditation is important for light users." A voice came down from a long hallway. A girl short hair the same colour as sun bleached skin appeared. A short side pony tail ran down the left side of her head and laid on top of her shoulder while she was dressed in the same manner as the girls earlier, a purple blazer over a white shirt held together by a black tie while a white frilled miniskirt went over her black pantyhose. Her eyes narrowed as they met with Ashura's eyes.

"Right this way senpai (upperclassmen)." Leading Ashura into the hallway.

The girl walked behind him, watching quietly. The two eventually reached a pair of polished wooden double doors.

"Headmaster! You have a visitor." The girl yelled before the doors and soon stepped aside.

After a moment of silence the door flew inwards and a women in an opened collared black business suit stepped forward and yawned next to Ashura. Her long black hair blended in with her attire while one could presume she was in her late-twenties. Opening her black pupils and almost making contact with Ashura's face, she immediately hopped back.

"Whoops, I wasn't expecting a visitor so soon. I hope I didn't disgust you with my manners."

"It's fine. I'm just here to get a few things out of the way about the job." Replied Ashura.

"Ah you must be the new instructor. Come have a seat where we can talk in private."

The room was lusciously decorated and held numerous books and binders within the many bookshelves. A small stack of papers and a cup of tea laid on the table.

"So you must be Ashura the rumored blackjack, am I correct?" Asked the so called headmaster.

"And you must be Headmaster…Amadeya." Responded Ashura.

"Yes." Headmaster Amadeya said as she poured a cup of tea. "The academy is need of a permanent replacement for one of our instructors who has left us recently. Of course you will be well compensated if you choose to accept, but you wouldn't be here if you didn't would you?"

"I expected the amount of compensation considering this is one of the few institutions in Japan which teaches how to survive the New World, but all you have told me is what I receive and not what I have to give." Ashura said as he narrowed his eyes.

"I will be going over them shortly, but most just accept the conditions before I even explained the requirements of an instructor." Said Amadeya said as she gave off a disappointed sigh. "Considering you saw through my tactic of choosing a replacement, I already have high hopes for you" A smile came across her face as she finished. "As a Neos Academy instructor, you must be able to teach students the skills they need for survival in this ill-fortuned world. You may be required to teach hand to hand combat, weapons training, auram manipulation, skill utilization, outdoor survival, etc. It all depends from the classes you are assigned to. I'm sure a man of your reputation could take on those tasks and it's not like you will be teaching every single one of those subjects that I have listed, just pick from what is available in the staff lounge." Said headmaster Amadeya as she gave a faint smile.

"Sounds a little too good to be true. If it is easy as you say, then why did all of those earlier applicants fail your standards?" Replied Ashura as he crossed his fingers in front of his mouth.

"You're sharper than you look, but I expect no less from the man known as Blackjack."

"Those are merely rumors milady, and exaggerations are often the reason to why they spread." Ashura calmly replied.

"Normally we would have professor candidates take the standard instructor exam before they are welcomed into the academy, but I'll exempt you temporarily from the exam since you are a war veteran. Well you could take this time as a temporary instructor to see your potential students and check out the place if it's to your liking."

"Strange, I didn't hear anything about this from the veteran affairs guys."

"Consider it…, job benefits and forging of a new relationship."

"Mhmm." A skeptical Ashura turned away.

"Give me a call if you have any inquiries. Mr. Ashura." Headmaster Amadeya called out with a cute voice.

"Oh, I almost forgot your future classroom is A3." She yelled out just before Ashura closed the door.

"Quite an interesting player you are, Mr. Blackjack." She whispered to herself.

Ashura stepped out of the academy office and into the empty hallways. The empty walls gave off a barren feeling to the academy. As he passed a classroom, a long blacked haired woman was teaching before a class of twenty-five students. Some students looked away from the teacher and glanced over him. A sign written with the letters A1 above the door. Another door adjacent was adjacent to the classroom he passed by. Peeking inside, coats and bags laid on the chairs and tables, yet the room was absent of any people. Approaching a classroom with A3 written on the sign above, sounds of conversation can be heard through the door, yet it was not loud enough to which words could be overheard. Gripping the door handle, a white powder fell into the top of his view.

"Hmm?"

Looking up, a chalkboard eraser was about to slip from the door's cracks. Stepping to the left and aggressively pulled open the door. The chalkboard eraser smacked against the floor, creating a large cloud of dust.

"Gotcha!...Huh?" A teenage voice called out.

A student walked towards the entrance. Ashura walked in as the male student peeked out the door and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I assume you're the perpetrator of that shenanigan, mind cleaning that up?"

"Uh…, sure…" The student answered in a monotone voice.

Absent of light, his eyes entered a trance like stare as he cleaned up the dust. The class of student were bewildered as to what has happened before their eyes. In the classroom the number of chairs and desks could be estimated for twenty students, yet only ten students could be seen in the room. A large desk in the front corner of the room could be seen. The walls were as barren as the hallways, however unlike the school hallways, they were old, damaged, and had dust thick as paint. Giving an undetectable signal to the student cleaning up the dust with his eyes, the student fixated his eyes on Ashura and returned to his supposed desk. Walking towards the large desk at the front of the classroom, two pairs of eyes eventually recognized Ashura from his dark long coat. Dressed in a black uniform with combat boots, a female student with marine blue twin tails spoke.

"Excuse me sir, visitors are prohibited entry to instructional facilities."

Taking the seat by the desk before responding calmly. "I am the new professor for this class."

"How come the headmaster didn't tell us anything about you as our new professor?" A female student with a set of red twin tails called out.

"Since I will be formally starting as your professor tomorrow, she has tasked me with greeting the class and introducing myself to you all." Ashura announced as he made eye contact with the students present in his room. Yet unknown to them, Ashura surveyed their appearance in the same moment.

As if triggered an alarm in her mind, the girl connected Ashura's voice to the player who had knocked her unconscious the other day.

"You're that merc from two days ago weren't you?"

"I beg your pardon?" Replied Ashura.

"You're the one who knocked me out and carried me to your shady compound!" The girl exclaimed as she stood up.

Surprised expressions and whispers started to spread across the room like wildfire. Ashura merely looked unshaken and responded with "You must have mistaken me with someone else.

How about we start off with some introductions." The red twintailed girl continued to press on her questions onto Ashura but the blue haired student held her back and said "I am Illiyana, this right here is Hika."

"Come on Hika, first impressions are everything. Don't make such a scene already on the first day."

Holding back her questions, Hika quietly muttered "It must have been someone else…sensei (teacher)."

"How about you? With the ruffled brown hair." Ashura called to the teenager who had been cleaning up the chalk dust.

Breaking out of his trance, the young student hesitated at Ashura's question.

"uhh…Huh?"

"I was asking for your name, young man."

"Ummm…It's Jirou."

"That is a fine name, but I recommend not overloading the eraser with so much dust next time."

Surprised how he had returned to his seat, he began whispering to the students around him.

"Alright next."

One by one names and introductions flowed across the room.

"How come only ten of you are here today?"

The students looked either to each other or focused their eyes to the ground.

"The previous professor quit after joining our class for two weeks."

"Is that the reason for the depression flooding the room?"

"No, more like we are the ones directly responsible for making them quit." Illiyana responded.

"What? Are you guys that much of a handful?" Leaning back on his chair.

"Sensei you said you're our new professor, but you haven't introduced yourself yet."

"Ah my apologies. I am Ashura-sensei and I am a blademaster."

A man in a black school suit arrived at the door.

"Mr. Ashura there are still administrative papers that need to be completed."

"Very well, behave yourselves, be present and ready to learn for tomorrow. Dismissed." Ashura reminded as he left the classroom.

"Did you know him Hika?" A student asked.

"How did you know him? Another asked.

"Are you two related?"

Recalling Hayate's words, Hika replied "No, I just mistook him for someone else I knew."

"Really?"

"You're lying."

"Sounds suspicious…"

"Come on, everyone let's just move on to something else." Illiyana intervened.

"But seriously Hika, who is he?" Illiyana whispered.

"I told you already."

"Who? The MERC who saved my poor Hika?" Illiyana jested.

"I'm not your Hika." Retorting back with a pout.

"Heh heh that face never ceases to be adorable." Giggled Illiyana. "But he doesn't seem as bad as you described him to be."

"Oh please, you only saw him for a few minutes. I actually can't wait for Kaiden to show up and then it's bye bye MERC!"

"It doesn't seem like you know very well either. Didn't you say you only interacted with him once?"

"So, I don't care. Of all people to try out as a professor he has to show up."

"Wow, usually you would be the one trying get them to stay."

"Well it's different this time. And…" The school bell rang. "Is it lunch already? Aw man, I forgot my lunch today."

*Sigh* "I'll share mine with you. But you owe me for this."

"Here are you quarters Ashura-San." The man from the academy faculty staff stated.

Ashura stepped into a dim room containing a work desk, a small lamp, a traditional bed, and a tall bookshelf.

"Not bad… Considering how well preserved the furniture are. Thank you for the tour. Give my regards to the headmaster."

After the member of the staff left, Ashura began surveying the furniture. A glint of light was sparkling from behind the translucent curtains. Stepping towards the window. Pulling apart the curtains, the bright light flooded the room, revealing the maroon coloured walls. The glint was changed to a bright mirror coming from a bush.

"You surprise me with your speed sometimes, I assume you haven't been caught." Ashura called out to the bush.

"Come on Shura I moved your stuff here and still not a hello?" Hayate joked.

After dusting and rearranging the furniture Ashura leapt from the windowsill.

"How much of my stuff did you sneak in?"

"Not a whole lot, didn't think the security would be so tight for a school. I don't ya can get your hands on a lot of yer stuff back at the compound."

"Well, you brought what you could. So…uh…thanks."

"Look we're not leaving you out here to rot. We'll be back, just take some R&R (rest and restoration) from all the fieldwork. Can't work properly wen yer head can't even think straight. I'll see ya later."

"Hah…" Ashura sighed as Hayate left. "I hope the headmaster won't mind some lawn work."

In a certain dorm, a student laid on top of his bed. Although the sunlight penetrated the window slits, the student's face was hidden away in the shadow. The cluttered dorm seemed as it was ransacked. The door creaked open, revealing a brown haired student.

"Hey, Jirou. Haven't seen you in a while." A soft voice came from the student.

"Another one arrived today…Kaiden."

"So, what's the occasion?"

"This one seemed different...like…like, he tapped my shoulder today and then my mind went blank. And then somehow I felt like woke up at my desk but I don't remember how I got there.

"Haven't heard of that one before?"

"Like I still can't get over what happened. I ask the guys around me and they said I just moved around like I was in a trance."

Kaiden's eyes began to create an eerily red glow in the darkness.

"Looks like I'll be going to class tomorrow then."

The sunrise shone bright orange into the classroom. Ashura stepped into the empty room with a leather document bag. Dressed in the same black uniform as the faculty staff yesterday, he resembled a businessman ready to sell off his ideas. Not long after entering the classroom, a teenage girl dressed in a sleeveless white blouse, black knee length socks, and black leather boots walked into the room.

"Is there a special event involving a change in uniform?" Ashura asked the girl.

Turning to face Ashura her loosely knotted purple tie swept across the air as she moved her body. Looking over Ashura and noticing he had been wearing the standard staff uniform she replied "Hmm, you must be the new professor I've been hearing rumors about right? Well today is a combat training day. Didn't the faculty tell you?"

'The staff yesterday did gave me a bunch of stuff to look over. That new room did take more time to set up than I thought.'

"I don't believe I have gotten to it last night with all the clear in procedures to my room. But I'll just make due for today with this on. Were you here yesterday? I don't recall seeing your face in the crowd."

"Gomenasai (Sorry) sensei, a lot of the class pretty much just skips most of the days after Suki-sensei left. Didn't want to waste our time just loitering in an empty class. Plus the other professors were too busy with their own classes to teach us. By the way my name is Seleni, nice to meet you sensei."

"Doesn't the headmaster get upset when you guys do that?"

"It doesn't matter to the academy since we're the ones paying to attend the school. To be honest we're the ones being held back, some of us wanted to create a proposal to extend our time here by one semester since we are missing a professor for almost half a semester. Plus it's not like we just waste our time slacking off all the time, this place wrings the cash out wallets faster than player with the highest strength stat can wring water out of a towel."

"Well, let everyone in this class know that I am the new professor candidate and soon enough I will be an official professor for this academy. So stop skipping out on class."

"Yes, yes." Seleni replied as she flicked her brunette hair and headed back to her seat.

Sitting down on his leather chair, Ashura looked over the papers he received last night. One by one the students filled the room. Contrary to the girls, the male students wore a white short sleeved dress shirt under a light lavender long overcoat with purple rimmed edges along with indigo coloured baggy pants. However their black combat boots remains the similar in design. After all students have been seated, Ashura rose from his seat and began to address the class.

"My, my I haven't even started teaching and there is already whispering. Anyways we will be proceeding to the-" Before he could finish another student dashed into the class and drew out a dagger towards Ashura. Just avoiding the attack by leaping back Ashura drew his rapier from belt holster. The assailant rebounded off the window and switched from a reverse grip from his right hand to a normal slash with his left. The two blades crashed into each other, causing sparks to fly.

"And you are?"

"Kaiden…sensei." The assailant proclaimed as he retreated back.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Oh, I thought we were starting in the gym. But no one was there, so I thought we were changed it to the classroom."

"…So is it a duel you seek?" "Eh?" Surprised words came from the students.

"Points for originality with the warm-up though."

Even Kaiden was astonished with Ashura's reply. Closing his eyes for a moment and responded with "Looks like you got my message."

'Yeah right' 'As if' could be read from some of the student's expressions.

Looking towards the class, the students immediately avoided contact with Ashura's eyes.

"Hmph, looks like I'll have to get the answers from you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Lead the way then Mr. Kaiden."

"With pleasure." As Kaiden spoke a faint smirk climbed onto the sides of his mouth

Author's Notes

I am sorry if you have been held up by this story. I know that's not a lot of you guys but I just want to let everyone, this summer I was sent away for military training so no internet what so ever, but I'm back for more so stay tuned. Also chapter 7 will be a special chapter, its not part of the current timeline of the plot so far but it is an important part of the story. Hopefully I can post it before November if not the first week of November. This chapter should be a lengthy read if you found the previous chapters to be short. If you have any queries, concerns, or suggestions you could always message me or give the story a review.