Katarina Claes POV
"Why does my head hurt?" I groan as I pick myself up off of the cold stone floor. "Stone floor?" I thought the Ministry of Magic's floor was wooden, at least the room I was in before had a wooden floor that I remember was lovely to lay on, unlike this rough stone. I could be mistaken though as Keith is continuously telling me I need to pay more attention to my surroundings, so maybe the floor at the Ministry was made of stone, and that wooden floor I was picturing was in some other room or maybe even back home.
Anyway, it doesn't matter about the floor. The most pressing matter is that I fell asleep at work while helping Maria study an old rune that Suzanna found in the warehouse. I am probable going to get yelled out by her for falling asleep instead of working, leaving Maria to do it all by herself. "Maria!" I go I messed up she only helped me because she had some free time and now I went a took a nap leaving her to take care of my work for me. I need to buy her a present or something to make up for this.
Maria is too good of a girl to be true, letting me sleep and handling the work by herself instead of waking me up. I hope I didn't take up too much of her time and… I was right about the floor all along I should never have doubted myself! Not only is the floor made of stone but the walls too and the desk where Maria and I were working at is gone alone with the rune and large book Suzanna gave me to help to study the rune. A warm breeze blows through the room and in the centre a large fire glows looking strangely appealing to the point that I am hearing my friends voices warning me not to touch the flames.
The is no one else in the room just me the fire and the hints of blonde hair behind the fire. "Blonde Hair!" My mind snaps and my feet move automatically move in a way they have grown accustomed to over the years in which I have known Maria. I quickly move to her side, making sure she is safe and well as I stop in front of my friend and kneel down next to her. "She doesn't look hurt," I let out a sigh of relief as gentle shake Maria's shoulder.
"Maria," I call out her name, and the blonde girl starts to squirm. "Hey, Maria, can you hear me?" I smile as I see her open her eyes, feeling relieved that she's okay. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Maria smiles before suddenly jumping up. "I'm sorry!" Maria is quick to get to her feet, nearly knocking me over in the process. Lowering her head to me, I spot Maria's hands gripping the hem of her uniform as I stand. "I'm sorry Lady Katarina. I promised to help you with your research, but I ended up falling asleep."
"Maria, it's fine. I fell asleep as well," I assure her as she raises her head. "But more importantly… do you have any idea where we are?"
"Aren't we in the…" I can tell the moment Maria realises we have been moved to some other room in the Ministry as her eyes widen and her body swivels around for a moment until her gaze returns to me looking confused and a little scared. "I… I don't know where we are… have you been here before?"
"No," I shake my head, feeling a little bad that I have to deliver some bad news. "I have never seen or heard of a room like this inside the Ministry."
"Me either," Maria replies as she starts to look around the room again, sounding scared. "I can't even see a door to this room. I don't think we can get out of here."
"Maria it's okay," I do smile doing my best not let my evilness show and scare her more. "Someone's probably just playing a joke on us and will let us out soon."
"I hope so," Maria mutters nervously fighting on the spot.
I hope so too. I hope this is all just some joke and our friends will let us out, but deep down I have a gut feeling that is not the case, and I think Maria does as well. We had faced our fair amount of danger together from dark magic and even attempted rape when those foreign nobles dragged Maria to their room, so I think it is fair to say that both Maria and I have a good sense for danger… well maybe only Maria does because as everyone reminds me, I still run headfirst into danger. I need to do a better job of staying safe. I keep promising everyone that I will try to stay safe, but for some reason or another, I can't seem to stay out of trouble.
Maria's still worried despite my assurances as she starts pacing back and forth and I feel horrible not being able to do anything for her. Maybe I could tell her a story, but then again that might not work as I can see it going something like this:
"Hey, Maria don't worry it will be fine remember I faced that dragon with a stick and come out unscratched,"
"But you could have died back there! If it wasn't for Pochi, then that dragon could have killed you!"
"It still worked out in the end,"
"But you could have died! I don't think I could have lived with myself if you died protecting me from that dragon!"
Something like that is how I imagined it would go so yeah that will be a bad memory to bring up, and unfortunately I can't think of anything else that will have a different outcome. No one finds those memories funny even after so much time has passed and just bringing them up will end with me getting lectured for hours by my friends. Despite the fact that a lecture may distract Maria, I can't go with that plan as my knees won't be able to handle spending hours on this cold hard floor. But that story does give me an idea. I can call out Pochi! Pochi is friendly, and playing with him will be just the distraction Maria needs to get through this.
"Pochi," I call out my cute little familiar, but he doesn't appear concerning me since he never leaves my side or fails to appear when I call him. Starting to feel worried myself, I call out to him again, hoping he was just napping as well. "Pochi!"
Still nothing. I look over my shoulder at my shadow, hoping to catch a glimpse of a nose or paw leaving my dark trail but nothing. No sound, no sight and no sign of Pochi anywhere within my shadow. I hope he is just asleep like Maria and I was and will appear soon. I don't know what I will do if I lost him. I may not have known Pochi for very long, but in that short time, he has been a part of my life Pochi has become impossible to replace from my life. "Please be okay, Pochi," I pray as he still shows no signs of appearing.
"I'm sure he's okay," Maria approaches me with a kind smile on her face despite the fear in her eyes, making my heart pound. No wonder she is an otome game protagonist. "He's probable just sleeping like we were."
It is not fair that she has a smile powerful enough to make me feel better. If only my face weren't so scary looking, I would have been able to make Maria feel better earlier. I hope she is right, and Pochi is just fast asleep inside my shadow. Maybe whatever knocked us out is just affecting him more. Poor Pochi is so small, so it must have taken its toll on him. "Pochi's going to be fine," I tell myself taking a deep breath. "He's just sleeping as Maria said." Look at me. Here I was trying to comfort Maria, and now she's comforting me. Maria is such a good girl.
"Yeah, he's probably just sleeping," I do my best to smile, but it pales in compassion to hers.
"Welcome,"
We both jump and I felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest as another voice joins ours speaking up from behind us and giving no warning before announcing its presence. Both mine and Maria's head snap towards the sound, and I feel my skin freeze at the sight I see. A pale woman was levitating above the ground smiles at us from behind her white vale with lips red like blood and eyes devoid of life. Her white dress ripples in the breeze, and her bod slowly hovers closer to use. "Ghosts aren't real!" I tell myself paying my eyes are deceiving me. "They don't exist not in this world or the one I inhabited in my previous life."
"It has been so long since someone has come to visit me," The floating woman says, but despite the gentleness to her voice, I can't relax around a ghost-like her. "I apologise for not greeting you both sooner, but your sudden arrival caught me off guard. I am known as a World Master. We don't use names like many races, so please refer to me as World Master. It is a pleasure to meet you, may I have your names?"
"I'm… I'm Maria… Maria Campbell…" Maria timidly answers and World Master nods her head before turning to me.
"I'm…" I don't want to talk to a ghost, but I have no choice. "Katarina Claes…"
"Katarina, Maria, it is nice to meet people after so long," World Master replies with another creepy smile. "I assure you both I don't mean you any harm, so please relax." We do our best o do so, but it's hard for me. Maria appears to be handling things better then I am, but then again I have never been good with ghosts and phantoms. "It has been so long since I have met world hoppers, but as a World Master, it is my duty to get you settled in your new world."
"New world…" The words are muttered by both Maria and myself when we hear that.
"Yes, your new world," World Master replies calmly. "You two used a rune to transport between worlds, didn't you?"
"You mean that rune we were studying transported us here?" I ask, starting to piece together what happened to us.
"If you activated it then yes that rune was the one that sent you here," World Master answers. "No, then let us begin the process of setting you up for life in your new world."
"Wait!" Maria suddenly calls out stepping forward. "Can't you send us back to where we came from?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," World Master calmly tells us.
"So I can never see my mother again…" Maria hugs herself looking like she might cry. "I can never go home…"
"Maria…" I quickly hug her holding my friend close.
"There is away," World Master says, bring us hope. "In your new world, there are similar rune's that you could use to go back to your own world if you can find them."
"So we just need to find those rune's to go home?" I ask rubbing Maria's back, trying to calm my friend down.
"Yes," World Master nods. "Now then let us begin the preparations…" A blue circle appears on the floor. "Can one of you please step into the circle?"
"I'll go first," Maria says, suddenly determined. I guess she really wants to get home. I let Maria go and watch silently as she walks into the centre of the circle desperately hoping this isn't some sort of trap.
"In your new world, everyone is assigned classes at birth," World Master explains as Maria's body starts to glow. "These classes determine what you can and can't do, and you will both be randomly selected a class before entering this world."
Maria's body explodes in a burst of light without warning, and when my vision returns, I see that her Ministry vanished and replaced by a full set of leather armour. That's not all that's different as Maria now has a sword on her hip and I can feel that she is much stronger now then she was before.
"Wh… what happened to me…" Maria stutters, taking in her new outfit.
"I gave you some starting equipment to go with your class," World Master answers with a smile. "It appears you have been assigned the class of Heroine with is a one in a million chance draw. This class allows you to Light and Elemental Magic and gives yo three starting abilities called Heroine, Lucky Drop and Fast Learner. Lastly, you can use any weapons and equip any armour, but I only gave you a set of leather armour and a shortsword to get you started."
"I'm a Heroine," Maria softly smiles as the information sinks in. I guess anyone would be happy to be given a class like that. "That means I can protect…" Maria starts muttering to herself, but her voice quickly becomes to quiet to hear. "Thank you," Maria smiles and bows to World Master. "I won't let your gift go to waste."
"I'm glad you like it," World Master smiles sounding and looking surprised by Maria's actions. "Is it really so rare for someone to be assigned a class they like?" I can't help but wonder as Maria steps out of the circle. "Now then Katarina please step into the circle and receive your class."
I nod a take a deep breath before I take my turn in the circle feeling nervous like I usually do before a test but not as bad as when I hear that mother is wanted to see me. The slight twist in my stomach and sweat in my palms couldn't hold a candle to the flame that is my nervously wrecked body standing in front of my parent's bedroom door. "I hope I don't get something terrible!" I pray as I stop in the centre of the circle.
My body glows as Maria's did and feels pleasantly warm as the light of the circle engulfs my body only to quickly explode blinding me once again. When I can see, again I am nod wearing armour like Maria or have any visible weaponry, but instead, I am dressed like I am attending a ball. My body is covered in a black dress that stops just above my ankles and has sleeves that end at my wrists. As I am staring at my new outfit, I blush noticing the v line of my dress exposes the top of my chest then feel my hidden weapon which on closer examination I find is a knife hidden up my right sleeve. "Am I an assassin?" I panic hopping my class isn't something so horrible.
"Well it seems you both beat the odds today," World Master says as the blue circle beneath me disappears. "You received the Villainess class, a one in a billion chance pick. A Villainess can use Dark Magic and has the Villainess ability but you can only use daggers and can not equip any form of armours or shields."
"I'm a Villainess," I mutter feeling my knees give out as my world spirals out of control. "Why?"
"Why did this have to happen to me?" I have spent so many years trying to avoid this fate only to have some one in a billion pick force me into taking the role of a Villainess. I did everything right. I helped Mary become confident when her sisters bullied her, I helped Sophia become better at social events, and I made sure Keth didn't grow up to be a womaniser. I should have avoided this fate. I should have dodged this bullet the moment the events of Fortune Lover II: Love at the Magical Ministry ended. "Why is this happening now?" I can't breathe. I can't understand how this is happening. "Why am I being forced to play the wicked role of a Villainess no matter how hard I try to avoid this fate?"
"Can you change her class?" I feel Maria's warmth as she kneels down and embraces me. Maria, the Heroine. An enemy of the Villainess like she was in the game will be forced to raise my doom flag at long last. I guess I couldn't outrun this fate after all and find my happy ending. "Can't you do something for her?"
"I'm sorry," I hear world Master reply, but her voice sounds so far away as I feel my world crumble around me. "But just because she is a Villainess doesn't mean she is a bad person." I lift my head hearing this, hearing a shed of hope in the dark void that threatens to swallow my world. "I believe your world has a saying, "One man's hero is another man's villain," Just because you are a Heroine and your friend is a Villainess doesn't mean you are bad or good people or even meant to fight each other. A class is a class nothing more, but a person is a person, and that is how you decide whether they are good and bad."
"That means I won't be evil in this new world?" I ask, hoping for a yes in response.
"Yes," I feel a weight lift from my shoulder. "If you don't want to be evil, then you don't have to be. You can live how you like in this world so as long as you don't attempt to do anything bad, you won't be prosecuted for just having your class be Villainess."
"I understand," I feel better hearing this. I am not doomed or forced to play the role I so desperately tried to avoid ever since my memories returned.
"Then are you both ready to enter this world?" World Master smiles, opening a gateway of bright light behind her. "Please step through once you are ready."
"Are you feeling better, Lady Katarina?" Maria asks, helping me to my feet.
"I'm feeling a lot better now," I assure her. "Thank you for being there for me."
"It's fine," Maria smiles. "You are always there for me when I need you."
"Are you ready to go?" I ask nodding towards the gateway.
"Yes," Maria nods her head.
Maria Campbell POV
I take the lead as we head for the gateway as for the first time I find myself being in the position where I can protect Lady Katarina and repay her for all the times she came to my defence. For the first time, I won't be the damsel that needs rescuing or dead weight, holding everyone back. I feel proud, powerful and confident in myself and my abilities for the first time in my life. "I won't be a hindrance to Lady Katarina in this world," I smile as we step into the light. "I'll make sure we get back to our own world!"
"I can't put you in a town but if you head north from where I am sending you then you will reach the labyrinth town of Everholde where I suggest you register as adventures to gain access to the labyrinth's in the city," World Master tells us as the light gets brighter. "Labyrinth Floor Bosses are meant to drop the rune's you seek so that will be a good place to start."
I wanted to thank her for everything, for giving me the strength to protect Lady Katarina and for giving us hints as to how to get back home but I don't get the chance as the light intensifies she disappears. I hope I get to see her again when we return so I can adequately thank her for all the help. She has given me this chance, and I won't waste it. I Maria Campbell swears that I will return home safely with Lady Katarina and not let any harm come to her. "As long as she doesn't do anything dangerous I should be able to achieve that," I sigh realise just how hopeless that goal is when you take Lady Katarina into account. "She just can't stay out of trouble."