DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kamen Rider or Fire Emblem. Both are properties of Toei and Intelligent Systems respectively. I do not own any of the characters who appear in this story, except for a few.
Characters Cody Aldrich, Justinia Pierson, Kojiro Yukihara and Kurogasa Kururugi are properties of FF do net authors striberx, Donjusticia, Daemon of Wrath and Fenikkusumaru respectively.
And yes, this story will include Original Characters as Kamen Riders. If you do not like the premise of the story or the inclusion of OCs becoming Kamen Riders, you are free to not read this story. Everyone has their personal taste and are entitled to their own opinions. Trust me, you will not hurt my feelings if you don't want to read this story. That being said, please offer me constructive criticism and no flames, if you would be so kind.
18-year-old Cody Aldrich sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Why'd I come here today…?"
He was sitting in the waiting room just outside the CEO's office. It was mid-summer in Boston and the weather was worse than Pompeii the day the volcano erupted and consumed it. He was grateful that the building had air conditioning, but he would have preferred staying at home in his room, preparing for his upcoming exams instead of sitting here.
His grandfather, Matthews Aldrich, suddenly ringed him up yesterday and told him that he wanted to meet with him to discuss his 'future.' Cody was not pleased about the matter, knowing full well what this was about. He would have not gone at all, were it not for his father telling him otherwise.
Cody did not have to wait very long. His grandfather's secretary told him it was time to meet with the CEO and sat up and walked inside.
The CEO's office was large in that it could easily fit as someone's bedroom. On either side the walls were utterly barren and empty, save for the few odd decorations here and there like placards and photographs of successful business deals or Matthews' predecessors. The only furniture the room had was the oak wood table at the far back and the chair the older man was occupying. Behind him was a large glass window that overlooked all of Boston.
Cody would have loved the view, were it not for the fact that he was glaring at the old man.
"Good, you're here," Matthews said without even looking up from the documents he was reading. His face was covered in wrinkles, eyes beady and narrow like that of a schemer and his receding hair thin and gray. "Come, sit. I'll have Miranda prepare us some drinks."
"No thanks," Cody replied icily. He saw no point in hiding his disdain. "I'm fine standing. In fact, why don't we get this over with?" He already knew why his grandfather asked him here, but he wanted to hear it from the old man himself. Maybe because, deep down, he wanted to believe he was wrong. "Why'd you ask me to come here?"
Matthews looked up. His eyes were so hard to see with the burning sun shining behind him, his squinting eyes not helping matters. "I think you know why. I believe your father made it clear to you that you'll be working with the company when you graduate from high school."
Cody's jaw locked up. It took everything in his power not to scream. "Without me finishing college?"
"I don't see a point in you finishing your education," his grandfather replied coldly. "True, college would help you open up more doors for more opportunities, but your future lies here in the company. In the world our family has built with our blood, sweat, and tears."
"No, you decided that." Cody snapped. "That's how it's always been with you – the pride of the family instead of your family's own wants and needs."
Matthews's eyes narrow. "Excuse me?"
"When Alice told our parents that she wanted to become a writer, you put your foot down and told her no. You said her future laid in the company. When she told me she was going to a college after she graduated high school, you cut off all her funding."
"Do you not understand the importance of this company, Cody?" Matthews groaned. "My great-grandfather founded this company and built it up with his own two hands. His son, my grandfather, and later in life my own father and mother both joined this company and raised it to further success. This is our family's legacy, my boy. Your legacy."
Cody's hands shake in anger. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep him from lashing out. Getting upset or screaming wouldn't help matters, but he also knew trying to convince his grandfather was the same as trying to convince a bull not to charge at a matador waving the red cape in its face. This was how his grandfather viewed his family and blood; cogs in a machine. He remembered how his father once told him that he grew up wanting to be a firefighter, but Matthews told him he couldn't. Said that he couldn't afford to waste his future on something so insignificant. He didn't even approve of the woman his father decided to marry until she was pressured into joining the company.
Matthews Aldrich didn't care about his family. What he cared about was the Aldrich Manufacturing company and its continued livelihood. To him, his blood relatives were just cogs in the machine. No doubt he wanted Cody to be one of those cogs.
"…no, it's not."
Matthews blinked. "What?"
"I have no intention of inheriting this company from you, or following in your footsteps," Cody stated as firmly as he could, glaring at his grandfather. "I'm going to college, finish my education, and get myself a job. I certainly don't need you to decide that for me." He turned around on his heel and began making his way towards the door. "The only person who decides my future is me. Not you, not my parents or my sis or anybody else."
He didn't allow his grandfather to get a word in as by the time the old man could speak coherently instead of his stunned blithering gibberish, Cody had left the corporation and made his way home.
The next day, he would have packed his bags and left home behind him, rooming with a friend and getting himself a part-time job while finishing high school.
Like I expected, Matthews "convinced" my father to stop giving me financial support as a way to "convince" me into stop my so-called rebellious phase and give in. I decided the old codger could screw off and did what I could to prepare myself for college. I roomed with a friend of mine until we finished high school since we were in our senior year, and once graduation passed, I used the money I saved from my part-time job and what my friend gave me when I moved out to start a new life for myself.
I wasn't too keen on studying in Boston anymore, namely because my grandfather could be downright persistent. He kept sending me letters, trying to convince me to take up a job at the company.
I never bothered reading them.
The only people I told about where I was going were Alice, my sister, and the friend I roomed with during high school. Prague wasn't my first choice, to be honest, but it was pretty far away and in another country to boot. What were the odds that Matthews would actually go out of the country to try and find me?
Four months after I completed high school, I moved to Europe and made a brand new start for myself. It was also there that I made my first friend. And on the first day at the Prague University, even!
Cody arrived at the college campus early in the morning. The sky was still dark and the sun barely peeking out from its hiding place and the air was frigid to the point he could see his own breath whenever he exhaled.
Prague University was a lot bigger up close than when he looked at it from the brochure. It was a little daunting, to be honest. Since today was the first day of the new semester, and his first day here, he decided to get up earlier than usual in order to get a feel for the school's layout and memorize where his classes were. From there, he'd plan out the best route to go to and from his classrooms.
As it turned out, though, he was not the only one who had the same idea. When he arrived, there was someone else already roaming the halls, one hand holding on to her bag and the other holding a small piece of paper. She was looking back and forth between the papers and the classrooms, no doubt searching for her classes. Her features were Asian; shoulder-length black hair with white streaks and eyes an icy-blue color.
'She looks like she's around my age,' Cody thought to himself and wondered whether or not he could help before reminding himself he was also searching for his classes. 'I should probably leave her be.'
Just as Cody was about to leave, the Japanese girl noticed him and called out. "You! Yes, you! You help?" He cringed slightly. Her English was atrocious. It was still better than his pathetic attempts at the French language, though. Sighing in resignation, he turned back around and approached the girl. "I look for this. You help?"
She held out the paper in her hands. Cody looked at it and saw that there were six rooms listed on. "Listen, I can't help you. This is my first day here too and…" he trailed off and blinked. Wait, what was this? "…we have the exact same classes?"
"We do?" the girl questioned, pleasantly surprised before she smiled. "Sugoi! Er, no! I mean, perfect! Perfect. We look together."
"…no offense, but your English sucks."
The girl laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek. "I know. English is not first language. I came to Prague days ago."
"Oh? You transferred here?" Cody asked. She nodded. "Same here! I came here from Boston about two weeks back." He extended his hand and smiled. "Name's Cody Aldrich. Oh, wait. I guess it'd be Aldrich, Cody for you, right?"
The girl chuckled and shook his hand. "Yes. Kanai, Masaomi. Very pleased to meet you!"
It was pretty weird how we somehow ended up having the exact same classes together, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Before I realized it, the two of us hit it off and became close friends. We eventually ended up joining the Cultural Studies Club. The teachers in charge were kind of scary, to put it mildly. Prof. Yukihara was thought to be some kind of yakuza while Pierson was rumored to come from a military family or something.
At some point near the end of our first year at Prague University, Masao introduced me to Kuro, the guy I'd come to proudly call my best friend.
Thinking back on it, those were my golden days.
In fact…
…they were a blast.
KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE:
EDGE OF DAWN
Part I: White Clouds
CHAPTER ZERO-THREE: The Five Horns Cross! The Boy From Another World Readies For Battle
"Let us outta here you fucking Larper douchebags!"
Cody roared and kicked at the steel bars keeping him from strangling the armored man standing outside his cell.
The blonde did not know how he and Kojiro found themselves in a cell and held captive by a bunch of people dressed in armor straight out of medieval times. One moment he was talking with Masao and Kuro, then that weird light show happened, and when he came to, he and the college professor were being held inside the cell. Naturally, he was confused, terrified and angry and demanding answers from his kidnappers, but they remained remarkably tight-lipped. His anger eventually peaked and he started banging against the bars, both out of frustration and to get the guard's attention.
The guard didn't react at all, instead giving Cody a harsh glare and scoffing as he walked away, vanishing into the shadows of the corridor leading out of the room. "Hey!" Cody yelled. "Come back here, you son of a-!"
"Enough, Aldrich." Kojiro snapped from his spot in the cell. "There's no reason for you to be hollering and screaming like a monkey."
Cody rounded on his teacher, incredulous. To his dismay, Kojiro was sitting in the far back of the cell, legs crossed and hands on his knees as though he were meditating. He didn't know if the man was just that calm and cool or he didn't care about their current situation.
"With all due respect, prof, I think I have a damned good reason to be freaking out here!" he hissed angrily, kicking the bars again. "I haven't been awake for two hours, and I'm already pissed! Where the hell are we?! A-and where's Masao and the others?"
Kojiro remained stoic and unfazed by his student's tantrum. "Calm yourself. I understand your frustrations, but lashing out in anger will not help you. Take a moment to catch your breath."
"But…!"
Cody wanted to argue his case and plot their escape, but deep down he knew Kojiro was right. Getting angry and antagonizing the only people, captors or otherwise, that knew where they were wouldn't help them. He scowled in frustration and plopped himself down on the cobblestone floor, doing as the man suggested. He closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths.
"…okay, so what happened? I remember I was talking with my friends before Professor Justinia starting chewing us out, then that weird light show happened. I don't remember anything after that."
Kojiro sighed. "In truth, neither do I. As for what happened afterwards, it seems that after being consumed by that odd light in the tunnel, we were transported away from the city and into a forest of some sort." Cody stared at him incredulously. A forest? Not in the city? "I do not understand it either myself, but not long after I regained consciousness and attempted to search for Justinia and your friends, we were found by those men in armor. From what I could gather, they think we are spies sent by a rival of someone by the name of Acheron."
"Acheron?" Cody frowned deeply. He tried to make sense of the situation, but so far all he was getting was a blank. "So, he's the one holding us here?"
"So I assume," Kojiro nodded. "He's also confiscated all of our belongings, including our bags and phones. I doubt they would be useful, though. I tried to call Justinia, but I could not get a signal in this area."
"Figures," Cody sighed and hung his head low. "Man, what the hell is going on here?"
As concerned as he was about his own situation, he was more worried about Masaomi and Kurogasa. Were they also being held captive by this Acheron guy? Were they being held in a different area or something? The more he thought about it, the more worried he grew. The need to get out of this place was steadily growing stronger.
The sound of clinking metal and heavy footfalls caught the two captives' attention. Cody rose to his feet and stared at the corridor entryway warily, the footsteps drawing closer. Stepping out from the shadows and into the light was another armored man, only the armor on his person was much bulkier and made him look like a tank.
"You should feel grateful, you mangy dogs," the heavy armored man said with contempt. "Lord Acheron has decided on your punishment. By noon tomorrow, the both of you shall be executed."
"What?!" Cody exclaimed, eyes wide. "E-executed?! Whoa, hang on! Don't screw around! We didn't do anything! You think this is funny, kidnapping us and taking us away from our friends?! When I get out of here, you're going to be sorry!"
"Hmph. What could you possibly do, trapped in that cage? And cease with the lies. We know you and your ally are spies."
Cody would give the guy props for sticking to his character. He would have thought this was funny and be impressed with his acting skills if not for the fact that this asshole stuck him inside a cell and kidnapped him. Also, was it just his imagination, or did this guy have a Boston accent?
Kojiro, who had maintained a period of silence up until now, spoke up. "You claim we're spies, yet you have no actual proof of what you say. We do not know who Acheron is nor of where we are." He stared at the armored man impassively. "Or, perhaps, you and your boss simply don't appreciate foreigners."
"…well, looks like you're sharper than you look, old man." Cody's face turned red in anger. He swore he could see the heavy armored man grinning. "But that's just an added bonus in my book."
"You son of a…!"
"Rage all you want, you piece of garbage. It won't change the fact your head will roll tomorrow. Enjoy what little time you have left."
Cody lunged at the man, fruitlessly clawing and swiping at him from behind the cage and arms trapped between the bars. The heavy armored man laughed as he left the two behind and disappeared into the corridor like his compatriot minutes earlier. Once more, Cody was left howling and raging, though this time he was now panicking.
They were lying. They had to be lying. They were just a bunch of cosplayers with eighth-grade syndrome that took their gaming roles way too seriously. There was no way they were serious about killing them were they? And even if they were serious about this, were they seriously going to kill them based on ethnicity?!
"This can't be happening," Cody whispered. His palms felt sweaty. His head was in his face. "They can't be serious about killing us, right? A-and for a stupid reason?"
Kojiro closed his eyes. "I cannot say, but he was not joking about us being dead by tomorrow."
"How? How can you be so calm in this kind of situation?"
"Because panicking will do us no good, much less help us escape."
Cody stared at his teacher for a moment longer before he sighed. He's right… We can't afford to lose our heads. But, it's so hard to stay calm in a situation like this! I mean, how is this even remotely fair? And who in the hell are these guys anyway? No, wait. That can wait until we get out of this place.
C'mon, Cody, think. There's got to be a way out of here. The floor and walls are made out of cobblestone and bricks, so obviously we can't dig our way out with spoons like they do movies and games. If I had something, like a hairpin, I could probably pick the lock, but I'm sure as hell no expert on how to do that.
What if…?
"Still, I'm rather surprised by your understanding of Japanese, Aldrich." Cody blinked and looked at Kojiro, the latter seemingly impressed by something. "As I recall, you had trouble first learning the language when you joined Justinia's club."
The blonde frowned. "No offense, prof, but what are you talking about?"
"That man just now was speaking Japanese, wasn't it?" Kojiro's face scrunched. "Though I will admit, his Kansai accent was dreadful."
"Wait, what?" To the best of his knowledge, Cody knew Kojiro wasn't old. He was in his late thirties at least, so he was sure that the man wasn't senile or hard of hearing. "Prof, what're you saying? That asshole was talking in English."
It was Kojiro's turn to frown. "No, I am certain I heard him speak in perfect Japanese."
What's he talking about? Professor Yukihara isn't going crazy or got hit in the head, right? I mean, that dude was definitely talking in English.
…wait a minute. This felt familiar. This sounded just like that scene in one of the light novels one of the senior classmen in the club loaned him. The book series that got him into the isekai genre in the first place.
If I remember right, in Murayama's Overlord, after the protagonist gets sent to another world and interacts with some of the people in the new world, he notices they're speaking in the same language as he is, but their lip movements don't match.
But that was just in a book, wasn't it? There was no way that was possible, right? What were the odds that they got sent into another world? That stuff only ever happened in fiction, didn't it? This was real life.
Unease began to settle in his stomach.
"Dammit, where even are we…?"
A pair of cold white eyes stared at the city in the distance. He stood in the shadows of the forest, glaring at the town and its inhabitants. All of them mindless cattle, like sheep to the pen. Beasts was all they were, and like beasts, they would inevitably die and be culled like worthless gutter trash. The thought of the place becoming little more than a site of ruin and destruction at their hands was enough to bring a smile to his face, but those were thoughts of another time. It was not yet time for the world to remember them. That day would wait until the Flame had grown stronger.
He turned his attention to the armored soldier at his side. One of the men under his employ, sent to spy on the fools in the Leicester Alliance. Even if they were constantly stabbing each other in the back, it paid to have someone keep an eye on things in the event someone came around and forced them to bend the knee and stop bickering amongst themselves.
"You are certain of this information?" he asked his comrade.
The man nodded. "Yes, sir. When the outsiders were found and detained by Acheron, they searched their belongings and found the belts. I was unable to retrieve them, however."
"I see… So, they've resurfaced at long last, and in the hands of outsiders at that. How curious."
"Your orders, sir?"
He chuckled at his subordinate's eagerness. He couldn't blame the man. After all, pieces of their homeland's legacy had finally resurfaced and practically landed on their laps. "Prepare one of our Magia. However, make sure it only attacks at the bare minimum. It is still far too early for us to take such large strides. It'd be a shame to have the beasts prepare for the fated hour before we're prepared."
"Understood!"
The man nodded and left him behind. He turned his attention back to the city – to the place where the legacy of his ancestors laid in wait for them.
At long last, it was time for the famed "Masked Knights" to be revive from myth and emerge.
Cody sighed for the umpteenth time, head dangling between his knees. "I'm pooped… I give up. My head hurts too much."
"What's the matter now, Aldrich?"
"Trying to think how we can get out of here, obviously. The floor is way too tough, so trying the cliché spoon tunnel trick is out of the question. Plus, we don't have anything to use to hide the hole."
Kojiro stared at the blonde flatly. "…Aldrich, just because something works in movies does not mean it will work in real life."
"But it does work in real life! A guy in Russia broke out of a prison by digging a hole in his cell's roof with nothing but a spoon," Cody argued before he paused. "Though I do remember reading online that the prison as pretty rundown, though."
"Is that so?" Kojiro was honestly surprised to hear this, though admittedly he did not pay much attention to the affairs in the rest of the world, seeing as how he was mainly focused on his work and job than what was going on around the glone. "Well, regardless, how would you even acquire a spoon? The guards haven't fed us since they threw us in here."
"That's why the plan's a bust, Prof." Cody sighed. "And it doesn't look like they keep the keys anywhere around here, either. I guess our only real option is when either someone walks by with the keys on their person or if they let us out." The first plan was the most reasonable, but the second option was certainly risky. They had weapons and wore steel-plated armor that looked authentic. Even if they were cosplayers, they didn't do things by halves. If they tried to fight them and take the keys, chances were they'd be seriously injured or worse.
And even if we do get out of this place, we still don't know what's waiting for us outside, Cody thought. I guess for now, our best option is to just wait and see, but do we really have time to be doing that? If they're serious about killing us tomorrow, we don't have a lot of time.
He sighed and pulled his knee up to his chest, resting his forehead on it. "This is the worst…"
At some point, Cody must have fallen asleep because as soon as he opened his eyes, he wasn't in a prison cell or sitting on the ground. Instead, he was standing in the middle of what looked like an endless ocean stretching out right before his eyes, the azure sky above more vibrant than usual. Despite being in the ocean, his feet felt as though they were on solid ground, yet he saw no such footholds beneath him.
As if this isn't isekai enough already… Cody grumbled. First the odd nature of his surroundings and those cosplayers threatening to kill him and Kojiro, then Cody and Kojiro hearing them speak in two different languages, and now a weird dream. It really did feel like he was living the life of an isekai protagonist.
Which was definitely not something he wanted to experience. He was a fan of the genre, but some of the stories he read, such as Rising of the Shield Hero and Arifureta, really highlighted how screwed up things could become if you ripped someone out from their world and toss them in a situation they can't handle or throw things they aren't prepared for. In the former's case, it was naively trusting the people who summoned you and thinking they wouldn't stab you in the back at a moment's notice or blindly thinking they didn't have any ulterior motives in summoning you.
That said, Cody didn't think he had been transferred to another world. It was something that happened in fiction, not real life. Unless someone presented him evidence that this was the case, he was going to chalk all this up to exhaustion, kidnapping, etc.
Even so…
Why does this place feel so sad?
He couldn't quite describe what he was feeling from these surroundings. The scene was beautiful, but there was a dreadful melancholy in the air. It felt empty, nothing to give it warmth or peace. Like an ocean of sadness.
As Cody surveyed his surroundings, he saw someone standing not far away from him and wearing a black cloak and a hood. They were staring up at the sky, as if searching for something.
"Who is that?" Cody wondered to himself before he walked over to them. As he grew closer to them, he saw that their form was feminine, lime green hair spilling out from beneath the hood. "Excuse me? Where is this place?"
"The home of someone I haven't seen in a very long time," the woman replied. Cody quirked a brow. "Or maybe it's heaven? To be honest, I'm still trying to figure it out myself."
"I…see…?"
The woman chuckled. "You must think this is a dream, don't you?" Cody nodded. "You aren't wrong. In a way, this is a dream. Or, perhaps it is a respite. A chance for you to understand."
"Understand?" the blonde questioned. "Understand what?"
The woman continued to speak, her voice tinged with sadness and trepidation. "Soon, you'll be forced to fight. You'll be thrown into a battle you won't understand, at least not right away."
"And if I don't fight?"
"…then your friends will be unable to save themselves." Cody went still. Something in his chest began to burn, hands curling into fists. He glared at the woman, though whether she noticed or not he didn't know. "I am truly sorry for putting you all in this situation. But you're the only option I have left."
Seriously, what was up with this cryptic talk people seemed to love doing? What was this, some trashy self-insert fanfic?!
The woman turned to face him. He hoped he would see her face, but all he saw the lower half. The nose up was hidden by shadows. "However, if you do fight, you will walk the path of hardship. You may even find yourself fighting your own friends. You might even be forced to kill them. Will you be able to withstand that hardship?"
"It won't happen!" Cody blurted out the words before he had a chance to think. The idea that he would have to fight Masao and Kuro, much less the teachers, leaves a bad taste in his mouth and doesn't give it a second thought.
The woman stared at him for a moment. She smiled sadly. "…I once thought the same."
Cody opened his mouth, fed up with the cryptic talk and demand she give him a straight answer or explain what was happening before he felt the water at his feet grow colder. He looked down and stared at the reflection staring back at him; a gold-armored figure with a black-and-silver faceplate vaguely resembling a crown and dark purple eyes.
"What the-?!"
That was the last thing Cody was able to say before his footing vanished and he sent underwater, his consciousness fading away rapidly before succumbing to sleep once more.
The sound of metal banging against metal jerked Cody awake, comically flailing about on his spot on the ground before leaping to his feet, fists raised. Kojiro, the calmer of the two, opened one of his eyes and saw a guard standing outside their cell. Compared to the heavily armored men from before, this one was wearing only an armored helm, breastplate, gauntlets and leather boots. In his hand was a spear.
"On your feet, prisoners!" the guard barked. "It's time for your execution."
Cody glared at the man while Kojiro sighed and stood up, rolling his neck. "Might as well get this over with," the older man muttered before he noticed a certain something dangling from the guard's belt.
"Come here and give me your hands. We can't have the two of you with your hands free."
Cody and Kojiro both exchanged a look with one another, a curious gleam forming in their eyes. The former grinned as their escape plan was now underway. "Sure, sure. Keep your pants on, man," Cody replied nonchalantly and walked over to the cell door. He put his hands past the cell bars and offered up his wrists. "Like this?"
"Well, at least you're obedient," the guard scoffed in disdain, producing what looked like a wood handcuff. He positioned the cuff over Cody's hand, about to slap it on, when Cody suddenly grabbed the guard by his helm. "Hey! What're you-!"
Cody pulled the guard's head forward and slammed it against the bars, stunning him for a moment. He didn't stop as he grabbed the guard's head with both hands and began to repeatedly bash his head into the cell bars, metal clashing against metal echoing loudly. After doing this for about a minute or so, Cody paused and saw the guard was groaning and slumping against the cell bars, his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
"Holy shit, that actually worked," the blonde marveled at his impromptu escape plan's first phase before he grabbed the keys off the guard's belt and released his hold of the guard's head, watching him slump to the ground with some satisfaction. "Alright, time for a-whoa!"
Without warning, the ground beneath his feet began to shake. The lamps keeping the dark room lit swayed, some falling to the ground and shattering, the flames held within fading away in seconds. Cody nearly lost his footing, grasping on to the metal bars for balance. The shaking continued for a few more seconds before it passed.
"…what was that?" Cody dreaded asking that, out of fear of what his college professor might answer. "That did not feel like an earthquake."
"I don't know," Kojiro replied, albeit uncertain. "But for now, let's get out of here. You have the keys?" Cody held up the item in question and threw it over to him. The Japanese man quickly made his way over to the cell door and tested each key to see which one would unlock the cell. It took four tries before he found the right one, evident by the dull 'click' the cell door made.
He pushed the door. It swung on rusty hinges, creating a sound that was as noisy as it was dreadful. Tossing the keys aside, Kojiro grabbed the fallen spear the unconscious soldier was carrying and turned to Cody. "Let's find our belongings and get out of here. I would not wish to encounter the rest of the guards anytime soon."
"Amen to that, Prof," Cody replied, taking one last look at the guard before following the club supervisor out of the room.
They went further into wherever it was they were being kept, the building seemingly made out of brick and wood. Cody was still certain whoever was keeping them was a LARPER or somewhere along those lines, but the level of detail was impressive. Someone went to great lengths to build this place as authentically as possible and it showed. He honestly felt like he was making a made escape out of a dungeon straight out of medieval Europe.
They eventually reached another room, thankfully devoid of guards. Wooden racks containing all sorts of weapons; swords, spears, bows, gauntlets and axes were linked up and waiting to be held. Torches were fixed onto wooden posts on the walls, keeping the room lit.
"The hell…?" Cody stared at the weapons and approached the rack. He touched the tip of the sword, only to wince and pull his hand back. The tip of his index finger was bleeding. "Okay, there's being realistic and then there's taking things a bit far. Jesus, where the hell are we?"
Kojiro didn't answer him. He kneeled down in front of a chest, jamming it open with the spear. The lock was undone. He opened the chest and began to search through it.
"I've found our belongings," he called.
Cody walked over to Kojiro and peered inside. Sure enough, their bags were inside the chest along with some other miscellaneous items. Almost immediately, his eyes zeroed in on a pair of items that clashed with their surroundings.
Two belts with bizarre buckles that looked like toys you would see from a TV show like Power Rangers or their Japanese sibling Super Sentai. One had a gray body with a black-and-gold circle in the center. The other was more simplistic, mainly silver-and-gray with red pieces in the middle and in the bottom-right corner of the buckle, the latter piece resembling a pulling lever.
At first, Cody thought they were just toys, but as he stared at them…
Two armored figures, one clad in gold armor and the other in blue, clashed and darted about in the middle of a battlefield. Surrounding them were men and women in armor, but neither cared for their presences. To them, all that mattered was the other's death. They struck at each other with everything they had; punches and kicks and slashes from their weapons, yet neither was willing to give an inch.
The scene carried out as though it was playing on a dingy television set. Static blurred the battle before him, the voices of two people battling one another garbled and warped.
The only thing Cody knew for certain was that the golden soldier, Thouser, wanted to be anywhere but here.
"-rich?" Cody blinked. Kojiro was staring at him worriedly. "Aldrich, are you alright?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Cody assured him, though his professor was not convinced. The blonde stared at the belts – the same items worn by the armored figures he had seen just now.
Just what was that? For a moment, it felt like I just had one of those 'out-of-body' experiences… Why are these here? I mean, from what we've seen so far, these LARPERs sure are dedicated to playing their roles, so why would they have toys like these in here?
Unaware of Cody's thoughts, Kojiro grabbed their belongings and stood up, fastening the bags to his shoulders. "We've wasted enough time here," he urged. He grabbed the spear he set on the ground after he broke the lock and made his way to the door that would hopefully lead to the exit. "Come, let's go."
"H-huh? Yeah, sure…" Cody replied, still distracted. He was about to follow Kojiro, but stopped and looked back at the belts still sitting in the chest. He didn't know why, but something was urging him to take them with. Why, he didn't know. This nagging feeling wouldn't go away.
"…I guess it wouldn't hurt," Cody mumbled to himself, collecting the belts and hiding them away in his jacket. "They're just toys. If anything, they'll make for some weird souvenirs when we get back."
Cody and Kojiro found themselves standing in a wide-open street beneath a starry moonlit sky. The stars above them twinkled beautifully, almost like jewels glittering in a treasure box. The moon, larger than Cody knew it be, sat in the dark sky alongside them, illuminating the world below in a pale light.
It was a breathtaking sight, but it brought Cody no peace.
"…Prof?" the blonde called out weakly, suddenly questioning whether or not they were in LARPER territory. "Where are we?"
It was telling that Kojiro could not provide him with an answer whatsoever. He too was staring at the moon, eyes wide and mouth agape.
The reason?
The moon was a different fucking color. A vibrant, bright green.
The sight of it alone, much less the fact that they were standing in an honest-to-god medieval town straight out of olden times and from fantasy games, was enough to make Cody's head spin. He felt like he was about to throw up. His legs were knocking against each other wildly and threatened to give out beneath him.
The guards from before weren't LARPERs. The weapons weren't very realistic replicas. The town they were in wasn't some shoddy recreation. It was real.
This wasn't their world. They had been isekai'd.
"I think I'm going to be sick…"
He felt unbearably warm and ill. His stomach was in a state of total revolt. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. This can't possibly be happening.
"Aldrich." No response. Cody looked like he was on the verge of having a panic attack. "Aldrich!" More forcefully this time, Kojiro called out and grabbed him by the shoulders. Cody snapped back into reality and looked back at the club supervisor. "You need to calm down."
"C-calm down?" Cody stared at the man as if he were insane. "How the fuck do you expect me to calm down after seeing this?! The moon is a different color! A fucking different color!" There were times when the moon would change colors, but to Cody's knowledge of astronomy and basic information, never once has the moon ever changed to bright green. Not once. "How do you explain that?! A-and those guys, they aren't really cosplayers or nutjobs, are they?!"
At this point, he was hyperventilating. His vision was turning blurry. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe-!
wham!
The blonde choked and spat out saliva, suddenly falling to his knees and clutching his stomach. He coughed haphazardly, his abdomen in pain. "W-why…" he looked up at Kojiro. "Why would you do that?"
"You needed to calm down, and you weren't," the man replied as though he hadn't just sucker-punched his student. "This situation is far from ideal, and I have more than a thousand questions to ask anyone who has the answers right now, but this is not the time to be panicking. Right now, men who have orders to kill us are probably roaming around, and chances are, they will not hesitate to kill us where we stand."
Cody stared at Kojiro in disbelief. What was with this guy? Here they were, finding out for real that they were in another world, and he was as calm as a cucumber while he was in the middle of a panic attack. Did his teacher have nerves of steel or was he just so damn indifferent to everything?
Still, his college professor was right. Freaking out right now wasn't going to help them, and like Kojiro said, there were men roaming around somewhere that wanted to kill them. If they died before they could find Masaomi, Kurogasa and Justinia, all because of him, he would never be able to forgive himself.
He took a deep breath, then exhaled just as deeply. Breath in, breath out. In, out. After doing this a few more times, Cody got up on his feet.
"Y-you're right," he winced, noting he was still a little sore from Kojiro's sucker punch from earlier. "I'm sorry, Prof."
Kojiro waved his hand in dismissal. "You're fine, Aldrich. For now, let's-"
boom!
Again, the two found themselves struggling to stay on their feet as the earth beneath them trembled and shook. This time, however, they now knew the cause behind the tremor. Not far away, a tower of black smoke began to rise further into the air. Just before the ground shook, a ball of smoke and fire erupted not far away from where the smoke stack was. Orange embers lit up a significant portion of the town behind them. The smell of burning wood and acrid smoke invaded their nostrils.
"A-an explosion?" Cody gaped. "What the hell is going on over there?"
Kojiro didn't know how to answer that. He wasn't even sure what was happening at this moment. Instead, all he saw was an opportunity.
"Let's leave."
Cody stared at Kojiro in shock. "W-what?"
"Take a look," he gestured around them. "No one is around. Chances are, whatever caused that explosion has their attention. We can use that and get out of here."
"B-but what if they're people here?!"
"We have to take that chance."
The blonde gaped at Kojiro.
The worst part was, Cody knew he was right. This was probably their best and only chance to evade the soldiers and make their escape. If they pursued them as normal, who was to say they would escape unharmed? They didn't know the layout of the land or even where they were? Who was to say they wouldn't be walking further into someplace where people would want them dead or worse? Worse, the soldiers were armed with weapons. Weapons that they wouldn't hesitate to use and kill them.
This was their best chance to escape, using whatever time they had to put some distance between them and the soldiers. Granted, running about without any real information about where they were or where they could run to was not ideal, but what other choice did they have?
Even so, Cody couldn't move his feet. Despite the logic, cold as it was, his legs refused to move. A part of him refused to allow him.
Because this was wrong.
"Come on, let's go."
"Sorry, Prof…" Cody apologized ahead of time. His heart was pounding. Inside his head, he hurled abuse at his body for making a stupid decision. He rounded on his heel and turned in the opposite direction; the area where the flames and smoke were.
"Wha-Aldrich?!"
"Feel free to bump me down a letter grade or two!" Cody called over his shoulder as he ran.
I have absolutely no freaking idea what the hell I'm doing! Here I am, running straight into a place where there are probably dozens of soldiers waiting to chop off my head, and I'm just rushing in like I have a death wish! Since when did I turn into Masao?!
It took some time navigating the streets, but eventually Cody arrived at the spot where the flames and smoke originated. It looked to be what he assumed was the town square, or what was left of it. A few homes had been obliterated and were in the process of being burned down, wood and stone being turned to ash and cinders while the pavement was upended and torn apart with explosive results. A fountain that sat in the middle of the town square was blown to pieces, only half of it left standing and spewing a stream of water from its exposed side. Fires continued to burn, slowly engulfing more and more homes.
The cause behind it? A metallic creature that sure as hell didn't belong in a fantasy setting. From head to toe it was clad in metal, movements inhuman and utterly animalistic like a predator stalking its prey. Its hands and feet were like claws, stepping towards its prey – a group of soldiers who were trembling at the mere sight of it – while a brown sharp tail whished about, cutting apart the ground in its swings. Its head was like that of a tiger, only it bore two large tusks at the corners of its mouth.
What the hell? Is-is that a metal Sabertooth Tiger?! Cody thought in shock. He noticed that its mouth and feet were stained in red. Not far behind it were what he believed to be its victims—soldiers and innocent people dressed in rags. Their bodies were carved open, some intact while others were torn to pieces, guts and blood spilling out onto the ground.
Just looking at it from where he was standing was enough to make him sick.
"W-what the hell is this thing?!" one of the soldiers demanded fearfully as he backed away. "Some kind of Demonic Beast?!"
"Dammit, where are the mages?! Someone get the archers!"
"Are weapons aren't even making a dent!"
"Goddess protect us…!"
A heavy armored soldier roared at the sniveling men behind him. "Quit your sobbing!" he ordered. Judging by the authority in his voice and the fact that he stood at the front of the group, he was most likely their commanding officer. "Hold your heads high! So what if the damned beast has thick skin?! We're Lord Acheron's elite guard! Hold your ground and don't allow this thing to-!"
"KILL…"
Cody felt a cold shudder run down his neck. The captain stopped and stared at the metal tiger as it spoke, voice full of bloodlust with a warped metal groan in its tone.
"KILL ALL BEASTS!"
Faster than Cody could see, the tiger struck. Its claws tore through the captain's armor as though it were paper, slicing through steel and cutting into flesh. Blood spewed from the captain's chest as he fell to the ground. All that came out of his throat was unintelligible gibberish, choking on his blood before the metal monster dug its fangs into his throat.
The soldiers behind him screamed and scrambled to get away. "Fuck this! Fuck Acheron! I'm not dying for him!" one soldier screamed as he threw his weapon down and ran past Cody, not paying the blonde any mind.
Cody stared at the sight in horror. He was really starting to question what he was doing here where he could die a most painful death. The sound of whimpering caught his attention; a soldier stayed behind, or more accurately they were too scared to move. He was trembling, hands shaking and unable to keep his weapon steady, staring at the tiger in fear. After tearing out a large chunk of meat from the dead captain's neck, it set its sights on the guard.
A warped growl rumbled from its throat. It roared and leaped forward, only to hit nothing but air. It skidded across the stone pavement as it twirled around, finding its prey knocked to the ground with Cody draped over him.
"…huh?"
"What the hell are you doing?!" Cody hissed. "Get off your ass and run! Do you want to die?!"
What was he saying? He was just as likely to die as he was, and he didn't even have a weapon. His legs were practically shaking. The soldier thankfully took his advance and scrambled off, leaving him behind. Cody stood up and glared back at the monster as it walked toward him slowly, growling and bearing its fangs.
"Killed by a mechanical monster in a fantasy world," Cody grumbled beneath his breath, smiling weakly. "Man, this sucks… Wish I had a weapon on me. Least then I could die a golden death."
Man, even his joke sounded so weak right now. This was the worst…
Sorry, guys… But it looks like I'm not going to see you guys again anytime soon.
...are you certain of that?
A voice echoed in the back of his head, reverberating throughout his whole being. Cody went still. For a moment, the world froze in place and the tiger ceased to move. It was faint, but behind the tiger, a figure stood behind it, clad in gold armor with a silver-and-black faceplate and purple eyes staring back at him.
W-what the…
The image of that battle echoed back in his head and became aware of the heavy weight in his jacket. He pulled out the source; the black-and-silver belt he had picked up from the chest. It felt warm.
"Are you…telling me to put it on?" Cody questioned, unsure of why he would be slapping on a toy. The gold figure gave no response, merely staring at him. It was rather uncomfortable.
…well, I'm going to die, might as well do something stupid for once in my life, Cody thought with a sigh before he put the belt around his waist. He was about to adjust the belt's length when-
[THOUSANDRIVER!]
Cody gasped, his body freezing in place. His mind felt as though it was being pried open.
W-what the hell… What is this? Fódlan? Magia? All this… Is-is the belt doing this?
ACTIVATION CONFIRMED
CONNECTION TO THE THOUSAND NETWORK HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED
VERIFYING…
USER QUALIFCATION CONFIRMED
LOCKING BIOMETRIC DATA
REJOICE, CODY ALDRICH
YOU ARE PERMITTED FULL AUTHORIZATION TO USE THE THOUSANDRIVER
At the same time Cody placed the driver around his waist, a pale-skinned old man garbed in black-and-red clothing stared at the lit screen in front of his eyes.
"T-this is…" he gasped. "The Thousand Network has connected to the Driver. Can it be…? Has he resurfaced, after so many years?"
Cody stumbled forward as the influx of information ceased. His head felt as though it were about to burst. So many new things, both about this belt and about this world, it all came to him in a single second. Even the monster in front of him, the Ekal Magia, was known to him.
For a moment, he wasn't really sure what to make of all this. So many things he didn't understand came at him all at once.
…but he did understand one thing. This thing was going to kill him and everyone in the town if he didn't fight.
As though he had been aware of their presence all this time, Cody dug his hands into his jacket's coat pockets, pulling out what looked like a pair of cassette tapes at first glance. They were too large to be tapes, though, and had protruding bulges on opposite sides.
Seeing those items, the Ekal Magia paused and stared as though in curiosity. Unbeknownst to both parties, a panting Kojiro arrived on the scene, sweat pouring down his skin. "For heaven's sake… I truly have been getting soft," he complained. He stopped and noticed the confidant look on Cody's face, eyes glaring down the Magia while a toothy grin made its way onto his lips. "Aldrich…?"
"Alright, let's see how golden this thing really is, shall we?"
Cody jammed the Zetsumerise Key in his left hand into the left slot.
[Zetsumetsu Evolution]
He twirled the Progrise Key in his right hand, swinging his arm outward as though cutting the air. In mid-swing, he pressed the button atop the Key. When he did, the faceplate opened up, showing off the robotic skeleton of a rhinoceros.
[BREAK HORN!]
"I'm going 100…" Cody smirked. "No, 1000%! Henshin!"
Without further ado, he slammed the key into the right slot of the Driver. The circle in the center of the Driver split open, revealing a gold-and-purple interior with a glowing insignia; a five-horned crown.
[PERFECTRISE!]
The Ekal Magia, realizing what was about to happen, charged at Cody with the intent of tearing him limb from limb. Its attack was intercepted by a flying silver beetle, knocking it away with its horns. Just as it recovered, it was utterly blindsided and rammed by a rhinoceros of equal size. The circled around Cody as though protecting him before they converged on each other, ramming their horns into one another, hanging right over his head.
The bug and animal's body suddenly shattered apart, pieces of their remains hovering in the air while a black-and-gold bodysuit formed over Cody's body. The armor slammed onto his body, silver metal covering his chest, shoulders and legs. A silver faceplate resembling a crown formed over the face, cobalt-blue eyes glowing shortly after the armor assembled over the bodysuit.
[WHEN THE FIVE HORNS CROSS, THE GOLDEN SOLDIER THOUSER IS BORN.]
[Presented by ZAIA.]
Cody rolled his neck and flexed his hands, feeling the texture of the armor coated over his body. "Okay… This is cool."
I could deal without the singing ad, though. What the hell is ZAIA, anyway?
"KILL!"
The roar of the Ekal Magia brought his attention back to what was in front of him. He dodged its attack easily, side-stepping and jumping away to put some distance between them. To his surprise, he jumped further than he was expecting and crossed the whole plaza, landing next to the ruined fountain. Since when could he jump that far?!
The Ekal Magia was quick to recover and charge at him. "Okay, Cody boy, remember your boxing lessons," the blonde muttered as he assumed a boxing stance. He hoped this armor was as good as it looked. "Wait for an opening, then…!"
The Magia lunged once it was within range. For Cody, time felt as though it slowed to a crawl. His body moved faster than the metal tiger, side-stepping and moving the side before throwing a straight jab into its face, knocking it off course and into the fountain. Time seemed to resume and the Ekal Magia practically bounced off the concrete pavement until it managed to regain its balance, digging its claws into the ground to halt its advance. It growled and charged at him again. Cody assumed a boxing stance, knees close together and fists in front of his face. It jumped and landed in front of him, going in for another pounce. He reared his fist back, aiming to smack it back down, only to hit air as the Ekal Magia jumped past him.
"W-what?!" Cody whirled around, just in time to see the Magia bounce off the wall behind him. "Shit!" He had no time to dodge. It landed on top of him just as he fully turned around, its whole weight put into its front legs. He fell flat on his back, pinned by the metal tiger that was trying to bite his head off. Its tusks scratched at the faceplate and shoulders. The only reason it hadn't bitten him was because he had a hand at its throat and another around one of the tusks. "Would! You! Get! Off! Of! Me!" Cody roared as he put all his strength into his leg, throwing the Ekal Magia off him and into the air.
It twirled in mid-air and landed on its legs while he scrambled up to his feet, now more wary of the Magia. "Okay, tough kitty."
The Ekal Magia rushed him in a zig-zag pattern before it came skidding to a stop and spinning around, lashing at him with its tail. He darted to the side to evade the attack, wincing when the tail struck his shoulder. Even with the armor on, he felt the impact. If it weren't for this thing, he would have lost his arm just now.
Deciding to go on the offensive, Cody stepped forward and went in for a low kick. It blocked with its tail and hopped to the side before leaping up and swiping at him. He grabbed the paw in mid-strike, pulling it up and slamming his elbow into the side of its face, following up with a knee-strike and kick to its stomach. It was knocked back and landed on its back. Cody quickly moved in for another attack, but the Magia rolled out of the way and bounced up on its feet, snarling.
As the armored man went in to engage again, the Ekal Magia countered and whipped its tail at him, taking him by surprise when the tail whacked against the faceplate of his helm. "Gah!" Recoiling, Cody attempted to put some distance between them but found himself being swept off his feet when the tail swung at his feet, knocking him to the ground. Once more, the Ekal Magia was on top of him. He gritted his teeth and tried to kick it away like he did last time, but found that the Magia had put its hind legs on his, keeping him pinned.
He had one hand on the Magia's throat and kept away while it clawed at his armor, scratching and tearing at it to get at his flesh. He looked around for anything that could help him get this damned thing off him. His eyes fell on the small piece of rock sitting near him; the shattered remains of the fountain. Taking what he could get, he grabbed the piece of rock and smashed it against the Magia's head. The rock shattered on impact, but the impact stunned the Magia long enough for him to elbow it in the face and shove it off him.
Immediately, Cody put more distance between the two of them. The Ekal Magia leaped back up to its feet and wasted no time resuming the assault, bearing its fangs as it leaped at him. Cody side-stepped and grabbed its tail, pulling at it with all his might before he proceeded to spin it around. "Around and around the world she goes! Where she'll end up, nobody KNOWS!" At the height of his swing, Cody let go and sent the Magia flying. Knowing it would regain its balance in mid-air as it had before, he immediately charged after it, moving faster than he thought possible.
He reached the metal tiger just as it was about to come back down to the ground, delivering a solid punch to the side of its face before attacking in quick succession. An uppercut, followed by an elbow-strike, then the knee, and finally a roundhouse kick at maximum momentum. The series of attacks landed perfectly and rewarded Cody with the pleasant and wonderful sound of metal being crunched and bent on impact. The Magia bounced off the ground and smashed into a brick wall, creating spiderweb cracks on the point of impact. It rose back up to its feet, albeit weaker and staggering now.
Seizing his chance, Cody decided to end this once and for all and pushed the Progrise Key further into the ThousandDriver.
[THOUSAND DESTRUCTION!]
Cody sucked in a breath, feeling a surge of power rush through him. Sparkling gold-and-blue lights formed around him before opened his eyes and let his body move in ways he didn't think were possible. As if blitzing through the air, he closed the distance in a mere second, not giving the Magia anytime to defend against him and kicked it high into the air. He kicked off the ground and proceeded to bombard it with several kicks, each more powerful than the last, pounding through the layers of armor on the Magia's body before he kicked it back down to the ground.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
With a roar, Cody came down upon the Ekal Magia like a meteor, his foot coming straight down atop its head. The metal crumpled and folded beneath the weight. The force behind the kick did more than crush its head. The moment he came down on the ground, the earth beneath him exploded and shattered to pieces, some flying through the air. He bounced off the Magia's corpse, jumping out of the newly formed crater with his back turned. Moments later, the Magia's body exploded into flame and smoldering metal.
THOUSAND
DESTRUCTION
ZAIAエンタープライズジャパン
The sight of Cody, clad in gold armor, and the immense power he demonstrated just now, was enough to leave Kojiro slack-jawed. "Aldrich…" he breathed in amazement, wondering how in the hell his student was capable of that. He remembered how the blonde produced two items from his person, items that looked like cassette tapes. He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out something he discovered shortly after he had awoken in this new world.
It was a Progrise Key with a bluish-green faceplate with the image of a grasshopper.
"Is this…how he transformed?" the college professor wondered to himself. "But how? Just what even are these things?"
Back with Cody, the blonde was panting heavily. His head was spinning from the maneuver he had just performed. His legs were shaking and he felt as though he were about to keel over just from the rush alone. The adrenaline was starting to wear off.
This didn't stop him from gushing, however.
Holy shit! I turned into a freaking Power Ranger, didn't I?! his inner child squealed, stars sparkling in his eyes. This is so freaking cool! Wait, Power Rangers don't transform with belts, do they? Did I miss a season where they did? Do the guys have powers like this too?! Freaking A, man! Being isekai'd is awesome!
As the power died down and he disengaged the transformation, dispelling the armor by removing the keys from the belt, followed by the belt itself, he let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair.
…oh, what am I saying? Being isekai'd is not fun at all. Least of all right now. I don't even know where my friends and Prof. Pierson is! On the plus side, at least now I know where the hell we are.
"Aldrich," Cody looked up and saw Kojiro approaching, his face apprehensive. "What did you do just now?"
"You want my honest answer, Prof?" Cody deadpanned. "I really have no idea what I did just now."
"If you want my opinion, I think you did wonderfully," a new voice commented helpfully.
Cody and Kojiro jumped, the former about to slap on the belt again, but stopped when he saw someone approaching them. They were armed, a sword dangling from their hip but made no move to grab it. A woman clad in yellow-and-brown attire, the right sleeve navy-blue with a leather spaulder on her left shoulder, metal coating the surface. She looked to be in her early to mid-thirties, dark hair pulled a wavy ponytail over her shoulder.
Either not noticing their wary looks of simply uncaring, the woman chuckled as she approached them without a care in the world. "Have to admit, I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to pay Acheron a visit. Then I see exploding and I come to see what the fuss is about, and I get a front-row seat to the famed Masked Knight Thouser in action. Wait until the boy hears about this…"
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Cody asked. "Considering you're not trying to kill us, I'm going to take a wild guess and hope you're friendly?"
"Something along those lines, kiddo."
"Halt!"
Cody cursed under his breath. Kojiro immediately put himself in front of his ward, glaring at the company of soldiers that suddenly made themselves present. They stood in front of him like a wall, their halberds and spears all aimed at him as if daring to approach. Behind them was a man dressed in rather fancy clothes, albeit with a foppish-looking face and what had to have been the world's worst mustache.
"Hello, Acheron," the woman greeted the aristocratic man with a wry grin. "I see you're territory is just as troublesome as ever."
"Watch your tone, Judith," Acheron warned. "I really don't appreciate it when someone starts slandering my holdings, backwater as they are. Now, then…" He cast his gaze to Kojiro and Cody, both of whom glared back at him. Immediately, his eyes fell on the ThousanDriver in Cody's hand. His gaze turned hungry while bearing his pearly-white teeth in a grin. "It would seem my men weren't spouting nonsense after all. Two outsiders, here in my lovely abode, and you happen to have that! Haha! What fortune. To think that one of the Masked Knights would fall into my lap. Now then, kid, why don't you be a good little boy and hand over that belt. I promise I'll make your execution painless if you do."
Cody scowled, about to tell the man he could take his offer and shove it where the sun didn't shine, when Judith spoke up.
"Hey, now. Is that any way to talk to my men?"
..what?
"What?" Kojiro stared.
"What?!" Acheron stammered and stared at Judith. "W-what do you mean?!"
"You honestly didn't think I came here just for a social visit, did you?" Judith draped an arm over Cody's shoulder. The blonde blushed slightly when he saw how close their faces were. "I happened to overhear from one of your men that you supposedly found two spies, both clearly not from Fódlan, and slated them to be executed. Now, imagine my surprise when two of my men, both of whom I ordered to meet with me the day you found them, just so happen to disappear. I think you know where I'm going with this?"
Kojiro's eyes widened and stared at the woman. Is she doing what I think she's doing?
"D-do you honestly expect me to believe that?!" Acheron's face was red. Cody swore he saw steam pouring from his ears. "What do you think I am?! A fool?!"
"Why, yes. I do," Judith rolled her eyes. Acheron looked ready to explode on the spot, growing more and more agitated. "Honestly, I don't really care if you don't believe me. What I do want to know is if you really want to risk picking a fight with me." At this, Acheron's anger faded into dismay and fear. Judith's smile turned shark-like. "It would look pretty bad for you if you attacked me just because you didn't believe my claim about these two fine men being my escorts here. There's also the fact that whatever that thing was-" she gestured to the smoldering crater not far from them. "-raised hell and killed several of your men, some of whom I recognize to be part of your elite guard. It'd be one thing to pick a fight with me just because we had a misunderstanding, but choosing to pick a fight with me instead of focusing on helping your people? I wonder how that would look for the rest of us in the Alliance."
"Wha-you-the nerve of-GAH!" Acheron's rage peeked. For a moment, Cody thought he was about to attack Judith, but instead stomped on his heel and turned away fuming. "Fine! So be it! But mark my words, Judith! This isn't over! Duke Riegan can't protect you forever!"
"Yeah, yeah. Preach it to somebody who cares, Wet Blanket."
"It's Weather Vein!"
Throwing one last glare at Cody, Acheron and his entourage left. Kojiro kept his eyes on the guards, wondering if they would turn around and attack before he relaxed once they were out of sight.
"It would seem we owe you our thanks," Kojiro said. "Though I can't help but wonder why you stepped in to save us." It was natural that he would be suspicious of her. He knew nothing of these lands or these people, and while it was clear Acheron had ill intentions, he couldn't be sure about what this woman wanted. For all he knew, they were walking into another trap. "What did you have to gain from helping us?"
Judith smiled at his skepticism. "Three things. The first being a chance to piss-off Acheron. In case you didn't notice, he's an utter fop who deserves every bit of humiliation he deserves. How he's still a noble is beyond me, really. Second, I saw an injustice happening and I wasn't about to let it continue. I honestly have nothing against outsiders. And lastly, I saw an opportunity to get to know a Masked Knight in the flesh. Anyone would kill for an opportunity like that!"
"Masked Knight?" Cody looked down at the belt in his hands, then pointed at himself. "You mean me?"
"Do you see anyone else here that can turn into a gold-armored warrior that could beat down a metal demon?"
Cody sweat-dropped. "Fair point. Well, thanks for saving us. I'm Cody. This is my professor, Yukihara. And you are…"
"Judith. Judith von Daphnel, at your service. And something tells me we have a lot to talk about…"
EPISODE ZERO:
I'm from Another World and a Kamen Rider
The Prague University's Cultural Study Club, after being caught in a mysterious white light, find themselves seemingly in another world, brought there at the hands of enigmatic entity calling herself "The End."
Stranded and separated from one another, the five search for answers behind their being in this new world while forming bonds with the continent's inhabitants.
Kurogasa Kururugi and Justinia Pierson come under the care of the ruler of Castle Gaspard, Lord Lonato, only to find themselves defending the town.
Cody Aldrich and Kojiro Yukihara, shortly after their arrival, were captured by Lord Acheron under the suspicion of being spies and were about to be executed, until an attack on Acheron's territory allows them to escape. After the smoke settles and Acheron attempts to capture them, a woman by the name of Judith places the two under her protection after witnessing their capabilities.
Meanwhile, Masaomi Kanai finds herself placed under the care of the Church of Seiros and placed under the watchful eye of the Officer Academy's newest teacher; the Ashen Demon, Byleth.
How will the war for Fódlan's future play out with the appearance of these strangers from another world? And why has The End brought them to this place?
Find out, on the next, Kamen Rider Zero-One!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Presented by, ZAIA!
...oh hell no. No way in hell I'd take a job from those assholes.
Anyway, sorry for the long wait everyone. A mix of just being lazy and tending to a bunch of other projects led to this coming out later than intended. Regardless, Cody Aldrich as Thouser has made his official debut. I hope it did not disappoint.
Unfortunately, I could not add the "at" symbol into the finishing touch. God dammit FF.
Originally, Kojiro was to debut as Kamen Rider Ichi-Gata this chapter, but I decided to post-pone his debut in favor for when our lovely cast reunites during the Rite of Rebirth, which is also when I will introduce Edge of Dawn's first Raider.
On a side note, I'm personally excited for the official debut of Kamen Rider Ark-Zero. From the design to whose behind the suit... Just final boss material man.
At any rate, if you have any questions about this story or want to ask about certain things related to the plot, check out SpaceBattles Forum and look for a thread titled "Kamen Rider Zero-One: Edge of Dawn Q&A [AKA The Supplementary Materials]. It has lore and the backstory behind the reason why the Rider Systems exist in Fódlan. Be warned for major spoilers for Three Houses, though!
Friendly reminder that Kamen Rider Zero-One: Edge of Dawn also has a TV Tropes page, so maybe you could check it out and add whatever you think fits?
