Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not even the soundtracks. Danmachi belongs to Fujino Ōmori, Final Fantasy XV belongs to Square Enix.

Is it wrong to to seek for answers?

Chapter 2: a new world

OUTSIDE – NEAR THE HOUSE - MORNING

At first, Noctis heavily breathed, not only because of the rather fresh air, but also because he was alive, somehow.

He went straight to the indicated crash site. While looking at the grasslands, he noticed a small area without grass but soil. Again he walked towards the site, but he couldn't find anything.

'But what should I do now?' Noctis wondered, since he fulfilled his destiny and duties, there wasn't anything he could do now, or was it? What if he still has some powers left, since in this world magic also existed according to Astraea.

(OPENING THEME: HIROYUKI SAWANO feat. Eliana - S_TEAM)

So Noctis stretched his arm. If the ring was destroyed, then he shouldn't be able to use anything.

But then the rather impossible happened, after a spark, a blade he didn't expect, appeared.

It was the Balmung sword, golden with some Ornament design on it. He once found it in the Steyoff Grove.

„Better than nothing" Noctis remarked. Now he what else he could do.

(background soundtrack: Stand your Ground (From FFXV))

„Let's Warp", immediately he threw his sword at some far distance. Then he really teleported to his sword.

He smiled while looking at his sword.

„Now lets try some magic", he prepared, 'but which one?'

Noctis thought for a moment.

Should he try cast Fire?

'No, No, then everything here could burn around here', he couldn't risk making Astraea or any other people nearby make concerned or worse, making angry.

What about thunder?

'Also bad idea, it would also burning, won't be really different than the first' he realized again.

'Fine, Bilzzard then ' he decided.

Noctis turned and looked at the crash site again. After his sword disappeared, he stretched his hand again.

„Blizzard" he shouted, which caused some energy ball to appear out of his hand flying at the crash side.

Then he suddenly felt a cold wind coming out of nowhere and everything turned into white.

After some seconds, the cold wind disappeared and the crash site along with some grasses were frozen.

Now Noctis smiled more since he apparently still had his abilities.

But then he saw something unusual on his left.

'A large basket?' he thought,

(end of the soundtrack)

'O no, don't tell me… ', after taking the basket, Noctis immediately looked elsewhere. He hoped that his 'small power experiments' didn't harm Astraea that much.

Then he found her, holding her Arms at her shoulders.

„Are you alright", he ran towards her, „I'm so sorry, I didn't expect this to happen, " he apologized to her and gave her.

But then he realized that Astraea was strangely smiling at him with closed.

'Why is she smiling', he then remembered what Gladio told him and Prompto back in Eos about women.

'When a woman smiles after the man caused some disaster, it means she's very pissed'

'Seems that's everywhere the same' Noctis detected while looking scared at Astraea.

With that thought, there was only one thing to do

„How about if I carry the basket and the upcoming supplies, as compensation?" he asked her.

„Oh, this would be very nice of you, Noctis" she answered while her smile returned to normal.

„I have to admit, you seem to be very strong, maybe you could also use that if we appear to be in danger, " she suggested, while Noctis agreed, still afraid to make her angry again.

„So where do we go?" Noctis saw that they were in some rural area with no buildings in sight.

„The town we're heading is called Melen, it's a quite large port city, right now, we are between Melen and Orario" she explained to Noctis, then she looked down at the soil, „and this road connects those both cities" she confirmed.

(background soundtrack: Wanderlust (From FFXV))

They started to walk.

1 hour later – rural area - late morning

They were still peacefully walking, despite Noctis getting slowly inpatient.

„How long until we're there?" Noctis asked. He also realized it was getting hotter than before.

„I think after crossing the hill, Melen should be already visible" Astraea suggested.

And she was right, Noctis saw a clearly urban area straight on the road and waters on the right.

(end of the soundtrack at 1:22)

30 minutes later - MAIN STREET – PORT CITY MELEN – late morning

After they finally reached the port city, Noctis asked „so, to supply, we need to go to the market square, right?"

„Yes, which is right in the middle of the town" Astraea answered while pointing straight on with her fingers.

Suddenly, both of them saw a crowd of people gather on both edges of the road they were walking.

Noctis felt Asttraea putting his jacket, suggested doing the same as fast as possible.

After nearly everyone was either on the left or right side of the road, Noctis saw a group of rather brash people walking consistent in the middle of the street, which reminded him kind of the Crownsguard back in Lucis.

The first one, and probably the leader of the group, was a tall blond man with a cream colored top with a black robe with gold lines and purple designs. He also wears some kind of black hair bow. Noct could feel that he was really strong.

Then behind him were two women, also strong, but less than their leader.

The one on his right, had dark magenta hair with purple clothes.

The second one was blond with an eye-patch, clearly smaller than the first two. She wears some kind of black maid clothes.

The other behind them looked less striking than the first three, which means they were some kind of Henchman.

Noctis, out of curiousity, turned his head beside him at some middle-aged man with a long beard.

„Sorry, sir, may I ask what's going on", the man turned towards Noctis, „who are those guys?" Noctis asked.

„You really don't know?" The man, clearly shocked by Noctis Question, didn't hesitate.

„That was Enoch, also known as George Doe, Captain of the Aeshma Familia, accompanied by his comrades" the middle-aged man explained, „and that purple haired lady on his right is 'wood violet' Sophia Flores, but I'm afraid I don't remember the other's names"

„The Aeshma Familia?" Noctis Questioned.

„Yes, they're one of the strongest Familias of Orario" the middle-aged man confirmed.

„And why are they here instead?" Noctis asked again

The man, feeling more dumbfounded, looked at Noctis.

„It's his first time here in Melen, he also never was in Orario" Astraea happily declared. 'So this young man is a newbie', Now it made sense to the middle-aged man.

„Oh, sorry for my rudeness. To make it short, our city here, Melen, is also known as 'Orario's entrance to the sea', many ships from foreign countries visit it for trade. And of course, it's not uncommon for a strong Famila like them to trade outside of Orario."

„I guess it makes sense, but to bring a whole army of adventures?" Noctis wondered.

„Yeah, that's really strange, but the Aeshma Familia, as most strong Familias from Orario, also protects Melen because of its strategic importance, so no one here really cares how they trade as long as we are protected" the man finished.

„Uh-huh" Noctis nodded „thank you, sir" he bowed in front of the man.

The man smiled before he and the other people could walk normally again.

After both continued walking, Astraea stopped walking.

Noctis, looking concerned at first, noticed her smile as she looked straight ahead of them

„Something wrong?" Noctis asked

She didn't seem to hear him, as she started to walk faster, which surprised him.

Noctis realized she was running towards a group of people.

(ENDING THEME : KARMINA - WALK YOU HOME)