Hey all, a good day to you all and welcome to chapter 1!
Hope you all have a good day as it is 29th of Feb. I didn't even realize it was a leap year!
As for the story itself, this follows an original story line and therefore is not canon.
Please also note that I made Touch Me's name in real life be Sebastian and that he is a 20 year old unmarried young man in this story.
Just in case, any of you get confused.
Anyways, here we go with the story!
Disclaimer: I only own my story, everything else belongs to their respective creators.
Chapter 1 - The Pact
Enough was enough.
Sebastian knew that this was the final nail in the coffin as he slammed his bedroom door shut with enough force to shake the whole room. But even that was not enough to quench the anger boiling inside of him as the silver-haired man of 20 years clenched his fists tight causing his knuckles to whiten.
He had just finished having a rather "lively" conversation with his father about what he shouldn't do in public. It wasn't really anything new as this was basically an everyday dinner time occurrence. And just like with all the previous cases, it begun as a relatively peaceful argument with both sides throwing about their points to and fro.
But in the end it was always the same, with his father one-sidely lecturing him on what he should and shouldn't do...as a police officer.
The nerve of the man!
Why should a policeman, someone who is meant to uphold the law, think twice before attempting to arrest someone who has committed a crime? Why does it always come down to who is richer and who is more powerful in society?
"Sebastian, you need to learn how society operates and play according to it's rules! Your constant need for heroics could end up getting not just yourself but all of us in trouble!"
"That's why I'm taking matters into my own hands, I'm more than old enough to handle things by myself."
"And just what do you think you can do alone? No one can stand alone in life without someone acting as their partner in order to support them."
"But father!"
"No buts! Look around you for goodness sake. You live an extremely blessed life with fortune surrounding you left and right. What could you possibly not be satisfied with?"
"What is the point of having all this if it means having to morally compromise yourself in the process?" The young man yelled angrily as he waved his hands around as though blaming the inanimate objects in his room for his predicament. Yet he could only sigh when only silence returned.
Deep down he knew what his father meant. He wasn't stupid after all.
Sebastian knew that his idealistic approach to life had landed his family in trouble more than once...that his black and white view of the world simply didn't fit. It was like trying his hardest to put a puzzle piece where it didn't belong and that his ambitions were literally too out of place in this day and age.
Plopping himself down noisily on a chair, the young man scanned his room for inspiration like he would normally do whenever he felt lost. To be honest, it was a little embarrassing to admit that a man of his age still had posters of fictional heroes and that his bookshelf was still lined with paperbacks that contained nothing more than what most would consider unrealistic tales of legendary figures.
But he simply couldn't help it, this was who he was and what he always strived to be.
Just like in Yggdrasil.
"I wonder how everyone is doing..."
Ever since quitting the game, Sebastian hadn't really kept in contact with anyone from the guild. It wasn't that he grew bored of the game but something else had blinded him at the time. He could still remember getting the policeman job offer then like it was just yesterday, despite it actually being over a year ago. Of course, he had prioritized it over the virtual world foolishly thinking that he could translate his success from in-game to reality.
How naive he was.
Heck, he should have noticed it the first day he turned up on duty but he instead choose to ignore the deadpan eyes of his colleagues. How could he have predicted what was to come?
"I bet everyone hates me for leaving them."
He could only smile sadly at his desktop picture, which contained a beautiful shot from the guild's glory days. Not a single one was missing as the camera accurately captured the features of all 41 individuals. He couldn't quite tell if they were all smiling since some of them had rather...unique features, but one thing was for sure...he was...even behind that silver mask.
Momonga...Yamaiko...Nishikienrai...
His eyes worked its way from one to the next with a new memory surfacing from the back of his mind as he did so.
Eventually his gaze fell upon Ulbert, someone whom he 'spoke' to very frequently back in the day.
"Touch Me, do you even listen to yourself when you speak? Its always about you isn't it? Even after he left, you haven't changed one bit. In the end, you are and always will be selfish."
He could still remember those words like it was yesterday. Although it didn't quite impact him as greatly as it did back then, Sebastian truly did feel the weight of it now more than ever. Perhaps the young man had matured just the slightest bit or because he simply led a less sheltered life now.
But he could see now more than ever that he really was being no different from his father even if it was from a different angle.
Sebastian had always tried to enforce his ideals on his guild mates regardless of how much it related to him. His narrow-mindedness had cost their guild on more occasions than he could count. Luckily, the skills of his fellow comrades had more than made up for his shortcomings, with Momonga immediately springing to mind.
"That guy always was a skilled tactician haha." Eliciting a small dry smile, Sebastian silently thanked them for providing him with the happiest days of his life so far.
If he ever got the chance to journey again, even if it was with another group, Sebastian vowed that he would never be the same jerk as he was back then.
"I wish could get a second chance to go on another adventure to a place far from this world..."
Suddenly a bright white light erupted from below his feet before expanding to form a magic circle large enough to encompass his entire being. His first response to this shocking turn of events was to try and run out of the mysterious light, but his efforts were futile as it continued to follow his movement with perfect precision, all the while keeping him focused on the center.
With his brain running on overdrive, Sebastian was about to yell for help when he felt a certain weight on his shoulders. Spinning around, the silver-haired man almost screamed in surprise because the last thing he saw before being completely enveloped in the bright light was none other than...
...the transparent figure of a paladin he knew all too well.
Touch Me.
"Urghhh..."
With the blinding light now faded from existence, Sebastian cautiously lowered his arms before opening the previously shielded eyes. The twenty year old groaned uncomfortably as he clutched at his stomach, desperately doing his best to keep the contents of his dinner from escaping their acidic prison. Whatever happened just now actually ranked as one of the worst feelings he had ever felt.
To put the feeling into more understandable terms, it was akin to going on the world's fastest roller coaster at 10 times the speed...for 10 hours. Honestly Sebastian wanted to congratulate himself for being able to stand albeit somewhat wobbly.
However it didn't take long for him to realize that a shadow loomed over his as he glanced at the ground causing him to spin around despite his still-wobbly state. This was a figure he has seen for the second time today...that's right...standing directly in front of him was a semi-transparent figure of the famous paladin of pure silver from Yggdrasil.
"But isn't that my character?" Sebastian asked no one in particular before giving the suit of armor a light tap out of curiosity.
However no sooner did his fingers touch the cool surface did the armor dissipate into countless specks of white light before they all converged on his heart. The young man yelped in surprise as the mysterious mini orbs seemingly sank through his skin, granting him an extraordinary sense of power as they did so.
His headache was no more and his entire body seemed filled to the brim with energy, nothing like what it was just seconds ago.
"Ouch." The twenty year old muttered before glancing down at the back of his left hand, feeling an unnatural burning sensation that seemed to erupt from within. When the pain finally died down, he could see a tattoo that was identical to his character's emblem seemingly burned into the back of his left hand. The mark shimmered brilliantly for a few more seconds before fading as quickly as it came.
"Well on the bright side, at least the pain is gone."
To be completely honest, none of this felt evenly remotely real to Sebastian right now simply because the string of random events that had recently occurred all seemed far too unrealistic. If he was to organize his thoughts in a more simplified manner, it would be listed as follows:
1. Finished dinner at home.
2. Returned to room to contemplate life.
3. Had flashbacks about his gaming career in Yggdrasil.
4. Blinded by mysterious light.
5. Found himself teleported to an unknown place.
6. And somehow merged with his character...?
7. Trying to understand situation
Naturally he was currently stuck on step 7 but that was because step 4-6 was just straight up ridiculous. With his police detective skills kicking into gear, Sebastian decided to at least get a better grip on his situation rather than freaking out.
He quickly surveyed his surroundings, and no matter where he looked, it was filled to the brim with flora in the form of tall green trees and lush shrubs. If he had to guess his current location, then perhaps it would be in the middle of a forest of some kind.
He would have loved to bide his time and come up with some sort of plan, but a cold evening breeze reminded him that he was in the middle of nowhere.
"What am I even wearing?" Glancing down at his attire, Sebastian realized that he was in his modern day clothes. He couldn't deny the wave of fear that washed over him but perhaps due to his day job as a policeman, his mind was thankfully functioning at 110%, reminding him that he had the more imminent problem of freezing to death.
Did I get teleported into Yggdrasil? If so, then perhaps...
Deciding to test his theory, Sebastian reached into the empty space ahead, his mind focused opening his dimensional inventory much like he would back in the game. "If I remember correctly, this is how we would normally access the inventory."
Despite being a veteran back then, the silver-haired man couldn't quite recall even the most basic of in-game actions as the lack of HUD display really messed with his sense of reality. Furthermore, he rarely had to play the game with his hands shaking from the cold that surrounded him.
But his actions proved futile for his outstretched hands simply reached into the cold night air without the slightest signs of the purple portal that would normally appear in game.
Sebastian was just about to scratch his head in confusion when a bright light erupted from his left hand, a familiar sense of heat radiated from the glowing insignia. Within seconds, a bag appeared out of thin air, landing on the ground with a soft thud. Judging by the weight, he could only guess that it was filled with a decent amount of goods within.
"What do we have here..."
Within he found some basic clothing, food and a couple bottles of red potion which resembled those from Yggdrasil which only created a wave of fresh questions. Aside from those, there wasn't anything special within. He decided to save the food for later especially since he didn't have an appetite and prioritized a bit of exploring instead.
Sebastian was just about to close the bag when his hand brushed against something that gave off a metallic clang.
"Ohhh, looks like I missed one of the inner pockets."
Inside laid an object that would cause anyone else to raise their eyebrows. In fact, it took Sebastian himself several moments to realize where exactly he had seen the beautiful artifact.
Guardian of the Silver Paladin.
That was the name of this beautiful handheld piece that resembled a small badge in size, with a rapier engraved in the middle and it's edges encircled by trails of ice. It was something he obtained along with Compliance with law as a reward for becoming a world champion. However unlike the latter, Sebastian never got around to figuring out what purpose the small object served before he ultimately quit the game as he was more than satisfied with the suit of armor alone.
But then why...out of all the items he had in possession...was this the only one that remained with him until now?
Did this item serve some kind of purpose in this situation? And even if it did, how did this tie in to the game developers that gave him this item in the first place?
"Guardian of the silver paladin..." Sebastian muttered to himself, if one were to take it literally...does it mean this badge-like object offered some sort of defensive traits to it's owner?
But his thoughts were ultimately halted as a foreign voice filled the young man's ears, echoing from the mysterious object within his grasp.
" It is an honor to finally meet the Paladin of Pure Silver."
"Errrr...hi," Sebastian nervously began, feeling slightly embarrassed at the fact that he seemed to be talking to an inanimate object, "I'm flattered but may I know who I'm speaking with?"
"Please forgive my lack of tact on the matter." The voice said even though Sebastian couldn't detect the slightest hint of remorse, in fact the individual adopted a rather mocking tone as though they were taking immense delight in his confusion. "Unfortunately I am unable to reveal my...or rather our true nature at this moment but you can just refer to me as Being Y."
"Alright then Being Y, I get the feeling that you know more about this whole situation than I do so could you care to explain why I am here?"
"That I'm afraid is something I cannot reveal to you either, but you indeed been teleported to another world that so very much resembles Yggdrasil, a game I'm sure you are more than familiar with."
"I never asked to be here, so take me back to my world right this instance."
"Really now? Were you not one who spent your days feeling dissatisfied with the world you currently live in? Were you not the one who wanted to be a hero? Were you not the one who...wanted a second chance?" The voice paused almost for dramatic effect before continuing. "Well then here if your chance Touch Me, or should I say Sebastian?"
"Who the hell are you and what to you want? How do you know my name?" The silver-haired man was doing all he can to prevent his anger from taking over and throwing the object away. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to know as much as he could and this so called Being Y is the one he currently had contact with and potential the only one in this world who would know what was happening to him seeing as they were apparently the culprit.
"Oh my oh my Sebastian, you're not a very good listener are you? I did just say that I am Being Y and I cannot tell you why you have been brought here. But seeing as I'm quite the nice one, I shall let you know one more detail...We have eyes and ears everywhere and our job is to punish those...that don't play by the rules."
"...you...are someone from my world aren't you? Why the hell are you able to talk to me through this item I got from Yggdrasil? And why in the living blazes is this item even real? I thought all of that was virtual!"
"Tsskkk tsskk, young one, you must realize that there are more to this world than you know about. Great forces which mankind could only describe as magic has existed in stories...but every tale has it's shred of truth."
"I'm sick and tired of your games, TAKE ME BACK HOME NOW!"
"Hahahaha, the paladin of pure silver sure does have a temper for someone of such a heroic background. Well then Sebastian, since you are so eager to return to your home, I shall let you in on a secret...there is a way for you to go home in this world."
"And that is?!"
"That...is something you will have to figure out for yourself!"
"You son of a..." Raising his arm, the young man was just about to throw the object when the irritating voice once again boomed out loud.
"But it pains me to see you in such distress and I am not so heartless as to watch you suffer without extending a hand. So I shall leave you with a parting gift from me."
"Parting gift?"
"The item that you are currently holding is part of a unique set of 2, and serves a sort of gateway between both it's holders. In other words, you and another individual are the only two currently in possession of this item and it allows both of you to form a permanent pact remotely."
"Pact?"
"Mhmm hmm, basically its a bond that once formed cannot be revoked under any circumstances and both individuals will be forced to stay together for all eternity regardless of their emotions for one another. But don't worry dear Sebastian, the item you possess represents the master side whilst the other individual currently possesses the servant side. So you won't have to worry about being teamed up with someone annoying as you will hold authority over them. Just say the word and they will be forced to heed to your every command."
"That is just bullocks, why would I accept such a disgusting offer. You must be out of your mind if you think I will force someone to serve me under such terms. I used to lead a clan but everyone who was part of it joined willingly so you can take your sorry backside out of here."
"As expected of Sebastian, the goody two shoes who does every according to the fairy tales, how very predictable of you. Well it's not my loss if you don't take the offer, I guess shes going to stay chained and locked up the dungeons like every other slave we have here then."
Sebastian almost gagged when he heard those words, his disgust clearly presenting itself on his facial features.
"Are you guys monsters with the ability to talk? What sort of filthy business do you guys conduct over there?!"
"Nothing that concerns you boy. All you need to know is we may or may sometimes take in some individuals against their will, chain and lock em up whilst conducting some...experiments on them to relieve some time and further our studies. You know just your standard stuff."
"I swear I will find you and..."
"And do what? Have you already forgotten that you are stuck in another world without so much as an inkling of how to return. I would suggest you perhaps think about saving yourself first before working on anything else."
"Ohhhhh I will, don't you damn worry about me."
"Very well, I guess our chat is over so I shall take my..."
"Wait!"
"Hmmmm?"
Sebastian could almost tell that Being Y had a smug look on his face just simply from the tone but knew he ultimately had the upper hand right now. The young man wasn't going to play ball but at the very least, he wanted to help free whoever was held captive.
"You said you were going to allow me to form a pact with someone."
"Ohhhh hohhhh, I thought you weren't interested in getting a servant since it would go against their wishes."
"Tchhh." Sebastian took a deep breath to regulate his emotions before continuing. "You said that this person is being held captive at the moment. If I do theoretically form a pact with them, how am I to know that you won't just capture them and take them away from me again whenever you wanted to."
"Very good analysis but alas a fundamentally flawed one. Whilst we do hold great power, we are unable to separate those who have already formed a pact with one another. So we wouldn't take her away from you whenever we pleased just like that."
"So they would not longer be under your command or control?"
"Correct Sebastian, she will be yours and yours only once you form the pact. Of course, the rules still apply meaning that if you do form the bond, you and her will be tied together for all eternity. That could impact your life quite greatly especially if you manage to get to the real world because you would never be able to get time alone and even if you married, you will still be forced to stay with them. So you might want to give it a bit of thoug..."
"Ill form the pact."
"Without a hint of hesitation huh? You truly are an interesting one. In order to save someone whom you do not even know, you are willing to throw away your freedom in exchange for theirs huh?"
"Just get on with it."
"Very well, you asked for it. Just be sure to hold onto the item for the next minute and the process should be complete. Congratulations on obtaining your first servant!"
"My one and only servant you mean?"
"Yes Yes, whatever you say. I wish you all the best with your adventure and perhaps we may have the opportunity to chat again sometime in the future."
"Ohhh I hope we do." Sebastian whispered as the mysterious artifact began shaking violently before slowly seeping into his now glowing tattoo on the back of his left hand. A wave of despair, loneliness and hopeless began to taint him mind but even the boy could tell that those feelings didn't belong to him as a million flashbacks raced through his head.
He knew it was the effects of the pact, that it forced him to experience some of the strongest memories that his partner possessed as part of the unifying process.
But they raw emotions were far too strong for him to handle in his weakened state and he felt his knees giving way.
Sebastian never quite reached the ground however, as he felt someone break his fall just before losing consciousness.
Author's Notes - Thank you all for taking the time to read this ! Take care everyone and have a lovely day !