First off with this first chapter want you to remember. Wikipedia or whatever sources you used said that 'one of their homes was cluttered showing that the two shared a relationship but it mostly likely fell apart' or something along those lines. Throw that bull out of your mind now! However you are encouraged to question my theory. Prepare for a debate though. Now lets go!

Those of stars

"Finally finished" a female who appeared in her late 30's pressing 40 exclaimed as she stretched in her chair. She sat cross legged in front of a computer screen, several stacks of papers sat next to her computer. She wore only a large t-shirt and hopefully something underneath.

"Aren't you the slightest embarrassed when you do that?" A man slightly younger asked with a sigh. He too sat at a computer desk cluttered with similar papers.

"But I'm glad we finished translating the novel." She smiled and giggled. "Plus you have no room to judge me Al." In truth his name wasn't Al, it was Kazushi Watrai. Al was just the name she preferred to call him.

She was right, he was only wearing pants after all. "Well I wonder who I learned this habit from?" He pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek, she gave another giggle.

He lightly held her in his arms before pulling her in closer. "Hey Haruka…" his voice sounded weak for a man his age.

Haruka face saddened. "What is it Al?" Even though she asked she knew exactly what he would ask. It was a question she hated to hear him ask the most. It was about the child they had lost.

"How long since it's been since we lost Lycoris?" He wasn't referring to an actual child of theirs but the girl was still a child they both watched over, grew attached to and…lost.

Haruka heaved a heavy sigh.

Spider lilies would mark the path of one you'd love and never again see

A girl who wore crimson met an agent of justice she thought to protect her

At first she couldn't see

She couldn't speak

She couldn't hear

She appeared fragile and weak

And when she finally became whole she faced the spear of the one of justice

She shook in fear yet gladly accepted her fate

She died for the sake of a new goddess

Unwanted by god for her imperfections

She found a place where she could be happy

She became a spider lily and scattered into sections

Lycoris the girl who became her name sake

It was a poem she'd recite every time he'd ask that question. "Al" she turned to him and pulled him into a tight hug. "I know you are still upset about what happened with Lyco but we have to let go of the past. Just as you did with your character and your spear you must let go and face the future. Your future with me, your future with a family we could very well create."

Kazushi took a long pause "but I-" A ringing tone sounded, interrupting his thought. They turned to the source of the tone, their computers to find that they each had knew mail.

At first they were reluctant to open it but the fact that they both received the email simultaneously did not sit well. The opened the mail to find this message:

To the warriors of the stars,

I beseech thee, return to my realm for an end is drawing. I request the aid of those who nurtured my elder sister and help her grow to plant her red seed across the world. Please show everyone your love of what exist in the worlds.

-The one known as god

"What kind of idiotic spam mails…" Haruka began before looking at Kazushi who was biting his lip. "Are you okay?"

"Haruka I think…I think I need to play The World" his voice was shaking.

"What's this all of a sudden? I thought you were done with it?" She spoke with a smug tone with arms crossed.

"I thought so too but…it seems god still needs me to perform one more task."

Haruka's defense weakened. She understood what he meant. Somehow, someway the current god of the game known as The World had contacted them. It had to be. Plus the email made a reference to there characters and to Lycoris.

With a swirl of blue rings two newly created characters logged into the root town Mac Anu. One was a male with dark hair, tan skin, which in contrast exposed three white hexagons on his shoulder, he had a medium build and wore silver scale mail and baggy pants. Yet his most catching feature was the fact that his eyes were different colors, one topaz and the other sapphire. His class; lord partisan.

Next to him stood a little girl blonde girl who wore a witches hat and bikini that was all white. Her clothes were marked with a yellow lightning design. Her class; harvest cleric. "Wow I'm surprised that you created your old character." The girl said with a smirk.

"I'm more surprised that our names were still available."

"Well of course no one cares about how deep the name is, now all anyone cares about is if they can get use their favorite characters from a shows names as their own." Hakuto said rather smugly. "In fact there goes two Death the kid and a Black star now."

Albireo sighed "you're right but what are we supposed to do now? Do we wait or-" There was a ringing sound signifying that they had receive flash mail.

"Come to Delta Hopeless, her, moonlight. A weapon fit to be wielded by one who serves justice awaits." Hakuto read allowed before giving a sour expression. "What the hell does that mean? Is it some kind of special event?"

"I don't know but either way we need to go to that area" He reasoned.

"Um excuse me" a blade brandelier in all green with brown hair pulled back into a long tail called out to them. "I couldn't help but over hearing that you said you were going to Hopeless, her, moonlight."

"Yeah, what of it?" Hakuto interjected.

"Don't be so rude, you sound like a kid" Albireo replied scolding her. "I'm sorry she doesn't tend to act her age." The comment agitated the blonde cleric.

"No it's my fault." The blade brandelier said taking the blame. "You see recently there's been a rumor that no one has been able to reach the treasure at the bottom."

"Why are the monster too strong" Albireo asked, the thrill of battling high level monsters stirred the heart of the player he once was.

"No, not at all it's just that anyone who attempts to open the chest is instantly returned to the root town." The man explained.

"Sounds like the areas bugged, shouldn't you report the error to the system administrators?" Albireo question before he, his human self, received an elbow to the ribs. He knew what it was for it was because he was acting like the system administrator he once was.

"We have but CCcorp. keeps saying that they can't detect anything wrong with the area, so most people have already given up on the area."

"Well we don't have any other choice in the matter so we'll be going now" Albireo prepared to leave.

"Wait!" The blade brandelier shouted calling them back.

"What is it now?" Albireo was now growing annoyed.

"Well you see you friend might be okay but you on the other hand…" The blade brandelier was referring to Albireo's current level. Seeing how he had just remade his character he was still level 1! "So why don't I come along with you two to increase your survival odds?"

"Why do you care so much?" Albireo questioned suspecting alternate motives.

"Oh I should introduce myself. The names Silabus and I belong to the noob support guild, Canard." Silabus said introducing himself.

"I'm sorry but I don't-"

"We'd love your help thank you" Hakuto said after silencing Albireo. "You should try to play with others more often it's not like we have someone in our party…like last time." She told Albireo in whisper, he groaned in response.

"Is something wrong" Silabus wondered not able to hear their conversation.

"No, nothing" Hakuto chimed before sending him a party invite. "Now let's go!" Hakuto keyed in the keywords and warped them to the dungeon.

The warped into a cavern like dungeon. Checking the areas level Albireo froze seeing that I was 50, it clearly far surpassed his own. "What, how are we supposed to fight in this area?!"

"Speak for yourself my level is 63" Hakuto said with a sense of superiority.

"I'm sorry to tell you but my level is 150" Silabus said somewhat bashfully.

"So I'm the only who going to end up dieing" Alberio exclaimed even with his skills he couldn't survive a situation like this.

"Looks like it" the two of them said simultaneously.

"Well anyway I should give you the basics of how you play the game." Silabus began his long winded explanation of the mechanics of the game as they proceeded into the dungeon. "Thin you got all that?"

Albireo sighed "things sure are different from the last time I played."

"Last time," Silabus sounded surprised "do you mean to say you played R1?"

"Yeah we both did." He only gave him the information he needed, he wasn't going to tell him that he had not only been a system administrator but he even beta tested the game.

"In fact we both beta tested the game" Hakuto added in. You fool! How can you say something like that so casually.

"Wow, two beta testers. You too should make great players in this newer version." There was a hint of admiration in his voice. "Well it looks like we've run into a few monsters. You shouldn't try to over do it just yet so just hold back for now."

The battles wagged on throughout the dungeon, a few close calls here and there for Albireo but they all managed to reach the got statue in one piece. "Geez talk about dead weight." Hakuto mocked him.

"Look who's talking" Albireo retorted referring to the time she died on him when they were lost in the blizzard when the followed Orca and Balmung for the one sin event.

"Well it doesn't matter now, you've managed to level up quite a bit and you've even gotten some better equipment along the way. All that's left is the treasure." Silabus said congratulating them.

As they approached the got statue a messaged appeared on their screen. It read "only he whose eyes shine like the stars may approach the throne."

"I heard that all the players who came here got the exact same message." Silabus said as he stroked his chin.

"Guess all we can do is open it" Albireo stepped forward and opened the chest. They waited for a moment and nothing happened. 'Just like I thought.' Albireo thought right, the chest was waiting for the rightful owner of what was inside and he was the only character it could have referred to. For a moment Albireo's character glowed before a messaged popped up on the screen telling him of the item he received. He froze.

"So what kind of item did you get" Silabus questioned.

"I'm sorry" was all he said before he pushed past Silabus and moved towards the warp point.

"Al! Hey Al, wait!" Hakuto shouted after him but he didn't stop. "I'm sorry, he usually doesn't do this" Hakuto bowed before following after her partner.

When they both arrived back in Mac Anu Albireo was in a frantic state as he went through the warp gate menu before an agitated Hakuto arrived. "Al what's your problem? You could have at least told-" she didn't get to finish as they were once again warped into a different area.

After the warp finished they stood in front of a stone structure in the center of a lake. "Al don't warp when I'm talking to you! That really…" she paused when she saw where they were. "This is…"

"That's right. This is where it all started, for me, the epitaph of twilight and countless others. And this is also where I met my end. It only seemed fitting to come back here. Back to Navel of lake…"

"Huell Grantz Cathedral" Hakuto finished his thought.

"When I opened up that chest I something happened to my character." He examined his hand before clenching it.

"What do you mean?" She had a confused look on her face.

He turned and walked towards the cathedral. "My power returned to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hakuto felt that her questions were only leading her in circles.

"Everything returned to me. My level, my skills and…" Albireo held out his hand, "my spear." With a flash of light a spear materialized in his hands. It wasn't a bulky spear commonly associated with lord partisans but it was a slim spear, a halberd in fact. It was the spear of this world's god, Wotan's spear!"

"But I thought you said it was destroyed!" Hakuto sounded surprised.

"It was…" Albireo pushed the doors of the church open. "But it seems that god needs me to wield it once more."

The two of them approached the alter. "But it seems we came her for nothing, the statue of Aura no longer resides in this church." Hakuto was right, the holy maiden frozen in stone and chained to the alter was no longer there only chains and a lonely alter remained. "Some say she's given up on the world."

"I don't believe that." Albireo placed his hands on the railing. "I believe that it just means the goddess is free." He looked up towards the stain glass windows as light shinned in. "Please tell me what you need me to do."

Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. The pendulums echoed of the shapeless woman who sung a hymn as they swung back and forth from above. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.

The sound of the door creaked open broke the near silence. "I never thought we'd see you again after you turned us down…Albireo." A voice from behind him called.

TBC

Surprisingly little to no action in this chapter but trust me there's a point to this trust me. I'll up the action a little in the next chapter but trust me you have to see this fic on to the end. Anyway narrator go!

Narrator: Next time on 'Heroes of old' it seems that Haruka and Kazushi weren't the only one who got a mysterious email. It seems the greatest two player team seems to have been contacted as well. Just what does the World want from the heroes of old? Episode two; 'Knights of Azure,' coming soom.