"PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS, NO!"

Those were the last words I heard before my foot slipped off the edge, and I was taken in by the gravitational force of falling down heavily, and then sinking in to cold water that chilled my every sense. It was clear, crystal clear, and it filled my lungs and left me to subdue to unconsciousness.

Pounding. Headache. Sore.

A girl with smooth, silky blonde hair lifted her head off of the grassy grounds and sat up, looking all around her.

A forest. She couldn't tell where she was, and certainly didn't have any clue as to where to go next. She couldn't remember a thing.

She stood up, noticing her blue ankle-length dress had made it hard for her to move around. She couldn't afford to rip it; it was her favorite dress. She ignored her options and began moving awkwardly in a closed-legs stance. Her long, waist-length blonde hair trailed after her like a cape.

"Where am I?" She questioned, moving along the thousands of trees that surrounded the terrain. Her sleeve caught on a tree branch that was in her way; she tried to shake it off, but it wouldn't budge from its spot. She pulled forward with all her strength, and the sleeve tore off. She sighed.

After walking for a few more minutes, she came to the conclusion she was never going to get out. Ever. She was going to die alone in a place she had no idea how she got there.

"What's this?" A croaky voice could be heard from a short distance. She heard the rumbling of leaves and looked to her left.

A group of goblins. They were all holding spiked clubs. The girl gasped, and crawled backwards.

"Should we kill her? Or eat her alive?" The leader asked. He was green, and had a few rings on his pointy ears. The girl stood up to run, but he tripped her.

"Aaaaah!" She screamed. The goblin put a hand over her mouth.

"Be quiet. This forest is close to a town. We don't want anyone hearing you." He said. After a few moments of silence, he hummed.

"I'm going to slice your limbs off for you real good. Stay still, okay?" The goblin held his club up in the air, preparing to slam it down.

A gunshot. The girl looked up to see a hole in the goblin's forehead, along with blood pouring out, and she held a scream in while the monster fell down, dead.

A tall man nearby spun a gun around in his hand. He blew on the tip.

"Killing a 9 year old girl? What scum." He said, pointing the gun upwards to the other goblins. They started to run away, and he shot many times, but unable to kill a few of them. They retreated to safety.

The man glared his eyes in their direction. "Tch. They got away." He mumbled. His gaze lowered down to the girl, her knees and and hands on the ground, staring up at the man with a fear filled face.

"What's your name?" He asked her, keeping his posture. She gulped. "Miaxiang."

He stared at her. She was scared of what was going to come out his mouth next.

"My name is The Ripper. I don't tell people what my real name is. Too dangerous." The man spun his gun around in his hands once again. The girl pouted.

"I don't know how I even got here. I can't remember a single thing." She looked around. "What is this place?"

"This the forest of Elvenguard. It's infested with goblins so I suggest you don't come here ever again." He looked at her face. "I was talking with Linus until I heard a scream. I came running over here as soon as I could. Anyways, the town is really close, so I'll help you get out. Come on." The girl stood up and followed him out.

"You don't remember a single thing about how you got here? I can hardly believe that." The Ripper told her. She looked away in guilt. "No. Not at all."

"Maybe you sleptwalk here from Hendon Myre? Or West Coast, perhaps?" He questioned. The girl shook her head.

"I can sort of remember...Water..." She mumbled. The Ripper thought to himself.

"Oh look, we're here. That was fast." They stood in front of the small town of Elvenguard. The Ripper continued on and the girl followed him.

"I came from the Heavenly World." The Ripper told her. "I'm a gunner."

"Heavenly World?" The girl was struck with a strong feeling of nostalgia. She remembered. "You cant mean-"

"Empyrean." He cut her off. She remembered everything.

"That's right! I fell down from Empyrean! And then, I was engulfed in water, and then I blacked out, and I appeared in that forest!" She exclaimed. His eyes stood widened.

"That's exactly how it was for me. Probably for every other gunner, too." The girl felt relieved from his comment.

"This world is called Arad. I've been here for several months now." The gunner explained. Miaxiang nodded her head.

"When I fell, I remember hearing the words... 'Princess' being called out to me..." The Ripper's eyes widened. "Oh, that's right... Huh?"

The gunner bowed down in front of her. "My lady. I apologize for not realizing any sooner." The girl stood there with her mouth open, unable to think of a response to the current situation.

"Second Princess of Empyrean, Miaxiang. Please forgive me." The girl grabbed his arm and tried to get him out of his position.

"It's fine! You're embarassing me, so please stop!" She said. He immediatly stood up.

"Anyways, I want to get back to Empyrean, but I have no idea how. Can you help me?" Miaxiang asked him. He nodded. "I will do my best. But please, don't expect much from me, I am still a novice gunner. It may take time." Miaxiang smiled.

"I'm expecting at least a year at the least." She replied. He smiled in return.

"Shall we go? To Hendon Myre, that is." He held out his hand. She looked up at him in hope.

"The first step to going back to Hendon Myre?" She asked. He nodded. She took his hand.

"Let's go."