Act 3:

Chapter 1: The Arrival

Darkness. Everywhere he looked there was only darkness.

Far away, he could faintly see something shining. It was a door. From his opposite lane was another person with a really familiar face. His blue eyes met his.

The other boy looked back to the door where another person appeared. It was a girl with auburn colored hair. She was smiling.

Her voice echoed throughout the empty space.

So strange… her voice sounded so wonderful.

"You two are the only survivor of your world so it is just that you be given of whatever is left. Behind this door is the magic of your world. It shall be passed to you but-"

What? What was it?

Her lips continued to move but no sound could reach Rio. He looked at the other boy. He had begun to run to the door.

No! Don't!

Rio wanted to shout. He ran towards the door as fast as he could.

The other boy looked at with eyes pleading to stop. But how could he? For an odd reason, he wanted to be the first one to reach the door.

As he got closer, he noticed dark mist sipping from it.

The other boy seemed to notice it and stopped but Rio continued to run.

Reaching the door, he clutched the handle and looked behind him. The other boy was reaching a hand to him.

Stop!

He could make up the words from his lips.

He opened the door. The dark mist enveloped him.

"Please… don't change…"

The girl suddenly said with a smile still painted on her face but her eyes were… crying.

"Please don't cry… Ce-"

The mist hindered his vision until he finally slept again.

"Wake up, you~"

Huh? Just five more minutes…

"Is he dead?"

I'm not dead Knite! … Wait! Who's that girl with Knite? He never told me of a girl friend! I mean a friend who is a GIRL!

"I'm not sure… Oh wait he moved!"

Just wait Knite…

Rio slowly opened his eyes. Today, it was strangely bright and somewhat windy. He could even hear leaves brushing against each other.

Above him, he could see light escaping from the dark green foliage of a tree.

Oh wait this is the tree up the hill of the town. Why am I sleeping here…?

"Knite, why are we here?"

He looked at the person near him and he gasped. The blue hair that reminded him of the sea wasn't there! Instead what he saw was a boy with gray colored hair with golden eyes. He wore clothes covered with thin chain clothe like those of some fantasy movies. In his hips were two sheathes of swords.

Beside him was girl with chiffon colored hair. Her eyes were the same shade as the sky, a beautiful shade of blue. She wore a blue one piece.

They both looked at Rio, maybe with the same question he had in his mind. Who are they?

"Are you all right?" the girl spoke to Rio.

"Um… I am…"

"Good. Now let's get out of here Mist." The boy turned his back to Rio. He seemed annoyed for some reason.

"Wait Zavier. He's obviously just arrived here too. Do you think its coincidence the three of us came at the same time?"

"What? Like maybe Ivan summoned him? That's unlikely. He can't bear summoning many people at once."

"That's true but-"

Wait! What are they talking about? Summoned? Me?

"Let me in your conversation." Rio suddenly said.

The girl looked at him and asked, "What world are you from?"

"What?"

"Your home world. Where are you from? You're not from here right?"

"Um…"

"You… don't know?"

"Mist," the other boy pulled the girl's hand and whispered to her ear. Somehow this gesture made Rio displeased. Everything was so puzzling. What happened to him?

The duo faced him again and the boy said in a clear voice, "Do you know the existence of other worlds?"

Rio shook his head once.

The girl looked so concerned.

Existence of other worlds? That's just insane!

"Do you know why you're here?" the girl asked.

Rio gave another shook.

"One final question, if I may? Do you remember seeing shadow-like creatures?"

Shadow like creatures… yes… those things… attacked everyone in town… and…

"Then," the girl looked at the ground as she spoke. "It seems like your world is now gone and you were brought here by summoning."

"Huh?"

The boy scratched his head, looking annoyed at the same time. "The place you're in right now is not your world. This is another world. And your home world has been devoured by the hexes. Everyone is dead except for you."

What… what are they talking about? Are they really insane? Talking about things like this so casually but…

Tears invaded Rio's eyes, he couldn't stop them. His family, friends and everything were all gone. Gone…

He can't help but believe them.

"Why? Why? Please tell me why?"

"There's no actual reason. Those shadow creatures, the hexes, live by destroying worlds. I'm really sorry."

The girl placed her hands on Rio's shoulder that already begun to tremble.

What happened? Why was he here? How did he survive? He and Knite were alone atop the hill… but why were they there? Wait- there was another person. Did that person bring them here? And Knite-

"Was there another boy? Aside from me, was there another boy here? He has blue hair and eyes and he's really handsome!"

"Nobody's here but us."

The girl, Mist, answered.

"But… he was with me when we were attacked by those things… Why am I the only one here!" Rio's shout echoed throughout the empty field. Along with the voice that expressed frustration were tears that held the sorrows inside him. He had lost so much. His chest was so heavy that he thought that it would burst.

The two strangers, Mist and Zavier, stayed by his side until his tears ended; Mist, trying to give her best explaining told Rio of all he needed to know. Not knowing what to do, Rio just listened silently.

"The world is all connected by the Sekai tree, the great tree, but are hidden from one another. The dark creatures that we call hexes use this hidden connection to invade other worlds. It won't be obvious at first but they corrupt people one at a time. They fill their souls with darkness and when enough people are filled with hatred, they try to use that emotion to find their way inside that current world. Usually a path is only opened near the Sekai tree since it connects the different worlds."

Rio's thought flew to the hole he could only see in the sky. Was that the path she's talking about?

"Once a path is opened, they will invade with no mercy and devour the magic of the world and all its inhabitants."

"But… why am I here? Why didn't I die like the others back there?" Rio's voice was low and out of spirit.

"You were brought here by ark magic."

"Ark magic?"

Mist gave a nod. "Normally, no one could cross worlds at any time but some people were granted by ark magic which allows them to ignore that boundary. But ark magic also works on summoning: calling someone from another world to your world."

"Then that does mean that someone summoned me and Knite here?"

"Yes. But summoning two people at once is a really hard task already that maybe the reason why your friend is not here. He might be with the summoner right now or ended up in another Sekai tree location."

"Then… Knite is all right!"

"He might be."

Rio shook Mist's hands with the little happiness that somehow still existed after the death of his world. Knowing that Knite is alive gave him hope. Just maybe, somewhere in this absurd setting is a way to return things the way they were. But how can he find him? In this world where everything is new to him?

He looked at Mist and Zavier, trying to find the words and courage to say what he wanted.

"Umm… miss Mist…"

"Please call me Mist, err…"

"Rio. My name is Rio."

"Rio," she said softly. "That's Zavier."

"Ok. Then Mist is it possible…"

"Shsss."

It was Zavier, his fingertip on his lip trying to silence Mist and Rio. He looked at the surroundings and as though trying to listen to the very sound of the wind. His eyes wandered around. He unsheathed his two swords and said,

"Do you know how to use a sword?"

Rio shook his head.

"No but I think I can manage."

He took the sword that Zavier handed to him. It was a beautiful sword. Even his untrained eyes could discern. The hilt was adorned by a sigil, a dragon. And the blade clearly reflected him.

It was heavy and yet still manageable. He swung it twice. It made a beautiful sound as it cut through the wind.

"What's wrong Zavier?"

Mist clutched the staff that she had kept beside her all the time. As Rio now looked, it had the same sigil of a dragon in its pinnacle. It was probably made of some hard wood but the color it gave seemed like it was made out of marble.

"We're surrounded."

THUMP.

It felt as though a beat skipped Rio. He felt cold all over. His heart beat faster as he begun to shiver. This feeling was the same as back then. The same when those things appeared.

The surrounding field seemed to shimmer like a summer haze. The shadows casted by the trees that encircled the trio stirred. It moved once, then twice until a dark shadow separated itself from shades. Dark shadows that formed into four legged-animals.

Wolves. The things that appeared seemed like silhouettes of wolves. That is what Rio thought.

All at once, the shadow wolves leaped towards them while crying to the sky. Zavier had run to meet them with his sword. He hacked through the pack of shadow wolves, not breaking his pace that moved like the wind. He was fast and the way he handled his sword made Rio awed. Who are these people?

"Hey you!"

"W-what?!"

Rio stuttered at Zavier's sudden bellow.

"If you're not fighting, give me back my sword!"

"I-I am fighting!"

Really? Rio thought. He never had once held a real sword. The only practice he had has been his duels with Knite but right now, would that training be enough?

He braced himself and headed for the monsters and with a shout of frustration, joined the fray.

The hex he killed burst into black dust that soon disappeared with the wind. He slashed again and again while trying his best to aim and kill as many hexes as he could.

This is for my world! He wanted to shout each time black dust rained down on him. It felt so good.

Each time he saw a hex fall down with his sword, he could feel a strange sensation filling him. And before he noticed, all the hexes were already gone.

"Good work!"

Rio looked at Mist. She was smiling as she ran to his side and gently tapped the tip of her staff on his head and said as if in singing words some words. A warm light spread throughout his whole body and the pain he felt vanished.

Was this magic?! He looked at his arms and surely, the injury he had before had healed.

"What are you people?"

Although, Rio didn't mean to say it out loud, the duo turned to him while wearing different expressions. Mist just gave a melancholic sigh while Zavier frowned some more.

"Ah… no… what I mean is… I… don't know what's happening anymore… you see, in my world… you don't see things like these aside in movies."

"Movies?" Mist tilted her head to her side.

Rio just gave a weak smile and carefully handed the sword back to Zavier.

He looked up to the sky and then to his surroundings, letting this world's scenery sink into him. This was once the world he wished to have lived in. But to have gotten here only lose his world was not a price he was willing to pay at all.