In the middle of a plain, there was a lovely little village. Homes were scattered about in little houses made out of bricks, some wood, and others stone. Near the center was a marketplace where people would come and go to trade and buy goods.

Today, in the middle of that marketplace, a short person in a black cloak passed by many of its stands. The people in charge of those said stands gave the unknown figure wary gazes. This mysterious person could be up to no good. Why else would they cover themselves up? There certainly wasn't any sand or dust flying around. However, another odd thing some noticed was that the person didn't seem to mind it much.

The cloaked person scoured through the marketplace, finding several foods at the different stands, and bought them. They paid for it using gold-colored crystals the size of a ping pong ball called tharite.

The owners of the shops each had the same reaction. Surprised to see such a wealthy element, they traded the goods without trouble. It was no problem for the person dawning the cloak. They had plenty of tharite to spare.

Soon enough, they seemed content with the amount of food they purchased. Finally, they began making their way out of the village. The sign at the front read "Dawn Village."

In their small trek to leave, they received more looks from the villagers but paid them no mind. That was, until one of them, a big man double his height, stepped up to him in his tracks, forcing him to halt. He was wearing a button-up brown short-sleeved shirt with long black pants.

The man couldn't see their face underneath the cloak, but it didn't stop him from speaking to them. "Would you mind a word, please?" He asked.


A fist hitting a face could be heard in a forest nearby.

The man towered over the cloaked person, raining heavy punches nonstop until his arms grew tired.

"Dang creep," he said in his gruff voice, finally stopping his assault. "I don't want my daughter walking around our village when someone unfamiliar is lurking around. Especially when The Other was freed the other week. Understand me?"

Of course, after all those punches, the hood flipped back, and he finally got a good look at the person under the cloak. It wasn't until the ferocity that blinded him died that he realized who it was.

The man stood in shock, at a loss for words. He stared at a young boy for several seconds. Analyzing his white hair and a chipped tooth.

He stuttered a few times before regaining his composure and looking sternly. "Don't come back," he said straightforwardly before leaving the boy alone.

Lincoln sat there in silence. He rubbed one of his cheeks. It wasn't bleeding; a sparkling blue mist escaped his wounds.

The man's steps escaped his hearing. He sighed, picking himself up and dusting his cloak off. He went over to his small black pouch, smaller than a coconut. The boy dropped it when that guy abruptly pushed him against a tree. He was so out of it he didn't even notice the man sneak an attack on him. Or maybe he let the guy take out his frustrations.

He continued through the trees, the song of the forest filling his eardrums as background noise. It made him feel at ease during this long walk he would take home.

Walking for about an hour, he finally reached his destination: a minor field of light-green grass in the middle of this immense forest. And in the middle of the area was a two-story log house with a chimney. It was larger than his old home back in Royal Woods.

The gorgeous scene made him feel welcome. He walked across the small stone walkway to the front door. Opening the door, he stepped inside entering the living room.

Walking past this room, he went to the kitchen towards the back of the house. There, he dropped his pouch on the countertop and opened it. The bag was empty save for a blue hue, with some small beams of blue light escaping.

Lincoln reached in and grabbed the food he had bought earlier, an assortment of fruits and vegetables as well as some raw meat. He pulled them out from inside one by one. Since the pouch looked tiny and couldn't hold much, it seemed like a magic trick. Dropping the various items on the countertop, the boy went to a kettle standing not too far over. He turned it on and went upstairs to go to his bedroom and take off his cloak. Underneath was a ragged white shirt and grey pants. He also wore a white band on his left arm. He changed from the tattered clothes and put on light, comfortable, and cozy pajamas. Unlike at home, it wasn't in his signature orange or backup greys. Instead, it was a light-red set of wear.

Heading downstairs, he ignored his bought food and went to his pantry. He pulled out a sweet named meso, which was like chocolate. It was in the shape of a bar, so he broke it apart and tossed it in a cup, pouring some of the boiled water into it. The Meso melted and mixed with the water, and Lincoln helped by twirling a spoon. He then got some cold milk from his fridge and mixed that in, completing his homemade hot chocolate—or rather, hot meso.

Walking back to the couch, he sat down and sipped his drink. Sighing in bliss.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head up towards the ceiling. "It's been a week, right?" he asked himself with a sigh. "Since they left."


It was eight months ago when the incident happened. An incident he'd rather not get into and forget. The only part that mattered was that right before he fell asleep, he arrived here at the end of that fateful day.

He didn't know where "here" was, but he knew one thing about it.

This wasn't planet Earth.

The first thing he did was take shelter in an abandoned mineshaft, which looked endless. He would later find out that it was an infamous mine known all around. It was named the Death Mine. It consisted of five-hundred levels of mines that were deeper than one could imagine. The reason for the scary name was evident for most. Once you head deep enough, you aren't coming back alive.

Only a few others lived in the mine—but they weren't human. They were monsters, as he would put it. It was frightening at first, but most of them didn't pay Lincoln much mind. They were pretty friendly, in fact. Only one of them, a spider girl, tried to eat him at one point. Thankfully, he managed to escape before she had the chance. It was more due to luck than anything. Ironic.

Lincoln even befriended one of them. A sturdy rock golem named Dorn lived most of his life sleeping away. The living rock was nice enough to give some pointers to survive in the dangerous cave. The boy wouldn't call him a father figure or mentor personally, more like a friendly neighbor.

With Dorn's help and his wits to aid, he survived in the underground system for nearly a week before leaving. After that, he had the intention of returning to Earth.

However, after nearly three weeks of traveling on the surface, he discovered he didn't arrive alone. He was almost seen by two people he knew from Royal Woods back on Earth. Thankfully, the bustling, chaotic mall he was walking around helped him stay hidden. However, after some investigation, he discovered that those two weren't the only ones from Royal Woods arriving at this place.

The entire population of his old home had been transferred here.

He wanted to go up to them. So that they knew he was alright and maybe make amends with them. Ultimately, he decided against it for personal reasons and left that city as soon as possible. He did not intend to interact with them whatsoever.

He avoided the people from Royal Woods entirely, deciding to stay away from them until he found a way home, acquired some way to go invisible, or they left. During this time, the boy went to some places and met other fantastic and friendly people during his journeys.

He learned many things. This place or world, whatever it was, is unnamed. The current land he was on was the size of one of the states in America, surrounded by a large body of water. It essentially made it a large island, like every continent back on Earth. There were also rivers, lakes, and ponds throughout the land. Everything past the oceans was unknown territory to the locals. He named it "World Island" to make it easier on himself.

The intelligent life here acted the same as back home. Villages, cities, and even a kingdom or two were scattered across the lands. And it was an advanced civilization too. It had technology that was even more advanced than Earth.

He also learned that this world had "rules." It worked differently.

For one, he couldn't feel pain. Instead, there was just… pressure.

He realized this far before when he was escaping the spider lady. His arm got sliced in half, but there was no pain or blood, only a sky-blue sparkling mist of particles where his blood should have been, as well as an enormous amount of pressure like someone was pushing against his wound. It was his Life, and it would seep out of the injury when he was wounded. This rule was one of the many things he learned firsthand.

After a month of avoiding the people from Royal Woods, he returned to the Death Mine to lay low. He chose to live there until further notice.

Six months later, living underground, Dorn told him that word was being spread about the "earthlings" finally leaving. Word spread about their journey to free the "Other." An ancient nation of people in the far lands down South. Once the earthlings released them, they got transported back home, never seen again.

Hesitant at first, Lincoln left the mines once more. He saw no sign of any fellow earthling for days but wore a cloak that hid him just to be safe.

With the help of some people he befriended, he built a house in the west quadrant of World Island. A powerful crystal, Lilianine, powered it. It could endlessly power the machines he brought to the home. The house looked amazing inside and out. It had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and even an extra empty room just because. It was perfect for him to live alone until he found a way home. He had this all to himself, and that was his favorite part.

He spent one month journeying around, another hiding from the earthlings, and six in the Death Mine, making it a total of eight months in this world. Now, a week later and no sight of another earthling, it seemed he was the only one left. He didn't have to wear that stupid cloak anymore, looking like some old traveler trying to trade you for sketchy items or trick you for their own gain.

That was the gist of it. In eight months, he hasn't done much since he arrived. But with the other earthlings gone, that would now change. He was tired of staying in one place at a given time.


He sipped on his hot meso again, relaxing on his couch. As the warm and sweet beverage entered his system, parts of his body were getting healed. The damage from those punches he took earlier didn't do much. His natural regen, much faster than the average human, would have been fine, but the drink tasted terrific. The healing was just a bonus.

Lincoln felt his body ache. His muscles were hard to move, and his eyes closed without permission. He yawned. The boy didn't sleep a wink for the whole week, wary of any signs of fellow earthlings. There was no telling when they could appear randomly, and he didn't want to be caught off guard. He felt like dozing off right here on his cozy couch. It wasn't a bad idea, actually.

His thoughts got interrupted when his front door got busted open.

"Found you!" someone yelled, a manly voice filled with excitement.

Lincoln didn't jolt or flinch even a millimeter when his front door got destroyed. It landed in his living room, all cracked by the hinges. He looked over with his mouth slightly agape only after a second passed, seemingly having brain lag.

On his doorstep stood two people.

One was a man wearing knight armor with a unique-looking "O" imprinted. The dark-green armor looked heavy and rattled every time the owner moved. The symbol or letter or whatever it was looked like fancy cursive, like ancient writing. He was larger than the one punching him earlier today, around three times his height. A helmet of the same color blocked his facial features except his grin.

Beside him stood a slim woman. She had long black hair and stood two-thirds his size, wearing a tight-fitted light-purple shirt and skirt with that same strange letter "O" imprinted on her torso.

"Huh?" the man stuttered, "There's only one of them." He sounded disappointed.

"Hm…" The woman spoke, her voice very soft, "Strange, I thought there would be more lurking around in such a large house. But I don't sense anyone else."

Lincoln didn't respond and just stared at them in confusion.

The man suddenly flared his nostrils and smelled the air. "What's that…" He sniffed again. "What's that delicious smell?" He walked over to Lincoln and bent down, taking the mug of hot meso out of his hands. He took a sip of it.

Lincoln and the woman waited without speaking, then the next second ticked.

"AMAZING!" he yelled, "We don't have anything that tastes this good back home!"

Lincoln just kept staring with a confused and tired look.

"Cael," the woman said, "let's just get the job done already. We have to get back to Emulate."

"Ah, come on. You should try this, Dalia," he said, handing the mug to her.

She stared at the cup for a few seconds before reluctantly siping. She widened her eyes as the sweet drink touched her taste buds. "This is wonderful!"

"Told you!"

"What is this?" Dalia asked, turning to Lincoln.

"It's uh… milk with meso and hot water. Back home, we call it hot chocolate?" He answered tiredly.

She leaned in closer to him. "You must be an expert at making drinks."

"Um…" Lincoln blinked. "No, it's simple to make."

"Oh, man!" She moaned. "I think I want to spare you now!"

"No problem?" he said, scratching his head, then looking surprised when he fully registered her sentence. "Wait, what?"

"Us, the Feared Four of The Other army, have been tasked with eliminating any earthlings that we find," Cael explained.

"E-eliminate?" Lincoln asked. "Woah, hey, you're The Other, the ancient clan that they freed?"

"Yes, sir. You are an earthling, correct? Our leader's senses are unmatched," he said, taking the mug from Dalia and giving himself another mouthful of the drink, making her pout. "And their reward for freeing us is to be eradicated. Call it mercy, if you will. They won't have to suffer from our might and will be the first to go. Dalia and I are high-ranking officials, Generals of the Other army."

"Generals…" Lincoln thought, "They want to kill the ones who freed them and it looks like their goal is to conquer. I never thought the Other would be this… evil. I thought they'd be like monks or something."

Suddenly, they both turned to him and gave smirks. "Now then. I think it's time we got the job done," Cael said, "Even if you aren't an earthling, I didn't come all the way over here for nothing. But because you let us have your delicious drink, and because I'm in a really good mood, I think I'd rather play a game instead!"

Dalia giggled.

"A game?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes, kid. You're in luck. I don't play games with many people. And if you win, I'll let you live. How does that sound?"

"Uh… If you help me get more wood for my door, sure."

"Deal," he said. "For context, there is an aura currently around me. It weakens anyone afraid; up to seventy-five percent of their power will be drained. The rules for this game are simple. We'll take turns hitting each other. The loser will be the one who either flinches, blocks, or runs away."

Lincoln blinked. "And what happens if someone dies?"

"Well, that just sucks then, doesn't it. We'll call it losing by default."

He gave a blank stare. "Oh."

"Don't worry. I'll take it easy on you. But that's the last favor outta me for a while."

"And what happens if I don't want to play?" he asked.

"We'll just kill you on the spot then, I guess," Cael said, scratching his head.

He blinked with his tired eyes once more. "I… guess I'll play then-"

"GREAT!" Cael said, pushing him over.

Except the push was a little harsher than expected. Lincoln slammed into the wall and fell onto the floor.

"Now it's your turn. Come on, give me your best shot!" he said.

But no one replied.

"Hm?" He looked down to see Lincoln face-down on the floor. "Is he dead?"

"Knocked him out, it seems," Dalia said. "Shame, I wanted another drink from him."

"Well, the game isn't over yet. Have to wait for him to wake up, I guess."

They sat down and laid back on the couch.

Several hours passed, with the two of them relaxing and Lincoln lying on the floor. What was early morning became midday.

Cael kept looking down at Lincoln to check on him, but he was never awake. Soon, in one of his room scans, his eye caught something across the living room. Intrigued, he got up and inspected it.

On a stand against a wall above the fireplace were twin swords. Along with them, a piece of bright white clothing was being hung up. "Hm… What an amazing set of gear," he said, reaching forward and grabbing one of the swords.

He unsheathed it out of the stand. Before he could process it, the tip dropped to the floor like the heaviest sword in the world.

"What the-?" He strained as he tried to lift it. "It doesn't look heavy at all. So why can't I pick it up?"

"Of course, you can't pick it up. It's mine."

They hadn't realized it, but Lincoln was giving off soft snores on the floor where he had slept the whole time. He wasn't knocked out but resting.

It all happened in a fraction of a second. The sword in Cael's hand, in the stand, and the clothing got pulled away. The man turned and saw Lincoln standing straight. The boy gripped both swords together to make a lowercase letter 't' with the blades.

"Alpha and Beta; two divine swords that are ever so sharp, enchanted so only I can wield them. Someone with no morals like yourself could never wish to dawn these."

He had been awake for some minutes now, and he's been thinking of a good line to use.

Bringing his swords down to his sides, he continued, "Unfortunate. The only part of this sword you'll ever be able to touch again is the sharp edge." Not wearing his pajamas anymore, he now sported the set of clothing on the stand; A tight-fitted v-neck short-sleeve shirt, and long pants, with a black line outlining. Two white belts with black stitching stretched behind him on his short sleeves, one on each collar and one on his upper arm. It was his armor. The clothing may not look that protective, with the look of ordinary gear, but the material used was unique. Elastic and stretchy but durable as well. It could tank the worst of hits.

His lines sounded cheesy, even to him, but dang, was it fun to say them.

On the other hand, Cael noticed his voice and demeanor sounded completely different. Rather than the tired and frail voice he received before, this was confident, empowering, and a bit arrogant.

Dalia laughed. "Now, where is this all coming from? Who are you, young man?"

"There's no way you're the same kid," Cael said. "Unless you aren't an earthling. You're different from before."

"No, you were right the entire time. I am an earthling. However…" He rested the blunt end of his right sword on his shoulder, his left arm slack at his side. "I'm separate from the others."

Both Dalia and Cael gave curious looks.

Lincoln pointed a finger to the ceiling with his left hand still holding the sword. He finally looked back at them with a composed look, speaking calmly. "I'm the Man With the Plan, Bringer of Bad Luck, the Earthling from Royal Woods, Lincoln."

Dalia laughed once more. "Man with the plan?"

Cael pointed at Lincoln. "Separate from the others? You're one cocky child for sure! What makes you any special compared to the others?" He laughed hard at the ceiling. Lincoln laughed with him.

And then backhand slashed with his left sword in a blink of an eye, cutting Cael in half.

"My curse."

Dalia's smile dropped instantly, replaced with a horrifying look.

Cael's upper body dropped to the ground with a loud thud, and his lower body soon followed.

"One… slash…" Dalia said in disbelief. "I guess you aren't such a normal earthling after all." But a smile, a small one but one nonetheless, returned to her face. "I'm afraid the game isn't over yet, though."

Lincoln watched as Cael's Life flowed out of his upper and lower body parts where he had sliced him. Following that, tendrils of his Life connected and pulled his slashed body back together. He was seemingly repaired. "Don't think that you can kill me, a General from The Other army, so easily." He said tauntingly. "As long as I am fearless, I will keep standing up."

"Well, that's good!" Lincoln said, "The game wouldn't be fun otherwise."

"You're glad?" Dalia asked. "Arrogance can also be seen as foolishness. It's a weakness."

"You know, this might actually be interesting," Cael said with a smirk.

Then Lincoln's house started to shake, and the source was Cael himself.

Dalia put on a surprised look. "You're using your spirit?"

"Dalia, you better stand back. I don't want to hurt you as well."

Lincoln just stared at him.

Cael also had a weapon, which Lincoln didn't notice he was holding until now. It was a long two-handed axe. "My gut is telling me there's something wrong about all this. So I'm not going to hold back anymore!"

"Wait!" Lincoln said, putting on a scared look. "Can we take this outside? I really don't want to make a mess-"

Cael's body glowed bright red, and massive amounts of his red energy erupted. It blew in all directions around him.

Lincoln reached an arm out to some of the stuff on his table. His mug, some plants, and his stand for his swords and armor blew back into the kitchen. Unfortunately, he didn't get to grab them in time. The child only sighed with his outstretched arm and gave a defeated look.

Meanwhile, Dalia was explaining Cael's power to Lincoln. She didn't notice he wasn't paying attention. "While he makes others weaker when they are frightened, the opposite applies to Cael. The braver he is, the stronger he becomes. When he's in the midst of battle, this special ability is to its limit. He's multiplied his normal strength several times by now."

"I apologize, young man!" Cael yelled, "But I'm not holding back anymore!" He raised his axe to the side and yelled out his move,

"HISSATSU TENGI: GUARANTEED CRITICAL!"

He swung toward Lincoln with the intent to kill.

The attack landed, and the force from the impact blew all the windows open. Thankfully for Lincoln, they didn't shatter since that type of glass was special. Although, it wasn't easy to get either.

The force even traveled far beyond the windows. It hit all the trees surrounding the house, making their branches and leaves flail from the sharp winds.

Dalia covered her eyes at the blow, and Cael's armor took the hits of debris for him as he smiled maniacally.

But then, as the dust settled inside the room, he stared at where his attack landed. It barely pierced Lincoln's skin, with only a hint of Life dripping.

Lincoln sighed, sounding bored. "You blew up my house… for this?"

Hissatsu Tengi, the words most chanted for the most potent attacks. When Lincoln first arrived, he was confused by the unknown words. His ignorance was solved once it was explained to him by an enchanter what the words meant: "Special move."

"Im…possible," he said in shock. "My strongest attack… Impossible!"

"Cael!" Dalia screamed at him. "This isn't someone we should fight! Let's retreat!" Cael instantly declined, frustration beginning to swell within him. "No way! Cael The Brave doesn't run from a fight!" He took back his axe wedged slightly in Lincoln's arm and, with spirit in his voice, said, "It's your turn! Give me your best shot!"

"I guess it is," Lincoln said, raising his right sword. He then glowed in his bright orange "Spirit," as they called it. He now wore a dark glare as he began to say, "HISSATSU TENGI:"

Carl stared at the glare. The power he felt within the boy was unreal. It was too much, too overwhelming.

Suddenly, Cael gave a girlish cry before he could strike and zoomed out his broken front door.

Lincoln's glare vanished when he realized what had happened and sighed. "Well, that's it then."

Dalia gave a humble look before closing her eyes in some sort of respect. "Cael would always say that the day he turned fearful was the day he would die. I always thought it was only him being sardonic."

Where Cael once stood was now a cloud of his Life. The shape of the cloud looked like he was in the middle of sprinting in the opposite direction. The sparkling blue mist slowly rose to the air, fading into nothing until it completely disappeared. His armor and weapon dropped to the ground, clattering against the dirt. Then, silence.

Bracing his swords on his shoulders once more, Lincoln said, "I guess I win. I didn't mean to scare him that badly. Didn't have the chance to use my dominant hand either. Sad the game worked like that, though. He seemed like a funny dude." He turned to Dalia, the two standing silently over the rubble in his house. "Now then, I'll cut you a deal. If you help me clean up around here, I'll let you off scot-free. Sound good?"

She stared back at him with a smile. "'He seemed like a funny dude,'" she scoffed. "Please speak for yourself. Cael was the most annoying person I ever had to deal with. As for your house…" She cracked a sinister smirk. "I couldn't care less." Then, putting her palms together, she teleported away.

Lincoln sighed, assuming she had run away. "Too much to ask for, I guess-" He suddenly gasped for air. He couldn't breathe. It felt like he was paralyzed.

"HISSATSU TENGI: SPIRIT DEVOUR!"

Dalia had her hand placed on Lincoln's back. A stream of Lincoln's Life sucked into her palm. "That's too bad. If only you knew I could directly feed on you. You wouldn't have wasted any time and gotten rid of me."

It wasn't long until the stream finished, and Dalia smiled next to the immobile boy. "Thank you for your services."

Suddenly interrupting her cocky smile, she felt immense pain in her stomach. Putting both hands to her stomach, it started to feel like acid was eating her from the inside as if she had engulfed the most poisonous thing she could have found. "W-what is this!? This power… this monstrous spirit… What's happening to me?!" She screamed loud as she burned, her entire body dissolving into Life and rising into the air.

"Bad Luck!" Lincoln spoke proudly, standing tall and completely fine. "My curse!"

Her Life faded into the ceiling, and Lincoln could no longer see it, but he knew it phased through his roof and into the sky. She was finally gone, finished off for good. She had no armor or weapons, so nothing dropped from her defeat.

Lincoln put on a sheepish smile. He scratched his head and continued, "Actually, that was just a spell cast on me to protect my Life and energy. And why don't you guys just call it 'energy?' It's so much simpler…" He trailed off, looking around the room. "...Oh, right. They're gone."

Spirit, Force, Ki, Essence, Magic, Super Powers. It had many names. Everyone had some at their disposal and could train to strengthen it. Lincoln kept it short and simple for himself and called it energy.

While in the Death Mine, he not only grew stronger mentally but physically as well. The challenging living conditions alone trained him to become the powerhouse he was now. He felt confident enough to face any opponent, something he couldn't say back home.

With those two gone, he was alone once more. The sounds around his home were the only things ringing in his ears. He looked around his wrecked living room, gripping his hips in defeat. He had to clean this up now.

He regretted killing them, but they gave him no choice. Cael's game would have gotten one of them killed anyway, and Dalia took care of herself once she tried to eat him from the inside. Still, it wouldn't haunt him that much, seeing as they looked evil enough without showing any remorse.

He looked towards his broken door frame.

Well, he might as well get some fresh air by going out and getting a new door.

He went upstairs to his bedroom and changed out of his battle gear into some more ordinary clothes—a thin dark blue hoodie with long grey pants. Now that the earthlings were mostly confirmed gone, he could wear whatever he desired.

Once back downstairs, he climbed above his fireplace and mounted his armor stand there. He inserted one of his swords in its sheath and put his armor back on it like it was a mannequin showing off. He decided to take one of his swords with him because why not. There were probably more of The Other out there.

He went outside to stand in front of his house. Taking a massive whiff of the air, the boy smelt the sawdust of his door. Then, he strapped his pouch on his waist, his Inventory. After that, he began his way through the forest, the music of wildlife starting to play through his ears.

He pulled back the sleeve of his left arm, and his abnormal white armband lit up. It was a touch screen, and the band was a smart device. Lincoln acquired it when he met someone knowledgeable. They knew the technology of this world exceptionally well and worked with it a bunch. So he trusted him.

Whenever he charged energy in his left arm directly under the smartband, it would power it, turning it on.

He did just so. A menu appeared, showing many icons, and he tapped on the map app. On the map, there was a built-in feature to detect two things:

Atomosinc was useless to most people, but for Lincoln, it was something he was eager to have. He already owned a little of it. Their mysterious properties would allow him to travel back home if he had enough of it. He talked with the same techie he met. With his help, they figured out he would need around two thousand pounds of the material. Then they could make a portal back to Earth. Now that the other earthlings are gone, he could start looking for more without worrying about bumping into them.

The other thing the map would detect was energy. Right now, on his map was a ping north from his house in Dawn Village for a massive energy source. Though if Lincoln concentrated, he could feel the energy too. Still, the smartband was more practical for longer ranges over a wide scale. In short, sensing energy using his senses gave him a more accurate position. In comparison, his smartband could detect it over a much larger area from a longer distance. Lincoln hoped the energy's owner was friendlier than the two that appeared at his doorstep.

Dawn Village was the only civilization close to Lincoln's home, yet it was still a one-hour walk away. He remembered Cael calling themselves two members of the Feared Four. Which meant the other two were nearby with someone called Emulate. It sounded like he was their leader.

He'd have to move fast if he wanted to stop potential violence.


Currently, the village is in chaos.

An unknown large man with a dark green metal mask covering his lower face snarled. He was in the middle of continuously kicking a poor villager below him. Oddly enough, the same strange "O" was on his mask.

"What a hero," he spat, his voice muffled inside the mask. His piercing dark eyes gazed down at the one beneath. "Pathetic." He gave him one last big kick, slamming him into the side of a small building, causing him to yell out in pain. The villain followed the body. "There's your final warning," he said. "Hand over all of your food and supplies, or I'll take it from you by force. Then you will come with me and fight for our cause."

A large group of villagers stood close by, watching the horrific sight. They just shook in fear, unable to do anything. None of them wanted to be the next victim.

"Don't… listen to him…" The fallen man said, making the one standing narrow his eyes down at him. "We built this home… I won't let him destroy what we created!" He attempted to stand, but the invader stepped down hard. He planted his boot firmly on his back, making the man yell out in pain once more.

"Hmph! How stupid of you." He lowered his hand, and his dark-green energy charged within his palm in the shape of a ball. The energy pulsed multiple times and grew more substantial and unstable by the second.

The electric sounds it made were petrifying for the onlookers.

"No, please!" a villager yelled.

"Spare him!" another screamed.

Just as he was about to fire his energy, a young girl wearing a red skirt ran up to them. She was probably no older than eight years old. The girl kneeled and hugged the fallen man's neck tight.

"Stop!" she yelled. "Don't hurt my daddy anymore! Please!"

"Kyra…!" the man rasped out.

The masked man didn't falter, however. "If you want to go together, be my guest."

Kyra whimpered but didn't let go of her tight grip.

He was getting ready to fire his energy, but he got interrupted again. An old lady with a walking stick approached him with a frown. She wore a long loose green dress that hung free from her chest. "How dare you?!" she yelled.

The large man turned to the woman, intrigued and slightly amused that she would oppose him.

Her voice wasn't frail like one would think. Though ladylike, it was empowering, authoritative, and robust.

"You step into our village, unprovoked, uninvited, and you have the audacity to threaten us?!"

"Ms. Pia!" a villager tried to call out, scared for her safety.

Ms. Pia ignored them. "I should splash some water in your face so you could come to your senses. Unforgivable that you would hurt our innocent people!"

The man in the mask didn't seem to care. He scoffed and said, "If it pleases you, old woman, I'll make sure you don't have to watch your people foolishly suffer." He aimed his hand at her instead.

"NO!"

"STOP!"

The villagers cried out, but it was the same as silence in this ruthless man's ears. Instead, his energy charged brighter, pulsing louder every second.

Ms. Pia tapped her walking stick on the ground. "Now, why would I ever back down from a coward like you."

"Ms. Pia!" the little girl yelled from below the man, still holding her father.

"Don't you worry, Kyra." the lady spoke. "This is how you stand up to bullies." She smirked. "Everything is going to be alright."

Abruptly, someone grabbed the man's arm and pulled it upward. Shocked, the man ripped his arm away and hopped backward. Then, with the energy still charged in his palm, he fired it toward the unknown person.

The white-haired boy backhanded the blast, and it dissipated, so it wouldn't hit any nearby villagers. He just stared at his enemy afterward.

"Who are you?" the masked man asked.

"Took you long enough," Ms. Pia said with a smile.

"Sorry, Ms. Pia." Lincoln grinned back. "Some people held me up."

"It's you…"

Lincoln looked down at the girl and her father, who he was now standing above instead of the intruder. He recognized the man as the one who was beating him up earlier, who currently had a shocked look on his face.

He gave a cheeky grin and said, "Just leave it to me." Then he turned to the villagers watching and told them, "One of you should come and take these two to safety."

"I don't know who you are, kid," the masked man said, causing Lincoln to turn back to him. "But it's rude to interrupt someone," he said before charging more energy and firing a sizeable dark-green beam toward him.

Lincoln stood in front of the two and took the hit. He surrounded his body with energy and blocked the attack. After that, he once again turned to the villagers. "Come!"

Two men ran up and quickly grabbed both the daughter and her father.

Frustrated that his attack wasn't working, the man ended his attack and charged toward him. He threw a flurry of punches which Lincoln dodged easily, the boy following up with a back arm thrust. It hit him in the ribs.

The father was speechless. While getting carried away, he couldn't let his eyes leave the view of the fight.

"Name's Lincoln, by the way," he said as his opponent skidded backward due to his thrust.

"You're no ordinary boy," he replied calmly. "I'm Gareth, a member of the Feared Four of The Other army." He introduced, narrowing his eyes. "I never thought I'd meet someone so dangerous in the middle of nowhere."

Lincoln raised a brow. "You're not serious, are you? Me? The dangerous one? I'm not the one going around and attacking an innocent village."

"It doesn't matter, though," Gareth continued. "I'll deal with you using my specialty."

"Oh? And what's that?"

Behind his mask, Lincoln could tell the smirk forming on his face.

"Turn-based combat!" He claimed.

Lincoln blinked before smirking back. "Okay, I'm game."

Suddenly, a large glowing blue ring surrounded the two.

"Prepare to fall!" Gareth yelled.

The two locked gazes and took their battle stances.

The ring around them turned into a dome and encased them, and the battle began.

Lincoln had the choice of attacking first, which made Gareth widen his eyes. He was in shock. There was no possible way this boy was faster than him.

Lincoln had the options to Attack, use Items, Guard, Interact, or Run. He chose the attack option and walked up to use a basic punch.

Winding up his fist, he waited for the right moment before punching him in the gut.

A bar appeared above Gareth titled Life. Much to the man's anger and shock, his Life was depleted until a little over half remained. He would have never thought that one basic punch would do so much. Only a few people came to mind that could produce such results. "Unreal…" was all he could say.

Lincoln went back to his side of the field.

It was Gareth's turn now. He fired a fast beam at Lincoln, which hit its mark. Unfortunately for him, it only took down a sliver of his Life.

With his turn up next, Lincoln chose the attack option once more. However, he didn't perfect his punch this time, leaving Gareth with only a few Life remaining.

"Enough playing around!" Gareth yelled in frustration.

For this turn, he decided to attempt one of his strongest attacks. Putting his fists together, he punched forwards, directing a giant laser toward Lincoln.

To his chagrin, Lincoln dodged the attack by jumping high over it, landing on his feet as the laser passed.

The boy's turn was up again; his mind hovered over the Interact option. He chose to try it and said, "You can still back down, you know. No one has to get hurt anymore."

"..."

Gareth didn't respond, and that was the end of his turn.

The masked man repeated the attack from before. Like the first, Lincoln timed a perfect jump to dodge the attack.

The boy sighed. It seemed like there was no speaking with this guy. He assumed it was his pride or something ridiculous like that. Choosing the attack option one last time, he walked up to him and gave him a nice punch. When he returned to position, Gareth started to shake, his Life bar dropping to zero.

"Well done…" Gareth said with respect in his voice. Then, he burst into Life violently. His armor dropped to the ground, signaling his defeat.

The dome disappeared, and Lincoln sighed. He put his fists on his waist and watched Gareth's life fade into the sky. "I guess it had to be that way."

In the village, people watched the whole battle unfold in awe. And they were questioning the father about Lincoln.

"Radek, is that really the person in the cloak?" one asked.

"He's just a child!" a woman exclaimed.

"Yes, that's him…" Radek confirmed, "I saw him under the cloak when I warned him not to return," he said.

Ms. Pia laughed. "I told you not to judge a book by its cover." She then walked over to Lincoln, patting him on the back. "We are ever so grateful, Lincoln. Why don't I properly introduce you to everyone?"

"Wait, you know him, Ms. Pia?" one of the villagers asked, catching on that she knew him by name.

"Of course!" she said happily. "He would often join me for tea. He's quite the gentleman."

Lincoln smiled with a blush, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks. While I would love to stick around, there's still one more of these guys somewhere. I had to deal with two others before heading here," he explained, pointing a thumb toward his home. "I better go track the last one down to make sure he isn't up to any trouble. And with their track record so far, it seems they're likely up to no good." He turned and was about to head off when a voice called out to him.

"Wait!"

He turned back to face the man who beat him up. He had bruises all over his body while Life leaked out of him, but ultimately was going to live.

"Lincoln, was it? If you were so strong, why didn't you fight back?"

Lincoln blinked. "Oh, that?" He waved a hand with a frown. "You were just concerned for your daughter and your people," he said earnestly, soon putting on a smile. "Besides, it didn't hurt at all. So don't worry about it."

Radek grunted and walked up to Lincoln. Despite his injuries, he stared down at him for a few seconds with a rugged look. Then, he went on one knee and dipped his head, bowing to him.

"U-uh…" Lincoln didn't know how to respond.

He looked at the dirt beneath their feet as he spoke. "My name is Radek Archard. And from this day forth, I am indebted to you, Lincoln…"

Lincoln stared at him for a couple of seconds before saying. "Radek, continue being the best father you can be." He smiled. "That's all I want."

"Do you… have a surname by chance?" He asked, raising his head.

Lincoln looked off for a moment but quickly caught himself. "...Nope, just Lincoln," he said before walking off.

"Hold on for a moment, dear."

Lincoln turned to Ms. Pia, who was walking towards him. She held an open glass bottle of something with a spoon in it.

"You must be hungry after fighting those hooligans. Have some of my pudding. I had some left from earlier today."

He gladly took the pudding, thanking her. "I'll be off now, but I'll be back later."

Ms. Pia waved, along with Radek's daughter, Kyra.

Radek watched him leave with an expression full of respect. The boy left his vision once he entered the nearby forest, now hidden amongst the trees.

Now trekking in the forest alone, he took a spoonful of the pudding. Before he even took the spoon out of his mouth, his eyes widened.

The pudding was amazing!

It was one of the tastiest things he's eaten in a while. The last thing he could remember having that came very close to comparison was a close friend's bakery. He hadn't had that in a while.

The light winds that blew through the trees of the forest hit Lincoln, but he didn't mind it in the slightest. It was calming, actually. His hood blew a tad, and the cool air was soothing. Spring was nice with days like these.

As he took spoonfuls of the wonderful pudding, he looked around for anything suspicious. He didn't know where the last of the Feared Four was, but he was going in this direction anyway to get wood for a new door.

He was sure the village was going to be okay. He didn't feel any energy nearby besides Gareth; these Other were fuming with energy. He only got caught off guard when the first two showed up. Since then, he kept his senses dialed up to the max and was still doing so. He even felt an odd presence, as if someone was watching him, but he ignored it, believing it to be nothing.

Suddenly, Lincoln felt palpable energy coming from his two o'clock. He didn't even need to check his smart band. The direction was far from Dawn Village, so there was no rush. He turned in that direction and kept pace, happily enjoying his snack.

It turns out the energy he was detecting was also heading toward him. So he jumped up on a huge boulder the size of a house and stood on it.

He only waited a few seconds before someone appeared flying in their neon green energy.

They landed on the other side of the boulder, and Lincoln took in their features.

It was a tall and slender bald man, fitted with neon green armor with that same "O." A lime-green orb was centered on his chest plate below the "O," glowing brightly. Now seeing that symbol for the fourth time, Lincoln presumed it was The Other's symbol.

"Sup," Lincoln said with some pudding in his mouth, taking another spoonful of the dessert soon after.

"Hello," the man greeted in a deep voice, smiling at the boy.

"You're Emulate, I'm guessing?" Lincoln asked with some food still in his mouth.

"I am," he verified. "And you must be the one who took out my squad."

Lincoln shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I offered to, like, you know, not finish them off and all, but they insisted on finishing what they started."

"Hm…" Emulate stared at Lincoln intensively. He was thinking about something.

"How did you find me, by the way? I was sure I was keeping a low profile." Lincoln asked, engulfing more of Ms. Pia's pudding.

"My ability to sense energy is unmatched. That is my forte." He laughed. "It is the same reason I'm able to tell you're a part of that despicable Loud family."

Lincoln nearly choked on the pudding at that declaration. He took a second to regain composure and held back a cough. Then he said, "No idea what you're talking about."

Emulate didn't care. He clenched a fist and looked at the ground angrily. "I can tell that pattern of energy anywhere…" He seethed. "If only I were faster…"

"Hm?" Lincoln had the spoon in his mouth as he tilted his head.

"I would have had those twin brats crying for mercy at my feet."

Lincoln stared at Emulate. He took the spoon out of his mouth and dropped it back into the bottle. He then placed the bottle on the boulder and then inhaled slowly.

Emulate turned to him, feeling Lincoln's energy swell.

The kid then exhaled and yelled out.

Clenching his fists, he put his anger to good use and powered up, his orange energy flaring around him.

While he was screaming, Emulate smirked. "What's wrong, kid? Was I right about you being a part of that pathetic family?"

Lincoln rushed up and punched him square in the jaw without time for him to react. It sent him flying back through a couple of trees.

Lincoln took a deep breath, putting on a smirk. "You just flipped the Brother Switch."

Where he landed, Emulate picked himself up and rubbed his jaw. "How about I show you then," he said, "Their remnants." The green orb on his chest glowed, and he stomped on the ground.

Lincoln felt the boulder shake.

"Lana's Creation: Earth Convulsion!"

A part of the boulder jumped underneath him like a cylinder, nearly hitting his chin. Caught off guard, he couldn't dodge the second one directly under his feet, catapulting him off the boulder.

He did a flip and landed near Emulate next to some trees.

Emulate didn't waste any time. He charged towards Lincoln and stretched his hand to the side in the middle of his dash. The green orb glowed again as a familiar long item formed within green energy in his palm.

"Lori's Creation: Hole In One!"

He swung the generated golf club at Lincoln, who blocked it with his arm. The swing still damaged him, shown by the energy he was leaking out of the same arm.

"So that's your gimmick? You steal abilities?" Lincoln asked as he landed a few feet away from his opponent.

"I copy them, yes." The golf club he was holding disappeared in a green flash. "Why not use your enemy's greatest weapon against them?" He prepared to use Lana's move, putting his hands flat on the ground.

"Lana's Creation: Earth Convulsion!"

Lincoln prepared to dodge the dirt below him, but Emulate was propelled instead. He used the soil below to travel on a rising cylinder dirt platform.

The orb glowed again as he outstretched his hand, using a different person's move.

"Luan's Creation: Trickster's Box!"

He slashed toward Lincoln's head, but the boy stood there blankly. Then, when he hit his target, he gasped when he realized what had happened.

Instead of a dangerous weapon, he was holding a balloon sword.

Lincoln tapped the balloon on the side of his head with a smirk. "Looks like you don't know how to use the powers you copied." Then punched him deep in the gut, causing him to lose air.

He took a second to compose himself, growled, and threw his fists toward the white-haired child.

The punches were fast, but Lincoln easily dodged them by moving from left to right. "Maybe if you actually worked on your own abilities rather than copying others, you might be able to hit me with no problem." He grabbed one of the punches and kneed Emulate in the chest before throwing his body away with a pulse of energy.

The copycat caught himself on the ground and turned to Lincoln. Then, without missing a beat, he slammed his fists on the floor.

"Lynn's Creation: Boiling Blood!"

His body started to steam, with a tint of red over his green armor and skin. Lincoln could feel the heat from where he was standing.

Emulate charged Lincoln again, and the boy could tell he was faster now. He assumed it was one of those simple techniques to increase their speed and power in return for some stamina. He's seen such abilities in many fiction he's read and watched. Also, it suited the person who originally used it.

The enraged man got close and tried to land some kicks and punches. Which Lincoln again managed to dodge most. The ones he didn't avoid got blocked instead. He was undoubtedly faster but not fast enough to faze Lincoln.

Lincoln jumped backward, landing a couple of trees worth away.

Emulate paused his assault as his orb glowed, getting more frustrated by the second. The steam and red tint vanished.

"You can only use one ability you've copied at a time," Lincoln speculated.

"Jordan's Creation: Undodgeaball!" Two Energy balls the size of dodge balls formed in his palms. He threw both at Lincoln, one after the other.

Lincoln ducked against one and rolled to the side for the other. They hit the trees behind him, creating large holes in them.

"They're no joke!" Lincoln said, amazed, looking at the impact.

Emulate kept conjuring more dodgeballs and hurled them.

Lincoln kept swerving between trees. He used the forest to stay out of his line of fire. He dashed behind a tree, waiting for a chance to move forward, then proceeded behind another trunk when he saw an opening. It was kind of fun.

Once he got close enough, Emulate's orb glowed for the umpteenth time.

"Sam's Creation: Final Wave!"

A guitar got mustered in his arms. As his fingertips rested on the strings, it surged with energy. He took his fingers and attempted to play it, but the instrument's tune ended abruptly.

Lincoln got up to him in a blur, pulled the guitar down, and socked him in the cheek, sending him flying backward.

Once he landed, he quickly yelled while slamming his fist into the ground. "That was supposed to be a powerful soundwave! What is going on?!"

"You can't just hit the chords as hard as you can, dude," Lincoln grinned. "I tried to tell you. You can't just use powers you've copied."

"You think you're funny?!" he asked in a yell.

"Call me The Joker," Lincoln said with a toothy smile.

"Fine!" He got to the high ground on a small hill. "Have anything funny to say about this?!" He cupped his hands together and brought them to his side, bending down.

"Loud's Creation:"

"Well, that's something," Lincoln said with a smirk.

"Loud Cannon!"

He fired a powerful yellow beam at Lincoln, who stood completely still with arrogance.

Back in Dawn Village. After the most exciting and horrifying day, the villagers were getting their heads together. They tended to wounded people, ensured everyone was alright, and observed the damage to the village.

Suddenly, they heard an explosion coming from a far distance. They also felt the ground tremor, which scared most of them.

Radek hugged his daughter close.

"Is he gonna be alright, daddy?" Kyra asked, knowing that was the direction Lincoln went.

Radek knew who she spoke of. She couldn't stop gushing earlier about how much of a hero he was and how cool and strong he was.

"He'll be alright, sweetie," he replied, looking towards the forest. "I'm sure of it."

Dust was everywhere in the forest near the battle.

Emulate pushed off a tree trunk that landed on top of him. Grinning at the damage to the biome, he could only imagine what kind of suffering the boy had taken.

"That's the Loud Cannon?"

He opened his mouth in shock. As the dust cleared, Lincoln appeared unscathed, his orange energy flowing around him.

"Dang, how embarrassing. How could you just disgrace their moves like that?"

"I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

He rushed forward in rage.

Lincoln chuckled. "That's the spirit!"

In his fury, he was too obvious with his attacks. As a result, it was easier than ever to dodge his strikes.

He dodged one of his higher punches by bending backward and landing on his hands. Then he kicked with both feet to send Emulate high in the air.

Lincoln jumped above him to punt him back into the ground as he was screaming mid-flight. When he impacted the land, he made a large crater.

Lincoln landed just a short distance from the crater that Emulate's body made. He watched as the man slowly climbed out of it.

Emulate was breathing for air. He stood up and saw Lincoln standing across from him, entirely fine.

"Curse you earthlings and your stupid powers!" he said, his orb lighting up.

"Uh, do you have anything else to show me? Or… can we call it quits?" Lincoln said. He was beginning to become bored.

"In a matter of fact…" He heaved. "I do."

Lincoln prepared for another attack. But, instead, green petals fluttered around Emulate, and his body glowed a soft green. This new move was healing his wounds.

"Leni's Creation: Courteous Mending…"

Lincoln sighed. "Listen, if you promise not to bother anyone and leave quietly, we'll call this a day. How about that?"

"The only one I'll tolerate getting rid of you besides me would be the king himself." Emulate chuckled. "One last attack." He jumped high, and Lincoln only watched with an unimpressed look.

Staying afloat, Emulate spread his arms and legs wide and started to yell. He concentrated in both his palms and soon was glowing with green energy. The force of his energy blew the surrounding trees back. Even the clouds above didn't seem fond of staying around.

After enough concentration, two green balls of energy formed in his palms. They pulsed and cracked with lightning, looking unstable.

Lincoln gasped with shocked eyes and turned around.

Emulate looked down and noticed Lincoln was jogging away from him.

"It's no use! There's no escaping me now!" he yelled out.

Lincoln jumped back onto the huge boulder and found the bottle of pudding Ms. Pia lent him. He grabbed it and sat at the edge of the rock, swinging his legs and happily taking a spoonful.

Emulate laughed, the spheres of energy becoming stable. "That's right! Have your last meal before your death sentence!" He slammed his wrists together, combining the energy into one giant ball.

Lincoln didn't hear him, happily eating his delicious dessert, but he was watching. Lightning started to strike out from the massive energy condensed in Emulate's hands. The lightning was close to hitting Lincoln sitting on the boulder but dragged its way around him.

Emulate grinned. "Goodbye, you little brat."

"ROYAL WOODS' CREATION: ROYAL APOCALYPSE!"

The energy in his hands shot out, covering an enormous radius as a blast of light. On the way towards Lincoln, it wholly fried the trees and grass.

Lincoln was still gladly eating his pudding. He left the spoon in his mouth and pulled out his sword from its X-shaped sheath sitting on his back. The other part was empty as he had left his other one at home.

With the spoon still occupying the inside of his mouth, he blabbered in a tone that showed not one hint of stress,

"Reverse Parry."

With a wave of his sword and the sound of metal clanking, the attack got repelled with no effort.

Emulate widened his eyes and screamed as the mighty attack came back at him like a boomerang. His screams reached the heavens, echoing throughout the forest.

The move engulfed him, and slowly the shadow of his body disappeared in the light. Lincoln could barely see the blue mist of Life rising to the skies and fading away. His armor and green orb that lost its glow fell to the ground.

The boy sighed in sympathy. "I hope you find peace wherever you go… I guess."

Lincoln knew if he had dodged or avoided the attack. The energy would have traveled far past him and hit the village directly behind him. He wouldn't take any chances, even if he blocked the attack. Some of the excess energy could have somehow gotten around him. He wouldn't forgive himself if anything happened he could have prevented.

Sheathing his sword, he stood up from the rock. "Glad I brought you," he said, holding the grip and looking at it.

What was once a battlefield was now a quiet forest once again. Albeit a little damaged, but a forest just the same. It would grow back. He was sure of it.

Taking the bottle of Ms. Pia's pudding, he noticed he was one bite away from finishing it. He put the spoonful in his mouth and moaned out, "So good~!"

He left the spoon in the bottle and opened his Inventory. He tossed the empty bottle and dirty spoon inside and closed it.

Looking to the skies, he knelt and blasted forward with a burst of his energy. He flew in the air with a trail of orange energy covering his legs.

He was thankful he learned to fly. It was several times faster than running. It was also why he made it to Dawn Village in time to save the villagers. Once Dorn told him he could gain the ability to fly using his energy, he wasted no time. It only took him one month straight of practicing before he got it down pat. But, boy, was it worth it. He compared it to learning how to ride a bike, but an adult would tell you it was closer to owning your first car.

He flew past the forest and over a valley. His total flight time was around ten minutes above the valley before he finally reached where he was heading. If he had walked steadily, it would have taken him a couple of hours at best.

In this distance was a new forest, where the trees had red velvet leaves and golden-colored wood. It was appropriately named the Golden Velvet Forest.

He landed before the plantation and took a gander.

The wood these golden velvet trees had was not like any other. They were non-flammable, more sturdy, and never rotted. Stronger than the strongest of steels. It could handle rain, snow, powerful energy, and even a lightning strike. They were the best material for a house, and Lincoln's was made of the stuff.

He needed enough wood for a new door, so he searched the forest for a smaller tree. There was no point in taking down a larger one.

He walked for minutes peacefully through the beautiful trees. Fresh air overtook his sense of smell, and the natural wildlife called out to him. He spotted some critters you couldn't find back on Earth. Some cute ones that acted and looked a bit like squirrels he was sure a certain uncouth girl would have loved to meet. Even a tiny stream of water reminded him of the trails back in Royal Woods.

It took him only a short time to find the right size. The small tree was good enough, but he was sure some wood would be left over.

Before doing anything, he climbed the tree and inspected it. He made sure he wouldn't interrupt any animals living in the branches. Luckily he found none and dropped down.

Unsheathing his sword, he slashed the tree at the lowest possible point in a microsecond. Then, after a few seconds, the tree tipped over and fell. He ran under the direction it was falling and caught it with the arm not holding his sword. He didn't want it to crash onto the ground and cause damage.

Dropping the tree gently on the dirt and sheathing his sword, he approached the tree stump and grabbed both sides. With little effort, he pulled it out of the ground. However, there were still some roots still tugging against the soil. So he cut them with his sword.

This forest was open to the public that knew about it. Anyone was allowed in. But there was one unspoken rule you had to follow; Replanting any trees you took.

So, finding some large acorns, he planted a few. He ensured there was space between each one so they wouldn't interfere. From what he's heard, they only took a few years to grow fully.

Once he finished, he balanced the tree he cut down on his shoulder and made his way out of the forest. When he was out of it, he burst into flight, carrying it with his arms under his chest.

Not far from here was yet another forest. These trees had less dense leaf branches, and their trunks were much taller. They also had bright green moss growing on the ground and along the bark of the trees. Lincoln named them the skyscrapers of trees.

He made a landing and carried the golden velvet tree into this new forest.

It wasn't long until he heard a familiar tone of voice.

"Oh my log! It's Lincoln!" A very high-pitched voice exclaimed in a happy tone.

Looking down, a living piece of a light brown wood chip stared up at him with two black dots for eyes.

Lincoln looked down with a bright smile. "Hey, bud! I have an order I need to make."

"Sure thing!" it said with a salute. "Right this way, sir."

It led Lincoln deeper into the forest until they arrived at a tiny town. Well, more specifically, the literal size of the town was small. The population, on the other hand, was pretty high in number.

Little pieces of wood, the chippies, lived in Wood Chip Town. There were tiny houses littered on the moss ground in a very organized fashion via rows. More homes were arranged into columns on the sides of the large mossy trees.

When the two entered the tiny town, hundreds of thousands of chippies looked Lincoln's way. The boy heard many happy cheers at the joy of seeing an old friend. He gave a wave with a toothy smile.

He was careful in his footing. He wanted to avoid giving someone's house an unexpected renovation accidentally. Making his way through the town, he went towards the center. He passed many friendly faces, trying to say hi to as many of them as possible.

Soon, he reached the town square, a little square of buildings where a tall wooden tower stood only half the boy's height in the middle of them.

Balancing the log on his shoulder, he lightly tapped the tower's roof. A few seconds passed before the top opened up, and a chippie with a wooden mustache looked out.

When it locked eyes with him, it said in a high-pitched voice, "Ah, Lincoln! Long time no see."

Lincoln waved back. "Good to see Birch."

"What can I do for you?" Birch asked.

"I need a new door. Think someone can help me out?"

"I'll get some of us working on it right away. In fact, I'll help with it myself." It put two of its wooden fingers in his mouth and whistled. "Alright, boys!" Birch yelled towards the bottom of the tower. "We got a job to do!"

A bunch of chippies gathered at Lincoln's feet like a swarm of insects. Then, using each other as leverage, they took the log from him and carried it away. It always fascinated Lincoln how well they worked together. They were always in sync. It was something called a Linked Mind, which their Elder called it anyway, speaking of which…

"Why don't you go have a chat with the Elder?" Birch said, "We should be done in less than ten minutes. Same dimensions, right?"

He nodded. "I need the frame too. It's a little bit damaged."

"You got it!" Birch gave a thumbs up.

Both he and Birch walked in opposite directions away from the tower. Soon, Lincoln reached another tall building that looked like a tower. But unlike the one Birch was residing in, which looked more like a factory, this one looked homier.

"Elder Bristle?" He tapped a finger on the roof. "Are you home?"

There was a little balcony on the roof of the tower. The doors opened, and an old dark brown-looking wood chip stepped out.

"Lincoln!" it shouted happily. "It's been a while, hasn't it? How have you been?"

Lincoln sat in front of Bristle, ensuring not to sit on anyone's house. "It has been a while. I'm doing fine. What about you?"

"As good as this old bark is," it said with a chuckle, walking up to his balcony's railing. "So, what brings you to our town?"

"Oh." Lincoln looked towards where Birch took the tree he had chopped down. "Brought some golden velvet wood. I need a new door, so I came to the best carpenters I know."

"Oh my," it said with a gasp. "Whatever happened to the other door we made?"

"Ah," Lincoln said. "A couple of people that came from The Other came knocking down my door. They weren't… the friendliest."

"And what did they do afterward?"

"Let's just call them really stubborn," Lincoln said. "There were two more of them. One of them was tormenting the village I told you about the last time I was here."

"Yes, I remember. You helped them out, I reckon?"

"Of course I did."

Bristle laughed. "A hero as always, eh?"

Lincoln shrugged. "Just doing what's right."

The old chip scoffed. "Like you needed to help us with the wood termites? We were nothing but strangers to you, yet you helped us out a ton."

"It was nothing, really." Lincoln waved off, blushing a bit.

"What are you talking about, boy? Not only did you help us solve the conflict. You managed to get a peace treaty between the chippies and termites. Using the wood that we don't end up working on given to them as a peace offering. Truly brilliant!"

"Well, I had a different point of view for the situation," Lincoln said, "It was easy to find a solution. But forget about that stuff. How has the town been since I left?"

"Oh, just wonderful!" Bristle smiled. "We have finally begun business with a few small villages nearby. And at the rate we're going, we'll be able to expand even more. We've never been able to get so much work done. Before we had too much time on our branches, it was truly boring around here."

"Well, if you keep working yourself too much, you'll wish you had some time to relax." Lincoln warned.

"Nonsense." Bristle shook his head. "Us chippies live to work. It's our desire to build using wood. It shall be for generations."

"Speak for yourself, old man!" A random chippie yelled out from somewhere.

"Bah." Bristle rolled his eyes. "Most of us anyway."

"Mr. Lincoln!"

The boy looked to Birch, who talked from up top a house.

"It is finished."

Behind him were the other chippies that helped make the new door they were carrying. They collectively brought it to Lincoln.

The white-haired child picked himself up. He took the door and frames from the chippies, thanking them profusely.

"You take good care of yourself out there, Lincoln." Bristle said, catching his attention once more. "We heard about them as well. If The Other already has some of their members attacking innocent people, there could be more out there."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Lincoln said with a sad smile. "You take care too." He waved him off goodbye, taking his new door set.

Bristle, Birch, and the other chippies waved back, shouting farewells.

He carefully exited the tiny town and began his flight home once he was clear of the forest.


Landing in front of his house, he sighed at seeing the mess those two Other left behind. More specifically, the shouting one. His armor and weapon were still on the ground. He'd probably have to trash it, having suitable gear already.

"Someone has to clean this up," he said to himself.

Looking up at the sky, he saw no sign of a sun. Just the bright blue sky fading to orange and red like back home. Which meant it was nearly nighttime.

He wondered how it worked without a sun. Was he even on a planet? Where were the light and heat coming from? Whatever it was, he hoped to figure it out someday. There could be a library with all the answers he needed.

But those were questions for another time. It was better not to worry about such things. Right now, he had some work to do. Some tiring, tedious work that shouldn't be required in the first place. Oh well, that was just his luck.

Now that the earthlings finally left, his story has just begun. A story of overcoming his curse of bad luck. How he would meet and attempt to make all sorts of new friends and travel this unknown world. And how he would pursue the truth of his hardship.