Happy Holidays, everyone!

Here is my present to all of you!

Damn!Three chapters in less than a month!? Plus, there is a ton of background work in the Untold Universe that I got done recently, so I'm very excited for more consistent future updates!

Next to the Encounter with the Scholar chapter, this was the chapter I was looking forward to writing next.

I've got more to say, but I will save that for the commentary. So now, just enjoy the new chapter!


In Another World With My Smartphone: The Lost Hero

Chapter Fifteen: Invasion


"The flow of time itself is convoluted, with heroes centuries-old phasing in and out. The very fabric wavers, and relations shift and obscure."

Solaire of Astora, Dark Souls


Another slow day at the Silver Moon Inn often meant that Mika had plenty of free time to attend to things the inn needed outside of daily maintenance. With only one other employee besides her father here to man the kitchen, the young woman was busy checking the inn's inventory and budget for next week. As the woman worked, a sudden yet delicious smell came from the kitchen. Mika paused as her ears hadn't picked up the door chime going off to alert them of a diner who had arrived.

'What in the world?' Mika thought as she stepped out of the pantry and into the kitchen only to find her head chef, Alex, cooking up a storm and in a completely different outfit than anything she had seen him in before. 'I thought he went on a job with the rest of the girls?'

"Wait...should I make something vegetarian for Mia?" Alex suddenly asked himself aloud as he stopped what he was doing while Mika nearly jumped by the sudden question. "Are Elves vegetarian in this world? Shit, I should have asked before I left with Yae."

'This world? Vegetarian?' Mika questioned with a raised eyebrow, though she quickly shook her head at a simple misunderstanding in language. Alex was a foreigner, after all, and still had weird sayings that weren't commonly found in Belfastian Common. "Making lunch for everyone, Alex?"

Mika expected the boy to jump in surprise but was slightly disappointed when Alex simply turned to her with a smile.

"Yep, we got a pretty big job ahead of us," Alex answered casually as he returned to work. "I'll just make a few all-veggie sandwiches I used to make Lucy before; it's an easy way to cover my bases."

"Who's Mia?" Mika questioned with a teasing laugh. "Don't tell me you added another girl to your harem."

"HAREM!?" Alex yelled out as he rounded on Mika with an incredulous expression. "WHAT?"

"Just a joke my dad made in passing," Mika quickly responded in her defense. While it was confirmed that it was based on a joke that her father had made, it was a common topic of discussion with the employees of the Silver Moon Inn to see in what direction this group dynamic was going. Mika's current money was on Linze; Dolan's was on Elze; Finn bet on Yae being a dark horse, and Fleur bet that Alex would win them all. A new girl could flip the table on their betting pool, so she was determined to learn more. "But seriously, who's Mia?"

"She's a temporary party member we have to take with the new job we accepted with the guild," Alex answered, glancing at Mika before returning to making lunch. "It's a big job, one that might have us stay overnight, either way. I didn't want to deprive the girls of a good meal, and I thought it would have been rude not to include her. The only problem is that she's an elf, so I don't know if she might have a dietary restriction, and I forgot to ask."

"Oh, so your new friend is an elf, huh?" Mika questioned with a raised eyebrow as she folded her arms with interest; she had met passing Beastmen Demi-humans before, but never an elf. "Have you ever actually met an elf before this Mia girl?"

"Nope," Alex answered promptly as he began assembling different kinds of sandwiches. "But I've heard from several sources that elves might be vegetarian, so making some extra sandwiches to accommodate any possible restrictions wouldn't hurt."

"That's fair," Mika responded with an understanding nod. "Though I never heard of anyone never eating meat willingly. Plus, I always heard that elves were famous for hunting in the Greenwood forests. But maybe that's what everyone says that simply might not be true."

"Maybe," Alex responded, packing the food into a sizeable handwoven basket.

"Regardless, I like it when people enjoy the food I make," Alex continued with a more genuine smile. "So I go out of my way to account for each girl's tastes. I made two custom-made for each girl. Elze: thin-cut steak sandwiches heavy with caramelized onions and a light drizzle of olive oil on dark wheat bread. Linze: hard cheese sandwiches with tomato, lettuce, and two thick cuts of bacon on light wheat bread to be toasted by the campfire before eating. Yae: chicken sandwiches with the sweet chili sauce on toasted rice to serve as the bread."

"Damn, I'm almost a little jealous," Mika followed up with a laugh."I wish Finn was a little more thoughtful like you."

"Ooooh?" Alex quickly shot back with a shit-eating grin as he began lading soup into a custom-made thermos. 'Here, I thought Finn's crush was one-sided.'

"Maybe I'll let something slip to Finn to help you there!"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Mika screeched, mortified by the idea.

"I kid, I kid," Alex flat-out lied. 'I'm pretty sure I can drop a few hints without spilling the beans on the other.'

"But really, Mika," Alex continued as his face relaxed. "If you're interested in Finn, just be straightforward with him. He's a good guy, but being subtle will likely just go over his head."

"You're one to talk," Mika muttered with an embarrassed click of her tongue and a roll of her eyes.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"I'm back, Alex!"

Mika turned to see Yae stepping into the kitchen in her full Eashen attire, her swords fastened at her hip.

"Perfect, I just finished making lunch," said Alex as he raised the basket. "Everything set with the carriage?"

"Indeed! I'm so glad Elze could purchase it," Yae exclaimed broadly. "It's so much more spacious and comfortable to ride in! Oh! Hello, Mika!"

"Hi, Yae," Mika responded with a nervous laugh and waved at the bowing girl. "So you two heading back out?"

"Looks that way," said Alex as he began exiting. "Later, Mika! Let's go Yae!"

"Coming!" Yae called out to the young man before bowing again to Mika. "Sorry for the short stay; until next time, Mika!"

"Take care," Mika replied with a slightly awkward wave goodbye.


Elze Silhoueska sat with an impatient shake of her legs while Linze spoke at length with their guest.

The charms of the local cafe were lost on the elder Silhoueska twin, who simply wanted to get on with the job. Still, they knew waiting for Alex and Yae to return with everything they would need for the trip was best. Unfortunately, the wait didn't help her with the whirlwind of thoughts. On the one hand, Elze couldn't really complain about the circumstances leading to this kind of lucrative work that, if successful, almost guaranteed them a promotion to Blue Rank. On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel a bit on edge regarding how strange the Chapter Master seemed to act. The young woman understood the need for discretion regarding the job. Still, her gut told her there had to be something else about this job that they weren't being told about.

"Oh, is that so? That's good to know!"

"Indeed, I wish I knew about that when I first went on the job!"

Elze slightly turned her head to get a better look at Mia from the corner of her eyes. She seemed like an ordinary human girl with fair skin, short chestnut hair, and purple eyes. Nothing really out of the ordinary, yet something about her appearance just seemed off to her, but she just couldn't really put her finger on her. The first thing to come to mind was magic, but unlike her, Linze was far more attuned to magic than she was, so surely she would have caught on to something strange going on, right?

"Sister?"

"Huh?" Elze finally turned her head to see Linze and Mia looking at her with concerned expressions. "What's up?"

"You've been unusually quiet, sis," Linze followed up. "You haven't even touched your tea."

"Ah, I...I'm just thinking about what comes next after this job, you know?" Elze lied in a convincing tone as she picked up her now cold tea to drink. "Plus, I want to get on the road and start the job. Hopefully, Alex and Yae will come back soon."

"Is the inn you're staying at far?" Mia questioned with a tilt of her head.

"Yeah..." Elze answered as she suppressed a smirk. "You can say that."

The trio quietly settled back as before but didn't have to wait much longer as a large, horse-pulled, purple carriage arrived with Yae and Alex in the front seat. Elze couldn't help but grin at the sight as she looked at her pride and joy. A custom-made, closed carriage, modified by a combination of Dolan's experience and Alex's modeling spell to make it more survivable and durable for long hauls.

"All aboard!" Alex exclaimed with a broad smile.

'Best money I've ever spent so far,' thought Elze as she and the other girls hopped to their feet to join the rest of their party. Unlike Linze and Mia, Elze was more in the mood to drive; besides, she wanted a moment to speak with Alex alone, and this would be her best chance. "Yae, mind if I drive instead? I really want to feel the fresh air right now."

"Oh? Sure!" Yae retorted without protest as she hopped off the driver's seat and joined the rest of the girls inside the carriage. Once the door was closed, Elze hopped to the hot seat to grab the reigns while Alex quickly started a conversation.

"Everything alright?"

"Yep," said Elze as she got the horses going for the western gate out of the city and eyed Alex's new outfit a look over. "Nice outfit."

"Yeah, Zanac did an excellent job with the new suit," Alex responded confidently.

Tired of wearing his usual outfits on the job, which often got worn out and damaged, Alex had commissioned the tailor to make a new combat suit with the things he had learned from his Hero Costume. He had sent the man detailed instructions of what was needed and let the man get to work. The results created a comfortable, breathable, light, and reflexive suit. It was made of a secret material that seemed native to this world. Zanac had been keen to keep the secrets to his success even from his business partner.

Alex suspected null magic but couldn't prove it just yet.

The suit featured elements of Belfastian fashion and his Hero Costume. The suit consisted of a gray-black brigandine that featured a few cleverly made pockets that were more spacious than expected. The pants were aesthetically done with the gray-black trim but were basically cargo pants with leather patches for his knees and shins. The boots were similar to the ones he initially received from Zanac, only this time, they were enforced with thicker soles for longer-term use. Finally, a gray overcoat was lined with several inside pockets for Alex to fill with extra supplies.

'Much more fitting for a mercenary than a Pro-Hero,' Alex pondered as he thought of his old costume, which had been retired and given a place of honor in the corner of his warehouse. He had settled into life in this new world, a world without Pro-Heroes. As his attention returned to the road, he noticed that Elze seemed a little tense with how she gripped the leathers, which seemed way too tight.

"You okay?"

"More or less," Elze answered quietly as she glanced at him. "Something about this job seems...off."

"You too?" Alex asked softly. "Honestly, I've been pretty iffy about this job since the Master seemed sketchy on the details."

"Oh, thanks the gods," said Elze with relief. "I thought I was going crazy."

"Did you learn anything new from our guest about what might be in store for us?" Alex questioned with a more determined face.

"She mentioned that we might encounter a few monsters out there," Elze answered as her eyes returned to the road. The western gate appears from the horizon. "Goblins, horn wolves, but nothing to worry about if we remain on guard."

"Good to know," said Alex as he leaned back into the seat. "What about Mia herself? Learn anything new about her?"

"Nothing too out of the ordinary," Elze answered vaguely, keeping her concerns about their guest close to her chest until she had proof of anything suspicious. "She's been an adventurer for a couple years, specializes in ranger quests, and like all of us, she's not from Belfast, but she didn't mention where she is originally from."

"Isn't it obvious?" Alex suddenly questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"Mia's an elf, so isn't it likely that she's from Mismede?"

Elze froze as she stared hard at the young man, who looked at her in confusion.

"Elf?" Elze whispered with confused frustration. "Mia's clearly human!"

"Are you blind?" Alex retorted as he slowly craned his head back to the carriage. Looking through the tiny window, he could see the girls relaxing inside. "I can see her long ears from here."

Elze blinked as she turned quickly and looked through the same window. Spotting Mia and seeing an ordinary human girl, then again, given Alex's strange magical abilities. She now wondered if Alex might be immune to certain kinds of illusionary magic. There was one way to possibly confirm her theory.

"Can you describe Mia in more detail?"

"Compare and contrast?" Alex instantly seemed to catch on. Elze simply nodded as she returned to keep her eyes on the road as they were approaching the checkpoint. "Elf ears, long blond hair, green eyes. What do you see?"

"Normal human ears, short brown hair, and purple eyes," Elze responded softly as she suddenly felt more anxious about this job. She quickly heard Alex shuffling around and pulling something out of his pocket. After a moment or two, she heard a strange sound, a click, and not a moment later, the young man revealed something interesting. The elder twin had seen this peculiar device from time to time, some kind of magical tool that Alex always seemed sensitive about. While she knew it could produce light, here she could see a life-like still image of an elf that Alex described inside the carriage, wearing what Mia was wearing. 'HOLY CRAP! Mia really is an elf!'

"What do you see here?"

"An elf," Elze answered after a moment of hesitation. "You were right."

"I wasn't actually trying to call you a liar," said Alex reassuringly. "Just verifying to see which was the real deal."

"So what do you want to do?" Elze questioned as they arrived at the checkpoint.

"Nothing for now," Alex answered as he put away the device and fished the Duke's medal from his pocket for when the guards came to check them. "There might be a good reason for Mia to keep her secret just as we have ours from her."

"I suppose that's true," Elze begrudgingly admitted as the party was determined to keep Alex's Null magic talents a secret.

"We'll just keep an eye on her and go from there," Alex said calmly. "She's personally vetted by the Chapter Master, and I have no reason to think that they have any reason to screw us over. Let's just focus on the job and go from there."

"Alright," said Elze, feeling slightly better now that she knew Alex had her back in case things got weird.


It was a little over midday when the party stopped for a lunch/restroom break, much to Shera's relief. The carriage was comfortable, but she always preferred fresh air and sun on her face when she traveled. The elvish princess admired how the party broke into a routine; Alex got to work setting up a campfire and preparing lunch. Meanwhile, the twins cared for the horses while Yae inspected the carriage for any possible issues. She couldn't help but feel guilty for not being able to do anything without feeling like an interloper. It was bad enough she had to hide her true identity.

"Food's ready, girls!"

"OKAY!"

Shera watched from her seat at the carriage door as the rest of the girls quickly ran up to get their meals. She sighed as she turned to her knapsack, which contained the typical affair of rough jerky, hard track biscuit, and a wedge of tough cheese. It didn't help that whatever the party had already smelled almost heavenly.

"You alright, Mia?!"

Shera jumped upon being addressed by her alias. Still, she quickly relaxed when she saw that everyone seemed to be waiting for her. With some renewed hope in her chest, she hopped to her feet to join them.

"You called for me?"

"I thought you might want to join us for lunch," said Alex, pouring cups of soup to go with their sandwiches. "I made plenty to go around for all of us."

"Really?" Shera asked in disbelief as she knelt down to his level, enjoying the mouthwatering smells from the small pot over the flames. "You made some for me?"

"Of course," Alex answered with a smile as he offered her some of the remaining sandwiches in the basket and a cup of soup.

"It's terrific," Linze interjected after taking a deep sip from the soup.

"Indeed," Yae followed up after taking a moment to dip her sandwich in the broth and then took a bite. "These are simply scrumptious!"

"Alex is easily the best cook in the whole kingdom," Elze bragged after a large bite from her sandwich. "Hurry up and get one because I plan to get seconds!"

"Oh! Thank you, that's so nice!" Shera exclaimed with delight that he would be so considerate. The last team she had joined up with hadn't been as kind when it came to sharing food with her.

"Don't worry about it," Alex reassured her as he explained the differences between the sandwiches. "Feel free to help yourself."

"Okay!" Shera followed up with excitement as she grabbed two different sandwiches and the offered cup of soup. These ones looked much more straightforward but still looked delicious. One seemed made of cured meats and cheese, and the other seemed made almost entirely of... 'Weird...why only vegetables? Maybe one of the girls can't handle meat? Either way, it does look pretty yummy.'

After a quick prayer to the Great Mother, Shera took a bite and instantly felt like she was in heaven.

'How can something so simple taste so good!'

While Shera has eaten better food, the royal chefs back in Greenwood are second to none. This was leagues better than most restaurants she had eaten in before. Even the meals serviced in the guild hall, which typically tended to be better, couldn't compare to this! And it is just a sandwich! It made her wonder what other kinds of meals Alex could make if given the time and money. Her long ears wiggled at the very thought!

"How is it?" Alex suddenly asked with a smile.

"Delicious!" Shera breathed after a hard swallow.

"Excellent," said Alex as the smile turned into a full grin. "So, any luck feeling the pulses from here, Mia?"

"Not yet," Shera answered as she relaxed to enjoy the breeze while she ate. "It will still be another hour or so before we get within range of the pulses. Most likely, the horses will be the first to notice; we might have to leave them behind before we reach the ruins. Personally, I can't blame them."

"Are the pulses something anyone could feel, or is it only certain people?" Linze interjected with a renewed interest in the conversation.

"Almost everyone should be able to feel them once you get close enough," Shera responded with a shudder as she remembered the strange energy. "But animals seemed to be the most sensitive to them. Followed by Demi-Humans, then humans' elemental affinities; the more you have, the more sensitive you will be to the pulses."

Shera didn't notice the quick glance that Alex and Linze seemed to share.

"How would you describe the pulses?" Yae question with a determined expression.

"Bad..." Shera answered the best way she could. "Just bad...like...knowing there is a threat looming over but...you just can't see them kind of bad."

"Creepy..." Elze muttered as a chill ran down her spine.

"Well, so far, nothing bad has happened to people who have gone there, right?" Alex interjected again with a calm yet firm voice. "We just need to keep our guard up, and we should be fine. Worst-case scenario, we simply retreat; are we all clear on that?"

The whole group silently agreed as they returned to their meal.

What they didn't know was a small group of elves that seemed to be trailing them. While they couldn't confirm that the Princess was indeed among them, the group could tell that these were adventurers doing a repeat quest that the Princess had previously undertaken. The scouts simply obeyed their captain's command to follow any travelers deemed to be adventurers. Little did they know what lay ahead of all of them.


Alex had been glad to enjoy the luxury of a dreamless sleep for the last few days. A sleep that offered no nightmares to stir his fears, no creepy voices that made him anxious. No Shadows to taunt him and tempt him with the ideas of power. The power to become strong enough to do whatever he pleased with no one being able to stop him.

At least...that is what Alex hoped would continue to happen.

"Seek the King..."

Alex suddenly awoke from his nap with a sudden jump with a heavy gasp for air as he felt a heavy pressure on his chest. Gasping for air, the young man wildly made for the carriage door as it felt incredibly stifling inside. Completely ignoring the fact the carriage was still going at full speed.

"Alex! Are you alright!?" Elze suddenly exclaimed as she reacted to the young man's sudden behavior. As she and Yae grabbed Alex before he could fall off. However, before he could respond, the carriage suddenly lurched as the horses began acting erratic. It seemed like they were starting to get close to where the pulses seemed to be coming from.

"Ugh...not again," Shera moaned from her seat as she also began feeling the pulses of magical energy.

"Just...just...needed...some fresh air," Alex managed to say between heavy breaths as he stepped out of the carriage with the rest of the girls following suit. They watched as Linze could barely keep the horses from going wholly crazy but stubbornly refused to go further past this point. "Linze, back the carriage up and find a good spot to tie the horses down with food and water. We'll be going on foot from here."

"R-right!" said Linze as she began following his orders.

Alex could already start feeling better, just like the elf had said. He couldn't help but feel like something was looming overhead, and it wasn't friendly. The American began flexing his right hand as it wandered to his holstered revolver, prepping himself to act immediately.

"Can anyone else besides Mia feel it?" Alex suddenly asked after another deep breath.

"No," Elze answered with a concerned look while Yae simply shook her head. However, just like Alex, her hand was firmly on the handle of her Katana.

"Consider yourselves lucky," Alex followed up as he stared down the road where the source of this strange energy was coming from. "Ready up and stay alert, we're going to leave nothing to chance."

Once the horses were settled, the carriage was set with a few anti-theft measures and the remaining supplies packed. The party set out on foot towards the ruins of the old capital. Alex and Shera progressively felt more on edge as they got closer, with Linze finally picking up on the dread they had been feeling for the last half an hour or so. Elze and Yae were thankfully spared but nonetheless felt their own bouts of anxiety due to the behaviors of their party members.

The ruins themselves didn't seem like anything special. At least at first glance, Alex knew from Linze that the old capital was abandoned on purpose shortly after Belfast had formally established itself with its current royal dynasty. Since it was a planned exodus, and considering the time that had passed, anything of note should have been taken by now. Yet, here they were, investigating this strange phenomenon.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Linze suddenly exclaimed as she breathed a sigh of relief. "The pulses suddenly disappeared!"

"Yay!" Shera cheered as the heavy pressure was removed from her shoulders. "I was hoping this would happen again! Just like last time!"

"So you just don't feel them anymore?" Elze questioned with a confused expression. She was partly relieved that her teammates were not suffering anymore but confused since she couldn't pick up their feelings.

"I still do..."

The party turned to look at Alex, who seemed to have turned very pale.

'Is...this thing...looking for me?' Alex pondered as he remembered what the Chapter Master had said. Add that voice...that fucking voice that spoke to him just before he woke up to all of this fucking pressure. The air seemed to radiate with so many negative emotions that weren't his own yet...it seemed to match all of his deepest, darkest thoughts. The ones he kept from everyone else.

Regret

Desire

Greed

Envy

Anger

Resentment

Hatred

"It's coming from over there," Alex suddenly spoke up as he walked towards where this alien sensation felt the heaviest. Elze wanted to intercede, worried about how their leader was acting, but Yae quickly stopped her with a firm hand on the shoulder and a silent shake of her head.

"Follow and remain on guard, everyone," Yae calmly ordered as she drew her sword. "Alex is leading us to the source like the job requested of us. We are not in danger yet, but be ready to retreat and drag him if needs be, understood?"

Elze blinked in surprise but ended silently, agreeing with Yae. All they need to do is find the source; once they do, they can mark and get the hell out of there. Without another word, the girls followed Alex's lead with their weapons at the ready. After a few more tense minutes, Alex suddenly gasped as if he had been holding it for the last hour.

"HOLY SHIT THAT FEELS BETTER!" Alex yelled as he could finally breathe normally again.

"Are you alright?!" Linze was the first to speak up as she readied her wand.

"Yeah, yeah," said Alex, taking another moment to collect himself. "That weird feeling just went away after taking that last step!"

"We might be closing in on the source," Linze thought out loud as she looked at their surrounding. "Mia, the last time you were here, do you remember when the pulses stopped?"

"Kind of..." Shera answered vaguely as she took a more careful look around the ruins. "I was further to the east...I think?"

"Do you remember the distance from when you first felt the pulses and when it stopped?"

"Actually..." Shera followed as she seemed to be deep in thought. "I think it was about the same distance, give or take a few paces here and there."

"I thought so," Linze quickly summarized as she mentally reviewed what she knew about magic.

"You have an idea, Linze?" Elze asked with a hopeful expression.

"Maybe," Linze answered as she looked at Alex.

"I'm all ears," Alex responded with a determined face.

"Try using Search from here," Linze suggested as she looked around. "My theory is that the pulses are more like a guide and stop before they overwhelm those looking for it. Considering how long you felt them, we might be the closest to actually finding the source from here."

"That is not a bad theory," said Yae in agreement.

"It's better than nothing," Alex nodded as he took another deep breath. "Search for magical sources."

The Search Spell has a rather unique way of finding things Alex sought. It came in two forms: foresight and highlighting. The former was almost like a projector that showed him how to get what he sought. The latter was more like the way video games would have an alternate vision mode to highlight clues and critical items. Today, it seemed like foresight was how the spell would work as he could feel his vision being pulled a short distance away; there was the image of two large doors covered in strange symbols. Past that point was a long hallway that ended with the image of a statue whose features seemed blurred while something small was at its feet.

A familiar rectangular-looking object with a glass screen.

'What the fuck...that's a smartphone!' Alex realized as his eyes widened while his hand went for his pocket to ensure his phone was still there. 'Still here...so...was someone else here before me?'

Without another word, Alex began moving to where the spell had guided his foresight. Feeling a new sense of tension in the air, the girls followed silently behind him. After a minute, they all stopped in front of a pile of rubble that didn't seem too different from the rest of the old mossy stone covering the landscape. They watched as Alex seemed to review whatever his spell was showing him before speaking up.

"It's buried under here," Alex said softly as he motioned to the stones.

"I thought as much," said Shera with relief. "Well, I suppose we should head back and inform the guild."

"No," Alex suddenly spoke up with a firmer voice. "I need to go in now. Linze, can you make an entranceway?"

"Wait!" Shera quickly interjected with a worried face. "We need permission from the royal family to excavate here!"

"I can get permission very easily," Alex dismissed her with the same determined voice. "The Duke of Ortlinde happens to be a friend of mine. I'll just explain to him why we had to do it."

"Wait, what?!" Shera exclaimed in entirely surprise.

"Alex, are you sure about this?" Elze asked with a concerned look. "This could be really dangerous! Maybe we should leave for the Kingdom to figure it out."

"I want to..." said Alex as he clenched his fists. The girls were being reasonable, but knowing that there was another smartphone here could lead him to several answers he was now trying to find. His efforts to try and live a more casual life seemed for naught, and he wasn't about to allow himself to get caught off guard again. "I really do...but...one way or another...I need to go down there. Even if I have to go alone."

"Alex...is there something you're not telling us?" Mia questioned as she didn't understand the young man's strange behavior.

"I can ask you the same question, Mia," Alex quickly shot back with a stare that made Shera's heart sink to her stomach. However, before she could say anything else. Alex suddenly had a guilty expression. "Shit...I'm sorry...Look...I...I...know this seems fishy...I do. I really, really do. But...there's something about this place...something I saw when I used the spell. I...think whatever is out there...is calling out for me..."

All the girls gave each other a questioning look as if they were silently debating how to proceed. Interestingly, it was Linze who seemed to have made her own choice and stepped up with her wand in hand. After inspecting the rubble and estimating what she would have to do, she simply raised her arms and got to work.

"Burst forth, raging flame, great crimson inferno, eruption!"

A bright red magical circle appeared right under the pile of rubble as a sudden rush of great flames shot forth and exploded with great force. Chunks of solid stone began flying forth, forcing everyone to go for cover to avoid injury. As the dust started to settle, just like Alex had seen, two massive stone doors were revealed for everyone to see.

"I appreciate the help, Linze," Alex said with a cough. "But I wish you gave us a heads up first."

"S-sorry," said Linze with some embarrassment.

Alex, however, didn't waste any time; he quickly rose to his feet and made his way to the doors.

"Alex, just wait a moment!" Elze called out.

"Please don't try to stop me," said Alex as he turned around. Only to be surprised as everyone seemed to be joining him, even Shera, who, despite her earlier protests, seemed to be determined to participate with bow and arrow on hand.

"We're not," Elze assured him. "But we can't just let you go alone. We're a team...and if you really think you must go down there. Then we're going with you."

'Goddamn, it...what's wrong with me?!' Alex mentally chided himself as he took a deep breath and looked at his party again with kinder eyes. "Thank you...and again...I'm sorry...Once this is done...I'll do my best to explain myself...I owe you that much."

"We will hold you to that," Yae said with a smile.

"Alright," Alex agreed with another nod. "Same as before, stay close, keep on guard...and if things get dicey, we'll retreat."

"Sounds to me," said Elze with a determined smile.

Feeling more confident, Alex pushed the stone doors, revealing a long staircase that seemed deep underground.

"Come forth, light," Alex chanted as a giant ball of light appeared in his hand to help guide their way. Linze instantly did the same before they proceeded to make their way down. The stairs seemed carved into the rock, while the walls were made of earthen bricks laid roughly but securely. Upon reaching the end of the stairs, they simply found a tunnel that had likely seen better days. "The air is pretty stale..."

"Which likely means that no one has been here in tens of not hundreds of years," Linze observed as she took a few more steps ahead of the party with her light to look around. "I wonder if it might be haunted?"

"What?" Yae's voice suddenly broke, only for the Samurai to clear her throat while her body began to tremble. "That is absolute nonsense, and you know it, Linze! No way is there an army of tortured souls plotting our demise! How could you think that!?"

"Yae's right!" Elze suddenly spoke up, shaky, as she and Yae began to huddle closer to Alex. "Ghosts don't exist!"

"You know that hiding behind me isn't really going to help if ghosts attack us from behind, right?" said Alex with a slight chuckle. He was surprised that the idea of the supernatural seemed to make these two typically brave girls turn quite fearful.

"Just shut up and keep walking!" Elze yelled with a red face, embarrassed of acting like a scared little girl.

"Well...I don't sense any spirits here," Shera said, trying to reassure Elze and Yae. "Just echoes of the past."

"What do you mean?" Alex questioned the elf with a curious glance.

"It's my null magic," Shera lied but knew it would work for her cover. "I can use it to commune with spirits, whether in nature or even with the deceased. Even if a spirit is unwilling to reveal itself...they tend to leave some trace of their presence."

"And you currently do not sense anything at the moment?" Yae asked with a hopeful voice.

"That's right," Shera responded with a smile. "But I can sense the echoes of spirits...so they're likely long gone by now."

"Well...I do feel a little better after hearing that," Elze followed up but remained close to the boy as they kept walking further down the tunnel.

A few minutes passed before Linze stopped to raise her ball of light higher toward the ceiling. From here, the party could finally see the end of the tunnel with a large stone wall looming ahead. As they got closer, they found it covered with strange symbols in almost every inch of the large slab.

"Would you look at that?" Alex questioned aloud as he arrived at the wall. "Can anyone tell what language it's written in?"

While Elze and Yae quickly shook their heads, Linze and Shera moved forward with some interest.

"Nope, sorry," said Shera after inspecting the wall. "Never seen writing like this before!"

"How about you, Linze?"

"Same thing," Linze admitted with squinted eyes. "I'm familiar with most ancient magical scripts, but this is something completely new to me!"

"Interesting," Alex commented as he reviewed the stone slab. 'I'm going to have to tell the Duke about this...maybe he might be able to find out what this means.'

Alex pulled his smartphone from his pocket and activated the camera without another word. After double-checking for flash and low-light correction, Alex took several photographs of the slab quickly, much to the surprise of the girls, who had been caught off guard by the device. However, Alex ignored the comments as he did his best to be careful and ensure every inch of the wall was apparent and visible to the scholars he had to show later.

"What a strange device," Shera commented with a curious glance at the object in Alex's hands. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Yeah, Alex is pretty full of surprises," Elze interjected with a shrug of her shoulders, only to pause as she saw something glint in the wall next to them. "Hey...what's that?"

Everyone turned to see what Elze had been pointing towards. As the balls of light began to shine in that direction, they could see the glint of shiny stone embedded in the stony wall. After looking closely at it, Linze was the first to speak up.

"I'm pretty that's an Earth Spell Stone."

"Like the one you used to test my aptitudes, Linze?" Alex questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes and no," Linze answered as she took a closer look. "While this could be used for testing, its size and position are more likely designed to activate a powerful spell when Earth Mana is passed through it."

"You tell what kind of spell it would activate?"

"I'm afraid not," said Linze as honestly as she could. "Only the caster would, but considering that someone has to manually pass mana through it, it's unlikely it would be a trap."

"Well, we won't get anywhere without trying," Elze interjected with a more confident voice. "Pass some mana through it, Alex."

"Why me?" Alex questioned with a sideways glance at the elder twin.

"Mia, do you have an aptitude for Earth Magic?" Elze suddenly asked the disguised elf.

"Umm...no?" Shera answered as she was caught off guard by the sudden question. "I do have wind and water affinities!"

"There you go!" said Elze, returning her attention to Alex. "You're the only one with an Earth Aptitude. So you're the only one who can activate the spell."

'Well shit...she's got me there,' Alex thought as he resisted the urge to look annoyed. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

However, before Alex could raise his hand, everyone else instantly went to the opposite wall, as far away as possible.

'Seriously?' Alex thought as he gritted his teeth and continued with the task on hand. 'That's just a dick move, girls.'

As Alex placed his hand on the surprisingly warm stone, he carefully focused as he steadily passed mana into the stone. Interestingly, he could almost picture the stone as a cup that needed to be filled correctly. Enough to complete the spell, but not enough to overwhelm that damn thing. The instant Alex felt like the stone was filled to the brim, the tunnel began to shake violently.

"Oh shit!" Alex yelled as he braced himself against the wall to see the girl, ready to gate them all out instantly if needed. He could hear bits and pieces of the girl's screams but nothing much else. Just before Alex could start their emergency escape, he saw some of the glyphs in the top center part of the wall begin to glow. It was followed by two long grooves that ran in the center of the wall that started to glow as well, and then, without warning, the center section of the slab began to turn into dust. Enough to create a small tidal wave that coated all of them in a thick layer of dust, but they were otherwise unharmed when the shaking and the glowing stopped simultaneously. "Is everyone alright!?"

"Yeah!"

"We're fine!"

"Ugh! I'm going to need a bath after this!"

"Oooh...my poor kimono..."

"Alright, gather up," Alex ordered as he carefully stepped forward and looked down the newly made entrance that led to another tunnel with his ball of light guiding the way. 'We have to be getting close...'

Once everyone recovered from the tidal wave of rock and dust, they huddled together again and continued. However, it didn't take long for them to find something that would change everything they knew about this world. The walls were covered in colorful murals depicting people of historical significance.

"Wow, look at these," Linze said breathlessly as she adjusted the light to see the murals better.

The first four murals each depicted what appeared to be a young man. Each was clad in a different color of armor and a different weapon; the first of the four was a plain-looking young man with dark hair and a primarily green and brown outfit. He was armed with a small kite shield with a green orb in the center. The second was a tall blond man with long hair clad in red-white armor carrying a spear with a red orb where the spearhead connected with the shaft. The third depicted a younger man with dark blue hair and matching armor; he carried a sword with a dark blue orb embedded into its cross guard. The fourth showed a young boy with short blond hair, clad in yellow and white and armed with a long bow featuring a yellow gem in its handguard.

"The Shield Hero, The Spear Hero, The Sword, and The Bow Hero," Linze suddenly spoke up as she could read what they suspected was the title of the murals at the bottom. "It's written in Old Imperial...the language that predated Refree and Belfastian Common."

"Interesting that whoever made this wrote it in a more common language, but the wall from before this was written in something else entirely," Alex couldn't help but question as he looked back from the hall they came from. Pulling out his phone again, Alex was determined not to leave any stones unturned and took pictures of each mural.

"There are more here!" Elze exclaimed as she pointed out more images further down the hall. Alex continued with Linze, Yae, and Shera, not wasting time seeing what the elder twin was pointing at. Like she had said, there were more murals, but unlike the four that seemed to match each other, these seemed more unique.

"Look at this one!" Elze exclaimed, pointing at the closest ones to them.

The first in the new set of murals depicted a young man with messy black hair and purple eyes. With no visible weapon, he was clad in a dark cloak that seemed to cover most of his body except for the lower part of his legs. However, behind him appeared to be a massive army with several banners with animal and elemental symbols.

"The Master Einherjar," Linze read out as Alex took another picture.

'The fuck is an Einherjar?' Alex wondered as he turned his attention to a mural that looked more interesting to him. It depicted a tall man with messy snow-white hair, an eye patch over his right eye, and a blood-red left eye. His left arm appeared to be entirely covered by a dark armored gauntlet. It was clad in an outfit that reminded Alex of a vampire or wannabe edge lord as it was primarily in black with crimson accents. However, what really caught Alex's attention was the weapon that was held in the man's right hand.

'That's gun...that's a fucking revolver!' Alex quickly realized as he recognized the familiar shape of a weapon that should be utterly foreign to this world. 'HOW?! First a smartphone, and now a fucking gun?! What the fuck is going on?!'

"The Master Synergist," Linze continued with her translation.

"Whoa, look at this one...it's pretty scary," Yae commented with a wary voice.

Almost everyone turned to see a rather terrifying image of a prominent skeletal figure clad in dark robes. Alex felt a chill down his spine. He looked at the evil-looking creature with blood-red pupils within those empty sockets. He was sure this would be what several adventurer games would call a lich or undead sorcerer, judging by the sizeable golden staff adorned with priceless gems.

"The Last Master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick," Linze read the title for this one with great interest. "I've never heard of Nazarick before..."

'I know that title...' Alex realized as he took another picture with beads of sweat coming down his brow. 'In my dream...are these guys...the same ones from the tombstones?'

Before Alex could ponder further, a sudden question quickly turned his attention.

"Mia...are you okay?" Alex turned to see all the girls surrounding the disguised elf, who seemed utterly entranced by the eighth mural in this hall. After a moment or two with no response, Elze stepped forward to give the elven lass a gentle shake, finally getting her attention.

"Huh? What?" Shera said with a few confused blinks. "Oh...I'm sorry..."

"Is something wrong, Mia?" Elze questioned as everyone drew close.

"No..." Shera responded softly as she turned to look back at the mural. "It's just that this picture somehow feels...familiar to me."

Alex looked at the final mural. Another tall man with snow-white hair and red eyes, but this one had short dark horns on the top of his head. His outfit seemed to be the most flamboyant of the murals as if he was the avatar of some shut-in MMO player who liked to play the villain. Like the lich, this one also wielded a staff, albeit much smaller, with one large ruby at the tip.

"The Demon Lord,"Linze read aloud after a moment or two.

"Wouldn't that title fit the skeleton guy better?" Elze suddenly asked with a confused expression.

"Who really knows?" Yae followed with a hand to her chin. "Those who made these are long gone, as is their intent for what these murals mean."

"Well, the previous murals referred to the subjects as Heroes," Alex observed as he looked at each picture on his phone again. "These ones seemed more focused on what they were..."

"So maybe he was a demon lord?" Linze pondered with a nervous glance back at the image.

"He was a good person," Shera suddenly spoke up, making everyone look at her surprised. "The echoes of the spirits that once roamed these halls are much stronger here. Everything about their feelings tells me that these were good people...but...there is something else..."

Shera suddenly looked a little more crestfallen.

"Something terrible happened to them..."

"So...are these murals more like memorials instead?" Elze questioned, looking a little more sad.

"Again, it's possible," Linze followed up. "But there is nothing written here except the titles."

"Regardless, we still have a little more to go," said Alex as he pointed further down the tunnel. With every step Alex took, he became more anxious...he needed to grab that smartphone and investigate it. There wasn't any more doubt in his mind after seeing all those murals; he was meant to be here at some point. Those pulses were meant for him to discover, to lead him to this place and discover the hidden phone.

"Look, there are more murals!" Linze exclaimed as they came across two more images; these two rested on the opposite ends of the walls. Alex was ready to dismiss these murals and continue forward...until he heard the words that would change everything. "This is called The Interloper, and This is The Lost Hero."

Alex froze in place and instantly about-faced to see what they were all looking at. The girls were split between the two murals across each other. The one on Alex's left was wearing black, while the one on Alex's right was wearing white. However, it was the former that caused the boy's blood to almost freeze as he realized that he was the subject. The mural was of him in what appeared to be the combat version of his hero costume, primarily black with gray accents. His holstered guns and...his smartphone prominently featured in his left hand were visible. What was even more damning was the eyes... whoever made this...knew about his glowing blue eyes...a feature he no longer had...however, the only saving grace was like his original costume, the mural wore a mask and cowboy hat that hid the rest of his facial features.

"Both of these murals have devices like the one Alex has," Shera observed with a curious glance at the lone boy. And she wasn't the only one; everyone looked at him with renewed curiosity but seemingly refrained from speaking up since he said he would explain himself later. Alex, however, turned his attention to the final mural.

It was a young man, shorter than him, if the murals were anything to go by. He was plain in appearance, with navy blue hair, eyes, and an outfit accompanied by a large, gaudy white cloak with a fit trim around the neck. Like the opposite mural, this individual also had a revolver holstered on his hip with a smartphone in his right hand.

'If these murals both feature smartphones and that one is mine...then that means his smartphone might be the one that's here!' Alex realized as he quickly turned back around and moved forward. He needed answers; the sooner, the better.

"Alex, wait up!" Linze called out to him as the girls quickly followed him, each asking their own question to him, but they were left unanswered as Alex simply sped and walked forward. None of them knew of the countless questions running through the boy's head that distracted him from their inquiries.

'There it is!' Alex figured as he came upon the statue of a seated monarch with the smartphone at its feet. As he slowed down and reached its base, the young man couldn't help but ponder as he knelt down to pick up the phone. 'Is...this the king I was supposed to find? Will I find the answers to the questions I've been seeking?'

"Alex! Come on! Why did you..." Elze had yelled out as the girls finally caught up to him but stopped when they saw him kneeling. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." said Alex with a long sigh as he carefully slid the new phone into one of the extra pockets inside the jacket without them noticing. He couldn't afford anyone in the Guild or the Royal family to get their hands on this, even if it was the source of these strange magical pulses. "I think this statue might be the source of the phenomenon."

"Here, let me take a closer look," said Linze as she stepped forward to investigate. Alex stepped aside, but before the younger Silhoueska twin could do anything, a sudden ear-splitting sound echoed from Alex's pocket, making everyone cover their ears as the ground began to shake again.

'The emergency broadcasting system?!' Alex recognized the similar sound coming from his phone. 'IT FUCKING WORKS HERE?!'

Alex pulled out his phone and saw that the screen was flashing black and red with words that instantly made him feel a sense of dread.

INVASION

INVASION

YOUR WORLD IS BEING INVADED BY THE INTERLOPER TOUYA MOCHIZUKI


Author's Commentary

We are back to using elements from Dark Souls! I mentioned that I would not use the Pharse as this storyline's antagonistic force.

Instead, I have something else entirely to serve as my antagonist, and I'm pretty sure I have laid the groundwork to show you everything I have in store.

Funny enough, regarding the invasion, I wondered how to implement the trademark warning from the Soulsbrone series. The idea to use the emergency broadcasting system came when I was in the middle of my shift at work. I had been listening to a podcast that mentioned that false alarm nuclear strike in Hawaii back in 2018 that used the emergency broadcasing system. And just like that, I had my answer.

The next chapter will basically be the conclusion to the next arc of the story, so it might be a little longer than the last few chapters. (Though this chapter is nearly 9K words.)

That's all for now and my final update for this year. Again, happy holidays and New Year!

Until next time!

-ZX