B/N: Ladies and gentlemen, this chapter will be part one of Shun's introduction to the Guilty Gear universe. Most notably, his introduction to one of the universe's most important locations: the Kingdom of Illyria.

Oh, and for anyone who keeps on sending me PMs about wanting to speak to me about making some fanart about this fic, please stop, and just go and make it. You have my full permission to do so.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next installment!

…

Regaining his consciousness, the Andromeda Saint let out a soft groan, his eyes slowly peeling open. His vision nearly adjusted to the lightning of… wherever he was.

"What in the… where am I?" He whispered to himself, sitting up from the bed his unconscious body had been resting on for however long it has been while he was blacked out.

"Huh?" Slightly tilting his head down, he became aware that he was stripped from the Cloth of Andromeda and was now wearing a set of baby blue pajamas.

These pajamas appeared to be the kind that he would see in the hospitals of his country.

As he took in his surroundings, he immediately became aware of a few incredibly odd things.

Feeling some sort of sensation pressing on his right wrist, he turned his right arm, and was immediately baffled when he saw a small blue projection of a circle floating an inch above his wrist. Immediately sitting up and looking around, his eyes grew to the flat rectangular projection that floated in the air above his bed. Regaining his composure and connecting the dots, he figured that the floating circle on his wrist and the square floating around his bed were connected. And based on what he saw on the surface of the screen, the projection was monitoring the steady beating of his heart.

Something about these projections told Shun that his mind wasn't playing some kind of trick to his vision.

The second thing that took him by surprise was that the walls that surrounded him were covered from the top all the way to bottom in the most well-maintained wood panels he had only seen in an expensive house owned by Saori's wealth.

The ceiling hanging over his head was perfectly painted in a layer of beige, which easily contrasted with the darker wooden panels of the walls. The dark brown lamps hanging on either side of his bed illuminated the room in a warm light, as if the sun coming through the single large window at his left wasn't enough to bathe the young Saint of Athena in a comfortable warmth.

The Saint of Andromeda was certainly not expecting to wake up in a room that looked so pleasant for his eyes to admire, while also being soothing for his beating heart.

What was even more strange, is that he woke up feeling absolutely fine. As a matter of fact, he felt more than fine, he felt like he had taken the best tap in ages.

And that was exactly what was beginning to trouble him.

When The Man With The Evil Grin forced him into a state of sleep, he was anticipating waking up into a place that was not as pleasant or as comfortable to sit in. It may have sounded over exaggerated, but Shun thought that he would wake up in a dirty mattress held up by a rusty metal bed frame with his wrists bound by handcuffs. And that the room he would be kept in would have its walls stained by grime, dark mold, and a foul stench hanging in the air.

He lightly shook his head, dispelling any distractions and bringing his focus to more serious matters.

He should have been grateful that he wasn't dropped in some butcher's locker, but it was only natural that he would feel like something wasn't right. Like there was something he may have been overlooking.

Shifting across the bed, Shun let his feet fall over the edge, putting himself in a comfortable seating position. His body hunched over, he rested his elbows on his thighs and began thinking about everything that has happened to him.

There were so many questions running around in his mind, but there was only one he needed to get an answer for: what is The Man With The Evil Grin intending to do with him?

"So for now… be ready for what waits ahead." The memories of the Andromeda Saint replayed what he said before his entire world turned black.

"For what waits ahead… What did he mean when he said that to me? Is there some kind of large and malignant force that will soon arrive?" Unfortunately, all he could was give a speculation relying on his experience as a Saint, and trust his intuition. For all he knew, the masked criminal had fled somewhere far from here, hiding and developing some kind of malicious plan.

Shun sighed, closing his eyes as he did so. "And here I thought I would be dealing with standard criminals."

He was so deep in his thoughts that he did not notice the door of the room opening, promptly turning his head back when he heard a surprised 'oh' from an older woman.

"I wasn't expecting you to be awake so soon, young man!" The nurse exclaimed, her aged wrinkles shifting from surprise to genuine relief almost immediately.

The Saint of Andromeda was quick to notice how fluent she spoke the English language. He knew that he had to speak with an equal amount of fluency if he wanted to get a clear picture of what was going on. He felt immensely grateful that he had done his best to become bilingual throughout his travels as a Saint.

"Um, hello miss, my name is Shun, it's nice to meet you." The accent of the Andromeda Saint switched, his habit of showing absolute politeness to an older figure pushing through his uncertainty as he stood up and greeted her with a polite bow.

He could see that the nurse was somewhat taken back by his kind and polite introduction. Even then, he was relieved to know that he made a good impression on the older woman, evident by how her face lit up with a smile.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you, Shun." She returned his politeness in kind, sending a gentle wave in his way. "How are you feeling?" She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

He replied with a quick nod, standing up from the bed. "I'm feeling just fine, miss. Although, if it isn't too much trouble, I want to know what happened to me before I got here."

"You… don't know what happened to you?" He could see that the nurse was confused, raising one of her brows at him.

Shun scratched the back of his head, ruffling his mane of hair. "Well… my memory is a bit fuzzy at the moment, so I can't really recall what was going on before I blacked out."

Glancing back at the nurse, he noticed that she was still giving him a raised eyebrow, but it only lasted for a second before her expression softened, seemingly accepting the answer of the Andromeda Saint.

"I suppose you're right. Is there anything you would like to eat, Shun?"

With his stomach coming close to growling, he already knew what his heart desired. "Um, if it isn't too much, can I have some chocolate chip pancakes?"

…

Meanwhile…

In one of the private offices within the castle of Illyria, Ky Kiske was currently occupied with the usual paperwork. The only sounds present were the tip of his pen gliding across the blanks of the papers, and the occasional slow sip of his tea.

He halted his pen when he heard his magicomm ringing beside his left ear.

Putting his pen down, he pressed a finger on the magical projections. "Hello, this is Ky Kiske, how can I be of service?"

"Lord Kiske, this is Doctor Elizabeth speaking." The calm and professional tone of an older woman greeted him.

Ky let one of his eyebrows shift. "Dr.Elizabeth? I wasn't expecting you to call me so early. Is there something going on?"

"I'm just calling to inform you that the young man your wife found has just awoken from his sleep, Lord Kiske."

The news made his lips part open in surprise, but he could feel a weight he wasn't aware of falling off his shoulders. "So he is alright?"

"Yes, he is in perfect health, Lord Kiske." That made Ky's heart swell in further relief. "As we are speaking, he is currently eating a breakfast one of the nurses prepared for him."

"That's good to know, Dr.Elizabeth. I'll call one of my assistants to take care of my work, and my wife and I will shortly arrive there."

"That is a sound plan. I'll be waiting for your arrival. Take care, Lord Kiske." The call ended after that.

Letting himself sit in the tranquil silence of his office, Ky let out a breath he did not know he was holding in, a soft smile gracing his youthful face.

"Thank goodness the boy is alright." Was the grateful thought of the 1st King. "I'll have to tell Dizzy about this first before we visit him. She has to know about the good news "

…

Meanwhile…

"So, how is the food, Shun? Is it up to your liking?" The nurse asked, patiently waiting by the left side of his bed.

Swallowing the chunk of chocolate chip pancakes with a sip from his glass of cold milk, the emerald-haired Saint answered. "It tastes great, miss. Thank you." He ended by sending her a grateful smile.

"It is my pleasure, Shun." She replied with an appreciative smile of her own. "Just tell me when you need anything else, I'll be making my rounds around until then." She said to him as she headed to the door.

The young man nodded, his gentle smile never leaving. "Alright. Take care, miss."

With that, she left the room, leaving Shun to enjoy his breakfast alone.

Taking another bite out of his pancakes, Shun's head went back to the short conversation he had with the nurse just a few minutes earlier.

"Miss, where exactly am I? I haven't been in this hospital before." The Andromeda Saint said to the nurse, grabbing the fork that she provided for him.

"We're in Saint Judas Hospital, the best hospital our nation has to offer. You were very fortunate that Queen Dizzy brought you here after she…" The nurse paused before continuing. "Well, after she found you."

"The Queen found me? So that means that I'm in the United Kingdom?"

His answer earned him a skeptical brow raise from the nurse. "Something like that." She replied after a brief pause. "Are you unfamiliar with the name Illyria?"

The young man shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't. I haven't been catching up on my studies as of late." He joked in a light-hearted tone, trying to alleviate himself from the anxiety bubbling in his stomach.

"Really?" The nurse asked, her eyes carrying a hint of confusion and suspicion to the emerald-haired young man, who replied with a sheepish nod of his head.

"Shun, do you truly not remember what happened to you before the Queen found you?"

Shun stopped the movement of his fork, letting it go and looking away from the nurse. Before he could answer, the nurse spoke to him.

"I'm sorry if my questions are bothering you, Shun." He turned his head back to her, his expression softening into kindness once he saw her head slightly looking down at the ground, most likely ashamed for showing such inconsiderate behavior to the young patient.

"You shouldn't be." He said to her with a kind smile, which easily lightened her mood as she smiled back at him. "It's only natural that you would want to know what happened to me. It's just…" He sighed softly. "It's a very long story. I think it would be best if I explained it to the authorities."

The dutiful nurse nodded in understanding. "If that's how you feel, then I'll go and contact them. You just wait here and enjoy your breakfast, alright?"

"Alright."

A few minutes later, she came back to inform him that the authorities would eventually arrive at the hospital to speak with him. After that, she stayed by his side before her duties called her back to work.

Chewing on another chunk of his breakfast, Shun thought about everything the nurse had told him.

He was brought here after the Queen found him? Shun has always tried his best to see the good in everyone, but from where he stood, that sounded like something that would only happen in a work of fiction. Shun highly doubted that a Queen of a nation would have just randomly found an unconscious teenager while she took a stroll through her home.

If he was being honest with himself, it would have been more believable if the nurse told him a pedestrian found him on the street instead.

Moving past that, another thing that she mentioned was the name Illyria. While the Andromeda Saint wasn't the most knowledgeable about the world's geography, he had a pretty strong feeling that this Illyria she was mentioning is where he and the hospital were currently located.

Although, he remembered how the nurse confirmed that he was in the United Kingdom. But, it seemed as if it was no longer referred to as such. This was confusing to Shun; if his thoughts are proven correct, then what exactly caused the United Kingdom to change its name?

*knock knock*

The Andromeda Saint was broken out of his musings by the knocks at his door.

"You can come in!" He permitted.

The door opened and the kind nurse from earlier walked in. "Shun, are you still eating?"

"I'm just about done, miss. Is something wrong?"

Shun noticed how much her fingers twitched, even though her expression looked calm and kind.

"You see… I have just been informed that King Kiske and his wife will be visiting you."

This sudden announcement came as a great surprise to the Andromeda Saint. "Really? When will they get here?"

"At around ten minutes, at least."

"Why? I hope I'm not sounding too rude when I say this, but don't they have much more important duties to take care of than to talk to someone like me? They are the queen and king after all."

To his relief, and slight curiosity, the nurse was not offended. Instead, she chuckled softly, sending a gentle smile his way. "That is where you're wrong, Shun. To them, checking in on you is an important duty."

Shun's mouth went agape at that statement. But before he could say anything, the nurse excused herself with a courteous bow and left him alone once again, leaving him to mull over what she said about the king and queen.

"Checking in on me is their important duty… do they really see me as something more than a mere stranger?" While it may have sounded difficult to believe, the Saint of Andromeda couldn't stop himself from smiling sincerely at that thought.

He could feel his heart beginning to feel a lot more warm.

"Perhaps I was wrong to judge too early." He chastised, resuming to eat his breakfast.

…

Meanwhile, outside…

Minutes had gone by, and as the hospital staff expected, the 1st King of Illyria and his wife arrived at their doorstep. The hospital administrator, Dr.Elizabeth, waited patiently with a small smile.

"Your Majesties," She greeted with a polite bow, "I am glad you have taken the time of this day to visit the young boy."

"Considering what happened to him, me and my wife needed to see how he was doing, Dr.Elizabeth." Ky said, his beloved nodded along, silently agreeing with his sentiment and concerns for the young man.

"The concern you show over his health is touching, your Majesties. I assure you that he is without any grievous injuries or serious complications."

Dizzy, Ky's wife, put a hand over her heart, relieved to hear that the young man was in perfect health. "That is very relieving to hear, Dr.Elizabeth. You and your team did a great job taking care of him."

The health administrator of the hospital was both elated and touched by the Queen's praise. "Your praise is everything to me, Your Majesty. Shall I lead you to his room?"

"If you would be so kind." Ky gestured to the doors of the hospital.

…

Meanwhile, back with Shun…

*knock knock*

The door to Shun's room was opened, and the nurse peeked her head through the opening.

"Shun, the king and queen have arrived. Is there anything else you require before they speak with you?"

The Andromeda Saint softly shook his head, the vacant dishes of his breakfast sitting near his bed. "No thank you. I'll be fine on my own."

"Are you nervous then?" She asked, expressing a little concern for the private conversation he was soon going to have with King Kiske and Queen Kiske.

"Only a little." The young man admitted with a shy smile. "I'll be talking with the most important figures of your nation, how couldn't I feel a little nervous about that?" The nurse nodded along, remaining silent and listening to what he had to say. "But… from what you've said about them, they sound like some incredibly decent people. And because of that, I don't think I have too much to worry about. Well, besides making a fool of myself in front of them." He joked, prompting both he and the nurse to share a laugh.

"Your feelings are understandable, Shun." She sympathized. "But I assure you that King Kiske and his Queen are the most compassionate and reasonable people you will ever meet. There is very little you should be worried about."

The smile of the emerald haired Saint brightened. "I'll take your word for it, miss."

Both he and the nurse turned back to the door to the sounds of firm taps. The older woman stepped up to the door and opened it, albeit partially as she peeked her head through the opening. Shun heard her whispering some words to the other side before she turned back to look at him.

"Shun, King Kiske and his wife are here. Is it okay if I let them in?"

"Yes, please." He answered with a nod. Nodding back, the nurse opened the door, letting the King and Queen step inside.

Shun was taken back by how young the esteemed rulers looked. When they first walked in, he expected this royal couple to range around the middle-aged. He pictured their faces having noticeable wrinkles, their hair beginning to grow gray, and their skin to look a little more saggy. But to his surprise, they looked as if they weren't a day over twenty-five!

The face of the King could be accurately defined as youthful and handsome. His appealing boyish features were framed by his shaggy yet well-kept golden blonde hair. His eyes were a striking pair of sapphire blue pools that were as steady and calm as the deep blue sea.

Standing right next to him was his wife, a beautifully grown woman who looked as young as her beloved King. Just like her husband, her face was young and beautiful, absent of any flaws. The incomprehensible beauty of her face was only complimented further by her long and gorgeous azure blue hair, which was tied into a thick and fluffy braid that trailed down smoothly down her back and to her waist. Although, the color of her eyes were an exact opposite to her King's: she was born with a dazzling pair of scarlet red pools that should have been frightening to stare into, but instead looked so warm and kind to the Saint of Andromeda.

"Take care of the boy, your Majesties." The voice of the nurse brought Shun back to his senses. "I'll be off taking care of my duties."

"We will." The Queen promised as she nodded to the nurse. "And thank you for keeping an eye on him."

Taking one more deep bow, the nurse exited the room, closing the door and leaving the Andromeda Saint and the most influential members of the royal family in a silent realm of privacy.

The young man took the moment of silence to properly address the royal couple. He had to leave a good impression on them. "Um… Good morning, your Majesties, my name is Shun. It's an honor to meet you." The bow he gave them from his seated position was formal, reminiscent of the Keirei bow his country would commonly use to greet an older figure.

The royal couple gave a kind smile to the emerald-haired young man, which helped ease his nerves and give him a boost of confidence.

"The pleasure is all ours, Shun." The King and Queen took one careful step to his bed. "The nurse may have told you who we are, but let us make a proper introduction. My name is Ky Kiske, the 1st King of Illyria." He turned to his wife, silently asking her to introduce herself to the young man. "And my name is Dizzy, his wife. It is very relieving to see that you are in good health, Shun."

The eyes of the Andromeda Saint grew a little. Even though the nurse has made multiple implications that the King and Queen valued his well-being over their duties, it was still quite surprising to actually hear it for himself.

The young man smiled back at them. "I'm thankful that you two were concerned for my recovery," but in the next second, his smile dropped, "but if it isn't too much to ask, what happened to me?"

Shun felt his mood dampen when the relieved smiles of the royal dropped into a hesitant line. They looked at each other for a moment before the King gave his wife a nod of assurance.

"We may need to sit down for this, Shun." The tone of Ky was serious, and whatever it is that he had to say, Shun had no other choice but to accept it.

Mentally preparing for the serious discussion, he complied with a slow if uncertain nod. "Of course, Your Majesty."

Two chairs were brought next to the bed, the royal couple taking their seats besides Shun. "There is a lot we want to know about you, Shun." Ky began. "If you can, we can start by knowing what you were doing before my wife found you. And if you don't know, or don't feel comfortable telling us, then that is fine. We don't want you to feel like you're under pressure."

"Well, it isn't so much that I'm uncomfortable, Your Majesty." Shun leaned back against the pillows, staring off into the ceiling as he sighed softly. "It's just that… It is a very long story."

"We're not impatient, Shun." Dizzy assured him with a kind smile, one which he deeply appreciated. "Me and my husband can stay here until we hear the end of it. You have our word." She swore to the young man with a hand crossing over her heart, her beloved King nodding in agreement with his own kind smile.

The Andromeda Saint felt a swell of appreciation to the consideration the King and Queen were showing to him. He was nothing but a young man they have never met, and yet, that wasn't enough to regard him as some lowly peasant.

For such highly regarded rulers of a nation, they were expressing more humility and class than most of those who possessed high amounts of wealth.

"You two are far too kind to me. Thank you." And he truly meant that gratitude from the very bottom of his heart.

Ky and Dizzy kept their smiles as they nodded.

Taking a breath, he began speaking. "Okay, so let me start from the beginning. I was born in Tokyo, Japan." That immediately made the eyes of the royal couple widen, their mouths prying open in surprise.

"You… were born in Japan?" The shock that the Queen expressed was not something Shun was expecting to hear.

"Yes, why?" Both the King and Queen of Illyria looked at one another with worrying expressions. All of a sudden, the room started to feel uncomfortable for the Saint of Andromeda to breathe in.

"Your Majesties, did I say something wrong?" He was feeling a lot less confident when the royal couple turned back to speak to him.

"Shun, in what year were you born?" Ky asked, ignoring Shun's growing nervousness.

"1973, the 9th of September. Why do you ask, Your Majesty?"

"Shun…" Dizzy paused, trying to find her words. "I'm afraid to say this, but I think that you're in the wrong time-line!"

…

To the misfortune of the Andromeda Saint, The Man With The Evil Grin did something that not even he, a great Saint of Athena, could have ever anticipated: be sent to an alternate version of Earth.

How will the people of this different Earth handle the news of a young yet powerful warrior appearing on their radar?

Just what kind of people will Shun during his stay in the Kingdom of Illyria?

Will the people of this world welcome him with open arms, or will they perceive him as a threat?

Who knows, but there is no doubt that there will be excitement and drama in the air…