Chapter Text
Edit (10/25/2021): This chapter has been revamped to better fit the continuity of Accel World: The Ashen Wolf
Jin was in the middle of a battle with strange creatures he had never seen before. These monsters resembled lizards, only they were much larger, almost the size of Dromarch. Their scales were a deep green, likely to help them blend in with the environment, and were exceptionally thick. Their teeth and claws were razor-sharp, perfectly capable of rending flesh and armor.
There were about four of them in total, but there could still be more lurking about, waiting for their chance to strike. Jin tightened his grip on his nodachi, steeling himself for battle. He had to break through so he could find his friends, but these lizards were making that very hard to do.
One lizard lunged its fangs at the masked swordsman, wanting to take a chunk out of his right leg, but Jin swiftly evaded it. He then countered with a powerful downward slash at the creature's neck. The lizard screeched in pain as blood poured from the open wound, however the cut was not very deep thanks to its deep hide.
This whole encounter was nothing more than a game of cat and mouse. The lizards made sure to keep the swordsman on his toes and rarely attacked in a consistent manner. Sometimes just one would attack, other times two would attack. There were even instances where one would act as a decoy for the others to get a free hit. Such coordination from cold-blooded beasts was unheard of to the mercenary.
Jin knew he was in trouble as while his wounds were minor thanks to his quick reflexes, eventually the monsters will wear him out enough to go in for the killing blow if nothing changed. There was no other choice. He had to use that power again. It was the only way to ensure his survival.
"At least the others aren't here to see it," he thought to himself as he gathered his resolve. "If I showed them what I can really do, they'll instantly know I'm not what I say I am."
The monsters circled around the swordsman, each of them snarling at their prey. They were anticipating their victory, but Jin was about to give them a rude awakening.
The air suddenly grew cold as a white mist enveloped the immediate area. The lizards movements came to a halt, wary of the sudden chill that wasn't there moments before. That brief pause was just the opening Jin needed to turn this around.
He leapt upward and brought his open left hand close to his face, eyes locked on his targets. He channeled his energy into the air, condensing it, freezing it. As he did so, a silver aura surrounded his body. In a matter of seconds, dozens of icicles appeared before him, their jagged tips all pointed towards the large lizards. Jin swung his hand down, launching the icicles at the beasts at high-speed. The lizards were barely able to even make a sound before they were all impaled by the crystalline spears. By the time the mercenary's feet touched the ground, they were all dead, their vital organs destroyed by his ice.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Jin let out a tired sigh. Are all the creatures in this strange place this strong? He found himself worried even more about the other Origo Mercenaries. He had to find them as soon as possible so they could get out of here. This land was not a kind place at all.
"Gaaah!"
Jin stood at alert. That was a female voice, one that was in pain. He didn't recognize it, but whoever it was, she was in trouble. He sprinted in the direction the scream came from, jumping over multiple gnarled tree roots and puddles of water as he did so. After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached a small clearing where he saw four individuals surrounded by a pack of large wolf-like creatures. The wolves looked just as ferocious as the lizards, only they had brown fur.
The first individual was a young man, likely in his mid-twenties, with messy red hair held up by a black bandana. His outfit consisted of a strange red and blue coat, a black undershirt, a leather chestguard held up with a white cloth, black fingerless gloves, and white pants tucked into black boots. He also had a slight beard on his cheeks and chin. In his hands was a gray katana with a black hilt.
The man was fighting like a crazed berserker, desperately trying to keep the beasts away from the girl behind him. The girl in question looked a lot younger than him, maybe around seventeen at the most. She had beautiful long purple hair that fell to her waist and deep red eyes. She wore obsidian chest armor, a long-sleeved bluebottle violet tunic which showed part of her sides, as well as her shoulders, purple fingerless gloves, a windswept shirt that went a little bit past her thighs and parted on her right leg of the same color, and purple high heeled boots that went all the way up to her knees. In her right hand was a one-handed double-edged purple sword, the blade looking as skinny as Jin's nodachi.
The girl had a nasty bite mark on her left leg, which was bleeding profusely. One of the wolves must have made it. The wound had rendered the girl immobile, lying helplessly in the grass. She was struggling to get back on her feet, wanting to help her protector fight off the beasts.
"Stop moving, girl! You're only making it worse," a familiar voice said frantically.
Jin quickly looked past the redhead swordsman even more to see a familiar Gormotti kneeling beside the injured girl, a twin ring held above the bloody leg and showering it with ether energy. Right behind the Gormotti was a certain armored white tiger wielding another twin ring in his mouth, doing its best to keep the wolves away from the girls.
"Nia! Dromarch!" Jin cried out in worry.
He burst into a run, cutting down any beasts that dared to halt his advance. One wolf had managed to slip past the red swordsman and readied to pounce on the purplette only to be killed by a downward stab from the masked swordsman's nodachi, piercing the small of its back and severing its heart.
Jin wordlessly yanked his sword free, causing the wolf to fall limply on the ground, and turned his back towards the girls, his eyes focused on the other monsters.
"Who the hell are you?!" the red swordsman demanded as he held back another wolf's jaws with his katana.
Nia let out a gasp in relief when she saw the white-haired man before her. "Jin! Thank goodness you're here. We're in serious trouble."
"I can see that," the male mercenary replied as he got into a fighting stance. "You focus on healing your new friend. I'll take care of the other beasts."
"On it. Be careful though. These things are tougher than they look."
Thanks to Jin's sudden arrival, the group was able to fend off the beasts long enough that the wolves decided to retreat to find easier prey. Nia was able to heal the other girl's leg to the point that there wasn't even a mark left over. The Gormotti was truly skilled with Healing Arts, a little too good for a regular Driver. The only female Driver of the Origo Mercenaries was definitely hard to read, even for Jin. She seemed fond of her comrades, yet always kept them at arms-length. Her very presence felt different from other humans.
"Thanks for the help," the redhead spoke up as Nia and Dromarch healed their wounds. The whole group took a seat to rest, but still kept a vigil in case more enemies showed up. "Your name's Jin, right? I'm Klein and this is Yuuki. Do you have any idea where we are?"
"A pleasure to meet you, Klein," the masked swordsman said formally. "And no, I'm afraid I don't know where we are. I don't recognize this place at all. We might be on an undiscovered Titan."
Yuuki cocked her head to one side, her eyes looking confused. "Uh, what do Titans have to do with this?" she asked obliviously. "Aren't they made up or something?"
It was then that Jin and his friends learned that Klein and Yuuki weren't from Alrest but from a world called Earth, which had its own nations and cultures. They also learned that Titans don't exist on Earth and instead the continents were all made of solid rock. They then shared information to try to make sense of their situation.
"I see," the white-haired swordsman mused. "So you two were celebrating your victory on clearing some floor in this New Aincrad with some of your friends when this strange light suddenly appeared and swallowed you both up."
"Yep," Klein replied as he scratched the back of his head. "The next thing we knew, we were here in this swamp. We ran into Nia and Dromarch soon after and then we got attacked by those wolves."
Yuuki gently rubbed the spot on her leg where the bite mark was, as if trying to soothe any phantom pain she might be having. "Those things are strong. Their attack patterns are nothing like the mobs we fight in Alfheim," she said quietly, as if to try calming herself. "I guess there's a big difference between fighting something that has a limited attack algorithm to a living and breathing monster. I got hurt because I was too careless. One slip-up here and you can really lose your life here."
The Absolute Sword had a curious presence around her. It was fierce, different from that of a human, yet had a sense of regality to it. Supposedly this was because she was the reincarnation of some fairy princess from a forgotten age from her world, but Jin wasn't sure if he could believe that. Then again, she and Klein were from another world so maybe it wasn't quite out of the question.
"Don't say things like that," Nia chided. "No one's going to die here. Not if Dromarch and I have anything to say about it. If anyone gets injured, we'll patch you up real quick."
"Indeed," the white tiger added. "My lady and I will do all that we can to keep everyone in fighting shape."
Jin took a quick look around the area. There weren't any signs of the wolves coming back, but that still didn't give him cause to relax. This place is increasingly proving that it was very hostile. They were too exposed out here. Monsters could easily surround them and block any possible escape routes. They'll have no choice but to brave the dangers of the swamp. Not only would the trees provide them with some decent cover, but it was also the only way they can locate the others.
"Hey Jin," Klein spoke up, interrupting the mercenary's thoughts. "Since we're all stuck here with no explanation and have missing teammates, how about we work together? It couldn't hurt, right?"
"That would be the smarter decision. There is strength in numbers after all."
Despite having only just met them, Jin felt that he could trust the Salamander and Imp, something he couldn't say with most of his meetings with strangers. The two humans reminded him a lot of his friends in the Origo Mercenaries. He prayed to the Architect that the others were safe.
A loud howl suddenly filled the air. The wolves must be regrouping for another attack. This clearing was no longer safe. After doing a quick check on everyone's conditions, he recommended that they needed to leave now before the beasts return. No one argued otherwise.
Together they got up and set off to find their missing teammates.
Xander had finished beheading yet another giant lizard with the Aegis Sword. He and the co-leaders of the Alfheim Warriors, Marth and Kirito, all agreed that they should find a way out of this swamp. Not only would it allow them to get their bearings and potentially learn where they were, but it might help them reunite with their friends.
Unfortunately, said task was easier said than done. Not only was the swamp incredibly dark due to the dense tree line blocking the light from above, but everything also looked the same, making it near impossible to navigate. To make matters even worse, monster attacks were rather frequent. The beasts came in a variety of appearances, ranging from lizards, wolves, to even massive snakes and bear-like creatures.
While these constant attacks were rather annoying, they did serve as decent practice for Xander to get a better handle for Mythra's power. She was easily on par with Kos-Mos, though that shouldn't really be much of a surprise since she is the legendary Aegis. Her Foresight definitely came in handy with dealing with these fiends as he has never dealt with monsters this strong before.
Xander turned his gaze towards the Darkness Duo and the Purple Flash, who were fighting a black bear with strange red markings that seemed to glow in the dark. It was easily twice their size, and yet it could hardly touch them. As much as he hated to admit it, the warriors from Aincrad were simply too fast and their teamwork was flawless. They were easily on par with the Origo Mercenaries
One would rush in to deflect a claw attack with a Sword Skill, giving the other the opening to strike while the creature was defenseless with yet another Sword Skill. However, Sword Skills apparently causes their users to become rigid for a few seconds after the attack concluded and they were impossible to cancel mid-activation. The movements were all preregistered so once the skill is activated the trio from Alfheim were committed to performing all the attacks in their entirety, no exceptions. The rigidness obviously left them vulnerable to enemy counterattacks too, however the trio always made sure that one of them would protect them by judging when it was the right time to use a Sword Skill. It was honestly quite impressive.
The bear's breathing was getting ragged, its body completely covered in wounds. It was a miracle the thing was still standing even from all the blood it had lost. It had taken multiple slashes, burned by Kisara's fire, electrocuted by Marth's lightning, and yet it was still determined to keep fighting.
"Good grief," Marth complained as he blocked its claw attack with a barrier of black wind, the wind-defense spell Stormveil. "This thing just won't go down."
Xander could spot some small traces of sweat on the Dark Swordsman's brow. The gray clad Spriggan had been using a lot of his wind and lightning magic to help fight off the monsters, all to protect his sister and partner. Apparently in Alfheim, magic or mana had some kind of bar that the user could tap into to cast spells, whatever that meant. In real life though, such a thing didn't exist which meant that the spells needed something else in order to be unleashed. The player's own energy, or mana as Kisara liked to put it.
Speaking of which, Kisara looked about as drained as her brother. Not only had she been using her fire magic (which looked to be at the level of his sister's Blade) on any beasts that dared to attack her brother and friend, she also designated herself as the group's healer. To be honest, Xander was hesitant to allow the demoness in that role, but she quickly proved to be just as capable as Nia and was a bit more cooperative than her brother. The only one who wasn't as mentally drained was Kirito, and that was because he didn't use magic as he hated practicing the incantations needed to use them. When it came to combat, he preferred relying on his swords, something Xander could understand.
"No kidding," Kirito said in frustration as he and Kisara slashed at the bear's sides while it was distracted. "It's like a freaking tank. It just keeps absorbing our attacks like they're nothing and keeps fighting. I'm just glad it doesn't have a healer otherwise this'll never end."
"Don't jinx us, Kirito," Kisara said warily, holding her rapier in a defensive manner. "The monsters here are like nothing we've ever seen before. I'd rather we not make things worse for us by tempting fate."
Marth suddenly intensified the black gale around him, knocking the bear backwards. While it was off-balance, Kisara blasted it with a stream of violet fire from her left hand, the flames colliding with the beast's chest. The bear groaned in pain as its black fur was burned off. Once the flames parted, Kirito rushed in and activated the Dual Blades Sword Skill, Double Circular. He began with a downward slash with his right sword, cutting into the bear's chest before spinning around and concluding the combo with a horizontal slash with his left sword. The Holy Sword Excalibur cut through the beast's lower chest, likely slicing through several major organs in the process.
At last, the behemoth bear collapsed on the ground, its lifeblood wetting the grass below it. It let out one final, weak cry before finally succumbing to its wounds, never moving again.
As she returned her rapier to its sheath, Kisara looked at the beast in pity. It took the Aegis Driver by surprise since he was taught to believe that demons were heartless monsters who ruined the lives of others for their own amusement. Now, Kisara did have a strange habit of flirting with Mythra and Kos-Mos, but otherwise she seemed like a relatively normal girl.
Xander watched as Marth placed his left hand on his sister's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"You know it had to be done, little sister," the male demon said calmly, but had a hint of sympathy in his tone. "Like SAO, if we die here, then we'll die for real. In this world, it's kill or be killed."
"I know," Kisara muttered softly as her beautiful white hair obscured her face. "It's like you said. Only those who are prepared to be killed are allowed to kill. It doesn't make fighting any easier though."
"And I don't expect it to. Just know that no matter what happens, I'll protect you. As long as I'm around, no one will harm you."
That seemed to do it as the demoness cracked a slight smile towards her brother. "And as your second partner, I won't let anyone harm you either. We're siblings. We need to look after each other."
"Hey!" Kirito cried out. "What am I, chopped liver?! I'm here too after all."
The trio shared a laugh at that, indicating that the Black Swordsman was merely joking around. It was strangely comforting to see this brotherly side of Marth though. While he may not be particularly kind towards strangers or associates (as evident on his dismissive attitude towards Xander and his Blades), it was clear that he truly cared about his sister. He seemed like the type who would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
The three of them then went on ahead, with Xander and the others following close behind.
"Wow," Mythra commented in awe. "Marth and Kisara really defy the common traits of demons you hear about in stories. They genuinely care about each other and Kirito, who is a regular human."
"I concur," Kos-Mos agreed. "It is clear that they all had their fair share of difficult battles if their teamwork is any indication. Also, it would seem that even though they are demons, Kirito seems to harbor no grudge towards the siblings."
Yeah, the Black Swordsman was the only one here who treated the siblings normally. In hindsight though, this made sense as they were friends. Still, Xander did want to hear what Kirito's thoughts were, preferably without the siblings around. He still didn't know if Marth and Kisara could be trusted, but they at least proved that they were useful in a fight.
"Master, there is light coming from the west," the android explained in her usual manner. "I calculate that we are nearly out of this swamp. Once we are past the tree line, we may be able to get a better idea of where we are and the locations of the other Origo Mercenaries."
Mythra let out a groan as she brushed the mud that had been accumulating on her short dress. Actually all of their outfits were somewhat dirty from all the walking and fighting they have done. "Thank the Architect," she said in irritation. "I was beginning to think this swamp just went on forever. I could go for a shower right now. Some food and clean water would be nice too."
"I think we all can say that, Mythra," Azurda spoke up. "We still need to be careful though. There's no telling what else could be lurking here."
"Azurda's right," Xander agreed. "We're not out of danger yet. We need to find a town or something to try and get some information on where we are. This definitely isn't Alrest and from what Marth says, it's not Earth either. We're in completely unknown territory."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Mythra said nonchalantly as she folded her arms. "If we get into any trouble, just let me handle it. I am an Aegis after all."
Surprisingly, Kos-Mos turned her head towards her fellow Light Blade and said, "I am perfectly capable of protecting my master on my own. I do not require your assistance, Mythra."
"What was that?! I dare you to say that again!"
Xander let out a groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He should have expected this would happen eventually. Kos-Mos was always very protective of him, that was the mission she created for herself after all. It was quite crucial back when it was just the two of them, but now they had their friends and even the Aegis herself. The android could loosen up at least a little.
"Knock it off, Kos-Mos," he chided his longtime partner. "I'm Mythra's Driver now, so that means she'll be tagging along with us from now on. You've seen her in action. She's more than capable of pulling her own weight. Besides, it wouldn't it be better if you had another partner you can rely on?"
The android then turned her attention to her Driver. "Your logic is sound, Master, but protecting you is my main objective," she refuted in a coldly calm manner. "I cannot prioritize anything above that."
Mythra suddenly cracked a wicked smirk. "Oh really?" she challenged as she glared knowingly at the blunette. "It sounds to me like you're jealous that Xander has another Blade he can rely on. You worried that I'm going to replace you, Kos-Mos?"
"Your statement is flawed. I cannot feel this jealousy you speak of nor fear that my master will replace me. I have protected him for over eight years and will continue to do so. There is no need for you to worry about my master's safety as long as I am by his side. I will not allow anyone to harm him."
The Aegis simply looked away, her smirk not fading. "Yep, totally jealous," she said simply. "This might be more fun than I thought."
"I am not jealous!" Kos-Mos declared with an unusual burst of emotion.
"Enough!" Xander shouted with authority, getting everyone's attention. "If we're going to escape this place, I'm going to need both of you to help. Can I ask you two to please cooperate with each other?"
The two Blades fell silent and locked eyes with each other. After a few moments of silence, they turned their gazes towards their Driver.
"Fine, I'll rein it in until we get out of here," Mythra said in defeat. "As long as Kos-Mos doesn't slow me down, I'll work with her."
"If those are your orders, Master, then I will obey," Kos-Mos added. "I will…share the responsibility of my mission with the Aegis."
Xander simply groaned in exhaustion. Even though the android was always very protective of him over the long years, he had never seen this side of her, one that was unwilling to cooperate with someone who's strength rivaled her own. He prayed to the Architect that the two Blades can put aside their differences and work together.
They all began marching to the west, towards where Kos-Mos had seen light from out of the tree line. No monsters attacked them again. They must truly be almost out.
Suddenly he heard a loud buzzing sound from behind. Hastily, he drew the Aegis Sword and turned around to see a large bug with pincers flying at him. He quickly readied a Sword Bash only to watch in shock as a purple spear of lightning shot through the air and easily pierced through the bug's armor, killing it instantly. Instinctively, he turned in the direction the spear came from, where he saw Marth calmly standing a few feet from him with a purple magic circle that disappeared over his shoulder.
"Uh, thanks," Xander found himself saying, unable to move from his spot.
"Don't mention it," the Dark Swordsman said dismissively. "Next time don't get so distracted. The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts. You're not exactly useful if you're dead."
"Is that the reason you helped me just now?! Would my death be an 'inconvenience' for you?"
"Logically, yes. If what you said about Drivers and Blades is true, then if you die, then Mythra and Kos-Mos will revert to Core Crystals. Naturally, I could try to resonate with them to add more tools to my arsenal, but I'm not so big into risking my life to resonate with beings I know nothing about. As such, keeping you alive is the better alternative."
The way he gave that explanation so calmly was aggravating to the Aegis Driver. It made Marth seem like he was superior to the young mercenary despite only having three years of combat experience. It would seem that they would never get along.
"You know, you could at least say it in a nicer way," Xander replied in an unamused tone.
"Maybe, but we're not friends, and we're only working together because we have no choice if we want to survive. Also, you don't trust me, so why should I bother showing you any respect?"
"Because you have to earn respect and trust, not demand it!" Xander objected. "If you want me to trust you, a demon, then you have to prove to me that you deserve it."
Marth simply rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. He looked in some random direction, not bothering to look the half-Ardanian in the eye. "I could easily say the same thing to you, Xander Origo. There's a reason I don't trust so willingly, but I bet that you'd just say I made it up just get some sympathy with you humans." There was a lot more venom in his tone in that last sentence, so much so that it caught mercenary off-guard.
Those words actually stung. Despite his bias, Xander could tell that Marth was being honest about it. It was clear that he was so cold and blunt to people for a reason, why he seems so damaged. Perhaps the young mercenary would have ended up this way had he not met Klaus and the others.
"Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you," Marth spoke up as they went to rejoin the others, wanting to change the topic. "Do Drivers normally have only one Blade? Kos-Mos's attitude towards Mythra seems to indicate that she doesn't like you having another Blade."
Xander nodded his head. "Somewhat, yeah, but Kos-Mos has always been protective of me since we've been together since I was a kid. Anyway, while there are plenty of core crystals out there, Drivers usually only stick with one Blade unless they really need the extra support. It's not uncommon for a Driver to have multiple Blades because it gives them more versatility, it's just not something you see nowadays."
"I see. That's a shame. There's nothing wrong with a little variety. It helps make you less predictable. Anyway, I'm sure Kos-Mos will get over it eventually. Once you build a repour with Mythra, she'll have to acknowledge her as another partner."
Okay, that was actually kind of touching. Maybe Marth wasn't so bad after all. "Um, thanks. I hope that's the case. It'll be hard for me to be their Driver if I can't get them to cooperate."
After a few minutes of relatively peaceful walking, the group finally reached the end of the tree line. Once there, they came across a large, beautiful lake. The crystal-clear water was perfectly still, the light of the setting sun filling it with multiple shades of color. Such a marvelous sight rivalled that of the prettiest gemstones.
"Wow," Kirito said with a whistle. "Don't see that every day."
"Indeed," Azurda agreed. "But it would seem that we were in that swamp longer than we thought. It's already evening."
"No kidding," Marth added, arms crossed along his chest. "And how much do you want to bet that the monsters here get a lot more active at night?"
"I would estimate that the creatures in this area become active at night by about seventy percent," Kos-Mos stated matter-of-factly. "It would be wise for us to seek shelter."
Xander had to agree with the android. While he didn't mind camping out, it was simply too risky here. There had to be a town nearby that they could stay in. Hopefully they don't have a different currency here. But they still had to find the rest of the Origo Mercenaries and Alfheim Warriors. There wasn't much time left before it will be dark.
"Xander! Kos-Mos!"
"Marth! Kirito! Kisara!"
The group turned to their left and saw none other than Jin, Nia, Dromarch, Ethan, Poppi, and four people Xander didn't recognize. The first was a purple-haired girl who looked seventeen, a red-haired man in his mid-twenties, an eighteen-year-old girl with long aqua-blue hair and dressed in blue and white with a rapier strapped to her waist, and finally a sixteen-year-old girl with pale blue hair and wearing a green coat with white chest armor, a black choker and fingerless gloves, as well as black short shorts and boots. What was very striking was that she had a long, aqua blue tail and cat-like ears that resembled a Gormotti's, only they opened in the opposite direction. The final girl also had a silver bow strapped to her back with its quiver attached to the back of her waist.
"Nia! Jin! Ethan! Poppi! Dromarch!" Xander called out in relief, waving to his friends.
"So our hunch was right," Marth said slowly before exclaiming, "Yuuki! Klein!"
"Asuna! Sinon!" Kisara cried as she waved towards them, her face filled with relief.
Once the two groups converged, they shared introductions and exchanged information. The other Origo Mercenaries were shocked to learn that Azurda had reverted to a larval stage as a result of the wounds he got from their escape from Torna. However, they were relieved that he was still alive. Now they were only missing one member, and that was Klaus, who was aboard the Galahad when Torna attacked.
As for the Alfheim Warriors, it became quite clear that Marth and Yuuki were in a relationship, as were Kirito and Asuna, due to the affection they displayed upon their reunion. Again, it was a surprise to the male demon genuinely care about someone else, especially a fairy since they supposedly don't get along well with demons. Kisara shared a similar reunion with Sinon, pulling the archer into a tight hug. Could she actually be…?
Pushing that aside for now, while there were other members of the guild still unaccounted for, Kirito revealed that it was only the five of them who were present when that mysterious light appeared. Marth and Kisara may have been at a different location and were still dragged in as well, but the Black Swordsman theorized that the siblings might have been the exception. If the other guildmembers were here, then they would have escaped the swamp as well.
"I'm guessing none of us know where we are," Ethan spoke up.
"Nope," Klein answered as he rested his katana against his shoulders while it was in its scabbard. "We're as clueless as you guys."
"I'm just glad that we're in our game avatars," Sinon added. "Still, I wonder how this is possible."
"If I had to guess, it might be the side effect of whatever brought us all here," Marth speculated. "Regardless, we need to find shelter for the night. Anyone have any ideas?"
"Well we could try to find a town or something," Nia suggested. "There's no way in hell that I am sleeping out here in the wilderness, not with these strange beasts lurking about."
Xander held his chin as he thought about it. He actually had the same idea as the Gormotti but there were no clues on where to look, much less if a town even existed in this world. He quickly voiced his concerns with the rest of the group.
"Well I could try flying up and see if there's any towns nearby," Marth casually offered.
"Wait, you can fly?!" Xander exclaimed in surprise. "Why didn't you do that before?! We could've have gotten out of that swamp in half the time that way."
"Technically all of the Alfheim Warriors can fly, we play as fairies after all," the Dark Swordsman clarified. "As for why we didn't try earlier, it's because we need natural light, be it from the Sun or Moon, in order to fly. While there was some sunlight breaking through the trees, it was way too cluttered to risk flying through. There shouldn't be any problems know that we're out in the open."
Kirito nodded his head in agreement. "Then it's settled. Marth, go and scout ahead. With your mastery over wind and lightning, you're practically at home in the sky."
"Just be careful up there," Yuuki added. "There could be some aerial monsters around that even you would have trouble with."
Marth simply cracked a light smirk. "I'll be fine, Yuuki. If I get attacked by something I can't handle, I'll just fly away. I am one of the fastest fliers in the guild after all."
The other fairies still looked concerned for the Spriggan, Kisara especially. After reassuring them that he'll be alright once more, Marth summoned two pairs of black, translucent insectoid wings on his back. The wings gave off countless sparkles of light. Right in the top center of the wings was a black crest, the symbol of the Spriggans.
Marth then kicked off into the sky and flew as far as he dared, keeping a close vigil for any monsters. He soon halted his ascent and looked down at the land below. Much to his surprise, the whole world was simply chunk of rock floating about in nothingness.
Yeah, it looks like getting back home may be harder than he initially thought. On the bright side, he did manage to spot some towns in the distance, one of which happened to be in good walking distance from the lake the others were at. However, his attention was soon drawn to a strange city surrounded by pale stone walls. Marth couldn't get a good look at it because it was too far away, but for some reason it felt familiar to him.
His heart began to ache, as if it knew something he didn't. It didn't make any sense to the Spriggan. He had no memory of this place, nor that city, yet why does it feel so familiar? Why does he feel sad? It was then that he remembered Shiraki's words when he told the demon prince the truth during the end of Aincrad. Could this be…?
Pushing the thought aside for now, he descended back towards the others.
"There's a town about a few miles to the north," he said the moment his feet touched the ground. "If we hurry, we should be able to get there before dark."
Mythra let out a groan. "Sounds like a pain, but we don't really have any options," the Aegis replied. "Let's get moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover if we want to sleep somewhere with actual walls."
The others voiced their agreement and began making their way to the town that Marth recommended. Hopefully they can not only get some much-needed rest there, but also some answers on how they ended up on this floating island.
Klaus was at the helm of the Galahad, trying desperately to locate his missing teammates. With the direction Azurda was heading in and taking the current season into account, he should have reached Gormott with the other Origo Mercenaries. And yet when he returned to their base in Torigoth, he found it empty, looking the same as when they left it.
"This doesn't make any sense," he said to himself as he furiously kept typing away on a keyboard. "A group of Drivers, Blades, a Titan and the Aegis doesn't just disappear like that. Where are they?"
Suddenly the Galahad's sensors went off. It was detecting an unusual surge of magical energy. Come to think of it, that also happened last night when the Origo Mercenaries were fleeing from Torna. A dark thought suddenly came to the researcher's mind.
He inserted Ultor's core crystal back into the console and began typing furiously. Though not quite as powerful as the original Aegis cores, the silver core crystal still held a connection to that artifact and systems that harnessed its power. By accessing a small part of the artifact's special energies, he might be able to trace the unusual energy surge and not only find out where his team had gone to, but for him to go there and bring them back. They couldn't have ended up in a really bad world, could they?
When the console finished its calculations and locked onto the world in which the Origo Mercenaries were in, Klaus's heart sank. Of all the countless worlds the team could have gotten sucked into, why did it have to be that one?! A world that serves a fragment of a forgotten age that has since separated from the world it originally came from. A land that has gone undisturbed for thousands of years, safely containing a terrible darkness that a brave group of heroes sacrificed much to defeat.
Temporal Island.
To be continued
Well, ain't that a comforting way to end a chapter? I'd hate to know what it could be that scares Klaus so much about that place (spoiler, I already know). All joking aside, if you read the original Temporal Island, you're probably wondering why I didn't include ALL of the Alfheim Warriors and instead only included seven of them. While I do like challenging myself with how many characters I can add (just look at Black Wolf (edit 10/25/2021: actually don't, that story ended up being a huge mess because of it)), I felt it would be best if I kept the cast a bit smaller than in the original arc. Mainly, most of the Alfheim Warriors aren't actually needed for this arc. Only Marth, Kisara, Kirito, Asuna, Klein, Yuuki and Sinon are needed given their future roles within Ashen Wolf. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!