Area: Star Land – Aftermath
"Huh? Rose—the sky!" Daran shouted, eyes wide.
Rose had just finished dispatching the second Flashing Serpent, her stance relaxed—until she looked up.
Dark clouds were twisting violently in the exact area she had warned Daran not to go near.
Her eyes sharpened.
Then widened.
Fear—genuine and immediate—flashed across her face.
Without a word, she dashed forward.
"Stay right there and don't follow!" she shouted behind her.
Her legs moved faster than they ever had before. Her breath grew heavy with panic as a single thought echoed through her mind.
Please… please let Tristan be okay.
{}[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}
Elsewhere in the rocky clearing…
The Red-Eyed Beast struck with terrifying precision.
Its claw slashed down—nearly tearing through Tristan's chest. The Instinct Blade flared, activating both Instinct and Instant Attack at once, just barely allowing him to dodge and retaliate.
His strike landed.
But this time… nothing.
The beast didn't even flinch.
Tristan felt a burning pain tear across his left side—just above the hip. Blood surged out, warm and fast.
He grit his teeth hard enough to taste metal, a sharp grunt slipping from his throat.
Still—he fought.
"Twin Rose Slash!"
Twelve mirrors burst to life in a circle around the creature, petals swirling at their frames. Each reflection mirrored a slash—twelve simultaneous strikes crashing toward its body.
They all landed.
And again… nothing.
The beast didn't bleed. Its body didn't even shift.
It turned.
Its glowing red eye narrowed—not at Tristan…
But at the serpent.
The Flashing Serpent hadn't escaped far.
The Red-Eyed Beast lunged—teeth sinking deep into the serpent's neck. Flaming wings tore through its sides, and the creature howled in agony as its life force was ripped away.
Tristan didn't wait.
He turned and ran—limping, dragging his injured side, every breath cutting through his ribs.
Get back to the trees, he thought. Hide—regroup—anything.
The Red-Eyed Beast finished the serpent in seconds.
Then looked up.
And saw him.
It charged again.
Tristan pushed forward, blood dripping behind him. His vision blurred. Each step burned.
Move… keep moving… don't stop.
The beast was right behind him.
Death hung on his shoulder—breathing down his neck.
And then… it all hit him.
The pain.
The fear.
But deeper than that—
The anger.
The grief.
The loneliness.
His mind clouded, overrun by memories he couldn't even fully hold onto.
The rage of not knowing what happened to his father.
The sadness of not remembering his sick mother's touch, her voice, her warmth.
The ache of wanting a family… of needing something real.
But always being left behind.
Tristan never spoke about it.
Because he hated the thought of it.
No one around him really knew what happened to his parents—not even Daran. No one could recall any details. His past was a blank space everyone stepped around.
He lived alone, in a quiet apartment paid for by Daran's mother, who had taken silent pity on him. He threw himself into football—grinding, training, breaking his body to earn scholarships, to build some sort of life for himself.
To survive.
And now…
All of that—every ounce of effort, every hour of pain—felt like it was for nothing.
All taken the moment that strange light pulled him from his world and threw him into this one.
This world that only brought him suffering.
As the Red-Eyed Beast's claws closed around his body, he could feel his ribs bend—screaming under the pressure, ready to break.
His mind went quiet.
Is this it?
The thought of everything ending here, in a world he never asked to be part of, crushed something deep inside him. Not just his bones—his soul.
{}[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}
"Damn it… where did he go?"
Rose darted through the clearing, her eyes scanning the trails of destruction carved by the beast.
Scorched earth.
Splintered trees.
The crushed remains of the serpent.
Her eyes widened.
There—just ahead.
Tristan.
Collapsed on the ground, unconscious, blood staining the bandages already wrapped around his side.
But he was breathing.
She rushed forward, dropping to her knees.
The cuts across his body had been partially sealed—as if someone had intervened just in time.
A deep sigh of relief escaped her chest.
He's alive…
But then she felt it.
Footsteps. Slow. Calm.
Power radiated with every step—an aura that nearly matched the Red-Eyed Glutton in force.
But Rose didn't feel fear.
Not this time.
Instead, her voice came sharp and low.
"So… I asked you to help," she said without turning. "And instead, you sent him and his friend to do it."
She stood.
"You told me to wait."
A woman stepped into the clearing.
Confident. Steady.
"…Yet here you are, Emma."
The woman in the bandaged top and fighter pants reappeared.
Emma.
Her golden hair shimmered under the stormlight, caught in the wind. Her eyes sparked like thunder—sharp, piercing, unblinking.
"Be happy I saved him," she said flatly. "I could've let him die."
Her tone was harsh, edged with frustration. But there was something else beneath it—something unresolved.
Rose stepped closer, her voice quiet, soft as a feather.
"…What happened?"
Emma hesitated. Just for a moment.
"I've been tracking the beast for a while now," she admitted. "It's… trying to evolve."
Rose's eyes narrowed.
"It's hunting constantly, absorbing energy from whatever it can. I don't know what Peridot created, but whatever it is… it's no longer stable."
She looked down at Tristan.
"I didn't intervene sooner because it was too dangerous to face. But when he showed up, I had no choice."
Rose glanced at Tristan's body, her gaze full of concern.
The bandages were soaked through again.
"I need to get him to the clinic," she said quickly. "We'll talk more at the palace, sis."
{}[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}
Dark. Hallowed. Empty.
A space untouched by sound or light, like a mind drowned in silence.
And yet—one glow shimmered in the distance.
A boy's silhouette emerged, adrift in the void. Surrounded by empty memories he couldn't reach. Fragments of a forgotten life, sealed deep in his subconscious.
He looked up.
A screen flickered to life above him.
<~~><~~><~~>
Main Quest Unlocked: Remember Your Past, Tristan Smite
<~~><~~><~~>
He stared at the message.
Then turned to the memories behind him.
He reached out—like a newborn reaching for a mother's warmth—only for it all to be pulled away by a bright, growing light.
{}[]{}[]{}[]{}[]{}
Tristan gasped awake.
"Am I… alive?" he whispered, his voice cracked and raw.
His body lay in bed, drained and pale. He couldn't move. Pain pulsed through every inch of him.
Then… soft fingers wrapped gently around his wrist.
A contradiction.
Because the one who held him was Emma—the same cold, sharp woman who had saved him twice now.
"As I thought," she muttered. "The beast's attacks didn't just injure you. They were suppressing your physical capabilities. If it weren't for those strange gloves, you wouldn't have been able to move at all."
Tristan turned his head, his eyes dimmed with fatigue and shame.
"…Emma, right?" he asked weakly. "Sorry. You've saved me twice now. I—"
Her hand covered his mouth swiftly.
"Shut up."
She removed her hand slowly, her expression stern.
"The only thing more annoying than saving someone is them apologizing for it."
He blinked at her.
Before he could reply, she grabbed him by the arm—and yanked him out of bed.
"Come on, little man. Time to see what you're made of."
{—}{—}{—}{—}
Area: Training Room – Empress's Palace
Rose was stretching Daran's core, helping him loosen up post-combat, when Emma arrived with Tristan in tow.
Before Tristan could speak, Emma raised her voice.
"Rose. Get the serpent out. I want to see how this 'system' of theirs works."
Rose returned shortly, dragging in the remains of the Flashing Serpent.
As it hit the floor, a glowing window appeared before both boys.
<~~><~~><~~>
Quest Completed: Slay the Flashing Serpents
Rewards Gained:
– 75 Gold
– 25 Stat Points
– 1 Healing Potion
<~~><~~><~~>
Another screen followed:
<~~><~~><~~>
Stat Points:
Used to enhance Strength, Agility, and Intelligence
STR – Affects power and equipment compatibility
AGL – Determines speed, reflexes, and flexibility
INT – Governs mental clarity, system command, and magical affinity
<~~><~~><~~>
Tristan scrolled through his interface.
<~~><~~><~~>
Tristan's Stats:
STR: 15 + 20
AGL: 20 + 20
INT: 14 + 20
Stat Points Available: 25
<~~><~~><~~>
<~~><~~><~~>
Daran's Stats:
STR: 15
AGL: 11
INT: 20
Stat Points Available: 25
<~~><~~><~~>
"Stat points?" Tristan muttered.
"So this is what we get from quests…"
He flicked through the crafting menu, looking for something to use. His eyes landed on an armor blueprint.
<~~><~~><~~>
Item: Thunder Extraction (Armor)
Lightning Defense/Offense – Coats the wearer in lightning, useful for both attack and defense
Stat Requirements:
STR: 40
AGL: 60
INT: 39
<~~><~~><~~>
"Damn… Even with stat points, I can't equip this," he muttered.
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Stat points?"
Daran stepped in, explaining.
"We use stat points to boost our physical abilities. But he doesn't have enough to use that armor yet."
The room fell quiet.
Until Rose spoke up.
"…If it's based on your physical capabilities, then what happens if you actually train your body?"
She crossed her arms, thinking aloud.
"If working out improves your stats back home, wouldn't it apply here too?"
It was a solid theory.
But the doubt crept in.
Tristan frowned. "Even if it does… what kind of training could we possibly do? We're just regular humans. That thing out there—" he paused, remembering the Red Eye, "—we can't fight monsters like that."
The silence grew heavy.
Until Emma spoke.
Her tone sharp.
"Shut up with your moping."
The tension in the room shifted instantly.
"If you really want to get stronger… if you want to get home…"
She looked at them both.
"Then you're working under me."
Everyone stared at her.
Even Rose.
"Sister… are you serious?" Rose asked. "You wouldn't even train one of the elemental warriors. Why them?"
Emma didn't answer right away.
She just watched.
Waiting.
Waiting to see if something would spark.
A flicker of fire.
Of purpose.
Of resolve.
Then—Daran stepped forward.
"I'm in."
His voice was steady.
"When I saw my father's coat hanging next to the Black Rose, I knew this place might be connected. I need to figure out the truth."
He turned to Tristan.
"There's a lot we don't know. I don't know what happened to your family. But you told me you'd help last time. And now, I need to ask again."
Daran extended his hand.
"Are you willing to risk everything—to help me figure this out… and find a way home to the people we care about?"
Tristan was silent.
He stared at the hand.
At his friend.
He thought about his father.
His mother.
Everything he almost lost.
Everything he wanted to believe in again.
Finally, he stepped forward—and grabbed Daran's hand.
"Stop with the cringy lines," he muttered with a smirk.
"I said I'd do it the first time. I don't break promises."
He glanced at Emma.
"So let's get to work."