Author’s Note: Two more chapters until the first Side Story! There will also be a review of the last ten chapters, filled with funny comments on the story by my editor, my reaction to the readers’ replies and plot development, as well as other comical material bound to give you a taste of D.E.O. from the author’s point of view! Stay tuned for more.

----------------------

“Is there an end to this army of nymphs?” Serenia exclaimed, as she slashed at the one in front of her, pausing as it fell.

Giving her almost no time to recover her stance, another nymph lunged at Serenia, its claws extended and ready to strike.

“She is creating more as we speak.” Lux said, suddenly appearing beside Serenia, fending off the nymph in front of her in one fell swoop of his sword.

They once again stood back-to-back, forced into that position by the newly created herd of snow nymphs. Serenia glanced at the character information bar directly in front of her.

[Serene]

Level 32

Class: Rogue

HP: 1, 405 / 2, 730

MP: 280 / 1, 140

Although she had leveled up quite a lot in the short amount of time she had spent with Lux, as a result of the endless mobs and quests they had to go through, the slight boost in stats wasn’t enough to last long in difficult battles. Against enemies like the Snow Woman and her infinite minions, there was little she could do. Her HP was decreasing at a rapid rate, and MP almost depleted.

She turned her gaze to the bar on top of Lux.

[Lux]

Level 10

Class: ???

HP: ???

MP: ???

Great…that doesn’t help at all. She thought as she shielded herself from the next set of attackers.

She had no way to tell how Lux was doing, but he appeared to be unharmed. For now, she had to assume he was fine.

But, it is probably not a good idea to drag this on pointlessly; we need to find a way to get past her defenses…and face her one-on-one.

Serenia was lost in thought for a moment, scrambling for solutions as she sliced at the nymphs. The Yuki-Onna seemed to be getting further and further away from them with each passing second. She had to come up with something fast.

“Hey, Lux,” Serenia shouted, having made up her mind, “how fast do you think you can clear a row of nymphs?”

Lux turned his gaze to her, blocking his aggressor’s claws without paying attention.

“Three seconds.” he replied simply, his face calm and collected.

Serenia smiled.

“Alright then,” she said, as she reassumed her position beside him, “on the count of three, I want you to get ready…”

Lux readjusted his sword into a defensive arrangement.

“…to force your way out.” Serenia concluded, as she leaned down slightly.

“In three, two, one…”

She grabbed Lux by the arm, dragging him along with her.

“RUN FOR IT!!!”

---------------------

In an empty corridor some distance away from Yuki-Onna’s chamber, all was silent until the emergence of several ladies in white robes. They floated down the long path, appearing as if they were looking for something.

“Find them quickly.” one instructed, as they sailed through the air, “Our Mistress is waiting.”

The snow nymphs looked all around them, checking each potential hiding spot for their targets. After searching for a long time, they retreated from sight, moving on to the next location.

The site was quiet once again. For a while, nothing happened. And then…

“Pfwuaa…” a female voice whispered, “I thought we were going to get discovered for sure…”

As she finished speaking, the wall in front of her turned into a transparent, flexible material. She poked her head out into the corridor, checking to see that the path was clear.

“No nymphs in sight.” she said, as she stepped out of the wall, “You can come out now.”

Serenia moved to the side to make way as Lux appeared beside her, leaving their hiding spot behind. She waited until he was a secure distance away from it before facing it once again.

“System,” she said, “illusion skill, [Safe Haven], deactivate.”

The icy wall in front of her shook lightly, and then returned to its original, solid form. As a member of the rogue class, Serenia was skilled in the usage of numerous disguise and illusion spells, as well as a variety of traps and poisons. Running away and hiding from their enemies was easy, but the next part was not so simple. She had to think of a way to lure the Snow Woman to them, without alerting her and forcing her to summon her underlings.

She crossed her arms, deep in thought. Out of the corner of her eye, Lux was leaning against the wall, his sword propped up beside him.

In any case, we should probably heal with some potions first. She decided, as she summoned four bottles of liquids from her inventory.

“Here,” she said, passing two to Lux, “use these to recover some health and mana.”

Lux looked at the potions for a few seconds, before replying.

“I cannot use any items obtained in-game.”

Serenia lowered her hand slightly, the bottles still within his reaching distance.

“…What exactly do you mean?”

“Recovery items, weapons, armor…everything I receive in this world, I cannot use.”

“What about the uniform you are wearing right now, and your sword?”

He shifted away from the wall, picking up his sword.

“Those were from the original world.”

Serenia let her hand fall back to her side. Ah…that’s right. This man is different from the rest of us. It...does seem to make sense with his explanation in the cave.

She returned the potions to her inventory.

Then, she realized something.

“You…went against the Nine-tails, Yuki-Onna, and all the mobs we have faced on the way here, knowing full well that you cannot recover with items when wounded!?”

Lux opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by an angry Serenia.

“I’m not done yet.” she interrupted, continuing on, “Not just that, you managed to convince me of your safety with that Navigation Scroll, all the while withholding from me the fact that you can’t use that either?”

“I-”

“There’s got to be a limit to how careless you can be! No matter how powerful, how fearless, or how confident you are in your skills, putting yourself in that kind of danger all the time is just ridiculous. This is your life we are talking about! If you continue such behavior, one day you will find yourself in a situation with no way out. You can die, more easily than you may believe.”

Serenia’s shoulders shook, clearly upset by the ordeal. She did not intend to, or want to, yell at him, but his death…was something that she did not want to see.

“…”

Lux was lost for words. Unsure of what to do, he walked up to Serenia, placing his hand lightly on her head. He gave it a gentle pat.

“I’m sorry.” he said softly.

Serenia stopped shaking. His hand was surprisingly soothing. It felt…strangely nostalgic.

“Don’t…make me worry like this again…” she whispered, as she moved away from his touch.

She turned her back to him, taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

“As your escort, I refuse to let you fight alone in the next few days.” she said, turning around to face him once again, “I forbid it. No excuses.”

“I understand.” Lux responded, with a nod.

“Good. In that case, let’s proceed with where we left off.”

Serenia thought for a moment, before continuing.

“There is one method that I came up with. I’m not sure if it will work, but it is our best bet.”

Lux observed her patiently, waiting for her to finish speaking.

“But before I tell you that, I need you to do something for me…”

“And that is?”

Serenia gave him a bright smile.

“Your clothes...please take them off.”

--------------------

“Mr. Swordsman, where are you...?” a tall woman wearing a long white robe said, her snowy-white hair trailing behind her as she floated down the vacant halls.

The Yuki-Onna turned her head to the right, catching a glimpse of a figure in a jet-black trench coat.

“Ah…there you are!”

She began to chase after the figure, the distance between them closing swiftly.

The figure in black disappeared around a corner.

“Wait for me, my love!” the Snow Woman said, hot in pursuit.

She ventured around the corner, and stopped. Her target was standing still a short distance ahead.

The Yuki-Onna approached the figure silently, a smile beginning to break out on her face.

“So, you have finally decided to come to me.” she said, reaching out to place a hand on the person’s shoulder, “A wise choice.”

She guided the figure’s shoulder to the side, so that she could see the face.

She gasped. It was not Lux.

Before she could call out for assistance, the figure spoke.

“You may not want to raise your voice.” Serenia said, as the disguise magic faded away and her hair returned to its original color, “It could…hurt you quite a bit.”

As she spoke, a shadow appeared behind the Snow Woman. Positioning his sword close to her neck, Lux held the lady in captivity.

“So, that’s how it is.” Serenia said, with a smile, as the Yuki-Onna glared at her, “Why don’t you listen to our request while we are still asking nicely?”

The lady moved forward slightly, as if wanting to pounce at Serenia. Lux shifted the blade of his sword closer to her neck, forcing her to return to her position.

“The [Frost Comb]…you will give it to us, won’t you?”

-------------------

-The Forest of Memories, Nature’s Cradle-

“Are you sure that we have obtained the right item this time?”

Having completed the mission safely, they were on their way to the next one in line. Slightly afraid that they might have committed the same mistake as they did with the [Lost Artifact], Serenia had to make sure that they were on track.

Lux nodded, showing her the delicate, silver comb.

Item name: Frost Comb

Item rank: Quest Prop

A beautiful comb crafted out of the ice of the Thousand-Year Glacier. A gift from Yuki-Onna’s lover to her.

“Alright, it seems fine this time.” Serenia said, relieved that what they did was not unnecessary like the fight with the Nine-tails, “What is next in the Relay Race?”

Lux pulled up his mission logs.

Relay mission #15: Deliver the [Frost Comb] to the grave in the [Forest of Memories].

Location: One mile west of [Yuki-Onna’s Lair].

Rewards: 1,000 EXP, 500 Eden Seeds, Relay progress 15/50.

Time remaining: 27:00:14

“A delivery mission this time huh…” Serenia said, as they made their way through the forest, “In any case, we should be there soon.”

As they walked, side by side, a swarm of fireflies flew by, lighting up their surroundings like little lamps in the night. As the mini-lights danced in the pitch-black sky, shining even more brightly under the twinkling stars, small, cloud-like objects began to flutter down from above.

Serenia reached out, catching one with the palm of her hand. It was warm and strangely comforting.

A memory from her childhood flashed in her mind. That sunny, summer day. In front of her was a beautiful green field, stretching seamlessly into the distance where it melted with the soft, golden sky. Her family nearby waved at her from beneath the tall, willow tree, its leaves rustling in the gentle wind.

Someone was singing. A sweet and innocent melody, nameless yet weirdly nostalgic. Serenia closed her eyes, immersed in episodes of her past. She wanted to remain in that tranquil, dream-like world forever…but, she had to return to reality.

She opened her eyes. She was in the forest again.

Lifting her hand gently toward the sky, she released the cloud-like object. As it rejoined the others in the air, they began to spiral around Serenia and Lux, floating lightly.

Fragments…of their memories.

Beside her, similar orbs drifted away from Lux. He too, seemed to have returned from the past.

What sort of memories…did he see? Serenia wondered, before turning her attention back to the path in front of her.

They walked in silence for a bit. Then, she spoke up.

“For what reason, did ‘God’ create this new world?” she said, to the whispering trees around them, “What was it that he wanted, that is unable to be achieved in the old world? What…did he want to change?”

Lux stayed silent.

“What are his plans for us and this world…and most importantly, what is our purpose for living? For what reason do we continue to exist?”

As she finished speaking, they stepped into a clearing in the middle of the forest. Her words echoed in the chilling breeze.

They approached the tombstone resting in the center, dimly-illuminated by the light from the fireflies nearby.

“Mikaze, Haru.” Serenia read, “Most beloved son, husband, and loving father of three.”

Lux stepped forward, placing the comb on the small slab of concrete resting beneath the grave. As he stepped back, the swarm of fireflies began to surround the tombstone, swirling in a circle.

They shielded their eyes as the fireflies began to spiral faster and faster, eventually blurring into a single burst of light.

“Visitors…I haven’t had them for a long long time…”

As the glow dulled and the mist cleared, a man dressed in a simple Yukata stood, suspended in the air in front of them.

He smiled, his ghostly appearance not the slightest bit alarming.

“What brings you two young ones to my humble resting place, on this peaceful night?”

“We have come to deliver the [Frost Comb] to you, as requested by the Yuki-Onna.” Lux answered calmly, unfazed by the spirit’s sudden entrance.

The ghost’s eyes softened after hearing his words.

“She..has finally decided to come to see me…” he said, as the comb floated toward him.

He touched the object tenderly, letting it hover between his cupped hands.

“You have been alone, all this time…haven’t you?”

The silvery comb glowed for a fraction of a second, before returning to its normal state. It was almost like a gentle heart beat.

“You don’t have to be lonely anymore.” he said quietly, “From now on, and forever, I will be there by your side.”

A ghastly image of a woman dressed in a pure-white kimono appeared. She looked like a youthful version of the Yuki-Onna. Except…she was human.

“So, let’s go together this time. To where we truly belong. After all these decades, I can finally say it…”

He held his hand out toward the woman, his face radiant with a smile.

“Welcome back, to our home…and to me.”

As the couple’s hands touched, they began to fade into the surrounding mist. The comb drifted down to the grass beneath the tomb, where it let off a single spark of light before turning into grains of white crystal, carried by the morning breeze into the heavens.

The dark, night sky began to disappear, revealing the brilliant, red dawn hidden behind it. As they stood, watching the sun appear in the horizon, Serenia was overwhelmed by a strange, new feeling.

Hope.

“There is no reason for our existence.” Lux said, answering her question from earlier, “Our purpose and our paths in this world are up to us to decide.”

He gazed at the golden sky above them, waiting quietly for the first rays of the sun to peek through the clouds.

“I live to get stronger. To meet strong people. To learn from strongest of all. That was my goal in the old world, and my purpose in this new one.”

There he turned his gaze toward her, his eyes staring deeply into hers.

“You too, must have your own reason to fight.”

As they watched the sun climb slowly in the distance, Serenia moved closer to Lux. The empty feeling within her heart…was slowly being mended.

When the last traces of the sinister night waned, a brand new day began.

-------------------

-Hours ago-

-In the home of [Lincoln]-

In the darkest hour of the silent night, a shadowy figure approached the sleeping-form of [Lincoln], the guild leader of the famed [Night Hawks].

Before the guild leader could respond, the assailant drove a sharp dagger through his chest, covering his mouth with a cloth as he struggled.

After a while, the leader stopped moving, lying lifelessly on his bed. The assailant watched as the man disappeared into the air, leaving behind a small nest of pure-white feathers. The shadowy figure grinned, making his way out of the man’s home silently, out the window and into the night.

------------------

-Present time -

-In the guild headquarters of [Front Lines]-

A messenger burst into Fiorae’s office, his face drained of color.

“I came to bring you important news, honored leader of the [Front Lines].”

Rune looked up from his duties at the sudden announcement.

“The guild leader is away on a solo mission.” he said, “If you wish, I will pass the message on to her once she is back.”

The messenger gave him a nervous look, hesitant to continue. Rune nodded at him, encouraging him to go on.

After a moment of silence, the messenger cleared his throat, and began to speak.

“Last night, at around 2 AM, an unknown assailant had broken into the home of [Lincoln], the leader of the famed, top-level guild of 13, the [Night Hawks]. The defenseless leader was assassinated, in his sleep.”

He paused, letting his words sink in. Rune’s eyes narrowed.

“After a thorough investigation, they have found the culprit this morning.”

“And…what does this have to do with [Front Lines]?” the deputy leader asked.

The messenger gulped, giving him a salute before continuing.

“The assassin was discovered to be one of your members. Negotiations on the Continental Boss joint-mission have broken down.”

There he took a deep breath.

“The [Night Hawks], along with their allies, have officially declared war on [Front Lines].”

Advance to Update 9: In the Tournament…a Rival enters the stage >