Kashi watched his companions sleep through the torrential downpour. He could not help but smile at their peaceful faces, especially considering how twisted their expressions had been moments ago.

To dodge the rain, they had descended to the top floor. But even then, the windows were really only gaps in the wall, so the rain got in regardless. To combat this, Kira and Hektor took up positions just to the side of a window. Hektor in his shining armor sat against the wall, head rested against the handle of his war ax, while Kira, darker than night, lay on the other side of the window, head turned away from the rain.

Kashi found it intriguing how they seemed to be divided by the rain coming in through the window. He was suddenly beset with a huge desire to draw, so he took out his sketchpad. Using only a charcoal pencil, he drew out the scene in front of him. his hands moving much faster and delicately than humanly possible.

Rather than a sketch, it turned out to be a black and white picture. Unknowingly, Kashi added every bit of detail he could, capturing both subjects perfectly. He also noticed just how much emphasis he had put on the incoming rain. It seemed alive like it had a will of its own. The shadows beneath the raindrops encroached on both parties, seemingly pushing them apart.

The daeben was not so sure why he interpreted the scene that way, but he found it interesting nonetheless. He looked up to see Hektor fall to the side, but he jerked back when hit by the raindrops. Even Kira, who turned her head during her sleep, was repelled by the rain.

Kashi found the unfolding events so impressive, he put them all to paper, drawing each reaction with frenzied enthusiasm. His hands got even darker from constant shading and manual cleaning as he finished page after page.

"When it rains, it pours," Kashi remarked after close to two hours of constant heavy rainfall. Well, it made sense as the rainy season was upon them.

Having drawn every reaction he could possibly think of, Kashi closed his eyes to rest.

However, as if mocking him, the weather chose that very moment to calm and allow ed the sun to sneak a peek through the clouds. The daeben was roused awake by a new wave of inspiration. He watched, fascinated as a little ray of sunlight broke through the midst of the rain pouring through the window. It cut right through the middle, then slowly began to expand drowning out the shadows.

Kashi's fingers moved before his mind did. He took out a set of colored pencils and started drawing the scene unfolding in front of him. The new pictures captured the moments the shadows were overtaken by light, to the rain ceasing, and finally, Hektor falling to the side, so his face was directly opposite Kira's.

Congratulations

You have created your first storyboard. Paintings can capture more than a single moment. When used right, they can immortalize moments in history and time.

Reach Intermediate Painting Mastery Lv.5 to Unlock Story Painting

Name Your StoryBoard ?

The daeben was not sure if it was because of Hektor's curled frame, but something about the scene reminded him of the Yin-Yang symbol. Even the sunlight that had broken through was not sufficiently bright as some of it was still hidden behind gradually dissipating clouds.

"The moment when light meets darkness, huh. The boiling point between justice and vengeance, the blurred line between good and evil. Okay, I like it." Kashi inputted the name and smiled.

Masterpiece: Twilight Wolf registered as your first storyboard .

Whoever views this creation will feel their spirits lifted as they transition from dark to light OR feel their souls darken as they transition from light to dark OR receive immunity to both elements.

Artistic Value: 250

Effects: Allows one to switch affinity from light to dark or vice-versa once a week. (Lasts for Three Hours)

It can also grant a 30% immunity to both elements but will lose affinity to either element for period effect is active.

It can be upgraded to a Story Painting.

Number of Masterpieces Created: 1

Level Up: Intermediate Painting Mastery [4]

Art rises by 50 {+50 Art)

Dexterity rises by 40 {+40 DEX)

Level up: Intermediate Handicraft Skill [7]

Enables you to craft Legendary items.

Increases attack power with melee and long range weapons. (+35% ATK)

Increases attack power with fists. (+40% ATK)

Kashi stared at the prompts in disbelief. Masterpiece? But he had only used a charcoal pencil for most of the pages, and he was positive the colored pages were nowhere as beautiful as paintings he had made with actual watercolor. Not until he flipped through the pages of his sketchpad did he get a glimpse of what the system found valuable.

On their own, the pictures were not that spectacular, but when flipped through in quick succession, their real value shone through. This was because the daeben had painstakingly charted the rise of the sun by only coloring the portion where the ray of light penetrated. Thus there was an illusion of a darkened world restored to light, but the shadows just by the window remained, signifying darkness always lurked nearby .

Kashi was dumbstruck by how perfectly the storyboard encapsulated everything he was supposed to achieve. He placed the sketchpad and pencils in his inventory, shaking his head at how impossible it was to accurately predict the way the world worked.

He decided to give his companions a little more time to sleep. In the meantime, he checked his inventory for ingredients. As he thought, most of the meat had gone bad, so he destroyed them before they could contaminate the other ingredients. Luckily, he still had a few left from the beasts Suvron had killed.

Kashi cooked all the meat he had, then made two servings of vegetable soup. Once they were ready, Kira and Hektor were roused from their dreams by the inviting aroma. With an amused smirk, he gave all of the meat to Kira while he and Hektor drank the soup. It was not much, but it was the best he could do with the ingredients on hand. The stat bonuses they received were also quite welcome.

They finished quickly then began their descent down the stairs. The Twilight Wolf sat in Kashi's inventory, its owner oblivious to the significance it would have on his life...

GuildMaster's Office,

Hopeful Maggots' Guild House,

Riven, Rosendun .

27 th Mazem, 1092.

Leila watched the streets below from her window. They were absolutely packed with adventurers and residents squeezing their way to their various destinations. The reason for this was that the only major cities in Rosendun were Kerta and Riven itself. The royal family had started constructions for new towns, but for now, the only places newbies could start were one of the two. There was also the problem of the significant institutions being only in the major cities.

A sharp rap on the door drew Leila’s attention from the window.

"Come in," Leila called.

The door opened, and a brown female cheschire walked in. She carried stacks of documents in her right hand, which brought a frown to the halben’s face. The chesch smiled ruefully at her boss as she placed the reports on the table.

"I'll never catch a break, will I, Marie?" Leila muttered.

"Sorry, it's the busiest period after all. Things should quiet down soon," Marie replied. She bowed and made to leave the room.

"Please wait," Leila interjected. "I don't think I can read through another of those. You already did, didn't you? Can you summarize them for me?"

Marie placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh no, I wouldn't dare. Those were for your eyes only."

Leila fixed her with a knowing stare. She caved.

"Okay. Maybe I had a little peek."

"Mhmm. And what did you see in this peek?"

Marie walked over to the table and lifted the first folder. "The Royal Family’s Treasury says that with our investments, they should be able to expand and put branches in lesser cities and villages. Thanks to the Rinks, the cashless system is more than just a dream, though there will still be a lot of research needed until it can become a reality. Oh, and we're second behind the royal family in shareholder rankings."

Leila nodded. H olding a share in the Treasury presented a steady stream of income, which would increase when they successfully expanded. That was one worry taken care of. She shuddered as she thought of the hours of negotiating that had gone into the deal. If only they had a high-level merchant in the guild, she wouldn't have as many troubles.

"Is there anything else?" Leila asked, deciding not to dwell on could-haves.

"The rest are just reports on renovated forts, buildings and such. They need your seal to formally open them."

"Got it. Thank you."

"No problem. Oh, and Absalon's been waiting for a while. I didn't want to wake you. Seemed like you needed the rest."

Leila sighed heavily. "Alright, let him in." She left the window and then leaned against her desk. With crossed arms, she trained her eyes at the door , and then steeled herself for the upcoming battle.

Marie opened the door and called out to the mage.

Moments later, the battlemage strolled in, confidence oozing from every step. Like always, Absalon was adorned in all red regalia, but his staff was left outside as per orders. He smirked as his eyes focused on Leila. "I can't tell if that is scorn, disinterest, or fear you regard me with .”

"Please excuse us, Marie," Leila suggested to the chesch whose ears were wide open in apt interest.

"Aww," Marie moaned. Her ears drooped as she shuffled out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"Now that we're alone, do you have anything to say to me?" Absalon gloated.

"What about?" The vice- guildmaster asked, brow raised.

Absalon coughed to suppress a chuckle. "Don't pretend you don't know. You were hoping I'd buy it, were you not? But thanks to me, we're just behind the Royal Family’s influence. Surely you owe me an apology at the least."

Leila closed her eyes in thought. The next step was crucial. She had enough arsenal at her disposal to belittle Absalon’s achievements until he learned his place to protect her pride. But she knew from experience that those who are put in their place through such methods only grew resentment.

2 Years Ago…

"What's so important about your pride, anyway?" Suzuki asked. He lay on the dojo floor, eyes closed.

A yumi stood by the entrance, where she watched the students in the soccer field. Her brows were drawn together in an obstinate frown. "You wouldn't understand. Being a member of the illustrious Adachi household, I must uphold myself in a-"

"Yada Yada, thousand-year-old history, noble visage, princesses, bleh! I've heard you spew that rubbish so many times I could probably recite it in a poetry class." Infuriated, she spun around, but her glare was ignored. "Why don't you abandon that ridiculous pride and focus on self-esteem instead."

"What's the difference?"

Suzuki turned his back to her as he suppressed a yawn. "Don't know. I have neither."

"Then-"

"But you know," He turned around, so his eyes met hers, "One of them will make you lose everything eventually. I hope you realize which it is."

"You-"

"That's enough, *yaawn* I need to sleep. I stayed up all night."

Leila suppressed her natural instinct and looked at the mage standing in front of her. She re ally looked at him for the first time. He was a Summoned like her , with a dedication that rivalled , if not surpasses hers. Truth be told, she was not sure she could produce the same results he did.

"Fine," she conceded. "You have my sincere apologies. I underestimated you."

Absalon frowned, taken aback by her attitude. "Wait, why are you apologizing? What happened to the ice queen who kicked me to the boons before I could even see the restored capital once."

Leila found it funny how she could never escape that monicker. "Ice occasionally melts, you know?"

Absalon waved his hands in surrender and sighed. "This is no fun if you're like this. Tell me, why am I here?"

"We received a new mission."

Absalon's eyes sparkled. "So he's making another move? What is it? What do I have to do?"

"You seem enthused all of a sudden. Since when did you hold Kashi in that regard."

Absalon shrugged. "I've played hundreds of war simulators, MMO's and MOBA's. I've always been good in one-off battles no matter the scale, but I while I win individual battles, I never win wars. Unlike you and Kashi, I don't have that foresight to see three steps ahead on a larger scale."

Leila now understood the reason for his loyalty. Like Kashi had said, Absalon was one of the types who was fiercely loyal to whoever he recognized. Kashi's superior tactics must have impressed the mage so much he now saw the daeben as a mentor. At least now, she was finally sure Absalon would never stab them in the back.

"Listen," Leila said, "what I'm about to tell you is top secret and must be carried out in the utmost secrecy. We don't want the other guilds catching on and disrupting our plans." She relayed the entirety of Kashi's plan, also detailing the benefits the guild would reap from this venture.

Absalon's eyes widened as he listened to her. His jaw dropped when she finished. "Th-that's really ambitious! Can we really do that? Is that even possible?"

"As long as the islands are uninhabited, then yes it is."

"How do you know other guilds haven't planned something similar?"

"It's highly doubtful. And even if they did, our guild's the only one with enough seaworthy ships. No other guild invested in ships since most of Destia can be traveled to by land."

"And we have the ships from the garrison Kashi seized during the capital's liberation, so we don't even have to buy new ones."

"Correct. So, you interested?"

"Interested?!" A toothy grin spread across Absalon’s face. "I'm going mad with anticipation." He remembered something important. "But if we leave the capital, we will still draw attention."

Leila tapped her arm. "The ships are waiting offshore with the excuse they are delivering provisions to Serisis."

Absalon raised a brow and smiled. "That , right there , is what I'm talking about. Three steps ahead already. ” Absalon chuckled and then said, “ My men will split up and embark on different boats from Ranad, Norcha, Lew Creek, and the Capital. It w ill take longer, but this way, we won't draw too much attention. By nightfall, we'll be ready to depart. Will you be coming?"

Leila shook her head. "Someone has to run things from here."

Absalon regarded her with both respect and pity. The greatest joy for RPG gamers was discovering new places never before seen by others. It took someone of great character to turn that down to stay in an office. "Okay, then. I'll be waiting. Once you're free, rush right over. Can't promise there'll be much left, though."

Leila nodded. She watched Absalon leave and sighed heavily. She wanted to go too. She badly wanted to go. She really wanted to go. She sooo wanted to go.

Having allowed herself a moment of weakness, Leila Lightwood collected herself. No point wishing for what cannot be. She returned to her desk to finish up her paperwork, a picture of absolute determination.

Lib Tahos, Merriheim.

East of Meilfour.

27 th Mazem, 1092.

Four figures raced across the wasteland, leaving a trail of dust behind them. At the head of the pack, Lunette checked her map to confirm their position. "Only a few minutes more!" she yelled to her companions.

Syel, Shoko, and Shadow nodded their acknowledgments. They slowed to a trot to make last-minute checks on their equipment. The most embarrassing thing was to encounter a fight and realize you forgot to equip a sword.

Miote , meanwhile, had remained in Meilfour to let Kashi know where they were headed. Their earlier attempts to contact him by rink had ended in failure.

Lunette perked up when she realized they had reached their destination.

Lib Tahos was a deserted mining town. Once a proud source of income for Merriheim, the mines had dried up from overuse during the wars. As the residents evicted the town, the Order migrated in. For what purpose no one knew.

Lunette tied her charge to a post at the entrance and hopped off. Her companions followed suit, then joined her.

"This is as far as the marker shows," Lunette said. "We'll have to find the entrance ourselves." She looked around at the size of the town. It wasn't that large. They should be able to find what they were looking for within the hour. "Let's split up. We'll cover more ground."

Lunette , Shadow, and Shoko went their separate ways while Syel sat on the floor and closed his eyes. He activated mana sense and spread its search radius as far as possible to detect any lingering mana prints.

A distance from him, Lunette searched the houses for any clues. She found some loot chests, but nothing of great import caught her eye. As she continued on her search, she happened upon a temple. Its doors were slightly ajar, and unlike the other houses, there wasn't as much dust on the handle.

Lunette pushed the door open and winced at the sharp creaking sounds that followed. She called out to confirm none of her party was in. When no one answered, she walked in. Her steps were slow as she was drawn to the paintings on the wall and the stained glass windows. Above the altar, a sunflower glass window let in rays of light that danced circled the podium where the priest or priestess would have stood.

Lunette ran her fingers along the wooden benches , lost in wonder. She spotted the largest organ she had ever witnessed and raced towards it. It was wide enough to accompany three players, with its brass pipes aspiring to the heavens. She made to dust the chair but was subtly surprised to see it had recently been wiped. Now that she thought about it, the organ itself was clean- It was the only neat thing in the temple.

Lunette took a seat and then tested the keys . She was pleased to find they were en tirely in tune. This was further proof someone had visited this place not only recently , but regularly. She turned to leave, but the call of music proved far too high. "Just one song," she promised to no one in particular.

Now, Lunette had to pick a song. She played some keys at random as she tried to think up what to sing. She found herself playing minor chords, their melancholy tone, reminding her of all the destruction she'd witnessed. They made her recall Merriheim’s terrible history and the desolate faces of those who'd abandoned hope.

Lunette’s fingers waltzed across the keyboard, playing a sad, mournful tune. Without meaning to, she sang along. Her words held no meaning - in fact, they were more sounds than words, but they were powerful nonetheless. As she sang, the hall seemed to dim around her, leaving only her in the spotlight.

A solitary tear trickled down. It grudgingly curved down her cheeks. It lingered a moment, refusing to fall any further. As she sang further, a second and third teardrop followed. They joined with the first. No longer lonely, the teardrop rolled down to her jawline, where it hesitated one last time.

Eventually, however, d rawing courage from its companions, it let go.

As the teardrop fell, it reflected her beauty, the magnificent organ on which she played, the paintings that seemed to sing along with her, and two men standing beside her with instruments.

The teardrop struck hit a piano key and burst, just as a solitary drum and weeping violin joined the wailing piano. The violin and drum hid in the background, letting the organ take center stage along with its composer.

Though the song was still gut-wrenching ly sad, there was the faintest of uplift when they accompanied her. Like, a light at the end of the tunnel or an oasis in the middle of the desert. It did not mean they were not still in a terrible situation, but that they could at least hope for something better.

Lunette, oblivious to her a ccompaniment, continued her song, completely drowned in the harrowing piece. Her voice was low but always trembled with raw emotions, the organ ever-flowing, which filled its listeners with curiosity as to where it would go next.

Lunette sang her final verse, and the drum ceased as the violin and organ comforted each other for one last bar. They drifted off into nothingness, and she finally let go of the keys.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Lunette turned around to see Shadow, Syel, and Shokō, staring at her in wonder. Two chocolate-skinned men dressed in formal attire stood to the sides of the organ. The violinist wore a pair of round horn-rimmed glasses and had his hair slicked back, while the drummer had a more rascally appearance with his dishevelled green hair.

Lunette was about to ask who they were when...

Congratulations!

You have created your first original piece. Music is a powerful instrument that can save or destroy lives. It can bring hope to the weary, and uplift the weak.

Name Your Song.

Lunette looked from the strange men who had accompanied her , to her companions. The song had started as mourning for destruction, but somewhere along the line, it had become a wish, a prayer for something else... "Family."

Masterpiece: Family registered as your first single.

When a party listens to this piece, they feel appreciation for one another like never before..

Artistic Value: 340

Fame rises by 40 (Will increase each time piece is played to a new audience)

Effects: Party abilities 50% more effective.

All members of Party have their ATK increased by 50% during performance. Increase lasts for five hours after performance at 25%.

Chance to perform Affinity combos increased by 20%

Number of Masterpieces Created: 1

Level Up: Intermediate Performer [4]

Art increases by 50 ( + 5 0 Art)

Music increases by 70 (+70 MUS)

Charm increases by 50 ( +50 Charm )

"Thanks to you, we got some good stat upgrades," violin glasses said. "I must say, I have never heard someone with such a clean pitch and robust voice. Perchance are you an absolute pitch?"

"Um?" Lunette asked.

Violin glasses realized where he'd done wrong and immediately bowed. "My apologies. My name is Ignatius, but my friends call me Iggy. Over there is my brother Diegel, but we call him Diggs or diggy. My last brother isn't here, but his name is Ziegfried-"

"Let me guess," Syel interrupted. "You call him Ziggy. I sensed you both, but not a third ."

"Astute observation," Iggy commended. "Diegel and I were searching for companions to help rescue our brother. And we seemed to have found one."

"Sorry but we're bu-"

"Oh, you can come too," Iggy interrupted. "But it is her we're interested in."

"I would love to help," Lunette said, "but we already have a quest on our hands. We could help you later if you haven't found a party."

"Yo," Diggs called. "We's asking cuz we know why yous here already. Y'all here for da mighty sun ain'tcha?"

They were all taken aback by the heavy accent.

Syel turned to Iggy. "Your brother?"

"Yes," Iggy answered.

"Real brother?"

"Yes."

"Same family and everything?"

"Same mother, father, and grew up in the same neighborhood, yeah."

"Huh," Syel mumbled as he threw up his hands in mock surrender.

"How do you know about the sun quest," Shoko asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

"Direct, like a sniper," Diggs whistled. "Love that."

"Forgive my brother," Iggy apologized. "He means well but lacks in the manners department." He took off his glasses and set them on the organ. "We first came to Merriheim months ago after a brief spell in Rosendun. We traveled in a company of thirty, but only ten of us survived the journey past Suvron's pass. Low on health, two more died in the burning desert. We few that survived made it Meilfour and accepted the quest, hoping to gain some rewards. Our party was slaughtered stupidly, and Ziegfried was captured. He was kept alive because of us all, he was the only one who chose to be a bard."

"Why was his being a bard important?" Lunette asked.

"Because in Merriheim, battles are fought with music, not swords. Without the protection of a bard, you can march into their chamber with an army and escape with only a handful of survivors. Zeigfried used his abilities as a bard to help us escape."

Lunette was confused by all this. "What abilities do bards have?"

"Nuh-uh," Diggs refuted. He leaned back against a bench, twirling his drumsticks in his hand. "Aint gon' be dat easy. You got' agree to help us before we tells you any-thaing." At Shadow's frown, he added, "Hey, fair's fair. Look at it dis way. Y'all get to remove dat annoying ass sun, we get our brother back, and we help y'all defeat the last boss. Oh, right, did we mention there's a whole orchestra of prisoners down there? We knows the place. Even if y'all don't require our a-ssis-tance, y'all get a spanking new choir orchestra to fight da big guy in the last chamber. Spanking deal ain't it?"

Diggs’ words were even faster than his drumsticks, and they had trouble following his words.

"Fine, I accept," Lunette conceded. There was no point dragging this out any longer than needed. "Now, about those abilities?"

"You will not believe how powerful a bard can become," Iggy said as he took out some books from his inventory. "You are familiar with these, I suppose? Just place your hand on them and accept them, and the ability inside becomes yours. Is there any other bard in your party?"

"My brother's job is a bard. His instrument is the guitar."

Iggy took out some other books and handed them to Shadow, who accepted them, eyes still filled with suspicion. He gave the rest to Lunette , who placed them in her inventory.

Lunette stretched her hand out with a warm smile. "I believe introductions are late on our part. My name is Lunette Falsetto; that's my brother, Shadow Falsetto. The elf's called Syel Rifatora and the handsome lady's Shoko."

Iggy took her hand in a firm handshake. "Thanks for your he-"

"Pfft... Hahahahahaha!' Syel bellowed, clutching at his ribs in pained laughter. "Handsome... Oh my God, she called you handsome! HA!"

Shoko hit him in the ribs with the butt of her sword. "That ought to give you a good reason to hold your ribs."

Lunette turned red as she realized her error. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize!" She could not be held entirely at fault for her mistake. Shoko did look like a bi-shoujo prince from the mangas in her outfit, including the way she carried herself.

Shadow watched with a half-smile as his sister begged for forgiveness while Shoko strangled the laughing halben . Even Iggy and Diggs failed to suppress their giggles at the scene unfolding before them. The once silent temple was now filled with the joyous sounds of laughter. "Family... huh."

This incident marked the beginning of one of the most famous and most significant alliances ever...