A twip rang.

Maria’s eyes jumped around, raising her blade to her head and blocking an arrow head from impaling her skull.

“We’re getting closer to her,” She said, checking the map and the blinking red dot.

A sharp cry rang within the air. They looked ahead to see a blazing arrow fly towards them, not even in a bid to hide itself as itself as it tore through trees, slicing them down, and piercing in their direction.

“!” Maria reached out her hand.

“!” The boy threw a weapon before them, spinning it as it left his hands.

Light boomed and a circular shield of water stood behind it.

The arrow head cracked against the barrier, taking moments to shatter it before slamming into the waves of water as it exploded.

-Boom-

‘Now,’ They both thought.

Rain caught his weapon, unsheathed the one at his back and charged against an iron shield as he slashed.

“!”

Two beams of azure crossed, knocking back the adventure as he crashed into a tree.

Maria hopped into the air, following an archer that had just jumped with wings of light sprouting from the figure’s back.

“Foolish,” The archer smirked, aiming her bow towards the girl as she floated up.

“Don't be so sure.”

A mana blade appeared below Maria’s feet and she jumped again.

“What the-”

A row of white blades extended below her two feet and her right leg paced back.

A gentle wind blew her peach-blonde hair, showing fiery red eyes and a grinning smile.

The archer hurried to attack, but. . .

“!”

. . .Maria was faster.

Her weapon burned through the air and sliced the bow in two before imbedding itself into the girl’s shoulder.

There was a scream as the archer plummeted down, slamming into the earth.

“Now, hand it over,” She landed on the floor, staring down at the woman.

Tears stained the corners of the female’s eyes. The pain and seeping blood coming from her wound was nothing, it would be healed as soon as she returned to the real world. However, the thought of waiting 2 more years for the Hunt, for the chance to become an adventurer. . .was daunting.

She turned to look at the corner of her eyes, hoping to see her partner still up and about, only to see a boy over his unconscious body, turning his wrist around.

“Alright,” She unwillingly sighed and tore the marker from her wrist.

“Here.”

Maria grasped the item, watching as the female disappeared in light.

She placed the marker next to her and waited until it dulled.

Her screen flashed ‘⅗’.

“Oh,” She said, turning.

“This one had already absorbed one within hers. Alright, you can have the next one as well.”

Rain nodded, his screen blinked a ‘⅕’ as he placed the marker of the man against his, absorbing the mana before tossing the now dulled object.

“Where to?” He asked.

Their bodies were covered with dirt and grim, and their clothing was riddled with holes and stains of blood. They both had the inkling to finish the test as fast as possible. There was just shy of 200 people remaining and, currently, the black dot was located at the barren lands above the forest while Maria was rethinking her initial plans.

‘The Mist. . .’ A voice echoed in her head.

She was dragged into a white void.

A blade gently floated there with the hazy image of a girl in white armor glaring through silver eyes.

‘What? The Mist? Why?’ Maria asked, a little bit more than eager. This was only the second time the person or thing had directly spoken to her.

However, the hazy figure merely stared, leaving her questions drifting amidst the air.

Maria couldn’t help but frown, leaving the mental space of her own volition.

She looked to Rain, who blinked in return.

“The mist.” She said, checking the map.

“What? Why?”

“. . .just a feeling.” She muttered.

The forest took on an unwelcoming aura as they approached that part of the map. It was as if it were screaming at them to back away. However, as they had been relatively close to it, it wasn’t long before they approached the fog.

“The heck. . .” Rain found himself muttering. The entirety of the fog was fluttering in butterflies of the same color and the pressure within the air seemed daunting.

That’s when he realized, the giant mass of smog before them was mana. Pure, undulating mana, and within, he could see the crackling of crimson lightning as thunder roared; sparking between moments.

“I don’t think we should enter. . .” The boy began to speak.

Yet, Maria had already moved.

It was as if something called upon her as she took a step.

The black mass parted before her, and she took another, entering deeper into the place.

Rain stared with gritted teeth. He wanted to enter. No. His mind screamed for him to stop as his mystifying eyes glanced at the butterflies fluttering around the advancing girl. He definitely had no willingness to enter.

After walking for what seemed like a minute, Maria found herself within a garden.

Although the fog surrounded the area, the place appeared untouched and bright. Flowers littered every fiber of the grassy lands here and, in the middle, there were two pure-white grave stones surrounded by vines.

Maria walked closer to them.

‘Father. . .Mother. . .’ Were the words etched.

It was as if the person that wrote it didn't want anyone to know the names of the individuals. That, or it had been so personal, this space so safe, that it only mattered that they knew.

‘Father. . . .Mother. . .’ She found her eyes becoming wet.

A click resounded in her head.

Maria stood amidst a purgatory of bloodshed. The brown floor had been long stained by the crimson liquid.

The buildings of wood had already been crushed to smithereens on both sides of the street and she heard the screams of agony ringing in her ears.

Maria looked in front and her eyes immediately widened in horror.

She saw the beast, the dragon of hideous black. It's desolate eyes staring at her as the blood leaked from its opened mouth.

Maria looked down towards its jaws as she began to back away in fear.

Two dead bodies were currently being crunched within its teeth. The two people that sacrificed their lives to push her away from its path.

Those were her...

Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked at the graves. Recognizing that no bodies laid within. This place was only a memorial.

She found herself bowing.

“Thank you.”

She heard a crack. Her mind was dragged into that white void again and she couldn’t help but see one of the chains, which had held the floating weapon, had brittle lines running across its form.

Then there was the hazy figure behind the sword. . .

‘You’re me. . .aren’t you?’ Maria asked.

. . .there were tears in those silver eyes.

‘I understand.’

Maria said as she left the space.

She bowed once more toward the ceremonious graves, before leaving the same why she had come.

“You’re crying. . .”

“Hey, Rain?” She asked.

“Yes?”

“This space, you said there existed more than one of it?”

“Well. . .yes. The Kingdom of Albion has 2 of Merlin’s Worlds, including this one, and 2 of the other kingdoms each have 1. Making a total of 4 of such realms, if you don’t include Merlin’s Tomb.”

“Interesting,” Maria thought aloud.

She had realized she once lived a life far from this one. A life which had been locked outside of her reach, and the only clues she had left, were these so called Merlin’s Worlds.

“I’m going to need to enter every single one of them.”

“What?”

“I need to enter all of Merlin’s Worlds.”

“?”