"Hmmm...interesting".

Raevin muttered such a thing while he and Iosi rode in a large central carriage, one decorated with golden ornaments. It was a crimson red for its main color, with black linings in addition to the golden ornaments, and it had a very noble and prostigous appearance.

And right now, Raevin was looking through papers, reports of news and occurances that he had asked for, of irregular behavior and movement.

"What is it?"

"Apparently, in a village about a week or a week and a half from here, a Demon Lord appeared and tried to crush it, and then a Hero appeared with two allies and stopped him, and even forced him to retreat".

Iosi went wide eyed. "Eh? Seriously? How? Thats a Demon Lord, it usually takes an S-Rank Adventurer or two just to hold them off! Wait, could it be...Otherworlders?"

"Yeah. I think so. Supposedly, one witness said one of them used some sort of magic item that absorbed a massive attack he unleashed, and then dished it out back at him. It seems like he had intended to take out that Hero at the start with a massive blow, but something used what was essentially a magic reverse and tossed it right back in his face".

"So they used his own power against him...well, thats why most people dont do all out attacks...although, when its a Demon Lord doing it, it usually succeeds unless the opponent is at least S-Rank".

"Yeah...but, it might also mean us Otherworlders are already being hunted. And we still dont know the sort of assassins being sent against me...we will need to get our own rogue, someone who excels at this sort of thing".

Provided I am right, and our reincarnations are at least somewhat based on who we are, that girl would be a thief...a perfect fit. But, she would probably link up with that boy, the shortest boy, in our class. His unpredictability...I still cant be sure what to expect from him, I dont know him well enough.

"Had I known this would happen, I would have tried to get to know more of my classmates more" Raevin said, as he looked over another report. "Huh. It appears, in a forest halfway between the Imperial Capital and another city, there is a Werewolf issue. Due to the current issues at the capital, no one has yet to go and investigate...but, we will be riding right along the path. We should be careful...hold on".

Iosi looked confused, as Raevin began to focus on the paper.

"It started the exact day I was reincarnated, even around the same time?"

"You dont think..."

"Yeah, I do. An Otherworlder, a Reincarnator...it might be possible they are involved, if not the werewolf themselves. Tell the driver to hurry up! We cant miss the party at the Imperial Capital, but we need to investigate this as well! At the very least, considering what I have learned about werewolves, I want to see what is going on with my own eyes at least".

Iosi nodded, and immediately banged on the window to the driver's seat. "Horse driver, hurry it up! The young master wants to stop by and investigate a nearby area on the way!"

Reacting instantly, the driver began to get the horses to pick up the pace.

"I can sense one...one of my students, your classmates, is definently here" Lutessa mentioned.

Hearing that, the twins nodded as they appeared to be discussing something. Peeked a bit by curiosity, Lutessa decided to inquire.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, originally, we considered ourselves bi-sexual and non-binary...and now, we got reincarnated as a boy and girl Duosi twins. On one hand, with our orientation and mindsets, we think we..well, I might have been the only one able to handle this. But at the same time, we are debating if this was done because of our orientation and sexuality...and if splitting would actually mean anything about that".

"In truth, we both agree that it would not, but Ardet is playing devil's advocate because the situation is honestly so unique, we could probably write a book on it".

"Yeah. So we wanted to run the argument and the counter-argument to see what became of it".

"Ah...I see" Lutessa mentioned. As a teacher, she always advocated tolerance and acceptance, and truly believed in those things. But, as a teacher, she was a bit of an academic, and honestly she was curious about that too.

She never said or, or even really thought about it too much or agreed with it, but she did wonder something.

"So, you would say your personaliy was copied onto the both of you, and not split then?"

"Yes".

"We said this before, but yeah".

"Sorry, the conversation made me want to ask again".

"Well, it is a weird situation" Ardet mentioned.

"Yeah, who expects to be reincarnated as two different people?" Arlit asked.

"Right...well, just dont make too much noise. I can sense my skill reacting, and so I do think this werewolf is probably a classmate, one that needs our help desperately. But, if he has possibly lost his mind, we will need to find a way to get that back...or possibly sedate him".

"True".

"Thats fair".

"I have a magic that can put someone to sleep, but I will need to be close to them and facing them for several moments, so it could get difficult if we dont do it right...well, hopefully we can make sense of the situation and help him".

Even so, while thinking about such a serious thing, the three of them could not help but admire the nature they walked through. The summer light poured through the forest, giving it a spectacular glow in the middle of the day. Although it was only the start of summer, a few leaves had already started to fall, and crumpled beneath their feet as they walked.

The birds sang and sang, even though it was already mid-day it seemed the birds were active and singing all the time in this world.

And yet, the road seemed a bit too peaceful and quiet.

"You two, stay behind me. This is not normal".

"We have close ranged combat abilities, we should take the vanguard".

"As your teacher, I cant let you put yourselves in danger!" she told them, as she came forward.

However, nothing seemed to come out. They held that position, but still, this atmosphere persisted.

And since nothing happened, they decided to keep going towards the village up ahead. Although they still felt something was wrong, it seemed like everything was fine right now.

"Now that I think about it, Werewolves are active at night, not at day".

"Oh yeah, I remember learning about that in the Guild library".

"...you two could have told me that sooner".

And so, just like that, they went towards the village.

By the time they reached the village, it was now sunset. Normally, it would be the time were activity would start to die down, young children heading to bed, and so on.

But in reality, the villagers seemed to be preparing for a hunt. Torches had been raised, bows and spears prepared, and various villagers and adventurers had gathered together.

"It looks like this hunt will be serious..."

"...if he is one of our classmates, we will need to reach him first".

"Yeah. We kind of knew already, but this will be a race against the clock...well, I should have an advantage in the forest".

Lutessa closed her eyes, and accessed her skills and powers. Immediately, she pinpointed some strange movement in the woods.

But among them, there was one thing that appeared to be growling...and it reacted the moment she used her skill.

"Hey, are you here for the hunt here?"

"Yes, we three are here for the hunt. I assume there is no age restriction so long as you have abilities right, or will the fact we are thirteen be an issue?"

"All three of you are thirteen....alright then. So long as you can fight, it should be fine. Just remember its at your own risk, and when you see it, call it out, dont try to take it on yourself. Its already seriously injured several veteran hunters and adventurers. You need to take a look around, or can you go right now?"

"We can leave immediately" she said, looking him right in the eyes.

"Ah, good" she said, as she watched the hunter run off to check with the others.

However, she watched him quite vigilantly.

"Ardet, Arlit, I want to go over one more time...what do we know about Werewolves?"

"A virus created by a former Demon Lord, Demon Lord Gregous. It eventually mutated, and became a sort of genetic trait that will appear within the children of werewolves, and sometimes children at random will develop it.".

"Their power rises as the moon maxes, and they are strongest at night. Incidentally, the stronger they are, the harder it is to control their power".

"...that doesn't make sense then. How has this been going on for a week without him regaining control?"

"It might be shock".

"When we both finally registered that we had died, we cried for hours".

"At least we had each other..."

"Though we are the same person".

"I see...then we should hurry, just to be safe".

Saying that, the trio who were already greared up, went into the forest. Almost immediatley upon that, they heard a howl that sent shivers down their spine, as the cool air felt crisp against their skin. It was as if entering the forest was like entering an entirely new domain.

Even the trees seemed creepier all of a sudden, as they entered the woods.

"There is definently something wrong here" Lutessa said, as a fog seemed to start to pour through the forest. The twins moved to her side, staying nearby.

"These changes..."

",,,they are too sudden".

"Someone is casting magic, creating this situation...I can feel a mind nullification magic as well. To surpress realization of this".

"Yeah, we can tell an abnormal status is affecting us".

"Holy Light, form a shield that will protect us from harmful effects. Radiant Glow".

As Arlit gave an analysis, Ardet cast Holy Magic and helped repel the magic. However, they could see something moving within the woods, darting between the trees as the sun had fully set and the forest had reached its darkest state.

"You two, stay behind me" Lutessa mentioned once more, stepping forward to protect them and face down the werewolf. She raised her bow, and prepared to do what she had to save her students. All of them.

And then, a howl was heard from behind them.

"Hyper Barrier!"

"Intercept Barrier!"

The twins put up two barriers, which deflected the ferocious claws. Lutessa turned around to see a large humanoid wolf creature, with golden-brown fur and red eyes. It growled at them something fierce, with rage and fury.

""Bring down the judgement of law upon this hostile creature. Laws Judgement!""

Suddenly, Ardet and Arlit cast Holy Magic, a Judgement spell. As they cast it, two swords of holy light were created and stabbed through the werewolf, but they dissolved instantly.

"What?"

"But how, didn't it harm people?!"

Lutessa fired an arrow the moment it tried to strike them, but the arrow split into two with a string between it, and tied its arm to the tree. It quickly cut itself free, but not before Lutessa got between it and the twins again.

"No, let us" Ardet mentioned, forming magic gauntlets and boots around his hands and feet.

"Yeah, we have frontline combat ability!" Arlit mentioned, doing the same as her brother.

"No, I wont ever let my students get into danger!"

"We are all the same age now..."

"...and this is not a situation where you can prevent us from being in danger".

The werewolf suddenly charged at them once more.

""Holy Light Wall""

Two barriers of hogh light suddenly emerged, appearing in a way to trap the werewolf.

"Quickly, use your magic to put him to sleep!"

"Spirits, hear my prayers, and remove the afflictions that plague him...Calm Mind!"

Suddenly, a magic spell came out of her hand and tried to enter the werewolf, but it suddenly went berserk. It broke through the barriers, and went to claw at them.

"Its nice to see you again, Dog Loving Student who sat in the middle of the class".

Those words forced the werewolf to stop for a moment.

"Its as I thought, you are the real one. I guess for outsiders like us, they were concerned...no, perhaps it was because I was an elf, they began to get nervous, so they set us up to die from the real werewolf...certainly, it seems you lost yourself a little. But that just made it easier to dominate you mentally, didn't it, Fang?"

Calling him by his name in this world, as she confirmed from the Overseer skill.

"My Calm Mind spell has removed the brainwashing you suffered through...so, its about time to wake up" Lutessa said, tossing a blanket into the air at the werewolf. And yet, when it landed, it covered a human boy with wolf ears and a tail who was naked.

"Ardet, Arlit, please get him dressed. I shall deal with the ones who have come to kill us". she said drawing her bow and pointing it at the mist. "Might as well give up. I am not sure why you did such a dangerous thing, but you wont get away with using a child for your schemes".

"To think, my plans were seen through. Lord Darius will be displeased...well, he wont be as so if I bring him all your corpses though".

He said that, as he walked forward. Behind him, a number of villagers with bloodied weapons emerged.

"And I went through such trouble to dominate and manipulate the captured wolf too. I am terribly curious how you managed to free him...and how you noticed the tricks".

"Oh come now, you used him too much at once. It was a terrible plan".

"Well, it was part of the experiment, so it couldn't be helped. Still, seems unlikely".

"The deciding factor was when Judgement had no effect on him".

The man nodded, as his figure came more into view. He was wearing a black coat, black pants, and had a black cane. He was also wearing a plague mask, and not a single bit of his skin showed. He also had black dress boots.

Lutessa watched the others as well. Although they looked like normal villagers, the forest told her that they were far from normal.

"Beware...they steal the skins of others, and take their place. They are a group that knows no mercy..."

"You seem like quite the observant lass...and you saw through my mist in an instant as well".

"You talk way too big".

That was when the twins joined by her side. Fang was also on his feet.

"Teach, is that really you?"

"Yeah...sorry we took so long..."

"...to think I was able to see others again, even in this body.."

"We can have a big reunion..."

'...after we kick these guy's asses".

"Ohhh, you think you can defeat me?" the man said, releasing his aura. Suddenly, the air felt much heavier, as if a massive gravity field had been created around them. "I am afraid that you will be dying here instead".

The man then stepped forward, his menacing aura expanding. Even though they could not see his face, they could tell he had a nefariou and suspcious feel to him. And every step he took closer, they became less able and able to do something. He raised his hand to cast another magic spell, but then suddenly it seemed to be cut off, and his arm set on fire!

Several other villagers were hit by the same attack. Lutessa saw it, briefly. From a high up cliff, on a road that went by this forest as one passed by, that was where the attacks came from. But when she looked up, she felt as if a familiar pressence was there, the same as when she saw Fang and the Twins...

"Everyone, use this chance! Attack and capture them!" Lutessa mentioned, but then they saw the fires continued to spread on their bodies no matter what they did. Each and every one of their attackers, they were being mercilessly burned to a crisp. "...why did they...did they plan to kill them outright from the start?"

Lutessa watched in shock, as the merculess magic consumed them all.

"Mission complete maaster" Iosi said, as he put away his staff.

"And the werewolf?"

"Its origin was not mentioned, but it was definently under the control of that one guy until they freed it. Still, they will need a proper diagnosis for him to be safe, which means they will take him to the Imperial Capital".

"Which means, you can track them down, without having to deal with forcing them or getting involved yet with the hostile group. Which means you can investigate them more, and learn who those guys were".

"Exactly Iosi" Raevin said, as he got back into the carriage. "Its a shame that we were unable to meet whoever was in charge of the rescue though, it might have been someone useful as well. Hopeflly I will be able to meet them, in the Imperial Capital".

And so, although he had a strange feeling, as if there was a familiar pressence down there, he continued ot make his way to the Imperial Capital.

At that point, he had no idea he had just saved three fellow reincarnators, including his Teacher...nor had he realized he had saved people who would one day become his enemies.

But the clock ticked onwards, as various forces began to head to and converse at the Imperial Capital.

Meanwhile, at a camp site some distance away....

"Ahh!" Kotori said, waking up suddenly. He was covered by a blanket and still in his clothes, since they were camping in the woods.

"Are you okay, Kotori?"

"I saw something...strange. In a dream just now...I saw a bat, a sword, a bow, and a gemstone...all of them were at the space where the Imperial capital is on in a map. There was a flooding darkness....great terror and tragedy...and they would need our help. A great danger, the first of many...I saw a great darkness potentially swallowing it whole".

Kotori's visions often had levels of abstract nature to them. The pieces he saw were liely people...but it sounded like a great many people were in danger.

"Very well then. Everyone pack up camp. I will carry Kotori, and then we will head towards the Imperial Capital as fast as possible" Rayheart mentioned. "If we need to be there, then lets get there before its too late".

And just like that, other forces were beginning to gather at the Imperial Capital as well.