Evan POV:

My thoughts still spun in a whirlwind of confusion and concern, still reeling from Aisha's unsettling revelation about getting Walter's body. However, I couldn't afford to let my inner turmoil show, especially not in front of the children. With a forced smile, I resolved to play along and indulge their innocent curiosity.

"A what will happen soon?" I inquired, my voice tinged with anticipation.

With a thoughtful pause, Chara, Aisha’s maid, began to explain with a sense of duty, her words carrying a sense of importance. "A magician's ranking tournament," she revealed, her tone filled with significance. "It is set to commence in the near future, akin to the Warriors and Rangers Ranking tournaments. However, this tournament is exclusively for those skilled in the arcane arts. Participants are only permitted to employ their magical abilities during the competition."

She further explained that the purpose of the tournament was to find good talents. It served as a platform for young, aspiring wizards to showcase their potential, their innate talents, and which would get rewarded or something and blah blah blah, I stopped caring.

“Ohhhh,” I said nodding as I only understood half of what she said. I couldn’t really focus much since I had much more important matters to attend to, such as what Aisha was messaging me right this instant.

Aisha: Evan, What Do We Do!!!

Walter: Aisha, Calm down. It's not that big of a deal, we just have to go back to that snow biome and...... I FORGOT WHERE MY BODY WAS!!! THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM!!!!

Aisha: LAKSDNHAOPDNAPW

Walter: HIOADNHAIOBVFAPISD

Ugh, I was better off surviving on my own.

…Nah, that’s a lie, I’m still really grateful to not be alone.

Evan: GUYS! CALM DOWN!!

Aisha: I'M NOT A GUY!

Walter: Shut up Aisha.

Aisha: Okay~ :3

Evan: *Sigh* We just need to form a plan and get the body. This isn't a game where all items get deleted after 5 mins.

Aisha: Shit, you right.

Walter: Oh Yea. Well, another thing is that THERE WAS ONLY SNOW NEARBY WHERE I DIED!!! HOW THE HELL ARE WE GONNA FIND IT NOW WITH NO LANDMARK!?!?!

Evan: Isn't that a better thing since you won't get buried anywhere?

Aisha: Not necessarily since a snowstorm could start and ruin everything.

Walter: .......

Aisha: Alright, then what's the plan?

"Papa?" My two little kids called out to me, their innocent voices interrupting my train of thought. I refocused my attention on them, ready to address their concerns.

"Hm? What's up?" I responded, curious about the reason for their interruption.

“What are you staring at?” Their puzzled expressions made me realize that my gaze had wandered elsewhere, lost in my own thoughts. I quickly composed myself, ready to provide an explanation.

"Oh, I was just telepathically communicating with your mama, discussing when she'll join us here."

As soon as the word ‘Mama’ escaped my lips, Luna, who had been in a state of shock, suddenly snapped out of it. Her voice trembled with worry and disbelief as she confronted me. "W-W-What were you two doing alone!?" she exclaimed, her concern palpable.

Huh?

"...Are you talking about me and Tifa?" I responded, a hint of disbelief in my voice as I struggled to understand why Luna was suddenly fixated on a minor incident that had occurred nearly a minute ago.

"Of course I'm talking about that!" Luna retorted, her gaze piercing towards Tifa, who seemed visibly embarrassed and avoided eye contact.

Letting out a weary sigh, I attempted to clarify the situation. "I told you before, she fell, and I was simply helping her up. There was nothing more to it."

“By embracing her!?” Luna's accusatory tone persisted as she pressed further, questioning Tifa's flushed complexion. "And why is she blushing as if something more happened?"

Evan: Guys! Jealous sister alert! COME SAVE MY ASS ALREADY!”

By now I’m convinced that what Aisha mentioned before is correct, Luna might have a bro-con syndrome.

Aisha: OMG! Really!? Oh yes! That is some Juicy stuff! I’m coming over right now!

Walter: Hehe, "Coming".

Aisha: …That's not funny.

Walter: …I know …Sorry.

"Don't worry about it," I reassured Luna, casually dismissing the concern with a wave of my hand. "There's nothing going on between us, isn't that right, Tifa?"

Turning my gaze towards Tifa, I noticed her flinch and observed the deep crimson hue that now adorned her cheeks. In that moment, it became clear to me why Luna had been skeptical of our interactions.

"Y-Yes, that's right! Nothing's going on between me and Evan," Tifa affirmed, her voice carrying a touch of unease.

Luna's eyes narrowed, her expression showing a mix of irritation and distrust. "Okay... I'll believe you this time," she stated, her voice laced with a hint of skepticism.

I let out a silent sigh of relief, relieved that Luna seemed to have accepted my explanation. However, there was still an underlying tension, a lingering anger that I couldn't quite shake off. It made me wonder if Aisha's earlier remark about Luna having a 'bro-con syndrome' held some truth. Perhaps it was time to test the waters and confirm my suspicions.

Feeling a knot of apprehension in my stomach, I cautiously continued, trying to grab Luna's attention. "Are you, umm... upset that I don't pay much attention to you and talk to others a lot?"

Her eyes flashed with a mix of frustration and hurt as she looked at me. The intensity of her response caught me off guard as she screamed out in anger, "Obviously!"

Oh Shit! Aisha was correct!

Luna's frustration poured out in a torrent of words, her voice laced with disappointment and longing. “One minute you're someplace and the other minute you're somewhere else! every time I see you, you're either talking or hanging out with someone! Why don’t you ever spend time with the rest of us!?”

In the midst of Luna's outburst, my daughter Hope approached her, tugging at the hem of her dress. Her innocent plea pierced through the tension in the air. "Aunt Luna, please don't be mad at Papa," she said, her voice filled with a sense of compassion.

I watched as Luna's anger dissipated, replaced by a softening in her gaze. The presence of Hope, with her pure and unconditional love, had the power to diffuse even the most intense emotions. Luna took a deep breath, her voice now filled with a touch of remorse. "Sorry, Evan. I just had to get it out of me," she admitted, her vulnerability shining through.

Good Job Hope! I'll give you a Mana Cookie later.

I approached Luna with a gentle smile, reaching out to pat her head in a comforting gesture. "It's okay, Luna. Everyone gets a little jealous when I'm not able to spend as much time with them," I reassured her, trying to lighten the mood.

Luna's immediate response was a vehement denial. "I'M NOT JEALOUS!" she exclaimed, her tone brimming with defiance.

Hope, ever curious and innocent, chimed in with a question. "What is jealous, Papa?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

I paused for a moment, considering the best way to explain the concept to a young child… but gave up in the end. "It’s what your aunt Luna is feeling right now,"

"I SAID I'M NOT JEALOUS!" Luna screamed at me, her frustration evident in her voice.

Suddenly, Aisha burst into the room with her characteristic energy, drawing everyone's attention. “Who's here Jealous of my man Evan?”

Luna wasted no time in countering Aisha's statement as she pointed at her. "HE'S NOT YOUR MAN!" Luna exclaimed, her voice filled with defiance.

Aisha, undeterred, raised an eyebrow and responded in a playful manner. "LOCKED ON TARGET! FIR-!"

"Okay, enough with the jokes,” I cut Aisha off as I realized that the conversation was veering off track, I interjected to refocus the discussion. “Hey, Aisha. Have you participated in the Magician's Ranking tournament or whatever it's called that’s happening in the coliseum?" I asked, hoping to steer the conversation toward a more relevant topic.

Aisha's eyes sparkled with pride and confidence as she declared, "Yep, I'm the Highest tier Magician, a Professional Grandmaster." Her words carried a sense of accomplishment and mastery.

Curiosity piqued within me, and I couldn't help but ask about the benefits of such a prestigious title. I leaned in as I asked, “That… Sounds good, but what are the benefits?”

She placed a hand on her chin, assuming a thoughtful pose as she considered my question. "Hmmm... Not really anything that great..." she began, causing a slight sense of disappointment to settle in. However, she quickly followed up with an exciting revelation. "But, you do get access to a library with all of Beginner to Grandmaster's ranked Magic books, which is really good."

Books?

BOOKS!!!

At the mention of magic books, my eyes widened with anticipation, and a rush of excitement coursed through me. As a skill hero, My overpowered-ness is directly in link to how many skills I can obtain, and skill books are a really easy way of achieving that. I couldn't help but imagine the wealth of spells, incantations, and secrets waiting to be discovered within the pages of those enchanted tomes.

Walter: Guys, why are we changing the subject from rescuing me to books?

Evan: Walter Hold on.

"How many spells have you learned?" I inquired, genuinely curious about Aisha's magical repertoire.

She glanced at me, then turned her attention to the others in the room, projecting an air of nonchalance. "Only a bunch," she casually replied, not wanting to draw too much attention. However, her true response was conveyed through the chat system, a more private and discreet means of communication.

Aisha: The system automatically teaches me magic. The catch is that I can only learn one magic at a time, and it takes quite a while—several hours, to be precise.

I nodded my head to what Aisha told me secretly in the chat box. "Looks like I'm joining this ceremony now." I announced as I was shaking with excitement. I started fantasizing of the near unlimited amount of magic skills I could obtain and how I could mis-match them with Mana-ball to create abominations to ruin anyone’s day at a moment’s notice.

Walter: WHAT!?! WHY ARE YOU JOINING A TOURNAMENT INSTEAD OF HELPING ME!?!?!

Evan: I'm the Hero of skill remember? my specialty is that I can learn any skill instantaneously. And that's pretty much it.

Walter: Huh? …That's it?

Evan: Uhh Yea? That's the only OP thing I have?

Walter: …As a Hero of Range, I have a passive called Vortex's Blessing which gives me a base 25% increased damage when wielding any range weapons with 99% increased accuracy at the cost of reduced damage with melee and Magic weapons by 50%

I was left speechless. A base 25% increase in damage might not seem like that much but you have to remember, there’s weapon modifiers, Special class armor, and accessories along with buff potions that can further increase your damage levels to absolute atrocious levels, and let’s not forget that there’s skills in this world. Who knows what passive skill can increase the damage further directly or indirectly.

Aisha: Oh, I have something like that too, I have a Passive called Nebula's Blessing, It gives me a base 25% increase damage with magic weapons and 30% increased mana regeneration at the cost of 50% reduced damage from melee and ranged weapons.

Evan: WHAT THE HELL!! I only started with Pain Immunity and Dual Wield Passive!!

Walter: You have a Dual-wield Passive?

Aisha: Does that mean you don't get any debuffs when dual wielding?

Evan: Uhhhh Yea?

Aisha: Lucky! If I Dual wield then the Damage and Accuracy is decreased by 50%

As I engaged in our conversation through the chat box, a gentle tug at the back of my silver armor caught my attention. Turning around, I found Faith and Hope looking up at me with pleading eyes. Their innocent expressions melted my heart, and I couldn't resist their request.

"Can we go as well?" they asked, their voices filled with anticipation.

I couldn't help but chuckle at their enthusiasm. "Sure," I replied with a warm smile. "Luna and Tifa will take care of you while I'm in the coliseum. You'll have a great time with them."

“Yay!” They both said in unison as their faces lit up with joy.

"On that note," Aisha interjected, her voice carrying authority. "Chara, could you kindly escort them to the Coliseum? I need to have a private conversation with Evan."

Chara, ever the obedient servant, responded with a graceful bow. "Yes, madam," she acknowledged.

I turned to Tifa and Luna and noticed them engaged in a hushed conversation. I couldn't help but feel a pang of concern, hoping that Luna wasn't interrogating Tifa about our previous encounter.

"Hey," I called out, capturing their attention and cutting off their private conversation. “You two go on ahead and take care of Hope and Faith. Also, tell Lucy that I’ll join the tournament in a bit, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”

Tifa nodded understandingly, while Luna's gaze pierced Aisha with a hint of suspicion. Luna firmly grasped the hands of my children and followed Chara towards the coliseum. Once they were out of sight, I closed the door behind them, creating a sense of privacy between Aisha and me.

"Now, we're finally alone," I remarked, my tone laced with a mix of anticipation and relief. Aisha's reaction caught me off guard as she looked at me wide eyed and instinctively covered her chest, as if I were some sort of pervert ready to pounce on her. I couldn't help but sigh at her exaggerated response.

"You know very well what I meant," I clarified, and a mischievous grin spread across her face, her eyes gleaming with mischief. With the playful tension diffused, we began conversing like two normal, human beings.

Oh wait, I'm a Silver Daemon.

"So, where were we?" Aisha pondered for a moment before her face lit up with realization. "Oh, right! Your skills."

But before she could continue, I interjected, eager to address something that had been nagging at me. "Hold on a second. You mentioned earlier that you have Nebula's Blessing, and Walter had Vortex's Blessing right?"

Walter: That's Right.

I gestured with my hands, emphasizing my point to both Aisha and Walter. "Don't you see where I'm going with this?"

Aisha looked genuinely puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"It means," I explained, "if you two possess these blessings bestowed upon by the star pillars, then there must be two more individuals in this world who are also 'Heroes.'"

{Author Note: For those who don't know. There are a total of four Star pillars that you have to destroy to face the end boss of Terraria. These star pillar's, when destroyed would also give materials to make insane endgame weapons and armor. The Golden-ish "Solar" Star Pillar would only give materials favourable to a Melee User, The Teal-ish "Vortex" one for Range, purple-ish "Nebula" for Magic and finally cyan-ish "Stardust" for summoners.}

The realization slowly dawned on Aisha's face as she grasped the implications of my words. “Oh yea, that just leaves the "Solar" and the "Stardust" Star Pillars… which means…”

Walter: There's a Hero of Strength and a Hero of Summoner Left.

"But we've been chatting using the system's chatbox," Aisha pointed out, her expression filled with confusion. "They would've obviously known about this by now, so why haven't they talked to us?"

I pondered her question for a moment, then shrugged my shoulders in response. "Beats me. They could be busy, or perhaps they're taking a break. It's hard to say. But one thing is for certain: We'll meet them soon enough."

Aisha's face lit up with excitement. "Wait, that means there's a chance we'll reunite with more of our friends from our world, right?"

I nodded, though tempered her enthusiasm with a note of caution. "There is a chance, but let's not get too hopeful. We’re already a man down, we don’t if there’s going to be another casualty

Walter: Okay but can you tell me why YOU are joining this magician ranking thing?

“I'm the Hero of skill remember? Unlike your celestial star blessings, I can only learn skills insanely fast. that also includes books. So, if I can become a Pro Grandmaster then-”

Aisha cut me off as she realized what I was getting at, “You can learn all the Magic in the World and become as OP as we are.”

“Exactly.”

Walter: Then, what in the hell do I do? Sit in with the crowds?

“Nope, you’re gonna go and search for your corpse and then somehow mark it on your map. When we're done, you have to guide us to your corpse and then we'll save you. Any problem?”

“I don't mind since I get to relax in the sidelines”

Walter: Why is Aisha the only one that gets to laze around? Even when she spawned here she was lucky enough to get into a castle and laze around.

“Hey, it's hard being me.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“We all have our jobs, she’s just going to be a back-up for now while you and I work. Alright Walter We’ll see you soon. Good luck!”

Walter: Same to you.

"Alright then, Aisha, explain the rules," I said, crossing my arms and gesturing for her to proceed.

She motioned for me to follow her, and together we walked through the intricate maze-like corridors of the exquisite castle. As we made our way, Aisha began explaining the rules of the tournament.

"The rules are insanely simple," she started, her voice confident and clear. "In this tournament, you can only use magic to defeat your opponents. If they give up, get knocked out, or fall out of the ring, you win. The same goes for you."

We descended a grand white marble spiral staircase adorned with expensive-looking paintings hanging on the walls. The atmosphere was both elegant and awe-inspiring.

"Furthermore," Aisha continued, "there are safety precautions in place. Each participant is given a small wooden carved totem infused with a forbidden-level spell. When you receive damage, that damage is transferred to the totem. Once the totem breaks, you are considered out of the tournament by default."

I paused for a moment, my disbelief evident in my expression. "Wait, hold on a second," I interjected, struggling to grasp the concept. "A forbidden-level spell?

She seemed to grasp the concern behind my question and proceeded to provide an explanation. We finally reached the end of the staircase and started walking through the hallway, passing by a couple of guards as she continued sharing her knowledge.

"Yes, there are different levels of spells in this world, but forbidden-level spells are in a league of their own. They are not only incredibly powerful, but they also come with significant risks," she explained. "Forbidden-level spells require more than just mana to cast; they often consume a person's health as well, sometimes both mana and health."

As we moved further down the hallway, Aisha delved into the intricacies of the forbidden-level spell used in the tournament. "I've tried discussing this particular spell with them, but it seems that the totem is soul-bonded with another creature. When a participant receives damage, it is transferred to a living monster imprisoned within the castle walls using the totem as its medium."

I clicked my tongue in frustration, disappointed that I wouldn't be able to utilize such a powerful spell. "Damn, just when I thought I could make use of that spell."

Aisha nodded in agreement, her expression mirroring my disappointment. "I'm surprised at how heavily classified this spell is. They don't even allow me near it, despite my expressed desire to learn it. It seems we may never know the exact reasons behind such restrictions."

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, and I voiced it to Aisha. "Do you think they might be using criminals instead of monsters for the soul-binding process?"

Her eyes widened in surprise at the possibility. "Fricken hell! I never considered that," she exclaimed, clearly taken aback by the idea.

I let out a sigh and shook my head, “Of course you wouldn’t have considered that.” Setting aside that thought, I focused on gathering more information. "Alright, is there anything else I should take note of?" I asked her.

Aisha placed a hand on her chin, her gaze directed upward as she pondered the question. "Well, apart from what I mentioned earlier, the tournament will span over a few days. You can join at any time, and with each victory against a fellow magician, you'll progress to a higher rank. There are a total of 12 ranks leading up to the Pro Grandmaster Rank, so you'll have to defeat 12 opponents consecutively. It's important to note that the use of any physical weapons such as swords, bows, guns, and so on is prohibited."

“Huh. Simple enough. What happens when you kill your opponent?”

Aisha's expression turned worried as she met my gaze. "There's no penalty for doing so, but..."

Waving my hand dismissively, I reassured her, "Obviously, I won't resort to that. I'm just curious, that's all."

A sense of relief washed over Aisha's features as she realized I had no intention of taking such extreme measures.

We left the Castle and were greeted by the bustling streets, we didn’t really pay much attention to them as Aisha guided me straight towards the Colosseum.

We noticed that there were a lot of people going into the colosseum, from the common pheasant to rich noble and wizards, since they were all going to the same building, I guessed that that's… where the magic happens.

Punz!

{Author Note: A shitty pun.}