White. The first color that one would see in a certain, vast expanse of emptiness. It was easy to think that it was the only color one could see in this realm. However, endless specks of black appeared above and stretched out in all directions. It seemed as though the black bits were stars juxtaposed with a white sky.

That's what he saw when he arrived. He was a dashing youth, to put it simply. Short, curly blonde hair and lustrous, golden eyes that glowed faintly were his most prominent features. He wore tight-fitting golden armor that accentuated his toned muscles. At his side, a lavishly decorated scabbard hinted at the powerful weapon he possessed. He was not too bulky or too skinny, having the perfect physique that nonetheless exuded great strength. It was the picturesque image of a hero, and that he was.

The youth's eyes hinted at confusion towards his new surroundings, but there was no fear or shock evident in his countenance. After all, he had lived a substantial part of his life in a similar setting before.

Soon, however, he wasn't alone. A different youth appeared before him. His build wasn't as impressive as the blonde hero. He wore a simple, white t-shirt and white pants that almost seemed to blend with the whiteness that surrounded them. The lack of an impressive aura contrasted greatly with the gold-eyed youth's imposing presence.

He was, to say the least, very normal-looking. That is, with the exception of the very, very white mask that completely covered his face. So white, in fact, that it somehow stood out against the white surroundings.

"Who are you? Tell me, otherwise I’ll rip your tongue out," the blonde youth threatened and narrowed his eyes. The brutal nature of his words, however, held a slight tone of caution towards the sudden appearance of a stranger.

"Jeez, calm down, man. I am simply a traveler!" the young man proclaimed, crossing his arms and holding his head high. “And what if you didn’t allow someone enough time to respond? Would you rip their tongue out? How would they answer the rest of your stupid questions, then, huh? You have to think carefully about your threats to maximise the amount of information you want to extract next time. You also gotta work on your greetings, dude. If it were someone else, they would’ve crapped their pants by now...”

The masked madman continued to ramble on while making wild gestures, much to the increasing chagrin of the blonde youth. He wondered how someone could make communication feel so encumbering and sickening.

"Also, don’t you think the title ‘traveler’ is a bit inaccurate? It's doesn't constitute what I do very well. I can be called an ‘observer’ too. But I'm no longer just observing,” the masked youth mulled.

Then he ruffled his dark hair in frustration.

“Argh, damnit! My ambiguous nature makes it quite difficult for an introduction. No matter. Oh yeah, welcome to the White Realm, by the way!"

The masked youth laughed and continued with his utterly nonsensical tangent.

"Seriously, though, don't you think it's funny to see someone so calm after battling the Demonic One for a few thousand years? I bet if it was any other lad, they'd go insane and have a major screw loose in their head!

He pointed at the blond as if accusing him of an act of unspeakable horror.

“I mean, sure, you're pretty mean and profane for a hero, but it's still tolerable! Well, it's more likely that any other lad would die while fighting in that place, especially considering what that thing is able to do and all... And what's with your appearance? Looks as if you never saw a day in battle! And those looks... I guess they're okay? Well, a lot better than mine I suppose-"

"Shut your bloody face hole! How long do you intend to talk?!”

The blond was going mad. There’s chatty, but this masked youth took it to a whole new level.

“And how do you know of the Demonic One!" the hero released a suffocating bloodlust before spitting out a series of questions. "Who are you? What is this 'White Realm’ you speak of? I must get back and finish off that bastard."

Whoops, looks like I let some of my thoughts slip. Man, I should really tone down that habit of speaking out loud... and being too chatty...

The masked youth mused to himself.

The blonde youth quickly calmed himself after his outburst and soon his glowing, golden eyes darted around. After a few moments of observing the new environment, he came to what would normally be considered an outlandish conclusion.

"You must be a deity," he said simply. "How else could someone like me be brought somewhere without my knowing?"

The masked traveler, as he regarded himself, listened and nodded his head in approval.

"Oooohhh, smart man. Yup, definitely a hero! Astute, calm, with a hint of arrogance! Though, I'm not exactly a deity you know..." the young man replied. He held his head and tilted it in contemplation.

"No matter if you are a god or a demon! Bring me back from where I came," the blond threatened, unsheathing a long, golden sword, "or I shall end your life here."

It didn’t seem, however, that the masked youth was impressed this time. He even shook his head.

"Hey, man, that's kinda stupid. Some random dude brought you to who knows where, without you even knowing it happened. Then you threaten him and throw any sense of caution out the window!” the masked youth chuckled. "Now, why would you do that?"

"None of your business," the blonde snarled coldly and charged at a speed which could easily surpass a god.

Which was, of course, pretty fast.

The hero appeared immediately in front of the masked youth as though he teleported to him. He swung his blade downwards in a wide arc. The weapon sung its tune of death as it neared the mask of its intended recipient. The opponent, however, didn't even flinch as the sword rushed to meet him.

"Ha! As expected of a hero!" the masked youth laughed heartily.

The hero raised his brows in alarm as he witnessed the masked youth's right arm disappear. Two fingers pinched the edge of the blade, stopping it just moments before it made contact with the mask. Even with his monstrous cognitive abilities, the action went far beyond what the hero could perceive.

"How the hell," the blonde youth began. All the while he pulled back his sword and hastily made his retreat. He knew from that short exchange that his opponent was not to be underestimated. He had battled minor gods before, but not one with speed to the extent of what was shown in front of him.

So is he a major god? No, it doesn’t seem like it. He seems to be holding back…

The hero thought that as he looked at his opponent. However, the person himself had his hands in his pants and seemed to be in the middle of scratching his balls.

What the bloody hell?

Of course, the hero was surprised and disgusted, to say the least. Who’d do such a thing in the middle of battle?

Ignoring the weird masked youth, "Supreme God" was the one possibility that emerged in the blond’s mind. However, he quickly dismissed the idea. He knew of their existence from his realm, but he never encountered such a being. For some reason, they had rarely, if ever, interfered with the affairs of other gods, much less that of higher mortals or mortals.

Though I haven’t fought one before. Either way, I will still beat him to death.

The hero resolved with unyielding mettle and confidence. For someone who had long broken through the limitations that bound mortals and even that of higher mortals, common sense could not apply to him. Powerful is an understatement regarding he, who was not a god, yet far surpassed them in unadulterated strength and combat prowess.

And contrary to the masked youth’s previous statement, the hero had his guard up the whole time when confronting the peculiar stranger. He hadn’t exercised even a small portion of his full capabilities yet. He wanted to probe his enemy.

He had been fighting for a long time a being, he believed, could easily surpass a Supreme God. In fact, he almost vanquished the being before he was abducted and dumped here.

But before he could launch another offensive, the hero suddenly froze in place. His right leg was behind his left, and the left leg was bent forward. Both hands held the shaft of his golden sword in a ready striking position. The tip of the blade pointed away from his body, indicating that the hero wanted to hide his sword from the masked youth's line of sight.

These were all clear signs of a position for a counterattack despite the considerable distance he made between him and the masked youth. Even though a fraction of a second hadn't even passed yet since the hero's retreat, his rapid preparations and positioning were a testament to his astounding skill and technique.

"Wow, he's pretty fast, isn't he?" the masked youth praised the hero's display of speed.

"One attack and I'm already impressed. He would've launched another attack had I not stopped him," the masked youth pondered out loud.

After a a few moments of contemplation, he sighed.

"Might as well bring him back. It's only right. After all, who'd like someone interrupting their little skirmish?" he decided with a cheerful gait, making his way towards his supposed adversary. “I’m not a very good planner, am I?”

Then he paused abruptly and contemplated some more.

“Actually, I’ll bring him with me, then bring both of them back here. Then, they can finish their business.”

He continued skipping happily. The youth stopped in front of the frozen hero and picked him up with one hand. He held the poor blond over his shoulder like some life-sized toy. The hero didn't move or retaliate, making it seem as if the masked youth was carrying a statue.

Soon, they blinked out of existence, leaving nothing but the white space and the specks of black above in their wake.