“I… have a lot of questions….” I say, shaking my head as I finally calm down.

“You’re the curious type, I see.” Jun nods to this with a smile. “To apologize for inappropriately threatening you, I’ll answer your questions.”

“No fair Jun-sensei! I want to answer Aden-kun!” Aruko whines suddenly.

Is my name officially Aden-kun or something?

“Jun-sensei,” Nisuki raised a hand, “I would like you to permit me to answer Aden-kun instead of Aruko-san. This is my second time meeting him, so I know a better way about answering his questions.” Nisuki immediately responds.

Wait, Jun is Nisuki’s sensei as well? Not only that, what’s the big deal about meeting me twice!?

“...You sure got a nice group of friends suddenly,” Kin says bluntly to me.

“Trust me. I hate myself more than you hate me.” I return sharply as the word, Charisma, comes to mind.

It is midnight and in a random tent near the center of the large campsite, but it is a bit towards the northeast. Jun, Aruko, Nisuki, Kin, and I are all talking.

In the large tent itself, there isn’t much. The ground is mostly made up of grown grass, and the thin wooly walls the tent has are entirely see-through, allowing us to see demi-humans walk by. In the middle of this manufactured tent, the only thing is a long wooden table with six wooden stools.

At first, it's Nisuki introducing me to Aruko and Jun. Then all of a sudden, it's Nisuki and Aruko arguing about who should answer my questions.

When did answering my question become a big thing?

Well, anyways, when Nisuki introduced me, Jun nodded happily, but Aruko… kind of had trouble trying to calm herself down in front of me.

I can see that she's struggling to keep herself from jumping at me. I understand. I know the culprit to your excitement. I’m looking at you, Charisma.

Jun listens carefully as she hears Nisuki and Aruko continue their none-ending argument. It is a few seconds later, “Nisuki. Aruko.” The two immediately stop arguing and look in Jun’s direction. “It seems you two have forgotten what the word maturity means. I suggest you two go out and calm yourselves for now. You too, Kin, don’t think I haven’t heard you talk bluntly to Aden.”

The three do as ordered, and all walk out of the tent. Jun smiles and turns to me while sitting on a stool across the table. The way she sits looks very elegant. “Now that the disturbances are gone… Ask me any question, Aden.” I smile and begin to spill my mind out.

“Alright, first, isn’t this campsite… a bit too revealing? All this light is bound to attract attention."

“We use charms of illusion.”

“Charms? Like-”

“No, not that kind of charm.” Jun points a finger up, and a weird, long piece of paper fades into existence upon doing so. “This kind of charm.”

“That just looks like something you use to ward off spirits.” Jun pauses upon me saying this. It takes her a while until she questions,

“...Have you seen these before?”

“Oh! No, this is my first time seeing something like this! Anyways, you use those to hide this place?”

“Of course, this is one of many charms, the charm of illusion. All of these were specially created by Nisuki to help hide this campsite. However, I do question myself as to how you’ve assumed that this was a ghost warding charm even though this is your first time seeing it.”

“I-It was a total guess, really. Never mind that, hmm….” I look closely at the charm that Jun now holds.

It looks like this long piece of paper with weird symbols all over it. It is no doubt, however, that this has weird writing on it… Since the players, from what I heard, speak an entirely different language, it's most likely that they have completely different writing. “This is another total guess, but… is that the writing people known as players use?”

“Correct, this is a type of writing known as Kanji. Please take your time looking at it.” Jun holds it out to me. I gladly did what she allowed me to do, and I took a really close look at it.

The writing seems weird, very weird compared to the writings Charles teaches me. If Charles were to see this, I wouldn’t doubt that he’ll try to study it for hours on end.

After a few seconds of looking at an abnormal paper, I put my gaze away from it. “Ok, next question. Nisuki and Aruko call you sensei. Does that mean teacher? If so, why do they call you that?”

“Yes, it does mean teacher. And the reason why they call me teacher… is something you’ll learn later on. I’m surprised. Every guess you have done so far seems to be accurate.”

“I guess I’m a good guesser. Alright, third question, what is a player?” The last question made me more curious, but I decided it was probably best not to dwell in someone’s past. Especially when we both just met each other.

“That is a question many people from the north ask me,” Jun says annoyingly with a disappointed gesture.

“...I’m sor-”

“Don’t apologize.” Jun sits up and pats my head from across the wooden table. “It’s normal. I don’t mind answering this question to millions of people. Especially you, Aden. A student like you is what makes teaching fun.” I make a happy expression.

Jun then sits back down with her usual smile. “I’ll answer your question. The name, player, was a made-up name. It was a title made up by the humans of many races after the Grand Befall.”

“Grand Befall? And you are saying that the players are humans?”

“The Grand Befall, a disaster twenty years ago that shook the entire continent of both worlds, causing a strange and large anomaly that transported parts of many continents to the Eastern Region. And yes, the players are human.”

“They are humans… are they all human?”

“No, not all of them are human. Many of them used to be.”

“Demi-species?”

“Yes, upon entering this world, their very bodies are completely altered. Some turned into the opposite sex, some turned into different races, and some aged younger… it was such a sudden change.”

“...Were you a part of it?” I wait for Jun to answer until,

“No, I’m not a part of it.”

“Wait, what? Aren’t you…”

“Yes, I’m from the eastern region, but I’m born in this world.”

“But… I assumed you were since you’re Nisuki’s and Aruko’s teacher.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve only first met them after the Grand Befall. I didn’t volunteer to be their sensei.” I stare at Jun for a moment until asking,

“You… are a kitsune, right?” Jun doesn't answer. Silence begins to envelop the entire room.

“You’re a demi-human?” Again, Jun doesn’t answer.

Obviously, the morph skill doesn’t work unless the person has two types of bodies within them, or… they are multi-race.

I shake my head, “Sorry, I went into something I shouldn’t be in.”

“It is fine.”

“Let’s go back to what we were originally talking about. Did Nisuki and Aruko get affected by the Grand Befall?”

Jun shakes her head, “Fortunately, no. The only people affected by the Grand Befall are the players, or you can say, humans. Many concluded that the reason why they were the only ones affected was that they were weak. It was thanks to the Grand Befall that people who were originally humans aren’t weak anymore.”

“Some of them are still human, though, right?”

“Correct, it was mostly due to some of them being extremely strong for their generation. However, some are weak but stay human. Of course, some parts of them aren’t the same before they entered this world.”

“What type of strength are we talking about?”

“Any type.”

As she finished her response, I went into deep thinking.

This is a huge surprise for me. When I first heard that one of the players defeated General Marcos in one swing, I thought of them as demi-humans like me… or worse. To think they were just human like me… wait, was the player who defeated General Marcos a human?

“Another question, do you happen to know a player that defeated General Marcos? This region's strongest warrior?”

“I do happen to know. The player’s name is Yuuki Haru. One of the humans who wasn’t affected by the Grand Befall. She is the strongest duelist of the Eastern Region and a kind one too.”

I look back up at Jun. “Ok, next question, those eyes of yours,” I ask as I look straight at Jun’s closed eyes. “Is there a reason why you close them?”

“Hmm? You think there is a reason why I keep my eyes closed?”

“Yes, I feel like you aren’t blind.”

Jun stays silent for a few seconds… until responding, “When I open my eyes, I see images.”

“See images?” Doesn’t that mean you’re just drunk?

“Weird as it sounds….” Jun responds as her voice slowly becomes dreadful. “The moment I open my eyes in front of my enemies… I begin to feel emotionless.”

“Emotionless?” It sounds similar to that orb within me. “What are those images you see?”

“Time.”

“Time? What do you mean?”

“I begin to see images of myself in the future as if time is guiding me to a certain path.”

“I-I’m confused.”

“Don’t worry. It’s hard to describe it.”

“Well… it’s not like I’m going to fight you or anything.”

“Indeed.”

I swing my legs up and down as we are now on my last question. “Ok, the last question, how….” I take a moment preparing myself. “How… is it at the east? Is it ok?”

Jun nods. “Yes, it’s always full of life. Upon every wake of a day, you’ll always see the streets of the eastern towns filled with people. Everyone is constantly trying their best to live out their lives.”

“If… a friend and I were to go to that place….” I clench my hands. “Will we be fine?”

“Of course,” Jun answers with a smile. “The Eastern Region is home to many. Having you go there will surely make everyone here happy.”

I make a bright smile of satisfaction, “Thank you!”

Jun giggles, “There is no need to thank me. I haven’t done anything. All I did is say you can go to the Eastern Region.”

“Well…” I laugh nervously, “It gives me hope.” Jun continues to giggle but stops suddenly as she turns her head towards the entrance to this tent.

“Unbelievable…”

“Huh?” I look at Jun, who jumps off her stool and face towards the entrance of this tent, then in a blink of an eye, she vanishes. At that same moment, there are screams on the other side. It took me a while before I realized those screams were Aruko’s and Nisuki’s. As I stare at the direction Jun last stared at, I see three shadows. Two are butt fallen to the ground, while one is standing, looking down at the two.

I sit up from my stool and begin walking towards the three shadows. But, the moment I went outside the tent…

“This is unbelievable….”

“Our apologies, sensei!” Both Nisuki and Aruko yell out as they are on their knees with their heads nearly touch the ground along with their hands.

“Has Aden’s attractive aura also made you two dumber?” The two didn’t answer. Jun sighs in frustration, “How disappointing. I didn’t expect you two of all people to grow dumber due to love. You both know it’s impossible to hide your presence against me.”

“Our apologies!” Aruko and Nisuki apologize again.

On keep my gaze on the scene as Aruko and Nisuki continue to apologize to Jun. I continue to watch in curiosity at this uncomfortable situation until I ask out loud, “May I ask another question?”

“What may it be, Aden?” Jun questions, as she is still looking down at Aruko and Nisuki.

I make a huge yawn before saying, “Is there any place I can sleep at? I’m… getting tired.” Aruko’s and Nisuki’s bodies twitch as I say this. Jun shakes her head in annoyance when she looks like she notices their bodies twitch through the sensation of the ground and then turn to me.

“It’s been a rather interesting session, Aden. I’m looking forward to answering your questions. If you want,” Jun continues, “I can make you one of my students, that’s if you’re interested.”

“I’ll think about it. It’s been fun having you answer my questions, Jun.” Jun nods in agreement to this and looks back down at the two kitsunes.

“Aruko. Nisuki. I’d like you two to find a place for Aden to sleep.”

“Yes! Sensei!” The two answer at the same time. They both stand up and immediately surround me.

...I regretted what I asked

A minute later…

“So Aden, how do you like it here?” Nisuki asks while holding my left hand.

“I like it. It reminds me a lot of home.” I answer as I look up at the night sky.

“We’re glad you like it here,” Aruko responds gladly with a smile while holding my right hand tightly.

Somehow, they both agreed and decided to hold one of my hands individually. So here they are, Nisuki holding my left hand while Aruko the other.

“How far are we from the tent?” I ask, in desire for sleep.

“About another minute,” Aruko answers.

I sigh then decide to go into deep thinking and find a way to communicate with the beings within me.

I need to find a way to communicate with them. If I do, I could probably find out about things that I didn’t know about myself. Heck, they could probably teach me some skills if they could. But for now, I need to worry about the invasion. Tomorrow, the demi-humans will start planning out on how to attack Baricka, and it’s most likely I’m going to be a part of it. I’ve already shown many that I’m a special kind of monster, so it’s most likely they’ll either put me in a special force or in the frontlines, where I’ll be cushioning the damage the backline could’ve taken. Either way is fine by me since I’ll be killing-…

I… don’t really know myself anymore. The orb within me has changed me in ways that can be… fearful. I mean… why am I now realizing that I’m about to get my first human kill? Am I doing the right thing? ...Yes, I am doing the right thing. I’m about to kill people who protected this so-called slave trade. If I do that, we’ll be able to reunite thousands of families. Not only that, we’ll kill every single corrupted bastard that agreed to this damn slave trade.

Upon me thinking this, my body begins to heat up, as if something has been unlocked, and behind that locked door was a room full of flames.

What I’m doing… those I’m about to kill…

I begin to stumble a bit, making me struggle to walk properly.

Is the right-

“Why!? Why did you guys join the unit!?” I blink wildly, then turn my gaze to the direction the yell came from.

"What… was I thinking?" I think to myself as I realize I am about to doze off. It takes me a while to realize as well, we’ve stopped walking.

“Didn't you promise that you wouldn’t join if I save Jen!?” Kin yells out.

“Things… have changed Kin, we can’t just stand by while everyone else is still trying to save their loved ones.” Jen’s dad, known as Parker, answers with a worried face, along with Jen’s mother, Annabell, right behind him with the same kind of expression. Kin clenches his teeth, exposing some of his sharp teeth.

“But if you two go, you’ll both die! What will happen to Jen then!? Are you two just going to leave her!? After all, she has been through!?”

Nisuki lets go of my left hand and starts walking towards the enraged Kin, “What is happening here?” But even if Kin could clearly hear Nisuki’s voice…

“You two promised me!”

“Kin, stop!” Nisuki yells out, but even if she did…

Kin begins walking towards Parker, “You promised me you two wouldn't join!”

“Kin, stop it!” Before Kin could get any closer to the couple, one of Nisuki's green tails immediately wraps around Kin’s belly and then slowly drags him away.

“Nisuki! Let go of me!” Kin yells out in rage.

“Kin!” Aruko yells out as she lets go of my right hand. “Please, Kin! Stop!”

“Shut it, Aruko!” Aruko pauses as if being punched in the stomach. Tears begin to creep down from her eyes.

“I saw it!” Kin yells out, “You two saw it too! Didn't you! Jen was crying while asleep! She was crying while calling out for you!”

“What… is happening?” Kin freezes, along with everyone else… A familiar-looking cat girl stands behind her parents.

“J-Jen! Why are you out of bed!?” Annabell questions in a panicky manner. She goes over to Jen, who is still wearing that summer-looking, white dress and looks barely conscious as if she just woke up from a nightmare.

“Kin… why are you yelling?” Kin doesn’t answer. All he can do is sadly look in her direction. “Kin?”

“Come on, Jen,” Annabell insists, “You need to go to bed.”

“Mama… Papa…”

Parker walks up… and looks down at Jen with a gentle smile. “What is it? Jen?”

“Are you two going somewhere?” Jen asks while looking up at her father.

“...Yeah, mama and papa are going somewhere.”

“Where are you going?”

Jen’s father kneels silently… until finally answering…

“A place, Jen… A place… where mama and papa are going to become heroes.”

I stand and stare silently… as the first word, I think upon hearing what Jen’s father says,

Liars...