Through the room's windows, the morning sun illuminated the figure of the purple-haired Gaian. Her white ced underwear accentuated both her crotch and medium-sized breasts. In contrast to her unblemished figure were the dark circles under her eyes. These dark rings also signified her stress-addled mind. Inside her heart, a conflict between her desire to be alone and her desire to be comforted fiercely fought, and it guided her into seducing Yves.

  “I’ll let you touch me… But nothing more.”

  While her figure and fidgeting aroused something deep within the young man, he refused her offer.

  “I am in no business of forcing myself on reluctant women. So I will once again say farewell.”

  Yves was, in many respects, a dubious individual, but he did not take pleasure in forcing himself on women who had no desire for him. It was clear to him that Lucia simply viewed him as a cure to her loneliness, maybe even as a repcement for the so-called Alice she fawned over. While he was exiting the room, Lucia caught up to him and whispered into his ear.

  “Yves, I’ll let you do anything, so please just stay here.”

  She embraced the amber reaper from behind while seducing him with a honeyed tone.

  “Lucia, take your hands off of me.”

  She unwillingly released her grip around his waist and began watching the ground. As the girl watched the ground, she heard the door close and the young man's footsteps fade into the distance.

  I’m alone again.

  Silence overtook the room. It was still early in the morning, and only the occasional sound could be perceived through the inn's walls. The Ferefolk of Valeria were quite the slothful citizenry and would usually start their workdays around noon. Their motto was "Party long, sleep long." But some facilities, like inns, usually have staff stationed twenty-four-seven for additional business. In any case, it allocated some napping time for Lucia.

  Instead of catching up on sleep, however, Lucia dressed herself and descended the stairs in an attempt to reunite with her friends. When she got downstairs, she was met with an unfortunate sight: the tavern side of the inn was essentially empty, with a lone Sylvan Ferefolk sipping coffee at a table.

  They're gone, I've done it. I'm truly alone. Why didn't I just stay with them? Was it so important that I "recharge my batteries?"

  While her mind characteristically spiraled, an idea popped into her head: On the other end of the room, there y a dispy of alcohol. She approached the bartender there and ordered anything she could get her hands on.

  The drinks of this world, or at least of Valeria, were quite sweet. They even had a cake-inspired drink that tasted nasty but still served its purpose to Lucia. After about an hour of constant drinking, she stumbled out of the inn and onto the streets. Some of the few Ferefolk and Fairies out at this time gazed upon her with pity but ultimately ignored her.

  With tears in her eyes, she sloshed about through alleys, nes, and streets before a voice called out to her.

  “Quinn?”

  Through her blurred vision, she gazed upon a Sylvan Fairy. Lucia wasn’t sure of their gender, but they seemed to be a woman. The Sylvan's face was pale, her hair bck, and eyes emerald. The sides of her hair came down to her chin on both sides, and her bangs met in the middle, forming an upside-down W. The girl's gentle features somehow exuded both a sense of coolness and cuteness. Although, the fox ears may have aided in the cute department.

  Her outfit consisted primarily of bck fantasy clothing but was decorated with a green cape draped from her left shoulder. Her right shoulder had bck pte armor attached to it, with the bck body of the shoulder pte being outlined in green. On said shoulder pte also id a green emblem that looked familiar to Lucia. In fact, the entire outfit seemed simir, but before she could say another word, she passed out on the ground.

  In her drunken state, Lucia did not even notice the significance of the words of the Sylvan woman. Nobody could have connected her body to that name except for one person, Alice.

  ???

  When she came to, Lucia found herself lying on a bed in a regal-looking room. The bed itself was ornamented with various curtains and symbols. As her eyes started to focus, Lucia saw the same Sylvan woman through the bed curtains. Then, the name that was uttered flooded into Lucia's mind and she started pcing the puzzle pieces together.

  “Alice?”

  Lucia posed it as a question to the woman who had been watching over her sleep. While her eyes seemed closed, the girl was awake and heard Lucia's unconfident call.

  “Long time no see, huh.”

  Alice pushed the curtains aside to give them a better look at each other's faces.

  Emerald.

  Lucia thought of only one word when she met Alice's eyes directly. Like a gemstone, the Sylvan woman's eyes captivated Lucia with splendor.

  After a few moments of staring at one another, Alice expressed her happiness at Lucia’s safety; then, she immediately asked for the entire story leading up to when she had found the purple-haired woman drunk on a street.

  Lucia recounted her entire journey to her, even the embarrassing parts about her run-ins with Yves and frequent bouts of panic. While they had never been official in their past life on Earth, Lucia worried Alice would view her fling with Yves as a betrayal. Even Lucia felt somewhat guilty over the affair, but to her surprise, Alice bmed herself.

  "I was not there to protect you, so you found someone else. There is nothing wrong with that; it was a personal failing of mine. Now, you belong to me though. I will ensure that nothing like that happens ever again."

  With these words, Alice embraced Lucia in her arms. Their slight difference in height led to Lucia's face being snuggled directly into her neck. To Lucia, the past four days felt like a month's passage, and because of this, she started to tear up.

  After a few more moments of crying, it was now Alice's turn to recount her adventures. Apparently, the theory Magnus had presented days ago had been proven true. Alice witnessed an alternate version of Quinn acting out his daily life while Lucia had been active in this world. Approximately three days ago, Alice was also transported under another one of her avatars, Sophie Embershard. She had created it after Quinn became engrossed in the game and stole Lucia.

  The past three days had been incredibly hectic for her. The second she arrived here, Sophie had begun searching for Lucia. To aid in her search, she allied herself with the commander of the Valerian Knights. She was offering her assistance in a coup d'état of Louis Velheinz Seravell XLII, the current monarch of the Vel Empire. In return, the rebel faction agreed to search for a purple-haired girl when they had the time. It turned out, however, that Sophie would poetically find her soulmate herself. Then, Lucia passed out, and Sophie brought her to the Valeria Knight Barracks.

  “Wait a second, you enlisted the entirety of the Valerian Knights to help you search for me?”

  "Well, only really the rebel faction who answer to the commander. There are those still loyal to the king, after all."

  While Sophie attempted to py it off, she was actually rather happy about how much she was able to accomplish in such a short period of time.

  "But why did they even enlist your help? What could you offer them that was so special?"

  “Take a look at my level.”

  Lucia opened her status window, and her jaw nearly smashed through the floor.

  Name: Sophie Embershard, Css: Demonic Dual Duelist, Race: Sylvan, Level: 217.

  “Yeah, I may have cheated a bit. Haha”

  She scratched the back of her head before expining further.

  "There is also something else that I have that interests them, this sword here."

  From her back, she unsheathed a sword and presented it. It was a dull red color but had a slight glow.

  “This sword can kill Fairies, permanently.”

  With each word Sophie spoke, Lucia only further lost her ability to speak.

  "I found out after killing a group of bandits with it, or well, almost an entire group of bandits. Their creepy leader informed me that his minions had never respawned… I'm still not really sure how to feel about it, but they were gleefully taking the lives of Ferefolk, so I'm trying not to guilt myself too much over it. Anyways though, the rebels needed a weapon to counteract the king if he enlists the help of Fairies, so we made a deal."

  Lucia's ears checked out after she heard "creepy leader." The particur words used reminded her of someone.

  “Did these bandits go by the name, “Mourning Raven” by any chance?”

  "Yes, they did. I believe the guild leader's name was Sirius… Why? Did you know them?"

  “I did.”

  Suddenly, Sophie’s face froze over.

  "I'm so sorry if they were your friends. Quinn, please don't be mad at me."

  It took Lucia a moment to respond, as she was unsure of her own feelings.

  “They weren’t my friends. It’s just kinda weird knowing people one day, and then a majority of them are suddenly dead.”

  Based on Sophie's recounting, Sirius was still alive, though. This created a wave of anxiety in her stomach; he would surely try to avenge his fallen guildmates in one way or another. Also, Sophie had done something to bother her a few moments prior.

  "Also, I'm not Quinn. I'm "Lucia!"

  To these words, Sophie let out a small giggle—but the purple-haired Fairy remained steadfast. She wasn’t even sure why it had bothered her so much, but it did.

  "Oh, you're, uh, being serious. Of course, Lucia, whatever you'd like."

  While the air remained awkward between them for a moment, the topics eventually shifted to more light-hearted ones. Discussions on what types of food existed in this world, the different kinds of clothing, and the fun of flying sted for hours.

  In fact, the conversation did not end until they were interrupted. The doors to the luxurious room opened, and a young man walked in. He sported short blonde hair and a simir outfit to Sophie, although he was covered in armor, unlike the casual version worn by the Sylvan woman.

  "Sophie, you have had plenty of time with your friend. It is time to hold yourself to your word. You agreed to co-lead this coup."

  In response to the man’s words, Sophie turned around and sighed.

  "There is no need to worry, Gabriel; no weapon in his arsenal could even put a dent in me."

  “Do not overestimate your strength, girl. We are not even fully aware of the technology they possess.”

  “Fine, fine. Lucia up and at ‘em.”

  Sophie pulled the purple Fairy out of bed and introduced her to the impressive looking young man.

  "Lucia, meet Gabriel Bercaster, the commander of the Valerian Knights. He leads the rebel faction, and I am currently aiding him in his pns to take control of Valeria and the Vel Empire as a whole."

  Lucia analyzed the man in front of her. Gabriel kept a sword on his left hip and a shield on his back. Like most, if not all Valerian Knights, he was also a Ferefolk. Upon a more detailed gnce, he also had a small collection of brownish markings on his face. Although elves did not exist in this world, Lucia considered the marking elf-like.

  "I have heard many a great things about you, my dy. Should you find yourself cking any provision, clothing, or service, please do not hesitate to ask me, and it will be provided. You are a dear individual to Sophie, so it would be no issue for me to see to your needs."

  “That’s quite enough, Gabriel. She will be accompanying me at all times, so there will be no need for your hospitality.”

  “Very well. I’ll give you both thirty minutes to come to the war chamber. I look forward to seeing you both there.”

  With that, the young man left the room and closed the doors with a bang.

  “Well Lucia, what do you wanna do now? It only takes a few minutes to walk up there.”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “After hearing about what that man did to you, I want to recim you.”

  "He didn't even touch me. What are you talking about?"

  Despite her objections, Sophie tackled her onto the bed. The two rolled around while kissing each other’s bodies and relishing in each other’s company.

  “It feels good to be back.”

  In a longing voice, Sophie voiced these words to her soulmate. Even if they were in different bodies, they still felt connected through their memories of one another. Their personalities hadn't changed, their experiences together hadn't changed, and most importantly, their hearts hadn't changed.

  Eventually, Lucia pushed Sophie off of her.

  “I think we should go and see Gabriel before he gets mad.”

  “Awwww, but I was just getting started.”

  “You’ve had your head in my boobs for the past ten minutes!”

  And so the two reluctantly picked themselves off the bed and exited the room. Although it was a short walk to the war chamber, Lucia posed a question to the Sylvan girl.

  “I know you did it for me, but this Gabriel guy, does he actually have a just cause?”

  Sophie entered deep thought for a moment.

  "It's somewhat difficult to expin. If I had to summarize it, Gabriel has a personal grudge against the crown, and it's a pretty justifiable grudge. The crown is also corrupt, so actually, it's not really morally questionable. In my opinion, the difficult part will be gaining support from the public. You see, the manner in which the king is corrupt is rather difficult to prove. It might be better if he expins it to you himself."

  Both Ferefolk and Fairies could be seen as the two proceeded to the war chamber—so many that it elicited a comment from Sophie.

  “It seems he is getting serious. These all seem to be Fairies and Fairy guilds whom Gabriel hired to aid us in the upcoming battles.”

  As they continued walking, some Fairies gnced over and greeted Sophie. It signified that her status as co-commander was not an empty title. After another flight of stairs, they then reached the war chamber. The door to the chamber was massive and adorned with a mural depicting a battle against an enormous beast. Noticing Lucia's attention to the artwork, Sophie expined what it represented.

  "You said you learned about the White Beasts from this "Oracle," yes? Well, that mural depicts the battle against one of the White Beasts, Bahamut. In the past, it had attacked this city and killed many people."

  The mural was truly stunning, and it was fitting that it adorned the entrance to the war chamber. It took a few more minutes for everyone to gather themselves in the war chamber. Lucia had taken a seat next to Sophie, which felt inappropriate given their centrality in the room. But there was something that made her even more uncomfortable, Yves was sitting directly across from her.

  While she was deciding whether or not to inform Sophie of his presence, Gabriel called the meeting into session.

  “Since we have some newcomers joining us today, let me reintroduce myself.”

  "I am Gabriel Bercaster, son of Silvia, the Goddess of Nature, and Alexander Bercaster, a Gaian man. My goal is simple: to sughter the corrupt king who murdered my parents."